50 FEATURE: PRODUCT PICKS Microsoft Surface Hub z
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Able to detect 100 points of multi-touch and three simultaneous pen inputs Combines videoconferencing, whiteboarding and annotation Utilises features from Windows 10, Skype for Business, Office, OneNote and Universal Windows apps
www.microsoft.com/microsoft-surface-hub Shure Microflex Advance z
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Consists of a table and a ceiling array, which both come in black, white and aluminium Table Arrays provide adjustable coverage areas in table-top solutions Ceiling Arrays provide configurable and invisible coverage from above rooms of any size, shape or application
www.shure.eu Dante Via z
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Delivers routing of computer-based audio, allowing applications and devices to be networked and interconnected Enables the creation of a Dante network without the need for dedicated hardware, making it easy to route audio using only computers USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt devices can join any Dante audio network
www.audinate.com amBX SmartCore z
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Smartcore is lighting control software designed for use with smart, connected lighting systems Significantly reduces the time it takes to program a lighting control system, due to its scalable nature enabling scenes to be applied to any number of lighting points Uses five different types of sensors and can be combined with daylight harvesting systems
www.ambx.com
Logitech and Intel have joined forces to address this need and taken the guesswork out with a fully tested and pre-configured solution,” says Anne Marie Ginn, senior category manager, Logitech, EMEA. Something of a watershed moment, the hugely anticipated release of the Microsoft Surface Hub proved to be worth the wait. The fervour surrounding the Surface Hub led to high initial demand, which only grew while Microsoft ‘tuned’ its manufacturing process, with shipping delayed till March this year. Available as a 55in or 84in solution, the Surface Hub combines key collaborative scenarios, including general communications, visualisation brainstorming, remote collaboration and data insights. Both versions are integrated with optically bonded displays capable of detecting 100 touch points and up to three simultaneous pen inputs, as well as dual 1080p frontfacing video cameras, and a four-element microphone array that detects and follows voices to eliminate background noise during videoconferencing sessions. “Surface Hub was always going to be a gamechanger in the AV industry as a collaboration tool, because it stepped in as a completely new solution and a transformation to the way people worked,” says Mark Tildesley, collaboration director at distributors Maverick UK (see Roundtable, page 30). “While previously collaboration tools existed, Microsoft brought them together in the Surface Hub product, while at the same time, creating a new hardware category that bridged AV and IT.” Shure Microflex Advance networked array microphones proved to be one of the highlights at this year’s ISE show. The premium network solution is designed specifically for AV conferencing, whether in a high-end executive boardroom, meeting room or huddle room. The system consists of MXA310 Table Arrays and MXA910 Ceiling Arrays, which feature a new pattern with more targeted directivity, unlike the polar pattern on traditional solutions. For greater control, they feature builtin browser-based software for set-up and configuration. The microphones also have preconfigured templates for quick set-up. For third-party control system compatibility, Shure uses Ethernet commands to communicate to audio DSPs or control systems, so the mics can be controlled via touchscreen. “The launch of Microflex Advance has been a major milestone for both Shure and audio conferencing technology,” comments Duncan Savage, manager, systems group, Shure Distribution UK. “We are noticing a sea-change in the way integrators and their clients think about
July/August 2016
conferencing sound and the great impact it has on their business, from client perceptions to productivity, collaboration and the health and the well-being of staff.”
Networked audio – and lighting With networked audio solutions on the rise, backed up by a survey conducted by Installation in conjunction with RH Consulting, Audinate stands to benefit the most with the results indicating Dante was far and away the most popular industry protocol (see page 8). To spread Dante functionality, Audinate introduced Dante Via, which brings Dante functionality to IT networks as well as any audio device connected to it and any audio applications it is running. The software allows a Dante network to be created without the need for dedicated Dante hardware, providing a straightforward approach to routing audio using only computers. Dante Via also enables integrators, engineers and end-users to create and extend audio systems using cost-effective computer based networked I/O to virtually anywhere. Brad Price, Dante’s senior product manager, explains: “Dante Via has expanded the ways that people are using Dante, bringing previously non-networked equipment and software to Dante audio networks in installations and stages alike, at minimal cost. We think we are just beginning to see the creative possibilities that Dante Via opens up in products that our customers already have.” In the lighting sector, the next big step is the use of PoE and IoT in lighting control systems such as the SmartCore from amBX, with PoE representing a “paradigm shift in lighting,” according to John Niebel, CEO of amBX. The new software delivers more ‘humancentric’ control, as well as less programming compared with traditional lighting control systems. It also offers cost savings with reduced infrastructure costs from sharing Ethernet cabling. SmartCore uses input readings from sensors as well as direct control by users to produce the best possible implementation of the desired outcome using the light fittings that are available. The five different sensors include daylight harvesting, occupancy, colour temperature, air quality, and room humidity and temperature. “Interest in amBX SmartCore from the lighting industry has been excellent since its launch in March this year,” says David Eves, director, CTO and founder. “From the immediate reaction and ongoing engagement with the industry, we have seen that a software solution is certainly the right approach for the new generation of connected lighting.”