Roger Torrent, Catalan minister for business and employment, toured the ISE show floor yesterday, accompanied by other local dignitaries. The delegation spent more than two hours at the show, visiting numerous stands throughout the Fira. They also visited IOT Solutions World Congress in Hall 4.
By Michael Burns
ISE exhibitors are united in their belief that the AV industry continues to bounce back from the low point of a couple of years ago. The general mood is one of optimism about a buoyant market, and delight at being back among the AV community once again.
“Since Covid, people have wanted to upgrade homes or offices in order to feel safe, so
the market is a positive one for us,” said Casto Cañavate, marketing manager at KNX Association. “ISE is a great place for us to showcase how we work alongside our member companies and help promote them.”
Pavel Nemec, international marketing manager, Robe, observed that the industry has rebounded, stating: “We’ve all struggled
to buy components after Covid, but it’s fine now.”
“The market is still healthy,” agreed Robert de Jong, director, product marketing, Legrand AV. The company has just introduced a new brand, C2G, for connectivity products. “We wouldn’t have done so if we didn’t believe there was a good market,” he added.
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Sustainability remains a pressing concern in the digital signage and display industry, as highlighted by participants in the Digital Signage Summit (DSS) on Wednesday.
In the keynote session entitled The Power of Pixels, which refers to concerns about power consumption as well as the power of content, Florian Rotberg, managing director at invidis consulting, noted that the industry still needs to “get greener and more sustainable”. Regarding products, “it’s about eco designs, energy saving, circularity and recycling”, he added.
While Rotberg observed that there are many interesting green concepts on the show floor at ISE 2023, he also warned that there is “still a long way to go”.
This message was highlighted by
participants in a separate panel entitled Managing Green Signage: Making digital signage more sustainable. Craig Francis, digital signage partner manager at Google ChromeOS, said sustainability is at the heart of what Google does, for example, and it adopts a “cradle to the grave” approach when considering the environmental impact of products.
Rotberg noted that power consumption, the circularity of products and product warranties are all important aspects to consider. Another is to adopt a modular approach to enable only certain parts of a product to be replaced when required.
In terms of other challenges for the sector, Brad Koerner, director of hardware and application innovation at Cooler Screens, warned that the wider public is “suffering from digital signage burnout. You can
put a screen up [with] beautiful content, and nobody pays attention,” he said.
“How can we as designers start to think through that? Well, you can break the proportions, you can try to create something that doesn’t look like a 16:9 screen,” he added. Fortunately, the industry is “already technically capable of putting signage in any shape, size or format that we want”.
Ending on a positive note, Stefan Schieker, partner at invidis, pointed to preliminary figures from Futuresource that show global sales of large-format displays rose 12% to 7.7 million units in 2022, with 23% growth in EMEA alone. “To be honest, that really surprised us,” he said, noting that market sentiment was not that optimistic at the end of the year. “The market seems to be back on track.”
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“ISE is the best place to introduce it.”
Pictured with the ICLive X Series is Renkus-Heinz product manager Brandon Heinz. With three freely combinable array modules, the ICLive X Series represents over 15 years of research and development of digital beam steering technology from the company. In addition, onboard DSP provides 12 total filters of PEQ as well as up to 170 milliseconds of delay. www.renkus-heinz.com
The easy access at ISE to integrators and technology partners from Europe and further afield is key. “For Brits, Europe after Brexit is difficult to travel around, so being able to meet all our friends at one show makes total sense,” said Chris Pinder, founder of HDAnywhere. “This is our major event for launching products.”
“There is no other show like ISE with the opportunities it gives you. Your audience is all in one place,” agreed Joe Andrulis, executive vice president of corporate development at Biamp.
“This year we have taken the step to be more visible with a larger stand,”
explained Albert Rodes, CEO of Watchity. “ISE is ideal for bringing people together for end-user meetings.”
For Martin Audio, ISE 2023 is its first live show in Europe after the pandemic. “We’ve had back-to-back meetings throughout,” said Dominic Harter, the company’s managing director.
“Being able to have a genuine faceto-face conversation is invaluable.”
Adeo Group has exhibited at ISE every year since the second event and intends to continue. “No other trade show has such a trajectory,” said CTO and co-owner Sasha Defranceschi. “It continuously grows. ISE is no longer just European, it’s global.”
AVIXA values the worldwide pro-AV market for control rooms at $15.6 billion with growth of 5.4% a year fuelled by rising demand for video and data analytics.
“The control room offers increasing opportunity for the market, with potential upside beyond even current growth forecasts,” Peter Hansen, AVIXA economist, told the Control Rooms Summit audience yesterday. “Servicing the control room with the highest calibre of systems and security represents a fundamental opportunity where users will pay to ensure their mission-critical facility is always running.”
The market segment continues to transition towards cloud-based solutions relying heavily on infrastructure provided by Amazon and Microsoft.
“We expect this will become increasingly important to the future integration of control room functions such as mobility, AI/ML, analytics and location finding,” said Paul Bremner, principal analyst, public safety and
critical communications, Omdia. “All this is underpinned by data. We are seeing increasing volumes of data coming into the control room, affecting applications and how that data is displayed.”
Rob Moodey, EMEA business development manager, Matrox Video, advised integrators not to overlook network connectivity.
“Look at what is happening in broadcast where 10GB, even 25GB, is not unusual, so we perhaps need to think about what is happening in the AV network.”
Dirk Hendrickx, chief sales officer, Wey Group, said: “The pressure on operators has become very hard so the first thing they look for in a new control room is the ability to interact with data in an intuitive way.”
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), which lays claim to being the largest university in Greece, now live streams more than one large-scale educational event per day in a faceto-face, virtual or hybrid format.
Like many educational establishments, AUTh overhauled its teaching practices during the Covid-19 pandemic in order to cater to the changing needs of its students. As Angeliki Agorogianni, vice technical manager for services, IT centre at AUTh, said: “We made it a priority to support live streaming because hybrid is the new normal.”
Speaking during the Education Technology Summit on Wednesday, Agorogianni acknowledged that the university first had to overcome a number of challenges to achieve its goal of being able to provide services to all students, no matter what their situation or particular needs.
As explained by Georgios Roussos, IT system administrator and AV project manager at AUTh, the university had to
resolve issues such as the high demand for live streaming, with over 420 requests in 2022; the low availability of AV equipment; the lack of know-how; and data availability and security matters such as GDPR.
The university was able to meet these challenges through training and manuals,
clear guidance on the availability of rooms with AV equipment, the development of an application for live streaming requests, and more. It also makes use of two Wowza software streaming engines to support the high demand, and maintains control over its own data through a centralised processing system.
While AUTh is understandably proud of its achievements, Paul Bailey, head of codesign at JISC, issued a word of caution over the environmental impact of new, virtual ways of teaching.
“How do we actually scale our education system in a way that it doesn’t impact on the environment?” he asked, pointing to the high carbon footprint of data storage, for instance.
A mix of in-person and hybrid events appears to be the best approach, he added, and noted that there is also interest in “virtual immersive opportunities”.
However, while immersive learning will have its place, “to scale it on a basis for a large amount of education is going to have a huge environmental impact. And we need to think about that,” Bailey said.
Companies have long relied on data to build new offices but they are now able to understand the human experience of working inside them, according to an expert panel at AVIXA Xchange Live.
“Workplace decisions have always been based around financial data such as headcount and the cost of real estate space, but we’re now thinking more broadly about employee engagement and the customer experience,” said Jennifer Davis, author of
management book Well Made Decisions. “The significant impact of work on overall company culture was laid bare during the pandemic and led to a widened aperture of data for employers to make decisions that are not based purely on density.”
The Royal College of Physicians recently opened a major new office in the north of England. Ben Pain, head of AV resources, explained that one of the driving forces for the design was inhabitants’ wellbeing.
“We thought about the whole experience of the delegate,
Connected devices in the home don’t just represent a security risk to the homeowner. Ransom demands and denial of service attacks on entire organisations have been launched from within homes by hackers who find the digital back door easy to pick. EU and UK legislation has arrived to force the entire industry to up its game.
“Now is the time to act,” said Jonathan Marshall, founder, SafeShark, leading the session Cyber Security in the Walls on the CEDIA Smart Home Technology Stage. Installers will need to ensure that the equipment they put in place is compliant. Resellers will only be allowed to sell compliant products and manufacturers
student or employee,” he said. “For instance, we wanted to know where the sun would be at different times of the day to best site conference spaces and where to place AV in the environment.”
have to meet relevant cybersecurity standards to get access to the market.
“It’s a shared responsibility but it also offers opportunities,” Marshall said.
“The new directives ensure any connected device remains supported for a period of time so installers should look for ways to offer clients support packages as a value add. Manufacturers and resellers can use compliance as product differentiators.”
SafeShark has devised Intercept, the world’s first automated test for connected devices. It is working with Hisense, Philips, Panasonic and LG. In the UK, a product checked with Intercept is certified with the BSI security kitemark.
“Customers are more likely to buy and trust products with an official security stamp,” he added.
Another useful data source is location information extracted from RFID name badges worn by everyone in the building. This can be used for better wayfinding or to learn which rooms are being used the most.
If you fancy some cool music in the Catalan sunshine, head to the Outdoor Demo Area, situated outside in the space between Hall 5 and Hall 7. Speaker companies Aura Audio, Pequod Acoustics, KV2 Audio and Unka Sound Systems are hosting rolling demos to impress the ISE audience with their audio solutions. Taking his turn in the sun was Jonathan Reece, managing director of KV2 Audio. “We need people to hear our sound. You can’t just show them a speaker box and expect them to imagine how good it’s going to be. It’s great having an outside area where we can turn it up a little bit,” he said. “It’s been exciting to meet some new people.”
HyperDeck Studio lets you record broadcast quality video files directly onto SD cards and SSD media! The new redesigned HyperDeck Studios feature modern design with more codecs and quieter cooling. All models now support recording to H.264, Apple ProRes or DNxHD files with either PCM or AAC audio. For ISO recording, there’s even built in timecode and reference generators for syncing multiple units!
The new HyperDeck Studio models have been totally redesigned with dozens of new features! The Pro models feature a machined metal search dial with increased mass and a soft rubber surface that feels nice to the touch. Plus the search dial features an active clutch, just like a traditional broadcast deck! With dual media slots, you can change cards without interrupting recording!
If recording to other types of media is required, the USB-C expansion port lets you plug in an external flash disk for recording. USB-C flash disks have unlimited capacity because they can be physically larger than an SD card or SSD. Just move the disk over to a computer and instantly start editing! There are also menus for managing external disks on the built in LCD.
Popular ProRes, DNx, H.264 and H.265 Files!
HyperDeck supports the most popular codecs in use today! All models include DNx and ProRes file formats. However all models also include H.264 in quality up to 10 bit 4:2:2 when recording in NTSC, PAL, 720p, 1080p and true 1080i interlaced formats. While the 4K model adds H.265 when recording in Ultra HD. The Plus and Pro models have ProRes 4444 for fill and key playback!
Depending on the model HyperDeck Studio features a wide range of video and audio connections such as 3G-SDI, 6G-SDI or 12G-SDI. All models include HDMI for connecting to televisions and projectors. There’s even a dedicated SDI monitoring output on the Pro and Plus models with on screen status. The 4K model has 10G Ethernet for extremely fast network file copying!
No event illustrates the sheer global scope and cutting edge of AV technology more than the America’s Cup.
Stephen Nuttall, head of television for the America’s Cup, used his ISE keynote to talk about the record-breaking broadcast production plans for the 37th edition, which will be hosted in October 2024 by the city of Barcelona.
“We intend this to be the most watched America’s Cup of all time,” said Nuttall. “The 36th race was viewed by 942 million people worldwide. We will look to beat that by a considerable margin at Barcelona 2024.”
He explained that the race means to achieve this with technological innovation on the AV side to match the high-tech design and engineering of the boat’s carbon fibre hulls.
“We’re looking at putting cameras and mics on the team chase boats to create an F1 pit lane type experience but on water.
That hasn’t happened before.
“Our overall philosophy with coverage and distribution is to make it open and accessible to all. It needs to be credible and relevant to an expert sailing audience but it also needs to be an enjoyable, entertaining and compelling sport for someone who only watches sailing once every four years.”
The AV crew need to know their position to 2cm and 1/100th of a second. They capture 125 million data points every day, including position data in six dimensions. This is used to officiate the competition accurately and for fans to personalise their own race dashboard online.
“In the high stakes world of the America’s Cup, with some campaigns costing over €100 million and with a history stretching back to 1851, we can’t afford to make a mistake,” he said.
“What is interesting about ISE is that it is as relevant to my colleagues at the America’s Cup running hospitality, the visitor experience, the IMAGs, as it is for me looking at broadcast communications equipment,” he told The Daily. “I’m not sure other trade shows have that breadth of offering.”
Nuttall’s keynote is part of a wider ISE 2023 focus on content production and distribution. Visitors can head to Hall 6 to find out more.
Yesterday’s AVIXA Women’s and Diversity Council Panel: Technology at the Service of Inclusion session saw experts from industry and education showcasing how gaming technologies and artificial intelligence can help both improve diversity and inclusion within the AV industry, as well as continue to support people when they become part of our community.
The inclusive nature of the session was enhanced by supplying all attendees with the Interprefy mobile app to access live BSL interpretation of the discussion streamed from Interprefy partner AV Department in Scotland. English and Spanish live captions were also generated using market-leading AI technology.
Pictured left to right are: Kim Lonas, global diversity & inclusion program lead, Exertis; Caroline Carter, AV technology delivery manager, Imperial College London; Kylie Kendrick, technical specialist, esports at Durham University; and Roberto Vogliolo, cofounder and president of Redrim. —MICHAEL
BURNS
Covid has fuelled an interest in wellness in the home with more time spent indoors. In fact, people spend on average 90% of their lives indoors, and this session on Wellness Technology as part of the CEDIA Smart Home Technology Conference looked at ways to turn your house into a healthy oasis… and demand is definitely there.
Michelle Guss, vice president, hospitality at Crestron Electronics, explained that three-quarters (76%) of people believe that their homes are harming their health and wellbeing, while 66% believe the right housing could cut annual medical costs by up to 40%.
Homes can shape health in profound ways, from providing clean air throughout to natural lighting which mimics our circadian rhythms. To understand this and to design healthier homes we need to understand the science behind it.
Phillip Pini, director residential sales UK for Crestron Electronics, said: “Circadian rhythms are ingrained and go back to when we naturally woke at sunrise, and stop working when the light decreases. Technology has disrupted this rhythm as we artificially light spaces.”
With Barcelona now confirmed as the home of ISE until at least 2025, and the show experiencing impressive visitor numbers, the city is hoping that this is just the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
“This year, in which the fair is likely to surpass the historic attendance record, having left the pandemic behind, it is time to take a leap forward and make Barcelona the creative home of ISE for many years to come,” said Laia
Bonet, deputy mayor of Barcelona. She added: “Together, Barcelona and ISE will build a lasting, positive legacy for both the city and the audiovisual industry.” Barcelona boasts “a diverse industry
Netgear AV has joined AIMS (the Alliance for IP Media Solutions).
“Netgear is a huge influencer in the pro-AV industry. Its success in infrastructure products has shown the way to take general IP equipment and shape it to the needs of the industry,” said AIMS board member Andrew Starks, who is also director of product management at Macnica.
“AV over IP is a hyper-growth area for Netgear. It’s been incredibly successful,” said Richard Jonker, VP business development, Netgear AV. “We still see growing fragmentation, so we’re delighted that AIMS is just like us: convinced that this market needs interoperability and ease of use instead of different silos.”
“We have watched the growth of IPMX [the open standards-based Internet Protocol Media Experience] to make things simpler, as this echoes what Netgear’s mission is: making things easier for people to adopt,” agreed John Henkel, Netgear’s director of product marketing. DAVID FOX www.aimsalliance.org/www.netgear.com/av
that covers the entire audiovisual value chain: content, communication, events, technology, entertainment and media. And the public administration’s support in the sector is decisive,” she continued.
“We’re working closely with global events such as the America’s Cup Barcelona 2024, and with innovative projects such as Digital Impact, a digital arts exhibition that we will present in the spring at the Disseny Hub Barcelona.”
ISE means a lot to Barcelona as host city.
“It is both a recognition and a boost for Barcelona’s capacities to become a hub for frontline industries, and it is also a key moment for our city to develop and attract new talent, companies and projects. In fact, what ISE represents is what Barcelona wants and needs: a re-industrialisation of the city that fosters quality jobs and initiatives at the intersection of culture, digital innovation and sustainability.”
DAVID FOXDTEN | Stand: 2R350
DTEN is demonstrating its easy-to-use hybrid workplace solutions, including new product releases.
The new D7X series is showcased on the stand with Windows and Android operating systems in both 55in and 75in. Also featured is the new D7X Dual 55in configuration with a uniquely mounted vertical camera. Other products on show are the ONboard 55in, ME and ME Pro 27in, the D7X 55in and 75in, the Vue/Vue Pro cameras and the DTEN Go and Mate.
DTEN has also introduced its Thrive Partner Programme, an initiative expanding the company’s commitment to resellers and integrators. The programme aims to help global partners understand more about DTEN’s hardware and to drive customer momentum through the buyer evaluation process. Product training is provided through on-demand training courses and interactive webinars.
Doug Remington, general manager, DTEN EMEA, said: “The D7X series of products is a game changer for DTEN. We’ve already received a great response from the market so far since the launch of the D7X Windows and Android editions. We’re delighted to showcase them here.”
LAURA VALLISwww.dten.com
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Robert Huijsmans, chief operating officer at Userful, highlighted how softwaredefined AV-over-IP is transforming the way that enterprises deploy and manage AV and IoT applications and services.
“SD has revolutionised AV,” he declared during a Tech Talk on Wednesday, pointing to the flexibility it provides for enterprise IT professionals compared to traditional HDMI matrix switches. Also on stage were two customers, SouthWest Water UK and Housing Bank in Jordan, which have benefited from the deployment of Userful’s technology in their control rooms.
Mark Webber, service support centre manager at SouthWest Water
UK, noted that his company faced a number of challenges including the need to invest in its business, ageing infrastructure, regulatory requirements and the impact of climate change.
The company undertook a refurbishment of its control room and turned to Userful for help with its AV display wall. “Having the AV solution really pulled together everything for us and makes our situational awareness much greater,” he said. “Ultimately, what’s really important for us is having that real view that’s
The Talent & Knowledge Congress is hosting the second Impulsa Talentum Summit for the AV sector between 10:45 and 12:30 today in room CC4.
Featuring speakers including Hyperreal chief information officer Sergi Sergas (pictured at last year’s event) and Oracle director applications development Rebecca Maxwell, the summit will consider critical questions including ‘What must organisations do to adapt to constant change?’ and ‘How to attract and retain talent?’
The summit will also see speakers sharing their expertise and proposing value and impact strategies for the AV sector.
easy for our handlers in our control room.”
Emran M Gharaibeh, security & central alarm centre manager at Housing Bank in Jordan, said the company was looking for a control room solution that would help it tackle cyber security issues and enable it to work 24/7. He found that the Userful system also met the objective to be easy to use for control room operators.
“You always think about the userfriendly interface that operators can use and understand,” he said.
Liberty has launched four series of AVoIP transceivers, all of which can be controlled via its Arranger platform.
The new 6000 Series is SDVoE compatible, while the 5000 Series supports 4K UHD, and both the 2200 Series and 1000 Series work with 1080p. All are designed for price and performance.
James Blumhardt, VP international sales, Liberty, said: “They can cost 40% to 70% less than many of our competitors, and they come with a global advanced replacement warranty.”
The Arranger platform configures, controls and manages all the AVoIP systems (including third-party devices), and can trigger presets, minimising programming. It includes auto device discovery, easy videowall configuration, remote access management and comprehensive analytics. DAVID FOX www.libav.com
Co-exhibiting on the Leyard stand in Hall 3, Cyviz is showcasing its Microsoft Teams solution for larger rooms and auditorium-style venues. With the same flexible functionality common to the standard Teams experience, the Cyviz Easy Microsoft Teams Room Agent bridges the collaboration gap between the office and hybrid experience. It can transfer seamlessly from the larger room up to largescale conferences and auditoriums.
Jeremy Spencer, global marketing manager, Cyviz, said: “From meeting rooms to auditoriums to operations centres, our platform is versatile and can be converted at the touch of a button to accommodate different and dynamic workflows.”
Jan Petter Lie, Cyviz president, Europe, added: “With one control hub providing centralised support and
management, it is a multi-use platform facilitating the management of critical control rooms with the same solution
supporting Microsoft Teams Rooms. We call it the digital arena.”
—LAURA VALLIS www.cyviz.com
Vestel Visual Solutions’ range of interactive flat panels has been extensively refurbished, with three LED wall products launching at ISE. They come with a powerful chipset and a number of new features, including zero-bonded touch frames, faster touch/writing response, comprehensive applications and tools, better whiteboarding, a user-friendly interface, 100W power delivery and touch over USB-C port.
The company’s digital signage offering includes two new models: a 3,000nits ultra-brightness display, and a lightweight signage value series. The latter has been upgraded and supports a number of CMS applications currently
A new family of Voltera power amplifiers has been introduced by Biamp. Offering a compact size with low heat emission and no software configuration, the Voltera range consists of four models designed to meet Energy Star requirements.
Two of the models are twochannel analogue amplifiers delivering a total of 300W or 600W that can be shared as desired per channel. The remaining two are fourchannel analogue amplifiers delivering a total of 300W or 600W, of which up to 50% can be delivered by any channel. Intuitive mode switches enable fast deployment of any mix of low or high impedance loudspeakers.
Joe Andrulis, executive vice president of corporate development at Biamp, said: “Engineered for plugand-play simplicity with no
available in the signage landscape.
Vestel is also launching a meeting room solution, Vhuddle Pro, later in the year. Designed to adapt to the requirements of the modern workspace, users can take notes on the display,
start a meeting, or employ any preselected application via touch or pen. Additionally, Vhuddle offers the ability to connect to the display wirelessly from external laptops.
LAURA VALLIS www.vestelinternational.com
software configuration, our Voltera power amplifiers are compatible across all DSP architectures, making them an ideal choice for integrators across a wide range of applications.”
Biamp is also showing its new Desono C-IC6LP and DX-IC6LP low profile, high-efficiency ceiling-mount loudspeakers for conference rooms.
The company has also announced a collaboration with Lenovo to deliver the ThinkSmart Core and Controller Kit-based solutions configured for Microsoft Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms. The collaboration enables Biamp to offer a complete, one-stop shop to outfit practically any conference room.
LAURA VALLISwww.biamp.com
RGB Spectrum has strengthened Zio, the backbone of its decision support system. Zio is used extensively for emergency response, and now offers simplified video distribution, display and recording, to enable faster reaction to changing situations.
“Our Zio platform is all about delivering mission-critical data,” said RGB marketing director Courtney Mamuscia.
The open standards-based AV-over-IP platform primarily targets three verticals, including the military. “We’re big in defence and aerospace. A lot of fighter pilots train using RGB technology; we trained Tom Cruise” for Top Gun: Maverick, Mamusica said. The other verticals are transport infrastructure and security. However, the company’s systems are also being used for more general AV applications, such as digital signage in museums.
The latest additions to Zio include: the Zio 4000 videowall processor with advanced networking capabilities; the D2100, a single-channel H.264 decoder, which “is compact and at a really good price”; the QuadView IPX multiviewer which displays up to four screens simultaneously and is highly secure; and KVM-overIP capabilities. DAVID FOX www.rgb.com
Powersoft kicked off ISE with the introduction of its cloud-based platform Unica.
Luca Giorgi, sales director, Powersoft, said: “Unica has two meanings which represent the two main aspects of this platform. Unica means unique, and it also means single; a unique amplifier platform that is versatile enough to cover a wide range of applications in one single family of products.
“This concept of a single product family that can cover a range of applications with a single platform will become more evident as we introduce additional features and additional models.”
According to Powersoft, the cloud-based technology provides a consistent user experience for any size of install. The range comprises three four-channel models (Unica 9K4, 12K4 and 16K4, with 9kW, 12kW and 16kW respectively) and three eight-channel models (Unica 2K8, 4K8 and 8K8, with 2kW, 4kW and 8kW). KEVIN
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The upcoming 4K EB-PQ2000 series will be Epson’s first 4K-resolution high-brightness range of projectors, with the top-of-therange EB-PQ2220 outputting 20,000 lumens, according to Graeme Davidson, business unit director, video projectors, Epson.
The projectors use Epson’s latest 4K Crystal Motion technology, which utilise dual-axis shifting of its 3LCD panels to “position the pixels very precisely”.
The new range also offers custom-built 4K graphics processing. They also use the same lenses as its existing range of 4K projectors, without a change in throw ratios, which “is important for the rental and staging markets”, said Davidson.
The EB-PQ2000 series is compatible with Epson’s ELPEC01 optional camera unit, which provides upgraded assistance techniques, while its free EPPT software provides access to more features, including geometric correction, colour calibration and multi-projection assistance tools.
“We’re getting a lot of interest in 4K now for applications like visitor attractions and events, where the need
for higher resolutions and larger screens is increasing,” said Davidson. DAVID FOX www.epson.eu/proav
Smart Workplace Summit, sponsored by Shure and moderated by futurist Amelia Kallman, runs from 10:3017:00 today in room CC5.1.
As well as sharing the newest technology and the latest thinking on ways to move forward in smart workplaces, the summit will also bring together thought leaders and product innovators to move past the pandemic-related uncertainty to now chart specific courses of direction for companies, their integrators and their vendors. It comes as companies are introducing new strategies and technologies to create post-pandemic smarter workplaces and adapt to hybrid working.
Highlights of the day will include Philip Ross, founder, CEO, The Ungroup,
exploring ‘unworking’; how the modern office is morphing into something else meaning we must unlearn old habits and rituals and create new strategies fit for an age of digital technology, design innovation and diverse workforces.
Later in the day, Ken Dooley, chief product officer at Haltian, will share the practical steps that this large corporation has taken to encourage face-to-face working and the digital tools that support this.
In addition, speakers from Google, Microsoft, Lenovo, Shure and AVIXA will all take to the stage.
Smart Workplace Summit takes place today from 10:30-17:00 in room CC5.1.
The Live Events Summit, organised in association with TPi Magazine, returns with an afternoon of panels and discussions focusing on the inner workings of the live events market. While revenues across the sector are robust, challenges still abound, with staff and supply chain shortages and rising costs leading the way.
Despite this, there is still a great deal of innovation and the summit will gather many of those responsible for some of the world’s greatest productions. They will speak alongside manufacturers producing tools for the live events space, who will share how their solutions will change the face of tours going forward.
Sessions begin with ‘A Look Behind the Curtain: Rammstein’s Stadium Tour’ with Roland Greil, lighting & video designer, 360 degree collective & Woodroffe Bassett Design, and Koen Peeters, key accountproject manager at WiCreations. This will be followed by a trio of panel discussions; one looking at how music venues will
change from 2023, the second offering advice on how to keep up with client expectations, and the third exploring the technology developments already changing the live touring landscape.
The summit will end with Sarah Cox, founder of Neutral Human, and Lewis Kyle
live events summit ise
White, founder & creative director at Pixels and Noise, discussing how advances in visual technology are changing the parameters of the live events space.
Live Events Summit takes place today from 14:00-18:00 in room CC5.3.
CEDIA’s Smart Home Technology Conference continues today covering a wide range of industry trends, including emerging opportunities in hospitality, immersive AV for gaming and esports, and designing and enabling supportive homes with smart technology.
Also today (14:30), a half-day RP22 Immersive Audio System Design Recommended Practice Workshop will introduce the new guidelines in RP22, focusing on the four new objectively defined levels of performance that will define different levels of immersive experience. This session will follow a ‘teach then do’ approach, with participants working in small groups to apply some of the RP22 guidelines to real-world rooms.
The course, which is suitable for integrators, distributors, manufacturers, consultants and anyone who wants to practice standards-based private entertainment space design, will be led by Peter Aylett, partner at Officina Acustica, who chaired the RP22 workgroup. He will be assisted by Ben Goff, technical director at Cinema Lusso, and Adam Pelz, owner of Bespoke Cinemas, who also worked on creating this landmark recommended practice.
Smart Home Technology Conference takes place today from 10:30-18:00 in rooms CC1.1, CC1.2, CC1.3 and CC1.4. For full listings, see page 28.
Visitors to ISE are able to explore IOT Solutions World Congress (IOTSWC), taking place in Hall 4, at no extra cost.
IOTSWC is the largest international event devoted to industry transformation through disruptive technologies, bringing to the table leading experts and companies working on artificial intelligence, digital twins, Internet of Things and quantum computing.
ISE attendees can also visit the Testbed Area of the show floor. These experimentation platforms, deployed and tested in an environment that resembles real-world conditions, show how new technologies and services can be usefully deployed.
Here, Irdeto will showcase the first healthcare-specific cybersecurity platform that combines on-device detection capabilities with a cloud platform that proactively identifies software vulnerabilities, manages the product lifecycle and provides rapid mitigation measures.
The city is the stage for some of the testbeds, including Aqualia, FCC and Rigual, who will present a solution based on Microsoft and Teltonika digital twins, IoT and XR. The aim is to empower smart city service providers by digitising vehicles used in cleaning services to address the global sustainability challenge and increase efficiency in resource consumption and service management.
One of the logistic-focused testbeds is Zariot’s SmartAxiom, a logistic management solution that has blockchain security directly embedded in the device and within the connectivity infrastructure, making it the first solution to be blockchain-secured from device to cloud.
IOT Solutions World Congress takes place today in Hall 4.
Taking place in room CC4.1, English-language Tech Talks and Spanish-language Tech Talks Español are delivered by experts on the cutting edge, bringing new ideas, sharing best-practice case studies and offering a glimpse of the state of the art at ISE 2023.
Tech Talks Español sessions begin at 10:30 with ‘La IA y el ecosistema musical: desafíos, oportunidades y riesgos’, before Carles Gómara, a specialist in digital transformation at ACCIÓ, discusses ‘El Blockchain y los NTFs en el AV como nunca los habías entendido’.
This is followed at 12:30 with a look at the role of the metaverse in the world of fashion. Julio Obelleiro, CEO at Wildbytes, will lead this debate. The final Spanish session of the day is ‘Revolucionar el Restaurante temático con una estrategia que incluye rebranding, experiencias, omnicanalidad’ with Rafael Negro, manager at ASESICA.
Sessions in English begin at 15:00 when Mathieu Felix, co-founder and creative director at Tigrelab, will share how the creative studio loves to play with all kinds of technologies to enhance the creativity of its projects.
In the final session of the day, AVIXA’s Sean Wargo, senior director of market intelligence, and Peter Hansen, economist, will take a look at the current driving trends within the pro-AV industry to uncover the places where innovation is creating new opportunities. They will share insights from AVIXA’s large body of research on everything from the impacts of flexible work arrangements on conferencing and collaboration to the latest new provider service models, all within the backdrop of the latest macro-economic outlook.
Tech Talks and Tech Talks Español take place today from 10:30-16:30 in room CC4.1.
Fran Chuan, CEO and co-creator of culture innovation assessment platform InnoQuotient, will be delivering an ISE keynote address today, asking ‘How Innovative is the AV Industry?’ InnoQuotient has been collating survey results from registered visitors and exhibitors in the lead up to ISE 2023. The survey aimed to find out more about the innovative culture of organisations by measuring the maturity of development of their innovation journey. The assessment pinpointed strengths, as well as identifying any gaps, to then provide guidance in building and improving an organisation’s culture of innovation. Conclusions from this survey
will be shared with participants today.
Chuan said: “For me, to participate as a keynote speaker at ISE 2023 is a great honour. I’m looking forward to sharing the findings on the differences between innovation and innovation culture, as well as presenting the data InnoQuotient has collated from the AV sector. I’ll be sharing my insights, along with some tips and tricks to help accelerate the sector towards a culture of innovation.”
Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Events, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Fran’s expertise, offering invaluable advice and guidance to companies joining us here at ISE.”
Simultaneous translation of the keynote into Spanish, German, French and Portuguese will be available through the KUDO app. To use this service, bring your smartphone and earbuds.
Fran Chuan’s keynote takes place today at 17:15 in Conference Suite CC4.1.
The ever-popular Stand Design Awards return this afternoon with a ceremony on the CEDIA Smart Home Technology Stage at 16:00.
Created by Integrated Systems Europe to acknowledge exhibitors’ stand-design efforts, the awards are managed by EXHIBITOR magazine, an award-winning print and online magazine featuring best practices for trade show marketing.
Prizes will be given in four size-based categories: Small (30sqm or fewer);
Medium (31-69sqm); Large (70249sqm); and XL (250sqm or more).
Every stand at ISE has been judged on-site, with EXHIBITOR magazine editor Travis Stanton, along with deputy editor Brian Dukerschein, completing the initial round of judging to select the finalists. Those finalists have then been judged by an expert panel of designers and marketers who award scores based on a specially defined set of criteria.
This year’s judging panel includes
Carmelo Zappulla, CEO and head of design, External Reference; Jorge Alves, founder and lab master, Mind Trooper; Julia Höhn, senior designer, ET Global; Martin Henderson, technical manager, BRC Imagination Arts; and Victor Cavaller, founder and CDO of Entertainment Development.
The Stand Design Awards take place today at 16:00 on the CEDIA Smart Home Technology Stage (Stand 2F350).
AVIXA research shows the labour market is tighter than ever, making investment in existing employees even more essential
In and out of pro AV, the labour market is as tight as ever. Hiring is hard, and the rise of terms such as the ‘Great Resignation’ and the ‘Big Quit’ speak to the economy-wide explosion of retention issues. Market rates are climbing, but AVIXA data shows that many pro-AV companies are falling behind for their existing employees. In AVIXA’s Macroeconomics Trends Analysis (META), published in September 2022, we looked at the current labour market, contextualising its historic tightness and assessing how it will likely progress in the coming months.
Hiring is difficult in pro AV, spurring companies to take many actions to bring on the workers they need. Raises have been a much more significant part of the response to this hiring crunch than the pre-pandemic hiring crunch; unsurprising given overall accelerating wages. Outsourcing has been an increasingly common response as well.
Even more than hiring, retention has become a major problem. AVIXA’s data shows retention issues are much larger now than they were in the pre-pandemic tight labour market. Critically, it’s not simply that retention has declined; that could happen for strategic reasons. Instead, the data specifically shows that retention problems have increased.
The problems are exacerbated by the fact that companies have become less active in response, with decreased raise frequency a particular concern. Given that employee market rate increases have accelerated, reducing raises for existing employees creates a substantial incentive for workers to leave.
Allowing employee pay to fall relative to market rates causes negative impacts beyond retention problems. Loss of motivation, brain drain and worsening company culture are all common effects.
Altogether, there are many reasons why it can serve a company’s own interests to invest what’s needed to catch employees up to their market rates.
For companies seeking to address retention and its associated problems, AVIXA’s data affirms the fundamental intuition that pay is the biggest motivator for pro-AV workers. It also suggests other potential focus areas, including growth opportunities and good relations with managers. Flexible work arrangements can be difficult to create in pro AV, but they deserve attention as well.
There are a few key caveats to keep in mind. A top one is the economy. Right now, we face more downside risk than at any time in the past decade. It’s possible that a recession could trigger soon, create notable labour market slack and making our advice here obsolete. Company and country specificity are other top caveats. Our data shows that many companies have bucked the general trend of passivity against retention, and labour market tightness varies by country. Carefully consider how your situation compares to the overall to adapt our advice to your company.
For a discussion on this topic, join the session ‘Workforce Development: How to attract and retain talent’ at AVIXA Xchange Live (Stand 3Q400) today from 14:00 to 14:45.
AVIXA’s full Macroeconomics Trends Analysis (META): Attention to Retention is available for free to Silver and Gold AVIXA members. Visit www.avixa.org/meta to access it.
As the leading global authority on education, certification, research, standards, advocacy and community awareness for the smart home industry, CEDIA has made a significant commitment to addressing the workforce development needs of the channel by launching the CEDIA NextGen: Smart Home Career Toolkit.
CEDIA has spent the past few years working to become a viable link between industry employers and talent pipelines (educational institutions, government agencies and community organisations). It has done so by creating workforce development initiatives designed to leverage the strength of the association and its partners to provide meaningful engagement experiences and educational opportunities that lead to sustainable career pathways in the industry.
Building on the momentum created by established initiatives (details below), the new CEDIA NextGen: Smart Home Career Toolkit is aimed at industry employers who are interested in engaging potential new talent and increasing community awareness about their businesses and the local industry. The toolkit includes:
Ready-to-use resources for outreach and awareness about the industry to colleges, technical schools, etc
› Industry promotional video
› Industry overview and career pathway presentation
› Industry fact sheet
› Jobseeker brochure
› Industry promotional poster
› Outreach messaging examples
› Job descriptions
› Written correspondence
› Phone scripts
Insight into the industry and career pathways
› Skills needed at each stage
› Average salary ranges for each title
› Industry-recognised credentials,
including CEDIA’s own, that will help candidates stand out against competition
The toolkit has been designed to complement and enhance CEDIA’s current workforce development initiatives, which include:
Securing local member champions to conduct ‘boots on the ground’ outreach aimed at establishing and maintaining relationships with talent pipelines. Local champion activities involve:
› Building a coalition of local industry employers
› Connecting and networking with local skilled trades pipelines
› Communicating the size, scope and talent needs of the local industry
› Validating CEDIA’s role as an industry association that offers education and certifications valued by local industry employers
› Advocating for CEDIA’s Cabling and Infrastructure Technician (CIT) and Integrated Systems Technician (IST) curriculum and certification to be included in new or existing local education programmes
› Serving as a guest speaker and/or exhibitor at local events designed to connect jobseekers and employers
› Sharing successes and challenges with CEDIA and volunteers in other communities
Developing education partnerships that will allow the association to offer handson workforce training programmes in local communities that lead to industryrecognised credential attainment and employment or advancement. Current education partnerships include:
› Smart Home Technician Apprenticeship programme in England (UK)
› Electronic Systems Integration and Automation (ESIA) programme in Florida (US)
› Electrical and Electronic Systems Technology (EEST) programmes in multiple states (US)
› Electronic Systems Technician programme in Michigan (US)
Hosting an online ‘self-service’ Career Centre platform where jobseekers and industry employers can create profiles, connect and access resources
Providing networking and engagement opportunities for potential future talent at industry and partner events
The CEDIA NextGen: Smart Home Career Toolkit – like all of CEDIA’s workforce development initiatives – will only be successful if the association, its member companies and talent pipelines are working together in local communities where employers and talent (existing and future) live, learn, work and play.
For more information about the toolkit or CEDIA’s workforce development initiatives, please visit www.cedia.net or contact Tommy Tabor, director of workforce development at ttabor@cedia.org.
AVIXA Xchange Live sessions will take place on stand 3Q400. Expect interactive sessions with thought leaders from the industry and events to mingle with old and new friends
12:00-12:45
Fireside Chat With Jane Ross, EMEA Education Lead, Zoom
Interviewed by: Sir Justin R Dawson, learning technologist/senior technical officer, Dublin City University
13:00-13:45
Ask the Experts… What will the student of the future need from higher education and are we ready?
Speakers: Gill Ferrell, EUNIS/1EdTech Europe (moderator); Angeliki
Agorogianni, vice technical manager for services, IT Center of Aristotle, University of Thessaloniki; Maria Uglvig, associate product manager, FeedbackFruits; Robin Stockert, assistant professor, NTNU
One of the keys to successful learning is creating inspiring spaces and engaging
experiences. When Covid-19 regulations were relieved, many students rushed back to campus-based learning to benefit from in-person learning. Yet for many digital natives, raised with virtual interaction and connection with friends, studying online at a time that suits them was a welcome and natural progression. Suddenly, the future is open, and perhaps in years ahead, students will no longer to need to come to campus. We assemble an expert panel to explore what the needs of the future student might be and how universities can adapt to changing times. If you want to uncover the steps that universities must put in place to positively impact the learning experience for the student of the future, attend this session to learn from the experts and share your view. Bring your questions for the panel.
14:00-14:45
The Big Mindmap - Workforce Development: How to attract and retain talent
Host: Matthew de Gannes, head of permanent recruitment, JacobsMassey
Quiet quitting, the big resignation... the list continues. Are these a symptom of not feeling valued? How do we create a level playing field for everyone? Stop, think, let’s work it out.
15:45-16:30
AVIXA Mixer: Beer & bites
Co-host: Sanj Surati, digital atelier, Tiger Heart
Listings correct at time of print; please consult the ISE app for the most up-to-date schedule.
lower-bandwidth AVoIP solution, perfect as astand-alone option or as acompliment to Dante AV™ Ultra.
On the third day of its Smart Home Technology Conference, CEDIA offers another comprehensive selection of business and technical courses, with particular focus on room acoustics and immersive audio systems design. Association members benefit from a 30% discount
10:30-12:00 | Room: CC1.1
Creating an Exit Strategy
Presenter: Leslie Shiner, owner, Shiner Group
Explore how a systems integration owner can successfully retire. The two primary exit strategies will be discussed.
10:30-12:00 | Room: CC1.2
Your Website in 2023 – Is it ready?
Presenter: Geoff Meads, owner, Presto AV
This course will provide a checklist for building and maintaining a profitable website. It will cover subjects such as design, content management, metadata, SEO, connecting social media and more.
10:30-12:00 | Room: CC1.4
Emerging Trends and Opportunities in Hospitality
Presenters: Michelle Guss, vice president, hospitality, Crestron Electronics; Richard Sasson, pro community global director, Crestron Electronics
In this session we will discuss the hardware and software technology solutions that will create the ultimate smart hotel for all involved.
10:30-14:30 | Room: CC1.3
The 3 Ps of Being a Design Professional Project Partner
Presenter: Damien Smith, client director, New Wave AV
Learn how to adapt your business to focus on being a project partner with design professionals.
12:30-14:00 | Room: CC1.1
Designing Enabling and Supportive Homes with Smart Home Technologies
Presenter: Paul Doyle, Assistive Technologies Consultant
This session will help integrators understand the unique needs of older and disabled clients and guide them through the challenges these clients face.
12:30-14:00 | Room: CC1.2
Preparing for Timing-Aware Networking
Presenter: David Meyer, technical research consultant, CEDIA
This course explores the basis, scope and direction of synchronous and deterministic networks in the home, including what the terms mean and what differentiates a network that is timing-aware versus one that is not.
12:30-14:00 | Room: CC1.4
Room Acoustics for Better Bass
Presenter: Peter Aylett, partner, Officina Acustica
This panel session will discuss best practice and explore the different methods and approaches to room acoustics and types of bass absorption products.
14:30-16:00 | Room: CC1.2
Designing Private Video Studios
Presenter: Rich Green, founder, Rich Green Design Green will take you through essential design best practices and share some exciting real-world examples.
14:30-16:00 | Room: CC1.4
Optimising Immersive AV for Gaming and Esports
Presenter: David Meyer, technical research consultant, CEDIA This class looks at gaming market size and scope, and what integrators need to consider when specifying a gaming-capable vs optimised system.
14:30-18:00 | Room: CC1.1
RP22 Immersive Audio System Design
Recommended Practice Workshop
Presenters: Peter Aylett, partner, Officina Acustica; Adam Pelz, owner, Bespoke Cinemas; Ben Goff, technical director, Cinema Lusso
This intensive workshop will introduce the new guidelines in RP22, focusing on the four new objectively defined levels of performance that will define different levels of immersive experience.
16:30-18:00 | Room: CC1.2
Growing Your Business Without Growing Out of Business: Making major steps while maintaining margins
smart home technology conference ise
Presenter: Leslie Shiner, owner, Shiner Group
This session will discuss why home technology professionals can’t grow steadily, but have to make incremental jumps.
16:30-18:00 | Room: CC1.4
New Lighting Technologies: The future of lighting is exciting
Presenter: Andy Bull, director of design, Lighting Audio Video Projects
A look into new technologies and applications which integrators can use to make their projects dazzle.
With a selection of free talks and the Stand Design Awards, the Smart Home Technology Stage (Stand 2F350) offers an abundance of valuable information, engaging discussions, and learning and networking opportunities
12:00-12:45
AI, Metaverse and the Revenge of Analogue
Presenters: Rich Green and Christiaan Buekes
13:00-13:45
Is the Connected Home Actually Smart?
Presenters: Alex Capacelatro, Rich Green, Christiaan Beukes
16:00-17:00
ISE 2023 Stand Design Awards
Listings correct at time of print; please consult the ISE app for the most up to date schedule.
While the live events sector has bounced back strongly following the Covid cancellations of 2020-2021, that doesn’t mean the industry is without its challenges, as Stew Hume, conference chair for today’s Live Events Summit, explains.
“Some are due to the pandemic with others being a direct result of geo-political situations,” he explains. “First and foremost is the dramatic shortage of crewmembers working in the sector, with many individuals opting to move into other parallel markets such as the TV and film industry during 2020-21. This has made it incredibly hard for productions to amass the crew needed for shows.”
On top of this, the sheer cost of touring has seen a seismic change, particularly with freighting charges making it hard for productions to keep costs down. “That’s before you get to the very specific European issue and the ramifications of Brexit, making it harder for UK crew to work in Europe and vice versa with various stipulations including the 90-day rule,” he adds.
the 2020s. With years of research, it will be interesting to see how companies are expecting to use these new tools for real-world applications,” he adds.
Another continually developing conversation is that of immersive audio. Hume says: “Although there are many that might take issue with the term ‘immersive’ to describe this trend in the market, it’s clear that more companies in the pro-audio sector are turning their attention to marketing their various offerings when it comes to spatial audio and what it can deliver to both artists and audiences alike.”
Whatever the challenges and opportunities, Hume believes the live events industry “has always been made up of problem solvers, that live by the mantra ‘the show must go on’. I think in the years ahead, however, those involved are going to have to think even more outside the box when it comes to delivering a show while still keeping costs down and also being more conscious of the environmental impact of touring, which is an ever-growing concern for many artists.
“Finally, there is still a relatively pressing issue in the hold-up in supply chains for new equipment. Needless to say, there are a number of uncertainties facing the sector, especially as we prepare for the upcoming 2023 touring season.”
The topic of the supply chain and how manufacturers are recovering from the pandemic, the shortages of raw materials, as well as the wider geo-political situation and the effect it is having on bringing new products to market, will all be talking points during the summit, as will the innovation that continues across the sector.
“The development in video technology, specifically with virtual studios and the ever-sophisticated methods in AR and VR has been staggering during
“That said, I think artists are going to look for more ways to keep interacting with fans from across the globe and, although I believe the live performance will remain the primary way for a fan to enjoy an artist’s work, we will see more experimentation with everything from streaming to special one-off virtual events to bring artists into the homes of fans to try and encapsulate that live experience for those not lucky enough to be there in the front row.”
All this and more will be explored at Live Events Summit. “It will be a forum to explore some of the changes we are likely to see in the live market in the coming few years and what the tours of tomorrow may look like,” adds Hume. “It will look at some of the latest technological trends and hear from a number of thought leaders who are working at the coal face of the live events sector to make live events even more spectacular year after year.”
Live Events Summit takes place today from 14:00-18:00 in room CC5.3.
Stew Hume, editor, TPi magazine
‘There are a number of uncertainties facing the sector, especially as we prepare for the upcoming 2023 touring season’
By James Kirby, principal analyst, Futuresource Consulting
Over the past 20 years, digital signal processing (DSP) has grown to become the most strategically important technology in the professional audio industry. It comes in a wide range of forms; integrated into amplifiers, speakers, mixers and microphones, or in standalone and software formats. It has become the key that unlocks the door to audio and IT integration and is one of the main platforms for differentiation and innovation within the industry. Despite its relative maturity as a concept, DSP is continuing to revolutionise service offerings and user experiences in a variety of ways. For users, the benefits of DSP are clear. From a commercial perspective, standalone digital signal processors are able to control, monitor and manage a vast range of audio signals and endpoints. This translates into significant time and cost savings in a networked audio
world, and has consistently driven the fast growth of centralised DSP systems over recent years. However, it’s not just practicality where DSP provides benefits, the technology can also bring significant advantages in terms of sound quality. Putting aside the ageold ‘analogue vs digital’ discussion, DSP provides real, tangible benefits in terms of algorithmic processing to clean, adjust and edit audio signals to the benefit of users and listeners alike. For brands, the growth of the technology and its benefits to end users is extremely important. Not only has DSP enabled manufacturers to offer more advanced products, but it has also allowed them to offer entirely new services. For example, providing effective system management and even immersive sound in live environments; or allowing commercial DSP brands to differentiate into broader
Blackmagic’s ISE 2023 theme is focused on decentralised workflows, for which it has an array of kit. This includes the ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K live production switcher, DeckLink 8K Pro capture and playback cards, and DeckLink Mini Monitor 4K, as well as professional cameras, including the URSA Broadcast G2 and the Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Pro.
A recent example of a multi-camera live production workflow was produced by EVT Productions and creative advertising agency Super-Web. They designed a broadcast-style hybrid event for Grenke Spain installed at the company’s HQ in Madrid.
Carlos Morata, technical director at EVT, said: “Chromakeying feeds from the cameras with background graphics is very intuitive. In one instance, we filmed two guests enjoying their coffee at a small table in the green screen area, and then, with just a few adjustments, we overlaid the background of a famous square in Madrid as the event was happening.”
All camera positions were remotely monitored over
control applications, managing a range of endpoints outside of audio, including video over IP. In this way, DSP has become central to innovation within the industry. An effective software and hardware strategy has seen key winners emerge over recent years, allowing these brands to develop fresh user services and create significant vendor lock-in. However, with a growing focus on the technology from a wide range of major audio manufacturers, and with software-only processing becoming a key contender, DSP is set to drive many more changes to the professional audio industry in the years to come.
SDI via an ATEM Camera Control Panel with multiple HyperDeck Studio HD Mini broadcast decks used to record the HD stream and switcher’s PGM [program] output. Blackmagic Design’s marketing team added: “Grenke Spain is a leading example of a company willing to break with traditional corporate content formats and engage partners, clients and employees in a more creative way.” —ADRIAN
PENNINGTONwww.blackmagicdesign.com
At ISE this week, LANG is introducing attendees to its LANG Care maintenance and service programme that offers support to fixed installation projects and investments in rental fleets.
The packages can be tailored to include preferred services such as planning support, installation, repair and maintenance, and are limited to a term of three years with full support. At the end of the service agreement, partners can choose to purchase their existing LANG Care equipment or upgrade to the newest versions.
—JAMES MCKEOWN www.lang-ag.comDisplay specialist INFiLED is giving ISE attendees the chance to further explore its latest range of LED products by following up a visit to its stand with a trip to its EMEA showroom in Barcelona.
Marco Bruines, CEO, INFiLED EMEA, said: “After the fair, our EMEA showroom located in the centre of Barcelona will be open every afternoon for customers who wish to visit. The showroom offers a wide range of LED displays, including a full XR studio set-up consisting of INFiLED’s new flat and curved virtual studio solution and virtual floor.”
The Barcelona showroom is the first of six virtual studio set-ups
the company is due to open around the world, with other locations set for Dubai, Los Angeles, Shenzhen, Malaysia and Tokyo. Each showroom contains technology from industry brands such as disguise, Canon and Ncam. —JAMES MCKEOWN www.infiled.com
WE ARE THE GLOBAL MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATION THAT SERVES THE HOME TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY
We position the smar t home industr y as essential to homeowners , allied trades , and governments .
We connect the professionals who connect our homes around the world.
We develop content to share knowledge and raise the bar on industr y best prac tice.
As of 20 January 2023
Audio Demo Rooms
AVIXA Stand
Barcelona City Council Stand
CEDIA Smart Home Technology Stage
CEDIA Stand
Conference Area (CC5)
Discovery Zone
Impact Lounge
Sensory Tunnel
Influencer Lounge
International Media Showcase
ISE Press Room
Networking Area
Organiser’s Office
Smart Home Technology Conference
Tech Talks Area (CC4)
TV3 Studio
Outdoor Audio Demos
Visual Art Exhibition by WindowSight
Content Studio by GRUP MEDIAPRO
Esports & Gaming Showcase by ABSEN
VPXR Theater by Alfalite & Brainstorm
Screen your creativity by INFiLED
Virtual Reality Integration by SONO & Brainstorm
The Show Window by NewtonLab Space
DIGITAL SIGNAGE & DOOH
CONTENT PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION AUDIO DEMO ROOMS (8.0)
IOT SOLUTIONS
WORLD CONGRESS
As of 20 January 2023
As of 20 January 2023
As of 20 January 2023
As of 20 January 2023
As of 20 January 2023
Workplace experience company Humly is showcasing products from its range, which has its roots at ISE 2020. The company’s first product, Humly Room Display, was launched at the final full-scale show in Amsterdam and since then the company has released six additional products: Humly Reservations, Humly Desk Booking, Humly Wayfinding (in 2021), and the Humly Floor Plan (a 3D-overview map with booking capabilities) and Humly Visitor last year.
The latest release is the Humly Booking Device which is being launched at this week’s show.
Tomas Nielsen, CTO, Humly, said: “These new features make our product suite, Humly Workplace Solutions, even more complete. Everything connects seamlessly to the same backend which really is something customers appreciate.”
—JAMES MCKEOWNwww.humly.com
Two 4K Exmor R cameras are making their debut at ISE.
The SRG-A40 and SRG-A12 feature Sony’s pan-tiltzoom (PTZ) auto framing technology that automatically searches, tracks and frames the presenter, regardless of posture and movement to enable comfortable viewing. Sony says this advanced operation improves usability and productivity.
Both network cameras benefit from 20x optical zoom and up to 40x in full HD and 30x in 4K with Clear Image Zoom (only on the SRG-A40) plus smoother viewing in 4K.
The pair, part of Sony’s Network Camera Solutions range, are suitable for a variety of applications, including corporate boardrooms, lecture theatres, medical operating rooms, broadcast studios, sporting events and exhibitions. —ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.sony.net
In the second of two product launches at ISE, 1 Sound has unveiled the WSUB45i, the installation version of its flush mounted Wall Subwoofer.
The WSUB45i is an ultra-compact, slim and lightweight subwoofer with a “unique form factor”, says the company. At only 167mm deep the WSUB45i is built with two French cleats in the back of the cabinet for flush mounting to a wall either horizontally or vertically.
Components include four 5in low-frequency drivers and one 10in passive radiator, which 1 Sound says makes the Wall Sub a fastresponding and powerful subwoofer with a max SPL of 123dB.
The WSUB45i is IP55 rated for indoor and outdoor use, and it is available in custom colours and wood finishes. The company recommends pairing it with any of its Cannon Series loudspeakers; its Cannon C8 loudspeaker was also launched at ISE this year. —KEVIN
EMMOTT www.1-sound.com
Hall 6 exhibitor Waapiti is showing how it can make the digital signage experience as easy and straightforward as possible for partners and system integrators. With a revamped web interface, including a responsive front-end that supports 100% of the functionality, and an ecosystem of tools and documentation, the company says managing screens “has never been easier”.
ISE visitors can experience first-hand what the processes of player and content management look like using the Waapiti platform, smartphone app and complete ecosystem of tools. According to the company, they “will be able to provide digital signage with no limits to their clients, forgetting about complicated platforms and focusing on their business”. —STEVE FAIRCLOUGH www.waapiti.eu
Crestron is returning to Spain later this year to stage a twoday event exploring emerging trends and successful strategies for meeting the needs of today’s modern workplace. On its ISE stand this week, the company is promoting its second annual Modern Work Summit which takes place in Madrid, 23-24 May. The event will see speakers and panellists from a variety of business areas come together to discuss the importance of the changing workplace, meeting spaces and work-from-home collaboration set-ups. —JAMES
MCKEOWN www.crestron.com
Lenovo is making a number of announcements on its ISE stand this week as it provides updates on its portfolio of collaborative solutions. Designed to help businesses transform spaces into connected and collaborative meeting rooms, the company’s range of specialised solutions promise to enable flexibility, productivity and collaboration.
On display are a number of products in the ThinkSmart range, including the ThinkSmart Core Full Room Kit, which aims to equip all types of conference room with unified communications technology.
For spaces with existing AV installations, the company is also showcasing the ThinkSmart Core + Controller Kit which is available across all platforms.
—JAMES MCKEOWN www.lenovo.com
Following the traditional hype cycles of any emerging technology, mixed reality has endured a tumultuous decade since the advent of the first Oculus Rift development kit. Standalone headset technologies have since matured, with cost-effective offerings from the likes of Meta and Bytedance seeing major commercial adoption. Exciting opportunities in training and development are at the forefront of this expansion and sectors including healthcare, diversity and inclusion, professional services and even fitness all provide unique use cases for XR technologies.
In the healthcare sector, FundamentalVR is providing highly realistic immersive VR simulations, giving hands-on training for surgeons before they ever reach a living
patient. Combining state-of-the-art virtual operating rooms with responsive touch feedback devices, healthcare professionals are able to learn and practice procedures in a low-risk environment. Across the professional services we are also seeing initial forays into metaverse technologies, with major players acquiring space in digital real estate environments such as Decentraland to create virtual campuses. Traditional careers fairs have been replicated online, reaching a far broader audience with increased accessibility and opportunities for discovering talent, and the induction and onboarding processes continue in this vein. New joiners at PwC will take part in a simulation putting them directly in the shoes of an employee as they experience marginalisation
TV One and its media server brand Green Hippo are showing the new Hippotizer V4+ MK2 range of media servers, including the flagship Tierra+ MK2, which is aimed at demanding, largescale productions. With PixelMapping, pre-viz and large-scale 3D mapping demos, Green Hippo is showcasing the latest design and mapping techniques used on installations and live events.
At the other end of the Hippo spectrum, the small-yet-powerful Nevis+ media server offers the creative power of its bigger brothers and is already establishing itself as a much-needed smaller, inexpensive solution for video creation, visualisation and playback, with all Hippotizer’s software features as standard.
Seven Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 media servers are currently in use in Brooklyn to feed vast amounts of visual data to 63 HD projectors inside ArtsDistrict Brooklyn’s Limitless AI immersive experience, filling the main gallery with 360° video.
The interactive 60-minute installation uses artificial intelligence to reimagine 4TB of data.
Jacob Feldman, chief of business development, ArtsDistrict, said: “We chose the Boreal+ MK2 servers because the show was envisioned to be live from the
and unconscious bias, leveraging the empathetic power of VR as a medium to teach principles of diversity and inclusion.
Finally, XR training extends to mind and body, with FitXR creating workouts conducted entirely in virtual spaces, while the long-awaited wearable offering from Valkyrie VR (EIR) is an armband that provides users with force feedback to work out their upper bodies from the comfort of their living rooms.
start, changing each night depending on the music and performers. The final chapter [of five] feeds live data from EEG [electroencephalogram] monitors on the musicians into TouchDesigner and then through NDI to the Hippos.”
The music changes with every show, which requires extra triggering/calling abilities from a backstage perspective. —DAVID FOX www.tvone.com
‘Content is king’, that buzzy phrase from the 1990s, still holds true today. In fact, with the plethora of channels for information or entertainment available these days, producing content is bigger business than ever. Great leaps in content production, rendering and interactivity are being realised using game engines in particular, so it’s fitting that the ISE 2023’s Tuesday keynote speaker was BK Johannessen, Unreal Engine business director for broadcast and live events at Epic Games.
Entering the halls of the Fira, you’ll be dazzled by UHD videowalls displaying advertising or entertainment in ultrahigh resolution, be invited to explore art, culture and fashion through multichannel
immersive installations, or witness the future of filmmaking through virtual production. Go deeper into ISE 2023 and you’ll encounter colourful digital kiosks and augmented reality pop-ups, or interactive virtual gateways to the metaverse accessed through VR technology.
All of the above, of course, need content, and ISE exhibitors are on hand to help with the production and distribution of this.
A dedicated Content Production &
Guntermann & Drunck | Stand: 5F320
The PersonalWorkplace-Controller offers both greater flexibility and easier usability, according to Guntermann
Distribution Zone, a first for ISE 2023, presents a set of special show features at the back of Hall 6, and ISE is running show floor tours to highlight contentfocused companies. Among them are 3D Storm/NewTek (5F120), 7th Sense (5E250), AJA (5J620), Arri (7D850), AMD-Xilinx (5D300), AV Stumpfl (3B600), Christie (3K600), disguise (5J300), Magewell Electronics (5H200), Matrox (5C500), Sony (3E400) and Vitec (5C350).
& Drunck (G&D), allowing users to display, arrange and operate multiple sources on one monitor. The company says it combines the best of multiviewing and KVM on a workstation that each user can individually configure. They can operate it with just one mouse and keyboard, significantly improving workplace ergonomics and efficiency. Instead of having to monitor each process on a separate display, operators can set up their workspaces including different sources as required. Users also have simultaneous integrated and flexible access to all the data they need. Displaying multiple sources in real time and providing latencyfree operation of multiple computers from a single console facilitates work processes.
Depending on the application, the multiviewing tool can display and operate up to 26 video sources on a single monitor, so users benefit from a flexible layout with high image quality (up to 4K60).
G&D offers three variants: Basic KVM, up to seven sources; Pro KVM, up to 14 sources controlled by up to four operators; and Pro Video, which can be used as a videowall manager to display up to 26 physical video inputs on one or multiple monitors. —DAVID Fox www.gdsys.com
Jabra is presenting its latest video and meeting room solutions for the hybrid workspace at ISE, with its PanaCast 50 video bar and collaboration technologies taking centre stage.
The company’s recent Global Hybrid Ways of Working Report 2022 found that creating more inclusive and equitable collaboration has never been more important, with 80% of meetings now either fully virtual or hybrid.
The Jabra PanaCast 50 Room System is Microsoft Teams Rooms certified and is suitable for businesses looking to upgrade their meeting room technology to enable collaboration among hybrid workforces. Users can access key Teams features, such as Front Row and Intelligent Camera, to promote more productive and inclusive meetings for all on-site and remote attendees.
—JAMES MCKEOWNwww.jabra.co.uk
The 718KVM and 749KVM transmitters from Just Add Power have been built in response to demand for its 718AVP and 749AVP transmitters at a time when their Dolby downmixing chipset has been in short supply.
The new units support KVM as well as stereo audio breakout. They are field-modifiable to have all features of the 718AVP/749AVP as chips become more readily available. This strategy helps to protect dealer investments and give them a path towards full AVP performance.
The 718KVM and the rackmount 749KVM PoE transmitters encode a 4K or lower-resolution source into IP and send it over the network with ultra-low latency and instant switching; support HDCP 2.2 and USB 2.0; and feature image pull, stereo audio output 3.5mm with adjustable delay, and RS232, IR and CEC source control.
The chip upgrade will enable Dolby DSP, re-encoding Dolby Digital 5.1 as Dolby Pro Logic II for HDMI distribution to both multichannel and stereo audio zones and provide two analogue audio inputs mixable with HDMI audio. —DAVID FOX www.justaddpower.com
ColorBox is a portable, highperformance device “with unprecedented inline algorithmic colour transforms and LUT processing capabilities” that should deliver precise and accurate colour space conversions for live broadcast, live events, on-set production and post production.
It enables a range of HDR and SDR conversions and allows digital imaging technicians to easily load, modify and save looks, and create reference images for dailies to ensure colour accuracy across a production.
ColorBox supports a wide range of look management approaches, and has 12G-SDI I/O, plus HDMI 2.0 out for up to 4K/UHD 60p 10-bit YCbCr 4:2:2 and 30p 12-bit RGB 4:4:4 signal support. It includes AJA Colour Pipeline Mode with a 33-point 3D LUT processor with tetrahedral LUT interpolation, four built-in user-configurable 1D LUTs, and two 3x3 userconfigurable matrices. It also includes a Colorfront Engine and can support NBCU, BBC HLG and Orion-Convert modes.
It has a built-in RGB colour corrector and ProcAmp, extensive LUT, matrices and image libraries, powerful capture and recall capabilities, and ancillary metadata management. This is all controlled via an integrated web browser-based interface. —DAVID FOX www.aja.com
The professional audio visual display marketplace has returned to growth, with an 8% CAGR expected over the next five years, to reach nearly $50 billion. But expectations vary among key technologies. LCD displays, including flat panel, interactive and tiled, have witnessed slow growth, but are expected to represent 50% of the global marketplace in 2027 LED is the rising star, with strong growth (21% CAGR), doubling its share in the wider marketplace. While projection is in decline, it will still be a multi-billion dollar segment in 2027. Rear projection cubes and interactive whiteboards are in steep decline and are not expected to recover their pre-pandemic values.
Multiple technology transitions will transform the pro-AV display marketplace and propel LED to become the dominant technology within a decade. This inflection point provides a unique opportunity to shift industry power structures, as well as morph leading brands over the next five to seven years. Futuresource expects market power to consolidate among several leading
pro-AV brands, leaving other competitors to specialise in specific vertical markets. There is much confusion in the marketplace, because many are incorrectly referring to microLED; a current ‘sexy’ buzzword within the industry. True microLED is defined as sub-100 micron chiplets mass transferred to a TFT or glass backplane with an active driver IC, targeted 1.2mm and below pitches; conceivably even narrower than 0.5mm. Equally, true microLED requires advanced technology, manufacturing and ecosystem development necessitating significant R&D investments. Futuresource expects leading LCD panel manufacturers will leverage their expertise and utilise existing fabs, such that these companies will dominate the global narrow pixel pitch marketplace and supply other brands via OEM/ODM relationships. Over the next 10 years, true microLED is forecast to be a $50 billion cumulative opportunity and then grow expansively as their market prices erode sufficiently, to drive adoption in the broader consumer electronics television market.
The latest version of Merging Technology’s Pyramix DAW controller introduces a host of new features and is at ISE combined with the Ovation show controller. Originally developed for theme park use, the Ovation media server and sequencer can cater for a range of applications from large, complex immersive experiences down to small theatre or multimedia displays requiring a simple system to launch audio cues.
Merging’s Pyramix DAW comes with the Ovation system. The new Pyramix 14 has a powerful mixer with 3D panning, VS3 and VST plug-in support, and Dolby Atmos Renderer control capabilities. External mixers can be integrated with Eucon or HUI control, and the company
There remain plenty of opportunities for projection, as well as LCD panels and interactive displays in 2023 and beyond. In fact, interactive displays were a strong growth area in 2022, and increased interactivity, collaboration and inclusivity will remain focus areas going forward; especially in corporate and education verticals. Futuresource views aspect ratios beyond 16:9 and higher than 4K UHD resolutions, as well as advanced specifications, such as high brightness and wide colour space, as key differentiators. We also expect immersive experiences, collaborative design and the blending of multiple technologies to extend the lifecycles of these legacy display technologies in the coming years.
says when it is used in conjunction with Ovation it can improve the speed and accuracy of show assembly. In addition, German manufacturer Lawo has implemented Merging’s Oasis open protocol, which means Pyramix and Ovation can now be remote controlled by Lawo’s mc² range of consoles. —KEVIN
EMMOTT www.merging.com
Bosch is exhibiting its recently introduced Omneo transmitter, the latest addition to its Integrus Wireless Language Distribution System. Its built-in Omneo IP architecture interconnects with IP-based Dicentis conference devices for ease of set-up, and comes with Dante and AES67/70 compatibility, encryption, PoE and redundancy capabilities.
The transmitter can process up to 32 digital audio channels, while the language settings are automatically detected and transferred to the Dicentis conference system. It is compatible with all existing Integrus components, and a new licensing model allows users to fit the number of required audio channels to the exact number of languages. —JAMES
MCKEOWNwww.boschsecurity.com
Designed for applications that need additional I/O but do not require two-wire connectivity, the CCU-08 CrewCom control unit from Pliant Technologies gives users the ability to use up to eight four-wire ports with the same features as Pliant’s current CCU-22 and CCU-44 products. The CCU-08 is frequency agnostic, which means it can control
A new-generation auto-tracking PTZ camera with AI at its heart has been launched by Lumens. It features a self-learning engine that uses artificial intelligence to deliver “a new level of subject tracking and auto-framing”, which enables the camera to operate standalone and without serverbased control software.
The VC-TR40 is a dualcamera design, with a lower panoramic camera continuously scanning and analysing the scene, enabling the device to identify and track multiple targets. The main 1080p50 camera is then directed to frame and track a selected individual, using pan and tilt and its 20x optical zoom. The camera can switch subjects via the remote control, the camera’s web interface or by using Lumens’ gesture tracking tool.
Joris Nevens, general manager, Lumens, said: “As the market strides towards automation, autotracking is the technology that removes the need for a camera operator while still delivering an excellent video experience. Conference producers, houses of worship and AV teams in education will welcome the leap in reliability that this camera represents, as well as its cost-effectiveness.” —DAVID FOX www.mylumens.com
and monitor any device across CrewNet regardless of RF bands being utilised. It can support up to 82 radio packs: 18 in normal mode and 64 in new high density mode. Up to four CCU-08 control units can be used in one system for larger user counts. High density mode is part of the latest v1.12 CrewCom firmware update. Other v1.12 features include faster configuration file upload speeds and a new radio pack paired list that allows users to manage all radio packs paired to each control unit from a single location. The firmware is available for download at no charge for all users. —KEVIN EMMOTT www.plianttechnologies.com
With many types of live event grinding to a halt – sometimes literally overnight – during the first quarter of 2020, it would be fair to say that the pandemic era has brought unprecedented challenges to this market. But, as swiftly as they were curtailed, live events have rebounded swiftly in many regions during the past year. Recent AVIXA IOTA research indicates that they now represent the top-growing solution area in pro AV, with a 23% increase in associated revenues for EMEA in 2022 expected.
ISE 2023 visitors will therefore enjoy a strong presence by companies specialising
in audio for live events. Out on the show floor, the dedicated Audio Zone in Hall 7 is where many of the eminent live audio vendors will be exhibiting, including Adamson Systems Engineering, DAS Audio, d&b audiotechnik, L-Acoustics and Void Acoustics. For the first time there’s also a suite of purpose-built dedicated Audio Demo Rooms in Hall 8 so visitors
can hear the latest audio solutions in an optimised setting as well as an outdoor demo area between Halls 5 and 7. Attendees should also make time for today’s Live Events Summit (14:0018:00, room CC5.3), which will have a theme of ‘The Inner Workings of the Live Events Market’. For more information on the programme, see page 18.
Spanish company nsign.tv is at ISE showcasing how digital signage is evolving towards digital experience solutions that involve greater interactivity and engagement with customers and consumers. nsign.tv is a communication platform (PCaaS) that allows brands to create communication channels in physical spaces to connect with their audiences in a segmented and personalised way.
In its ‘Usability’ zone, nsign.tv is showing integrations with different brands of screens, such as iiyama, Samsung, LG, Philips and Vestel. An ‘Engagement’ zone demonstrates the nsign.tv platform’s interactivity through IOT/RFID, NFC, QR and presence sensors, as well as lift-and-learn solutions.
Albert Baranera, managing director of nsign.tv, said: “In this section we will also show content interactions depending on the type of audience through facial recognition systems integrated with nsign.tv.”
In the ‘Analytics’ zone, the company is highlighting how its platform processes different data connected to cameras for audience analytics, content broadcast data or connectivity with POS systems.
To illustrate the versatility that HTML5 applications offer
to display content, there’s a ‘Dynamic Content (applets)’ zone. Here, nsign.tv is showing several dynamic pricing solutions for different verticals, where visitors are able to interact through a touch kiosk. —STEVE FAIRCLOUGH www.nsign.tv
For the homeowner keen to stay abreast of the latest AV trends, there has been plenty to make them pause – and potentially part with their money – during the past decade. On the visual side, the rapid rise of 4K/UHD and HDR have prompted another phase of technology renewal that has proven very lucrative for the industry. Audio-wise, the headline story has been the growing adoption of immersive audio systems in the home, ranging from basic soundbars all the way up to complex, multi-speaker configurations.
With the pandemic also emphasising the importance of energy efficiency, greater connectivity and technology that is conducive to wellbeing, it’s safe to say there will be plenty to occupy visitors to the Residential & Smart Building Zone in Hall 2. Exhibitors here include
Acustica Beyma, Apex, Audac, FaitalPro, Holoplot, Klotz, KNX and many others. For those keen to go deeper and find out more about the future of AV in the home, add the CEDIA Smart Home Technology Conference to your agenda, which continues today in room CC1.
Basalte
Designed for closed, near space applications that require a design element to meet décor needs, the DS31-EZ Designer Sleeve pendant speakers from MSE Audio are hanging out at ISE. The designerfocused audio pendants include a base speaker with a choice of tapered or cylindrical sleeve, but the speaker can be used with or without the sleeve depending on the desired look.
The DS31-EZ is a full-range 3in speaker with a polypropylene driver and butyl rubber surround. It features a magnetic aluminium grille and powder-coated finish, while its IPX6 rating makes it suitable for indoor or outdoor use.
It has a 3m signal wire which doubles as the hanging cable and includes a secondary 3m braided steel safety cable for added security. The unit may also be hung or mounted direct-to-conduit via the locking cover plate. DS31-EZ speakers include a six position tap switch with transformer and an 8-ohm bypass option for low voltage systems. —KEVIN EMMOTT www.mseaudio.com
After Lisa and Ellie, Lena has joined Basalte’s Home range as its flagship touch display. Lena combines lights, shades, scenes, temperature, music and communicates with a door phone. It comes in premium finishes to match any high-end interior.
The Full HD 10.1in touchscreen offers a clear overview of the intelligent home and in addition to control functions, operates as an indoor station for a door phone, offers an intercom facility to other Basalte displays and permits viewing of security cameras at a glance.
The touchscreen is available in luxury finishes such as brushed brass, brushed aluminium and brushed nickel. It can be installed in a single-gang European wall box, is powered by Power-over-Ethernet, and can be monitored and programmed remotely with Basalte Cloud. —ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.basalte.be
On show in Hall 6, Kiosk IQ is designed to intelligently monitor, control and analyse digital signage systems in real time and independently of location.
Jessica Kalla, CEO of Accenta, said: “Monitoring is the black box of digital signage installations. Many times, customers and integrators realise too late what needs to be fixed, which creates frustration and dissatisfaction with the installed network. Our solution closes that gap and delivers a return on investment within 12 months while providing improved operational control and service levels. Our easy-to-install box creates peace of mind for integrators and customers alike.”
According to Accenta, “Kiosk IQ detects and solves most mishaps and malfunctions before they cause trouble while optimising system performance”.
The Kiosk IQ box measures temperature, humidity, light and motion, and controls heating and ventilation components at players and screens. Display, environmental or player data is communicated to, and documented in, a cloud-based dashboard.
Cloud alert rules with escalation management, 24/7 monitoring, and notifications via email or SMS alert users immediately and allow them to respond to problems before they escalate. —STEVE FAIRCLOUGH www.accenta.de
As working habits change, businesses are now more reliant on technology and process automation to stay connected. FunTech Innovation designs AI-powered hardware equipment and partners with collaboration software companies to build a complete offering for hybrid working.
As it is demonstrating at ISE, FunTech aims to ensure that remote meetings can be as productive and engaging as face-to-face meetings.
For example, its Innex Cube is a compact 360° tabletop conference camera that provides an “at the table” immersive videoconference experience. Also on show, Ideao
At ISE, Apantac is showing its latest UHD multiviewer with built-in KVM computer control driving an ultra-wide (32:9) UHD monitor. This “creates an exceptionally ergonomic control and monitoring station for the operator and user”, according to the company. The new UE-8-II-K multiviewer has built-in KVM capabilities, giving operators direct control over connected computers or KVM consoles from a single mouse and keyboard. The user simply has to hover their mouse over the selected computer window to gain full control of it. This combined video monitoring and control capability expands the number of functions that a user can perform on a single surface. For example, an operator can perform computer actions including router switching, adjustment of pan/tilt/zoom camera angles and control, all from a single console. Apantac multiviewers can also be cascaded together to monitor a variety of different inputs and formats on a single display. This hybrid approach offers a completely configurable on-screen display, allowing the operator to view up to eight HDMI 2.0 video inputs as well as being connected to up to eight computers on one ultra-wide UHD display. —DAVID FOX www.apantac.com
Hub is a 24in touch display with Reactiv Suite collaboration software that brings dynamic content sharing to help engage every participant in remote meetings. —ANNE MORRIS www.funtechinnovation.com
Shure | Stand:
On display at ISE this week is Shure’s Microflex Advance MXA920. The new flagship ceiling array microphone is aimed at AV integrators, IT professionals and end users.
The MXA920 is intended to reduce the time and cost of deployment for integrators and end users, with configurability and installation designed to optimise any architecture with poor acoustics. The onboard IntelliMix Room DSP provides noise cancellation and echo-free performance for more efficient communication between teams.
It comes with certified solutions for Microsoft Teams, Zoom
Magewell | Stand: 5H200
Magewell’s new USB Fusion multi-input video capture and mixing device, together with its accompanying app, lets users easily combine camera, wired screenshare and media file sources into attractive live presentations for online lectures, webinars, live streaming, event production, videoconferencing and other applications. The unit has two HDMI inputs and one USB webcam input, letting users switch between HD sources or combine two inputs (picturein-picture or side-byside) into one output and capture the result into Windows, Mac or Linux applications via its USB 3.0 interface. It also offers an HDMI output for connection to a projector, display or downstream production equipment, making it equally adept as a standalone, tablet-controlled presentation device. USB Fusion offers three ways for users to compose and control their presentations. On-device buttons enable switching between sources or selection of a combined scene layout, while a browserbased web interface offers presentation management, scene switching and device configuration. The third option, the free USB Fusion companion tablet app, provides expanded layout controls and lets users add pictures, video clips, background music, handwritten notes and more into their presentations. —DAVID FOX www.magewell.com
and other third-party devices, and is compatible with other communication and technology platforms. —JAMES MCKEOWN www.shure.com
ScreenInt | Stand: 3F400
A range of portable fixed frame screens dedicated to the rental and events market is on show at ISE.
Screenint’s FlexFix range is engineered in Italy and manufactured from high-quality lightweight aluminium alloy. It provides up to 475cm of viewing width in 16:9 and 16:10 formats, and can be supplied with both front and rear projection surfaces which can be quickly mounted on the frame by stud-press buttons. Also on the show floor is the Raffaello electric projection screen. This offers a mechanical construction for in-ceiling installation both in residential and pro-AV environments. According to the vendor, once mounted inside the false ceiling, Raffaello is fully recessed with no visible openings to be seen. The mechanism has two silent and fast motors, one for the opening of the trap door and the other for the rolling down of the projection screen. The range includes both tensioned and non-tensioned versions up to 400cm in width and can be supplied in a variety of formats and sizes.
—ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.screenint.com
By David Davies
ISE visitors will be aware that the recent changes in working patterns – headlined by the move towards a hybrid operational model at many companies – have contributed significantly to the evolution of the smart workplace. But that’s by no means the only factor, as a sometimes dazzling array of new technologies have impacted the sector in recent years.
The connectivity revolution heralded by the Internet of Things (IoT) is perhaps the trend to have achieved greatest public recognition, but AI – which is increasingly being deployed to automate repetitive system functions and enable the collection and analysis of operational data – is now more widely understood. You also don’t have to look far to sense excitement about the workplace potential of digital twin, which facilitates simulation, monitoring and maintenance by creating a digital representation of a real-world physical product, process or system.
ISE visitors keen to enhance their knowledge should aim to attend today’s Smart Workplace Summit (10:30-17:00 in room
NDI specialist 3D Storm has introduced the Kiloview Cube X1 NDI Core, a turnkey system for NDI multiplexed distribution. It offers unified scheduling, switching, distribution and management of all NDI signals, with seamless switching of NDI sources. It is compatible with any format of NDI signals, whether UHD, HD, NDI, NDI|HX or other NDI inputs. Multiple virtual outputs can be created and connected to any NDI destination. If users need the same NDI video source in multiple targets, the system can create multiple NDI outputs as needed, or the same output can support multiple targets connected at the same time.
Equipped with an LCD touchscreen, the Cube X1 allows users to monitor the network status, storage space and CPU occupation in real time. It can handle up to 16 channels of NDI input and 32 output.
CC5.1). All of these trends and more will be covered in this event, which will explore the new strategy and technology priorities emerging in light of the shift towards hybrid workplaces.
Also new is the Kiloview Cube R1 recorder system, which can record up to nine channels of up to 4K60 NDI sources simultaneously and display one, four or nine grid preview video in synchronisation.
Equipped with dual hot-swappable SSD slots, it supports non-stop recording, while SFP and Ethernet connections cater for different network environments. —DAVID FOX www.3dstorm.com/www.kiloview.com
British pro-audio brand Wharfedale Pro has kicked off 2023 with the release of a fixed installation loudspeaker series, alongside a brand-new line array solution and updates to its loudspeaker range, all of which are at ISE.
The Drone series is a family of interconnecting passive installation speakers designed to address the hospitality sector. Its IP56 certification means it is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and it comes in a range of colours for discreet placement. With ‘Hi’ and ‘Low’ impedance models, systems can be as large or as small as needed.
Meanwhile, Wharfedale’s WLA-210A active line array includes several new acoustic features, including custom phase plugs and the EVO-Fold waveguide.
The four channel DP-4035i brings Wharfedale’s DP series into a configuration suited to fixed installations; a tamper-proof front grille protects the channel volume controls, while rear panel connections include GPIO and use Euro blocks to facilitate an easy install.
Wharfedale’s R&D team has also re-engineered its Delta-AX full-range models and Programme series to introduce new features. —KEVIN EMMOTT www.wharfedalepro.com
The ScrewBoot system solution from Aixontec is a mechanically robust RJ45 connection with integrated screws for secure, vibration-free and ‘disconnecting-free’ data transmission.
According to Aixontec, the introduction of ScrewBoot means fast data transmission for critical network infrastructures can be mechanically secured. It says the system offers advantages for use in industrial environments or general network cabling that requires mechanical protection.
The system consists of high-quality RJ45 patch cords with integrated screws and suitable RJ45 modules. Aixontec offers various module plates and distribution panels with integrated screw locks that “fit perfectly” to its ScrewBoot patch cords.
The ScrewBoot system can be customised, and its moulded ScrewBoot patch cords can be directly screwed to the RJ45 module.
The solution offers various technical advantages.
The “greenest possible signage solutions to enhance the digital communications and customer experience” are being presented by Visionect.
According to the company, its most energy-efficient batterypowered devices “offer the crisp readability of ink on paper, with limitless capabilities, providing exactly the right information at the right place”, all in real time.
Visionect is presenting its electronic paper signs that can be mounted anywhere, with elegant and sophisticated designs to seamlessly blend into every place or environment.
These ‘Place & Play’ displays are suitable for a variety of industry sectors, including retail, hospitality, transport, museums, libraries, home applications, real estate and more.
The company’s team is on hand to talk to organisations about their current and upcoming projects, technology and communication needs, and the ways that Visionect’s solutions could help and bring ‘one of a kind’ value.
Miroslav Vučković, head of the digital signage department at Visionect, said: “Visionect is offering the most sustainable digital signage available out there, supporting and inspiring clients to share their story in the most versatile and lowpower displays. Come and check us out.” —STEVE FAIRCLOUGH www.visionect.com
A disconnecting-free data transmission can be secured despite strong vibration in the production, due to the screwed solution. This helps to eliminate unintentional data failures that can lead to production downtimes, which can result in a loss of sales.
The ScrewBoot system can be combined with Aixontec’s new MDB product line, a DIN rail mountable distribution panel for integration of multimedia solutions. The MDB housing can be combined with different front panels, with up to 48 ports or six-port ScrewBoot solutions. —STEVE FAIRCLOUGH www.aixontec.com
Transparent LED screens account for about 5% of all LED displays and use various technologies; grid screen, film (crystal) screen, glass screen and others. However, according to Muxwave these have limitations, such as structure (too many keels in the middle of the screen), display (insufficient brightness, sparse pixels, horizontal or vertical cutting), and after-sales maintenance difficulties (bad points affecting the whole module, needing to be returned to the factory, etc), “which means it is unable to expand market share”.
After several years of R&D, Muxwave claims to have solved those “pain points” thanks to new chip designs and product structure, and says it has “truly achieved the coexistence of display effect and transparency”.
Its latest transparent and holographic LED displays are already being used in commercial windows, as curtain walls or creative displays, in entertainment, exhibition centres, airports and luxury stores.
There are three transparent models and two holographic, all weighing no more than 6kg per square metre. The modules can be bent, cut
and used flexibly, with a screen less than 1.7mm thin (2mm holographic), useful for seamless curved surface mounting. Its chips have the lamp and driver in one cell, and each LED is a power source, making control more accurate, wiring simpler and heat dissipation more uniform. —DAVID FOX
www.muxwave.com
The new VisionXS KVM series.
Discover unlimited possibilities with VisionXS – G&D‘s new high-performance KVM extender with full matrix compatibility. G&D‘s lossless and pixel-perfect compression guarantees you a video experience like never before. Now in a compact housing and with new efficient mounting solutions – space-saving and without much need for screws in a rack. German engineering at its best!
Feels right.
Versatile
Aiming to ensure standards-compliant loudness in broadcasting operations, the Continuous Loudness Controller (CLC) from Dspecialists is making its ISE debut. Available as a standalone unit, the CLC processor expands Dspecialists’ range of Harvey audio and media control DSP products. It allows real-time continuous adjustment of audio to meet a predefined target value and a definable loudness range. This helps prevent sudden changes in loudness and can improve speech intelligibility.
Harvey CLC is equipped with an AES 8x8 interface, a variety of clock options, bypass relays and redundant power supplies. A freely programmable audio DSP provides a range of control interfaces and, while it has been developed for fixed installations, the company says it is also suited to studio use.
Analogue inputs and outputs as well as AES and Dante are available as audio interfaces. In addition to TCP/IP, RS485 and RS232, GPIOs can also be freely programmed to allow Harvey to communicate with other devices in the studio. —KEVIN EMMOTT www.dspecialists.com
Mercury, an all-in-one conferencing and collaboration tool, and Ranger, a 4K multiview presentation switcher that can simplify collaboration, are both new from Hall Technologies.
The Mercury video bar offers an ultra-wide-angle 4K AI camera, microphone and speaker that enables wireless screen presentation, with camera auto tracking, speaker tracking and presenter tracking, for better meeting inclusivity. It includes a builtin WiFi module and offers multiple connection options, including AirPlay, Miracast, Smart View, HT-Voyager and physical HDMI and USB-C ports.
According to Ken Eagle, VP of technology at Hall Technologies, Mercury is a “smart videoconferencing companion”.
“It’s compatible with both OS and UC applications [and is] unique in that it can track and capture meeting attendees when they are presenting,” added Eagle.
It uses acoustic echo cancellation,
Communications software and solutions provider AudioCodes is showcasing products for the digital workplace in Hall 2.
The AudioCodes RX-PAD meeting room controller is a centreof-room touch controller with a proximity sensor that provides access to AudioCodes meeting room services and is designed to enhance the Microsoft Teams Room meeting experience. Also on stand, the RXV200 Android MTR computer can be used in a variety of meeting rooms and offices.
It combines a small computing system with a desktop computer, as well as data security and reliability features that enable installation with minimal cabling. It supports up to two active cameras, connectivity to two displays to separate video and content, and different audio options to match room size and budget. —ANNE MORRIS www.audiocodes.com
automatic gain control, and automatic noise suppression, with full duplex mode communication “to make all participants feel like they are in the same room”.
Ranger is compatible with Apple and Android devices for content casting, and pairs with Hall’s USB-C dongle, Voyager, to allow wireless communication from a laptop.
“With Ranger you can BYOD and cast without any software, or you can connect with HDMI or USB-C inputs for a fluid collaborative experience,” said Eagle. —DAVID FOX www.halltechav.com
Workplace experience software provider Appspace is showcasing a product that is based on its collaboration with Google.
Appspace for Google aims to create more productive, collaborative and engaging workplaces. The service includes integration across all Google software and hardware devices, including Google Workspace, Google Meet, Chrome, Android devices and Google Calendar.
Appspace is also a Chrome Enterprise recommended partner and aims to extend the functionality of Google products, while providing the same level of enterprise-grade security customers expect from Google.
Scott Chao, chief growth officer at Appspace, said: “Appspace for Google goes
beyond simple integrations so companies can improve engagement and productivity from one unified platform. By strengthening our partnership with Google, we’ll work to provide great workplace experiences for every employee.”
—ANNE MORRISwww.appspace.com
The Analog Way stand in Hall 3 is hosting the first demonstrations of a major software update for the Midra 4K range of presentation switchers. Version 3.0 improves live streaming performance by enabling Full HD quality at 30Hz, providing a much better customer experience during hybrid events. Catering to small/medium-sized fixed installations and live event spaces, the Midra 4K series includes four products: QuickVu 4K, QuickMatrix 4K, Pulse 4K and Eikos 4K. Another significant improvement in V3.0 is the support of HDR and wide colour gamut workflows for even more impressive live
Pharos | Stand: 7B500
New at ISE, Expert is a control system from Pharos designed to simplify dynamic architectural lighting.
Built around a single setand-forget controller, and comprising four elements –Control, Touch, Repeat and Switch – Expert provides control of decorative and functional lighting, as well as providing artistic and dynamic control to more complex lighting designs.
Expert Control is a compact DIN rail enclosure with solid-state hardware for 24/7 operation. It boasts up to 1,024 channels of eDMX, two local DMX ports, a DALI port and two pairs of onboard I/O. Pharos says it uses simple networking for programming; installationfriendly connectors and test mode options make it very practical for dynamic lighting environments.
Expert Touch is a 5in touchscreen wall station designed for frequent user interaction. It provides automatically generated pages to access lighting controls, based on programming in each space, to activate scenes and adjust intensity. Repeat is a DMX splitter for output distribution, while Switch delivers PoE networking. Both are designed to co-ordinate with Expert Control in the same form factor and branding. Also available, Commissioning software is a brand-new programming platform that aims to simplify managing installations, luminaires and lighting design. —KEVIN EMMOTT www.pharoscontrols.com
presentations. Without requiring any external converters, it also brings the ability to convert SDR to HDR, HDR to SDR, or even HDR to HDR for dynamic range and wide colour gamut needs. The presentation switchers also feature a new video processing architecture based on 3D lookup tables (LUTs) allowing for advanced colour space and dynamic range conversions as well as custom colour correction. Once updated, Midra 4K switchers contain predefined 3D LUTs for all automatic colour adjustments and transformations. In addition, it’s possible to import and apply custom 3D LUTs from other vendors or those generated by specific third-party tools for fully tailored colour management. —ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.analogway.com
The Hybrid Murano and the Exo Digital Column are the latest digital displays from Prismaflex. After releasing the Murano in 2022, claimed to be thinnest double-sided digital screen on the market, Prismaflex is now able to equip one side of the screen with a photovoltaic system, without battery. This innovation is part of the company’s aim to always find more eco-responsible solutions and reduce its environmental impact.
Depending on the orientation of the photovoltaic face, a selfsupply of 25% of the energy required is possible. The new Exo Digital Column has a “sleek and elegant” design, a small footprint on the public floor, and up to three digital faces thanks to very high-resolution outdoor screens (pitch 2.9mm; dimensions 1mx3m).
A Prismaflex spokesperson said: “Responding to the needs of the smart city, the Exo Digital Column is deeply rooted in urban culture through its historical design, like our Paris Lite Column, while bringing the modernity of today’s communication needs through the outdoor high-definition digital screen.” —STEVE FAIRCLOUGH www.prismaflex.com
The Wall Sub is an ultra compact, slim and powerful lightweight subwoofer. The WSUB45i has two French cleats built into the back of the cabinet so it can be hung flush vertically or horizontally, standing only 6.6-inches off the wall. It has a bandwidth of 39 Hz140 Hz and a maximum SPL of 123 dB.
This is a complex solution which makes dreams come true with holographic video-conferencing and live-streaming of a ‘full-height’ person. Even though people all around the world are getting used to seeing each other on screens daily, flatscreen images lack the much-needed ‘human touch’. This solution from HYPERVSN enables the holographic visual effect of floating in mid-air and enhances it with special layers and visual effects.
Designed, engineered, and manufactured to simplify and beautify the installation of a wide range of wall-mounted technologies, its new patent-pending Frameless Flush Mount provides a seamless fit between Concrete and brick walls with home automation control devices.
Editorial Director James McKeown Editor Jo Ruddock Managing Editor Michael Burns ISE Daily Reporters Kevin Emmott, Steve Fairclough, David Fox, Anne Morris, Adrian Pennington, Laura Vallis Guest Columnists Oliver Cleveley-Jones, David Davies, Kateryna Dubrova, Alistair Johnston, James Kirby, Chris Pennell, Samuel Recine, Ted Romanowitz, Anthony Savona, Yanna Zhu Photographers Sander Ruijg, +31 61472 4493, Dorian Broekhuyse, Michael Burns On-site Sub Editor Jenny Priestley Group Art Director Nicole Cobban Senior Design Director Lisa Mcintosh Production Managers Matthew Eglinton, Chris Blake Advertising Sales Matt Bailey, Janis Crowley, Zahra Majma Sam Marsh, Debbie Rosenthal, Rhiana Sinclair. MANAGEMENT VP AV Technology Group Carmel King UK CRO Zack Sullivan Commercial Director Clare Dove VP Market Expert, AV/CE/PA Adam Goldstein Head of Production UK & US
ISE visitors are invited to experience the sound of Spitfire, a new series of loudspeakers for high-performance cinema rooms. With sensitivity above 100dB, the loudspeakers “act fast and play loud”. Indeed, Artcoustic claims they are the most powerful, dynamic and scalable products it has ever created. Designed specifically to deliver reference SPL within a controlled dispersion pattern, the Spitfire Series is capable of Dolby Atmos reference 105dB output at up to 12m distance. The speakers are scalable to any room size. Output and dispersion change depending on the configuration, allowing the correct design to be installed for one, two, three or even more rows. The company’s Audio Analysis Service is available at its Hall 2 stand to help with systems design. —ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.artcoustic.com
With people becoming increasingly sensitive to touching devices such as intercoms in public places, 2N has decided to make its flagship IP Style intercom safe from not only cyber threats and vandals, but also pandemics.
An anti-bacterial screen protector for the 10in touchscreen display is claimed to kill 99% of all bacteria and viruses within two minutes. Furthermore, it has had an independent ISO lab validation and, as it is powered by natural light, it ensures the permanent protection of the display.
The company claims the screen protector is practically indestructible. It has a hardness rating of 9 (normal glass has a rating of around 6), protecting the intercom’s display while maintaining the smooth operation of the device and suppressing false touches caused by raindrops.
The IP Style has already won recognition before this latest update, including the 2021 CE Pro Best Product Award at CEDIA Expo, the iF Design Award and the prestigious Red Dot Design Award.
ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.2n.com
AtlasIED has introduced several new speakers for a wide range of applications. The latest additions to its FAP in-ceiling EN54-24 certified loudspeaker range – the FAP42TEN-W, FAP42TCEN and FAP62TEN-W – cater for applications using audio and paging for voice evacuation. The UL plenumrated, low-profile loudspeakers can deliver voice evacuation for emergency signalling and life safety announcements, as well as background music and general communications.
From large entertainment venues and stadiums to gymnasiums and transportation hubs, the EN54-24certified FS Series horn loudspeakers are multipurpose units that also adhere to EU/UK voice evacuation standards. The three EN54-24 certified models are small, lightweight, neutral-coloured and built from UV-, weather- and chemical-resistant materials.
The new IP-APX is an IP56-rated, weather-resistant, constant directivity IP speaker with a high-output horn for clear, intelligible sound in any indoor or outdoor environment. It can be wall or pole mounted.
Featuring a curved profile for easy installation, AtlasIED designed the new SHS-3T2-HD for use in shallow, hard deck ceilings that can’t accommodate the larger plenum footprint of the SHS-6T2 or SHS-3T2. It is a discreet addition to the company’s Strategically Hidden Speaker (SHS) line, suitable for a wide range of commercial environments. —DAVID FOX www.atlasied.com
The latest wireless collaboration solutions from Vivitek include the 4K UHD all-in-one NovoTouch EK Series. Comprising 65in, 75in and 86in panel sizes, the range features NovoConnect wireless collaboration and NovoDS digital signage. According to the company, these new panels offer “exceptional” touch performance.
Jolanda Medendorp, EMEA marcom manager, Vivitek, said: “As customers have come to expect from Vivitek, the NovoTouch EK Series excels in quality and functionality that makes collaboration effortless, whether it’s located in a meeting room or learning space.”
Also here at the Fira is the NovoTouch BK series of collaborative touch panels. Available in 65in, 75in and 86in 4K panel sizes, the range targets the education sector and SMEs. This series offers NovoConnect wireless connectivity to make it “an interactive, affordable and practical aid”, according to Medendorp.
Visitors to Vivitek’s stand can also sample its “productivityboosting” NovoDisplay, which combines a 4K panel display, wireless collaboration and digital signage functionalities. Designed for huddle rooms and offices, NovoDisplay is aimed at transforming conventional group meetings into a welcoming and engaging team discussion and brainstorming session. —ADRIAN
PENNINGTONwww.vivitek.eu
Datapath
Datapath is showing a fully operational control room powered by Aetria, its integrated control room system, where visitors can experience the versatility of the system from a single interface.
Datapath is also showing the ‘solid state of things to come’, with a sneak peak of its nextgeneration VSN video processors.
Existing Datapath VSNs are already used in some of the world’s most prestigious government and defence control rooms, and the next versions of its VSN processors, set for worldwide availability in the coming months, have been designed as “the perfect partner” to Aetria for the design, operation and management of video content. —DAVID FOX www.datapath.co.uk
Peerless-AV | Stand: 3F700
Designed for all-weather extreme applications, the new XHB754-EUK 75in Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display is a key feature of Peerless-AV’s ISE presence. This model claims to offer the widest operating temperature in the industry (-35°C to +60°C) and has a feature set that includes thermal load diffusion, customised brightness scheduling, auto-source switching, power saving and pixel shifting.
The display is fan cooled to reduce heat build-up caused by thermal load from extended exposure to direct sunlight, while the patented thermal exhaust system keeps internal components cooled in extreme heat. The UHD resolution display offers 3,000 nits of light output. An ambient light sensor automatically adjusts brightness to match time-of-day conditions.
The model includes a gyroscopic sensor that detects any movement of the display and sends an alert to warn of potential tampering or theft. The IP66-rated
The Griffyn 4K35RGB is one of the smallest and lightest high-brightness RGB pure laser projectors available, delivering 36,500 lumens in an all-in-one compact design, weighing 81kg. There is also a new 4K50-RGB model, delivering 50,000 lumens while operating at 55dBA at full brightness.
Joel St-Denis, director of product management, Christie, said: “The new Griffyn 4K35-RGB pure laser projector features our latest advancements, including TruLife+ electronics, which eliminates the hassle of removable options cards with all-in connectivity. With electronic colour convergence (ECC), convergence can be adjusted via the remote for perfect colour alignment.”
The 4K35-RGB can operate on single-phase 200240V AC at full brightness, or 100-120V AC at a reduced brightness, increasing its operational life.
The projector features integrated Christie Twist for warping and blending and is compatible with Christie Mystique, the company’s automated camera-based alignment and recalibration system to quickly install, align, calibrate and maintain multi-projection systems. —DAVID FOX www.christiedigital.com
design protects against the ingress of water, dust, dirt, moisture and insects, while the IK10 tempered cover glass offers protection against vandalism and debris.
Other sizes in the range include 55in and 65in. —ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.peerless-av.com
A partnership between ISE and Catalan streaming start-up WindowSight has transformed the walkway to the Hall 8 Audio Demo Rooms into an impressive array of visual art by 30 leading contemporary artists.
Iris Scott, Ingo Arndt and Babak Tafreshi are among the artists whose work is being related by 36 Samsung professional digital displays – 18 on each side of the walkway – with two exhibitions taking place simultaneously per hour. Every exhibition is to be presented twice during the show.
Pol Rosset, CEO and co-founder of WindowSight, explained that the starting point for the collaboration with ISE was “to enrich the experience of walking towards Hall 8, which is being used for the first time”.
A thread running through many of the exhibitions is the impact that people are having on wildlife and the environment.
One of the featured artists, Steve Winter, is showcasing a work entitled The Tigers Next Door, which is said to have influenced US President Joe Biden to sign the Big Cat Public Safety Act in December 2022. A home theatre-style area adjacent to the walkways also showcases the way in which WindowSight can be deployed in
residential and public spaces. For instance, said Rosset, “we see an application in hospitals, where it can be used in waiting areas to make the experience less stressful. And the artworks you choose don’t have to be there forever; you can keep changing them.”
DAVID DAVIESwww.windowsight.com
1/6. The vendor claims this can deliver superior on-camera performance compared to standard LED screens thanks to its ability to significantly reduce moiré and light reflection.
According to AOTO, ISE is “the most influential event in the industry, bringing together the most cuttingedge technologies”. The company has chosen the Fira to showcase the RM
LED screen, a high-performance HD-LED display with an IMD 4-in-1 fine pixel pitch. Suitable for virtual production, the RM series refresh rate can reach 7,680Hz, and the scan rate is as low as
The M3.7H panel is being showcased as a ceiling screen in XR studios. This LED panel contains a full ‘flipchip’ processor, which allows power consumption to be reduced by 45% while maintaining the same level of brightness. The M3.7H adopts RGBW technology, adding white light to the three primary colour chips. Additionally, the ultra-wide full viewing angle ensures that the picture maintains light consistency, which is critical for on-camera visuals. Also suited to XR studios is the new AE2.3 floor tile screen. Featuring brightness up to 2,000 nits and the flip chip processor, it offers viewing angles up to 180° in both vertical and horizontal planes. AOTO is also showcasing a selection of fine pixelpitch LED displays, including the CB0.9 and CV1.2 flat screens for commercial applications. —ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.aoto.com
Soundbar manufacturer Leon Speakers has released FrameBar, a discreet, ultra-thin soundbar designed to match the width and finish of The Frame TV from Samsung.
Noah Kaplan, founder and president, Leon Speakers, said: “Our dealers have been asking us to design an audio solution for The Frame since it first hit the market and we’re excited to offer a soundbar that was exclusively designed to pair with it. We know that the appeal of The Frame is that it doesn’t look like a TV at all, so it was important to our design team to give FrameBar an ultra-modern look with multiple finish options while also keeping the design as minimalistic as possible.”
Leon has also brought to ISE a new set of mounting solutions to help custom installers perfect their job. Its Tonecase Fit Universal (TcFIT-U) and Horizon Fit Interactive (HiFIT) are handcrafted units that mount discreetly to the bottom of a display. Featuring a signature Leon custom grille built to match the exact width of a display, they are designed to
| Stand: 3A130
Making its debut at ISE, the OTV Series offers high performance at minimum energy consumption, boasting full front and rear maintenance services and a modular design, as well as an ultraslim lightweight aluminium construction. NSELED claims this leads to faster and more cost-effective transport and an easier installation process.
The display can be wall-mounted directly with an ‘all-in-one-box’ cable design that simplifies electric connections for a more stable performance.
The OTV Series’ main feature is its ability to minimise energy consumption by up to half that of competing products. The heat sink design for the chassis and power supply unit improves heat dissipation while optimising energy consumption. NSELED estimates a saving of $120 per square metre compared to rival LED walls.
Low consumption will not be detrimental to brightness, given that the OTV Series can reach 10,000 nits, useful even in direct sunlight.
NSELED has also brought Totem to ISE. This is the firm’s best-seller: an LED display that can be used singularly or connected to up to 12 units for an immersive visual experience. —ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.nseled.eu
Happy days: Custom-designed for easy installed videoconferencing equipment
house small-format videoconferencing cameras and allin-one videoconferencing devices. —ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.leonspeakers.com
Faradite | Stand: 2D275
The new Motion Sensor 360KNX is hogging the spotlight at the Faradite stand.
The passive infrared sensor (PIR) can have up to four standalone functions each with independent timeouts and configuration parameters. The range of functions each sensor can perform includes switching, dimming, scene, HVAC, advanced (value transmitting including RGB) and constant light control.
A day/night mode offers different timeouts and functions depending on the time of day. Also possible with the new Faradite PIR sensor is a master/slave functionality, push button input options, as well as a brightness sensor and four operating modes.
Chris Turner, managing director, Faradite, said: “This new KNX PIR boasts a list of features that will leave other sensors in the dust, and at just 49mm in size, it really is small and mighty.”
Faradite is also showcasing an upcoming range of solid brass TAP switches. “These beautifully finished brass switch plates really are a sight to behold,” said Turner. “Make Faradite one of your must-visits at the show.” —ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.faradite.com
Gude Systems | Stand: 3A500
Prototypes of IP power solutions with smart switching and remote-control features from Gude Systems have been introduced at ISE. These units should mean faster managed service and less downtime.
Small and compact with two or four switchable ports, the units are designed to fit behind any television or flat screen, powering AV installations found in media racks and smart homes.
Manuel Altheim, marketing manager, Gude Systems, said: “These solutions can manage power supplies, humidity, temperature and control energy efficiency within the smart home. To retain the clean lines and smart looks they hide easily behind any kind of screen.”
Gude is also showcasing devices for UC and huddle rooms, as well as large remote power switches suitable for big AV infrastructure. lAURA VALLIS www.gude-systems.com/en/
Collaborative technology provider DisplayNote is demonstrating how its Montage software enables consistent screen sharing from any device.
According to the company, the software has accumulated tens of millions of screen-shares since its launch and now features a new home-screen experience and an unlimited connections feature that allows everyone in a room to connect and share their screen.
Using Montage, screens can be shared from anywhere in a room from the web or any Android or Apple iOS device as well as via Airplay, Googlecast and Miracast. With Moderator Mode, presenters remain in control of who can share their content. Files can be shared between devices, and annotated and edited in real time for ultimate flexibility.
Home care services provider Caremark has recently invested in Montage for staff training sessions. The wireless presentation software allows trainers and learners to share their screens from any device to the screen at the front of the room.
Ed Morgan, COO of DisplayNote, said: “Montage is transforming learning environments worldwide, bringing benefits for educators and students. At ISE we’re sharing
Moving from LED to microLED is LG with its Magnit range, which offers much smaller pixel pitches. At ISE it is showing the LSAB007 8K (7,680x4,320) display with 0.78mm pixel pitch. The 272in screen is about 6m across.
Stuart Reay, European LED solutions architect, LG, said: “It’s really showcasing what we can do with microLED.”
“The smaller pixel pitches are allowing us to compress 4K into a realistic size compatible with commercial office space,” he added. “It has a really wide range of applications.”
Previously, with SMD, the limit on pixel pitch was about 0.9mm, but microLED lamps are directly on the circuit boards without any encapsulation around them. LG expects to show a 0.68mm version later this year. DAVID FOX www.lg-informationdisplay.com
how Montage can have a positive impact on any teaching and training space, offering real benefits in terms of learner engagement and knowledge retention.”
—ANNE MORRIS www.displaynote.com
The RTI Music platform, as well as the MS-1 and MS-3 Music Streamers, are in action in Hall 2. RTI Music is said to provide “an entirely seamless streaming experience” within any RTI system, eliminating the need, for example, to exit the control app to search for music and access a playlist. Meanwhile, designed with the integrator in mind, the Music Streamers offer single and concurrent three-stream capabilities.
When used with RTI audio distribution, multiple chassis can be combined to greatly expand the number of concurrent streams. RTI’s Integration Designer control application software will automatically discover the connected Music Streamers, while the configuration utility makes it easy to set up a residential user’s music accounts.
RTI Music integrates with various streaming services, including Pandora, Spotify, SiriusXM, iHeart, TuneIn and an AirPlay option that enables Apple Music and Amazon Music. Newly added services include BBC Sounds and Qobuz. It also integrates with commercial music streaming service providers SiriusXM and SoundMachine.
Together as a service, this solution enables RTI dealers to offer and monetise fully licensed music services (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SOCAN, RE-SOUND and global music rights) in restaurants, bars, hotels and other commercial applications.
—ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.rticontrol.comNetworking services provider TP-Link is demonstrating Omada, its software-defined networking platform for businesses.
Omada integrates a range of routers, switches and wireless access points, and provides connectivity with centralised management from the cloud or through a physical controller.
In the AV industry, TP-Link’s aim is to help businesses to build a reliable, secure and efficient network that can be easily managed from anywhere. —ANNE MORRIS www.tp-link.com
Interoperability in highperformance AV is the focus of the SDVoE Alliance at ISE. It is showing eight interoperable units, including four transmitters and four receivers, powered by the BlueRiver ASIC from Semtech, a steering member of the Alliance.
The interactive demonstration includes a mix of FPGA- and ASIC-based technologies showing the interoperability between multiple manufacturers and legacy systems.
Justin Kennington, president of the SDVoE Alliance, said: “SDVoE enables unparalleled interoperability by allowing seamless upgrades and expansions without eliminating existing technology. An SDVoE system can be configured and reconfigured entirely via software to suit a system owner’s ever-evolving business needs. The SDVoE API allows manufacturers, developers and system integrators to exercise their creativity to reimagine traditional AV use cases and invent new ones not yet conceived or even possible without the SDVoE platform.”
The non-profit consortium of technology providers is working to standardise the adoption of Ethernet to transport AV signals in professional AV environments. This should result in an architecture that is more flexible, reliable and cost-effective than point-to-point connectivity and circuit switches. The Alliance claims that SDVoE is the only off-theshelf system that provides a complete solution. —DAVID FOX www.sdvoe.org
To celebrate its first time as an exhibitor at ISE, WeQuote has released two new “groundbreaking” features to “revolutionise” the way integrators quote. The first, Web Quotes, is an interactive quote that the customer can view on their desktop or phone without needing an app or a PDF viewer.
The second, Options, allows the user to create a pathway for the customer to choose exactly what they want within a budget that works for them. These two features come together to make the “ultimate interactive quote for customers”, who can view, modify and accept the quotation straight from a phone. WeQuote says that instead of spending days on a quote, integrators can take out their laptops whether in the office or on-site and create stunning and accurate quotes in minutes. These efficiency savings are down to the connections it has made with AV/IT suppliers. Live-linked suppliers provide daily price updates, so quotes are always accurate for the day. New products are added
UDE is aiming to take advantage of existing Ethernet networks with its UDE IP-System.
With the goal to save money by utilising existing wiring infrastructures to implement public address and background music systems, UDE says its IPSystem is suited to installations with multiple buildings, such as university campuses, schools and hospitals. It can be used to provide alerts, background music and intercoms on a single SIP platform.
It can also create programming groups of zones and music groups, to provide greater flexibility and decentralisation.
The UDE IP-System’s IPU-100 gateways can be configured as transmitters or receivers, minimising the number of devices on the network and simplifying system maintenance. The system can also be monitored by the server and can incorporate the UDE SF-1360 Audio Scanner app, which allows users to monitor the status of all devices in real time through a simple user interface.
—KEVIN EMMOTT
www.udeaudio.com
to the platform automatically and discontinued products are flagged, so integrators know what’s in stock.
For ISE, the company has teamed up with designflow integrated into WeQuote and Cinema Luxe for bespoke home cinema design. —ADRIAN PENNINGTON www.wequote.cloud
The new iSoft flexible LED module from XL Visual is designed as an “energy-saving solution” for indoor smooth curve LED display projects.
It offers a minimum P0.9mm pixel pitch, using miniLED four-in-one technology, which the company claims is ideal for “creative LED display installation”. The LEDs also use integrated common cathode pixel technology, which promises a greater than 35% energy saving.
The iSoft modules use magnetic fixings for easy installation and service. The strong magnets and rubber backing allow the construction of ‘seamless’ LED video screens, with greater flexibility to create different shapes from the 8.6mm thick 320x160mm modules.
In a convex curve, the minimum diameter is 308mm, using four modules, while the minimum diameter for a concave curve is 458mm (using six modules). —DAVID FOX www.xl-visual.com
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