Installation Nov 2013 digital edition

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Installation INTERNATIONAL AUDIO, VIDEO AND LIGHTING INTEGRATION

November 2013

Look, listen, learn Inside San Francisco’s Exploratorium p58

Show review – Did PLASA ExCeL in its new home? p22

Projectors – an illuminating look at new light sources p26

Videowalls – what’s controlling the images we see? p40

WELCOME & CONTENTS

EDITOR’S COMMENT

You are... where exactly?

‘I experienced something of a perspective shift at the Smart Building Conference’

IF YOU’RE familiar with Douglas Adams’ The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in any of its various forms, you may be aware of the Total Perspective Vortex.

To put it bluntly, this is a device intended to destroy people’s minds: “When you are put in the Vortex you are given just one momentary glimpse of the entire unimaginable infinity of creation, and somewhere in it a tiny little marker, a microscopic dot on a microscopic dot, which says, ‘You are here’.”

I experienced something of a perspective shift – though fortunately neither on this scale nor with those consequences – at the Smart Building Conference last month. As we all know, AV systems used to be standalone entities, but as networking has become more widespread, they have increasingly become part of IT systems. What the conference brought home to me is that these IT systems can potentially be much larger than we may have previously considered.

It was the presentation by Mario Pullicino of Orion Engineering Group that spoke most strongly to this point. His company supplies fibre infrastructures that are designed to rationalise multiple proprietary management systems and run them all over a common IP network infrastructure rather than each over having its own proprietary communications network. So building management systems, fire detection systems, PA-VA, security, energy management, voice, data, network security and WiFi are all delivered over the same fibre backbone, and managed via a common four-layer framework known as FOCUS. Thinking over the implications of this, my first thought was concern because – unlike, say, the IT infrastructure or the HVAC system – AV is not in itself a core function of a building. It helps many people to do their jobs better, but wouldn’t necessarily be front of mind when a CEO was enumerating a wishlist for his new corporate HQ. (This might change if videoconferencing becomes much more popular, as one report suggests it will – see page 10.) Might we get squeezed out of the picture?

However, after the event, reading through the session presentations from the Conference’s residential track, I found reassurance. There is a lot of complexity involved in running smart buildings, a lot of which springs from the large amounts of data that the smart-building concept is predicated upon. Will Brocklebank of residential integrator Face to Face Digital made the point that AV installers are better placed than most other disciplines in the smart buildings market to create user interfaces that make complex systems more intuitive to operate – so users don’t have to go on a training course before they dare to touch anything, or consult the manual every five minutes when they get back.

It’s the integrator’s ability to pull different systems together that is the source of his or her value. Yes, we will need to learn about unfamiliar technologies and talk to clients in unfamiliar industries to find out their needs, but the basic tools are already ours. We just need to apply them in new areas.

Paddy Baker, Editor, Installation – paddy.baker@intentmedia.co.uk

www.installation-international.com

NEWS & DATA 4 News - including: Smart Building Conference p6 Obituary: Steve Jones p8 12 Appointments 14 Expos and events PEOPLE 20 Interview: Adrien Corso on building the new Analog Way SHOW REVIEW PLASA London p22 FEATURES 26 Projectors: We offer guidance on the profusion of new illumination technologies 32 Auditoriums: What are the truly essential audio requirements of larger spaces?

40 Videowalls: The increasing demands on wall controllers 50 Regional voices: Russia TECHNOLOGY 50 New products 54 Showcase: Furniture and mounts SOLUTIONS 58 Exploratorium, San Francisco: Behind the scenes at the coolest science museum you’ll ever visit 60 Metropolitan Arts Centre, Belfast: This multi-space venue benefits from a complex technical infrastructure 64 Royal Botanical Gardens, Toronto: Dinosaur-themed exhibit draws visitors during winter months

Cover image The ‘Visualizing the Bay’ exhibit at San Francisco’s Exploratorium (© Exploratorium, All rights reserved)

November 2013 3

NEWS JAPAN/WORLD

NEWPARTNERS Crestron has signed an agreement with automation and AV specialist Domeosys to become the company’s official sole distributor for the Maghreb countries – bringing Crestron technology to clients throughout Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Algeria. www.crestron.ma

Audiovisual distributor TDMaverick has expanded its range of accessories by signing a distribution agreement for the UK and Ireland with mount manufacturer NewStar.

Amsterdam-based NewStar offers a wide range of mounts from wall, desk and ceiling options for large format displays, to specialist medical solutions and laptop and tablet products. en.newstar.eu www.tdmaverick.co.uk

NEC Display Solutions has signed a partnership deal with distributor Van Domburg Partners to relaunch itself in the Benelux region. Van Domburg has its own transport and installation department and expertise in facilitating large roll-outs. www.nec-display-solutions.com www.vandomburg.nu

Cadac has appointed The Audio Specialists UG to distribute its console range exclusively in Germany and Benelux. The latter company is an independent subsidiary of the Dutch TAS group and is headed by professional audio sales manager Hans-Juergen Heitzer. www.cadac-sound.com www.theaudiospecialists.eu

Mitsubishi exits projection and public display

Mitsubishi Electric is continuing to build bespoke LED displays, such as this one at the Dallas Cowboys stadium

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC is to cease Visual Information Systems division operations in six European countries as it withdraws from the frontprojection and public display markets. The company’s European display wall business will be centralised at its office in Mijdrecht in the Netherlands, with the result that dedicated VIS division operations in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden will close.

Technical support, which is operated separately from the VIS division, will continue to be provided locally.

The Japanese manufacturer is to focus its efforts on rearprojection cubes, display wall products and super-narrow bezel displays.

Peter van Dijk, EMEA business manager at Mitsubishi Electric, said: “The Mijdrecht office will have a central function – the warehouse will be there, procurement and marketing will be done there, but we will have sales presence in various countries.�

This sales presence will be from other Mitsubishi Electric divisions, with Mijdrecht as “the central hub, so to speak�.

The company is seeking to consolidate its position within the command and control, traffic management and security monitoring markets.

Production (in Kyoto) of projectors and LCD displays has ceased (apart from super narrow bezel models), but the company will support these

product lines until March 2019.

Production resources will be redeployed into the company’s display wall business. OLED and large LED displays – such as the enormous Diamond Vision screens at the Dallas Cowboys stadium in the US (pictured) – which are built on a project-by-project basis at the company’s Nagasaki factory – remain available.

Van Dijk added that the company had looked at “every single option� when considering the future of these parts of its business. He said the decision was due to the worldwide economic picture, the level of competition in the markets and price erosion, leading to lower profitability.

He also stressed the company’s credentials in the cube market: “We are one of the world leaders in terms of display wall cubes, we have a very strong position here, and we feel very strong in building that position to a high level.�

He confirmed that there would be redundancies as a result of the company restructure, but did not name

a figure. “We are looking at all kinds of options for keeping people within the Mitsubishi group,� he said. This, he said, was likely to mean redeploying people in their own countries elsewhere within Mitsubishi, rather than relocating people to the Netherlands.

Mitsubishi Electric’s plans for upcoming tradeshows Integrated Systems Russia and Integrated Systems Europe are not affected, he said. “[At ISE] you will find us at the same location as the years before, with the same size booth as you can expect from Mitsubishi.�

Mitsubishi Electric is not the only Japanese display product manufacturer to be taking major strategic decisions at the moment. This news followed just days after Toshiba axed 3,000 jobs from its TV division, and Panasonic said that it was considering different strategic options for its plasma division – denying reports that it had decided to exit plasma production by spring 2014. www.mitsubishielectric.eu

US

Gefen moves on after 25 years HAGAI GEFEN, founder of the signal management product manufacturer that bears his name, has stepped down from the company to pursue other interests. The new Gefen president will be Sean Burke, who is group president of Nortek Technology Solutions group. “This is a natural evolution that we have all been anticipating for some time now,� said Burke. “We have

worked very closely with Hagai and his executive team at Gefen to ensure a smooth and effective transition.�

During his 25-year tenure, Hagai Gefen (pictured) grew the company from a small, localised business into a multinational signal management solutions company, which was purchased by Nortek in 2006.

The Gefen company was one of the first to implement

connectivity solutions for the emerging DVI, HDMI and 3GSDI formats as well as being among the first to bring reliable wireless highdefinition video extension to market.

Burke is joined by Kevin E Weiss, vice president, global sales and business development. Weiss brings more than 20 years of experience in developing and growing small, mid-size and

large enterprise technology businesses. “I’m looking to leverage assets among all the Technology Solutions brands within Nortek in the best possible way to meet a new and exciting future in this highly competitive professional market,� added Weiss. www.gefen.com

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NEWS UK

New strategy and structure for Shure SHURE Distribution UK (SDUK) has announced an internal reorganisation, to reflect a new pan-European distribution strategy from Shure EMEA. Three groups have been created to directly serve systems integration, pro audio and retail markets.

SDUK is creating a more complete and channelfocused support package for selected partners. The aim is to ensure service and support levels are consistent at a country level.

Duncan Savage has been appointed to lead the Systems Group, which has been created to serve integrators and contractors working on large-scale installation projects. The Pro Audio division is headed by Tuomo Tolonen, previously applications and product planning manager, while former SDUK field sales manager Anthony Short heads up the Retail division.

Each division will work in a

L-R: James, Tolonen, Savage, Short

manner that supports the channel it represents. For the Systems Group, a major part of this is providing project design assistance for systems integrators, and enhanced technical training for resellers. In the case of technologies such as Shure Axient Wireless or QSC’s QSys platform, resellers will need to undergo accredited training before they can offer the products. The aim is to create a customer network that is fully qualified and equipped with the skills to enable them to develop sales in their core markets.

Tied in with this is the

launch of the Shure Academy European Audio Network.

This is a new educational and networking initiative aimed at all levels of the audio industry. The Academy will incorporate existing training programmes run by Shure and integrate new workshops and seminars.

Peter James, SDUK MD, told Installation: “Dealers need a pricing structure and supply structure – they need to know that there aren’t a thousand companies with access to these products, and if 10 or 20 people have access to a product then they’re all on similar terms. No-one is going to invest the time in training on very advanced-level products to be one of hundreds with access to it.

But if the requirement to access that highly advanced product is to be trained and accredited and to offer a certain level of support, that’s a very strong message.” www.shuredistribution.co.uk

Recent highlights RTI TAKES HOST OF AWARDS AT CEDIA EXPO 2013 RTI picked up four awards at ceremonies during this year’s CEDIA Expo. The company’s KX2 in-wall controller and T2x handheld controller were celebrated by the Residential Systems’ Resi Awards and Technology Integrator EXC!TE Awards.

technology was developed alongside some big players in the wireless industry.

BANG & OLUFSEN INTRODUCES WIRELESS SPEAKER TECHNOLOGY The new wireless platform is scheduled to be incorporated into the company’s next generation speakers launching this autumn. The

INVISION UK TO DISTRIBUTE NILES’ CYNEMA SOUNDFIELD Invision UK will now distribute Niles Audio’s new Cynema Soundfield in-wall soundbar.

The system incorporates a number of features for ease of installation.

SONY BOLSTERS HOME CINEMA OFFERING WITH VPLVW1100ES 4K PROJECTOR Sony chose CEDIA Expo 2013 to launch its newest 4K projector targeted at home cinema installations.

To read these stories and the rest of our residential coverage, go to

www.installation-international.com/residential

NETHERLANDS/US

Duran steered into Harman Professional fold HARMAN HAS bolstered its sizeable audio portfolio with the acquisition of privately held Duran Audio. The deal provides Harman with access to leading electroacoustic and softwarebased directivity control technologies including the AXYS Intellivox line of ‘steerable’ loudspeaker columns. The AXYS products and core technologies will be integrated into the Harman Professional audio product line.

Duran Audio was funded in 1981 in Zaltbommel, The Netherlands (pictured) by Gerrit Duran, who will join the executive team at Harman. He said: “Our focus has always been on innovation. Over the years we have developed a range of solutions for some of the most difficult problems facing sound system designers, architects and acoustic engineers. Today’s acquisition by Harman

presents many wonderful opportunities to push the R&D boundaries even further and to deliver some truly unique

technologies to a wider customer base.”

Dinesh C Paliwal, Harman’s chairman, president and CEO, said: “Over the years, Duran Audio has established a distinct and loyal customer base built on innovative technology. By leveraging Duran’s unique product lines with Harman’s global footprint and product synergies, our business is optimally positioned to serve new

customers around the world with expanded audio solutions.”

As well as pioneering modern loudspeaker beam steering and beam shaping, Duran Audio has also established a leading position in audio solutions for EN54 safety applications and software technologies for audio design. www.duran-audio.com www.harmanpro.com

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November 2013 5

NEWS UNITED KINGDOM

Getting smarter on smart buildings

Jeremy Towler of BSRIA was one of two keynote speakers

THE SECOND instalment of the Smart Building Conference took place at Dexter House in London last month. Organised by Integrated Systems Europe, the event covered the developing smart building market from various angles, bringing together the worlds of AV, building automation, security, electrical and IT system design and installation.

A key message arising from the day was that the market is an immature one; integrators need to work hard to establish a foothold in a market peppered with different technologies and stakeholders.

First to give a keynote address was Dr Steven Fawkes, chairman of Day One Energy Solutions, which develops and finances energy-efficiency solutions. His address was entitled ‘Only Eleven Percent’ – which refers to the world’s overall efficiency in converting primary sources into useful energy. He used statistics to paint a picture of a world vulnerably dependent on fossil fuels. One startling statistic was that the global population falling within the middle-class bracket will be 3 billion by 2030, leading to an exponential increase in energy usage over that time.

He made it clear that it is manufacturers’ duty to make “cool” products to counteract the perception that saving energy is boring and to entice customers into using energy-efficient technology. As an example he cited the Philips Hue system, which allows users to measure light levels in environments they admire and use these readings to create similar light levels in their living space.

In the second keynote – ‘The Battle for the Smart Building’ – Jeremy Towler, senior manager of energy and smart technology at building services research organisation BSRIA, discussed the different elements involved with smart buildings and how it was important to merge these applications and systems. The existing market for building automation and control systems (BACS) is under threat from multiple emerging systems and technologies such as Cloud-based BACS solutions, new software applications, intelligent heating controls and even 6 November 2013

variable refrigerant flow (VRF) BACS systems. “It’s a crowded space and everyone is trying to get a piece of the market,” commented Towler.

The analytics available through these systems can be leveraged and raw data collected, presented and analysed so to make better, more energy-conscious decisions. For this, he highlighted the need for a common network for all IP-based systems, because wireless LAN solutions are enabling greater data capture in buildings.

Integrators also need to be aware of the shift from IT-based products to services, which is being driven by BYOD trends.

What also emerged was a lack of customer awareness of the products currently on the market. There is a need to make the products known and he addressed how products could get to market through systems manufacturers and, for residential markets, systems integrators.

The panel discussion on ‘Future Visions of Intelligent Buildings’ brought together InfoComm International’s chief sustainability officer Allen Weidman; Quentin Drewell, who is smart buildings lead at Accenture; Matt Dodd, education director at CEDIA Region 1; and Jeremy Fawkes once more. A question was raised about building owners being reluctant to invest heavily for longterm savings because of concerns about ROI. The panel pointed out the availability of grants and ‘free money’ initiatives for these projects. It is down to the integrator to sell the technology to the building owner, they said. The overall feeling was that integrators need to focus on being businessmen rather than hobbyists, installing confidence in to prospective clients with numbers and watertight proposals.

Education was highlighted as a major factor in this. Dodd made it apparent that integrators should be looking at their products and services from an energy-efficiency point of view rather than as luxury items.

At this point, the conference split into two parallel tracks, covering commercial and residential smart building technologies. We attended the commercial sessions.

Graham Naylor-Smith of consultancy Arup www.installation-international.com

NEWS warned that there is no such thing as a standard smart building and there is no route to a quick profit. Instead, integrators need to be involved with the process of creating a smart building from the beginning, with the integrator conscious of all interested parties on the ‘journey’ to its completion. Thought also needs to be given to what happens after the building is completed, with reviews of success and system updates.

Kathy Farrington from Norman Disney & Young consulting engineers insisted that, when consulting on a project, education was important for parties such as external consultants, project managers and quantity surveyors to understand how one smart project differs from another. She also highlighted conflicting interests in the smart building world, especially in the case of data bandwidth, of which security applications demand a large proportion.

Rounding off the morning sessions, Roger Woodward, MD of building software provider Tridium, revealed that 90% of all the world’s data to date was only produced in the last two years. With the trend towards smart devices pumping out status information over the network, enormous amounts of data would be involved in running a successful smart building.

In the afternoon, Eric Bloom of Navigant Research presented ‘Building Energy Management Systems – Trends to Watch’. BEMS enjoy significant support in the market, he said: worth $2 billion today, the BEMS market is projected to grow to $5.5 billion in 2020. Also, technologies are changing: the greater use of data and the growth of the ‘smart grid’ are driving a move from localised efficiency to localised intelligence to networked intelligence.

For part of the conference, the programme split into parallel commercial and residential tracks

John Corbett of EnOcean made the case for ‘Self-powered Wireless Sensing and Control for Sustainable Buildings’. These are simpler to install than their wired equivalents, and as they do not contain batteries that need periodic changing, they are much more affordable, and also greener. They can be used to optimise energy consumption within a room depending on conditions inside it: for example switching off the HVAC when a window is opened, or adjusting the lighting to complement ambient light levels.

Mario Pullicino of Orion Engineering Group spoke about the benefits of ‘Fibre Optics for Unified Communication’. Rather than having separate networks for BMS, fire and PA-VA, security, energy management, voice, data and other applications, these can be converged onto a blown-fibre network running through the building. This is cheaper to install than conventional copper-based networks, both because the fibre is cheaper per metre than Cat cable, and because using fibre eliminates the need for junction cabinets on each www.installation-international.com

floor of the building.

After this, the conference recombined into a single track. John Melchin of FSR talked about ‘Building Information Modelling in Action’. BIM is a method by which all the data about the different elements in a building – such as HVAC, fire alarm systems, lighting, communications and more – are combined into a single threedimensional model. This approach offers benefits from a building’s construction phase well into its occupancy, when it becomes a kind of “digital owner’s manual”. “BIM gets systems to work together synergistically,” said Melchin – pointing out that it can often prevent expensive errors from being made.

BIM is growing in popularity: its use is mandatory in certain US states, and in US government projects. There are moves for BIM standards to be adopted in other countries, including the UK, France, the Netherlands and Australia.

Rafel Borek of KNX Shop gave a short presentation about the role of the integrator as a project engineer, then took part in a panel discussion about building automation protocols alongside Zoltan Karpathy of BSRIA, Matt Dodd of CEDIA and InfoComm’s Allen Weidman. One of the questions addressed was the implications of China just having ratified KNX as its building control standard. This was felt to be a good opportunity for the KNX protocol and for manufacturers of KNX-based equipment (despite the fairly closed nature of the Chinese market); however, it seemed likely that it would also lead to Chinese-produced KNX equipment appearing on the European market.

In the final session, Rick Holland of the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) gave a presentation about sources of UK government funding for smart building projects. A new competition – aimed at helping to develop energy management products that will be on the market in the next three to five years – has just opened, with a fund of £4 million. Applications from consortia are now being sought. It is likely that 20-30 schemes will be invited to make a detailed submission, with around half of these ultimately receiving a share of the fund.

The TSB also has other sources of funding: innovation vouchers, which support micro, small and medium-sized companies wanting to work with external experts; and Smart grants, which support projects at key stages – proof of market, proof of concept, and development of prototype.

Looking back over the day, some key points emerged: Making buildings smart requires huge amounts of data, which need to be generated, analysed and acted upon with as little human intervention as possible.

The market is immature, fragmented and regionally diverse.

Energy efficiency is a key driver in the developing smart building market. Rising energy prices, scarcer fuel sources, energy legislation and regulations, and the increasing importance of corporate social responsibility are all factors here.

However, smart buildings are about more than just energy efficiency – although there are no widely agreed definitions of the term.

The AV world needs to create its own opportunities in this marketplace. After all, companies in other sectors will be looking to do the same thing.

The next Smart Building Conference will take place in Amsterdam on 3 February, the eve of the ISE 2014 exhibition. www.smartbuildingconference.com

November 2013 7

NEWS

Steve Jones: 1952-2013 WE ARE very sad to announce the death of Steve Jones who has died after a short illness.

Steve was an internationally renowned audio consultant, working on projects such as the Millennium Dome, Wembley Stadium, Millennium Stadium, Ascot Racecourse and Tel Aviv opera house.

In addition to project work, he was also very active in helping with Standards. He was instrumental in creating BS7827 for sound systems at sports grounds. He also worked on BS5839-8, the code of practice for voice alarm. More recently he was working on revisions to the EN54 standards.

His 45-year career started at EMI, initially working on defence projects. Steve helped build the sound mixers for Abbey Road including the TG12345 – the first transistorised mixer. He also worked with Peter Dix, measuring reverberation time. This was for the design of the (successful) mushrooms at the Royal Albert Hall.

He was asked to deliver some parametric equalisers to Abbey Road and was about to leave when the engineer told him to wait “until John was happy”. He applied for a job there and

worked as a tape editor.

Since he could read music, he was assigned classical work, which he found “boring”.

After EMI he worked for Ferrograph selling multitrack tape recorders, and then Hayden Laboratories selling Telefunken (maker of the first 48 track), Sondor and Sennheiser.

After that he worked for Electrosonic for seven years.

Steve was the only pure audio person they have ever employed. With significant funding from the Arts Council he did many theatre projects for them, looking after the sound and communications.

This work then took him all over Europe.

Starting up on his own, his first job was for Cable & Wireless and he found himself bidding against Electrosonic for a job in the Middle East.

With his BBC Model B computer he used C&W’s ‘Easy Link’, one of the first ever email systems. Because he could respond much more quickly he won the job.

He could boast of being arrested more than 20 times in one day while working in Hong Kong. He was conducting sound tests at the Hong Kong Stadium and each time he did a test he was arrested for making too much noise and taken to a side room where, each time,

Paddy Baker writes: Steve made a couple of appearances in this magazine during my editorship, commenting on articles on EN54 and picking us up on points where we had slipped up. He was a thoughtful and insightful contributor, and the industry is diminished by his passing.

8 November 2013

he subsequently proved he was below any limits.

At the IOA Reproduced Sound conference in the late ’80s he met Jim Griffiths.

Steve was armed with the half written spec for Tel Aviv.

Jim asked if Steve could design the system for Wembley Stadium.

Through the 1990s, he worked with Jim at Travers Morgan, who became Symonds Travers Morgan then Capita, eventually becoming an employee. The ‘alas Griff and Jones’ trick worked on many projects – Millennium Stadium Cardiff, Twickenham Stadium, Ascot Racecourse, the Millennium

Dome and many more.

In recent years he worked for himself again.

Always willing to speak his mind he recently reiterated some of his thoughts on the industry. “People get the standards they deserve,” he said – commenting that many companies complain about standards like EN54, but did not try to get on the committee. He also said that attendance from audio people at committee meetings was often poor: “The reason why we get fire-orientated standards is because fire people attend.”

He also said that “every UK stadium is possibly illegal”,

referencing the fact that none of the standards set a tolerance for load monitoring of loudspeaker circuits. “If you follow the rules of the current standards you risk losing too many loudspeakers but still thinking your system is OK.” Those of us lucky enough to know him got to know a kind, intelligent man who truly cared about the people he worked with and the projects he worked on.

RIP Steve.

Jim Griffiths, Vanguardia Consulting Roland Hemming, RH Consulting

www.installation-international.com

NEWS WORLD

VC to become favourite comms tool by 2016 BUSINESS decision makers believe that videoconferencing will become the most favoured communications tool by 2016. A Polycom-sponsored survey found VC cited as the preferred mode of communications by 47%, behind email (89%) and voice or conference calls (64%). Those percentages are expected to change to 52%, 51% and 37% respectively in three years’ time.

Over three-quarters of decision-makers (76%) are using videoconferencing at work, with 56% of video users taking part in video calls at least once a week.

That number increases significantly in Brazil, India and Singapore.

This growing acceptance of VC is reflected in the use of the technology in people’s domestic lives – particularly among younger respondents. The survey found that that 83% of respondents use consumer videoconferencing solutions at home today, and this figure rose to 90% among those in their 20s and 30s.

Almost half of all respondents said they use videoconferencing at home at least once a week.

Intelligibility topped the list of the most important criteria for an ideal video meeting. Sixtynine percent selected ‘the ability to hear everyone clearly’; ‘technology that is straightforward and easy to use’ was chosen by 60%; and ‘good eye contact with colleagues/everyone is clearly visible’ was the choice of 58%.

The survey also tracked use of VC by different functions. On a weekly basis, marketing uses video collaboration the most frequently, with 64% using it at least once a week. When the timeframe changes to daily, HR takes the lead (with 32% using it every day), followed by sales (28%). The functions most likely to use VC to collaborate face to face with colleagues internationally are IT/engineering (61%) and manufacturing/supply chain (58%).

An overwhelming majority of respondents (97%) said it is important to try and understand different country cultures when meeting using VC, and 89%

called for etiquette rules to be established to help them make better use of the technology for business. To help business better navigate cultural differences and so use VC more effectively, Polycom has launched its Guide to Collaborating Across Borders, which is designed to help readers understand the nuances of doing business across the globe.

“The growing popularity of videoconferencing at home, especially by millennials entering the workforce, is a big driver of increased preference for and adoption of video collaboration in the workplace,” said Jim Kruger, EVP and chief marketing officer at Polycom. “Some key factors to making video as popular in the office as it is at home is ensuring it’s easy to use, providing a high-quality connection, delivering enterprise-grade security, and participants’ willingness to accept and adapt to cultural differences as they communicate across borders. We’re seeing businesses around the world defy distance every day using video collaboration, including increasing productivity, enhancing employee engagement, improving time to market and helping to save lives.”

The survey polled 1,205 people in the USA, Brazil and a further 10 countries across EMEA and AsiaPacific in August and September 2013. www.polycom.com/defydistance

Pictures © InfoComm International

UK

InfoComm to hold three-day Networked AV course in London

Paul Streffon

INFOCOMM International is to hold its first three-day in-depth course on Networked AV Systems for UK audiovisual professionals on 29-31 October 2013. The course will be presented by InfoComm International senior staff instructors Paul Streffon, MBA, CTS-D, CTS-I, Network+ (pictured left) and Rod Brown, CTS-D, CTS-I (right), and will be held at London’s Hilton Green Park Hotel.

The course will explore the impact of audiovisual applications on enterprise networks, address client needs, examine trade-offs between quality 10 November 2013

and bandwidth, and explain how to navigate conflicts between network policies and customer demands.

Remote monitoring and management, streaming, conferencing, and other software applications will also be addressed.

Chris Lavelle, regional director, UK & Ireland, said: “Without a thorough understanding of IP networks and the way AV networks operate within them, it is likely that what the customer expects to experience won’t match what they ultimately see or hear. The AV world has changed and if you are not knowledgeable about IT you are at a distinct disadvantage.”

InfoComm International has worked with the IT industry over a number of years to pinpoint what an audiovisual networking professional should know about IP networks. This valuable knowledge is incorporated into the course using a mix of theory and practical exercises.

“Audiovisual professionals will walk away from the course with demonstrated practical knowledge of the AV/IT cultural divide, and how to agree, document and adhere to the shared expectations of networked systems,” added Lavelle.

Streffon said: “The professionals that leave this course will have a greater confidence in their ability to design, configure and discuss the networking

JAPAN

Epson ships 90 millionth HTPS panel

issues required by the audiovisual and networking systems. Topics start from the basis of networking through the applications and demands of streaming, digital signage and videoconferencing systems. Come prepared to learn and ask questions, it will be a busy three days!”

Interested participants are encouraged to register early, as space is limited. For further information, contact Ben Barnard at bbarnard@infocomm.org, +44 1442 345100 or visit the InfoComm website.

SEIKO Epson Corporation recently announced that it has shipped a total of 90 million high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) TFT liquid crystal panels for 3LCD projectors – enough for more than 30 million projector units. This maintains its position as the world’s leading supplier of HTPS panels.

“Epson has consistently strived to develop leadingedge products of the HTPS panels,” said Nobuyuki Shimotome, deputy COO of Epson’s Visual Products Operations Division.

“Epson will expand and enhance its HTPS line-up with panels that contribute to the outstanding colour brightness, detailed images, energy efficiency and reliability of 3LCD projectors.”

www.infocomm.org

global.epson.com

Rod Brown

www.installation-international.com

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APPOINTMENTS LOUD TECHNOLOGIES

Global growth for LOUD Technologies New names will lead worldwide and Latin American sales LOUD Technologies has announced that Carlos Vargas (pictured, left) has joined the company as director of Latin American sales for the Ampeg, EAW and Mackie brands. In addition, Rusty Waite has been appointed to the position of VP of sales at EAW. Vargas’ role will be to ensure distributors regionwide realise the support possible from the various headquarters-based brand support teams to build their markets and market share.

AMX

Scott Bahr has joined AMX as executive vice president, global sales. He comes to the company from Nokia where he held a number of senior sales executive posts, most recently as general manager of global channel sales. Prior to Nokia, Bahr spent time at Dell where he led sales, business development and channel management teams in several business units. In his new role, Bahr will assume oversight of AMX sales operations within the US and all markets outside the country, which previously had been managed independently. www.amx.com

COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL

‘I cannot wait to see what we as a team do next’ Rusty Waite He will work with distributors to implement plans to bring EAW’s full product line and factory support to customers throughout Latin America.

Industry veteran Waite, meanwhile, will lead the worldwide EAW sales network from his new home base in EAW’s design centre in Whitinsville, MA.

Johnson has over 25 years of engineering, marketing and management experience in the pro-audio and communications industries.

In his new role, he will oversee the company’s overall business and sales strategies. Johnson joins Community from Bosch where he held the position of global brand manager and was responsible for the brand management of Electro-Voice, RTS, Telex and Dynacord audio products worldwide.

www.d-mpro.com

EYEVIS CORE BRANDS

manufactured in the US, our momentum is catching on both domestically and internationally, and I cannot wait to see what we as a

HARMAN PRO

Harman Professional has announced the promotion of Thomas Marcher to lead all sales and support operations for its professional audio and lighting technologies in the Greater Asia region. Marcher will now take on the additional operational responsibility for Harman’s Singapore-based Martin Professional team.

As part of its organisational restructure, D&M Pro has

www.loudtechinc.com

ZEEVEE

Two new faces have joined eyevis: Alexander Koller (pictured, right) has been appointed CFO and member of the board of management, and Oliver Mack has assumed sales management in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Koller previously worked at consulting firm Rödl & Partner in Munich. In his new role he will supervise the financial and commercial issues of the eyevis group.

Mack joins from ICT AG and will be responsible for the safeguarding of key projects, the set-up and expansion of the distributor network as well as for the set-up and support of key accounts in the DACH region.

Graeme Taylor (pictured) and Graham Rowlands have joined the Music Group team.

Rowlands will head the business development efforts of Music Group Professional brands Midas, Klark Teknik and Turbosound. He will also take on responsibility for the Installed Sound division in the Asia-Pacific region.

Taylor joins the Professional Division marketing team; prior to this he spent time at Yamaha and Bang & Olufsen.

www.eyevis.de

www.music-group.com

www.zeevee.com

MUSIC GROUP

Joe Roberts has joined Core Brands as VP of products and marketing, replacing industry veteran Paul Starkey. Prior to this Roberts spent time at companies including The Learning Company, Broderbund and Corel.

team do next.”

Waite joins from Stagetec and previously spent time with AMS Neve and Euphonix.

ZeeVee has promoted Bob Michaels (pictured, top) to CEO. In his new role, Michaels will lead commercial market development and global expansion initiatives.

Previously, as senior vice president of worldwide sales, he contributed to vertical market expansion, developed strategic partnerships, expanded the company globally and oversaw revenue increases. Before joining ZeeVee, he was president of Magenta Research. Another former Magenta executive, Rob Muddiman, has joined the company as EMEA sales director. The appointment accompanies the opening of ZeeVee’s London office and expansion of its technical support team. Muddiman was previously international sales director and European sales/marketing manager at Magenta, and has also held multiple general management roles with Sony Europe.

www.harman.com

D&M PRO

12 November 2013

promoted Mark Perrins to president and David Morbey (pictured) to global product marketing manager. Perrins joined the company in 2005 as general manager. In his new role he will continue to expand the company’s penetration into the global installation market.

Morbey was previously European product marketing manager, with responsibility for product planning for the company’s entire portfolio of products.

www.communitypro.com

www.corebrands.com

Community Professional Loudspeakers has appointed Steve Johnson as CEO.

“Throughout my 25 years in the industry, I’ve looked up to the EAW brand for its phenomenal sound and reliability,” said Waite. “But as I got closer, I was flat-out blown away by the newer lines such as Anya and the QX series. And coupled with the fact that the majority of EAW speakers are once again

www.installation-international.com

the past. The simplicity of touchscreen control and the unrivalled reliability of AMX combine to maximise productivity and nd efďŹ ciencyy, ensuring that th technology enhances rather than detracts from the collaborative process.

COMMAND

|

CONTROL

|

CONNECT

|

C O M M U N I C AT E

|

MONITOR & MANAGE

|

CONSERVE

EXPOS & EVENTS

SPOTLIGHT

EDITORIAL PLANNER

LDI/Live Design, Las Vegas, US 22-24 November www.ldishow.com Over 8,000 attendees working in theatre, concerts, houses of worship, corporate presentations, clubs, theme parks, and any other live venue come to LDI from 72 countries to see the latest gear in action, refresh their knowledge, and replenish their creativity. More than 300 exhibiting companies provide attendees with live demos and the opportunity for face-toface discussions about equipment including lighting, sound, projection, special effects.

LDI begins with with Backstage Las Vegas, a fact-filled insider’s look at some of the most challenging applications for cuttingedge entertainment design and technology. Tour groups will meet the creative and technical teams from Cirque du Soleil shows – Zarkana and Michael Jackson ONE — as well as the musical Rock of Ages.

DECEMBER Airports and railway stations

Communicating with people on the move Video distribution

Will matrix switchers continue to add inputs and outputs – or is there another way?

In addition, the LDInstitute provides focused comprehensive technical training – all-new sessions from projection content creation to site-specific training with Cirque du Soleil, hands-on lighting console training, to the latest version of VectorWorks, and Hippo School.

Cruise liners

Fixed installations in floating environments – what are the challenges?

Showcase:

EVENTS

Your complete events calendar for the months ahead

OCTOBER

30-1 May

24-27

PLASA Focus Leeds, UK

CeBIT Bilisim Eurasia – Istanbul, Turkey

MAY

29-31

15-18

Integrated Systems Russia Moscow, Russia

High End Munich, Germany

www.isrussia.org

www.highendsociety.de

NOVEMBER

26-29

4-7

PALM Expo Beijing, China

ShowEast Orlando, US

January 2014 23-26

www.filmexpos.com/showeast

2014 NAMM Show, Anaheim, US

www.palmexpo.net

JUNE

www.namm.org

7-9

14-10 FEBRUARY

MARCH

3

5 ISCEx Milton Keynes, UK

www.infocommshow.org

www.viscom-messe.com

Smart Building Conference Amsterdam, Netherlands www.smartbuildingconference .com

www.isce.org.uk

16-19

19

11-15

CineEurope Barcelona, Spain

Next TV Summit London London, UK www.nexttvsummitlondon.com

22-24

4-6 Integrated Systems Europe 2014 Amsterdam, Netherlands

InfoComm Las Vegas, US

CeBIT Hanover, Germany

www.vnufilmgroup.com

www.cebit.de

17-19 IFSEC Birmingham, UK

LDI/Live Design Las Vegas, US

www.iseurope.org

12-15

www.ifsec.co.uk

www.ldishow.com

10-14

Prolight + Sound Frankfurt, Germany www.prolight-sound.com

SEPTEMBER

DECEMBER

SIEL Paris, France

10-12

www.siel-expo.com

23-25

12-14

CABSAT 2014 Dubai, UAE

Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia Moscow, Russia

CineAsia Hong Kong

18-20

www.cineexpo.com

Digital Signage Expo Las Vegas, US

www.cabsat.com

www.prolight.messefrankfurt.ru

JANUARY 2014

www.digitalsignageexpo.net

APRIL

18-21

9-11

NAMM Musikmesse Russia Moscow, Russia

7-10 2014 International CES Las Vegas, US www.cesweb.org

23-26 LED China Guangzhou, China

InfoComm China Beijing, China

www.bettshow.com

24-27 Pro SoundLight China Guangzhou, China

OCTOBER

23-25

5-8

LLB Stockholm, Sweden

PLASA London London, UK

www.llb.se

www.plasashow.com

www.soundlight.cn

25-28 MIDEM 2014 Cannes, France www.midem.com

24 25-27 BVE London, UK

www.music.messefrankfurt.ru

www.infocomm-china.com/en

www.luxin-led.cn

22-25 BETT London, UK

News deadline: 11 November Distribution date: 22 November

www.plasafocus.com

www.cebitbilisim.com

Viscom & Digital Signage World Düsseldorf, Germany

Conference systems

Music Week Awards London, UK www.musicweek.com

JANUARY Education

As the BETT show approaches, what are the hot technologies in the classroom and the lecture theatre?

Show control

As software capabilities continue to grow, what is the future for the hardware-based show controller?

Feature submission deadline: 1 November News deadline: 5 December Distribution date: 2 January

ISE DAILY At ISE 2014, Intent Media will once again be producing thedaily, the official show newspaper.

The editor’s chair will be occupied by Installation editor Paddy Baker, and the paper will be put together from an office just off the showfloor.

The content creation process for thedaily, including the Preview Edition which will be available in the second half of January, has begun. The allocation of halls to writers will be announced shortly; in the meantime exhibitors should send ISE 2014 press material to newsroom@ise-daily.com.

www.bvexpo.com

14 November 2013

www.installation-international.com

A success story continues!

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INDUSTRY DATA

UHD TV on the rise LCD panel makers are predicted to compete for the sub-50in TV market as demand for Ultra HD sets takes off in 2014, writes Steve Montgomery DESPITE THE lack of a recognised standard for the ultra-high definition (UHD) TV transmission format, there are clear indications that demand for 4K flatpanels and displays is beginning to emerge. This is particularly apparent in the larger-size, prestige-end of the range for displays of 50in and above.

According to WitsView, the display research division of global market intelligence analyst Trendforce, manufacturers have identified this new display format as the next mass-market product to lift sales momentum in the sluggish TV market.

Worldwide sales of all LCD panels in 2013 have dropped slightly from 2012 and are predicted to remain at a flat level of 225-235 million units into 2015. However, the UHD panel share of that market is

times that of Full HD sets while it is three times for larger sizes in North America.

An announcement by KONKA of a 39in UHD TV set priced at RMB3,333 (around $550) has set a benchmark in that market. Other manufacturers are expected to follow suit by downgrading product specifications through lower frame rates and more efficient backlight systems enabled by more transparent LCD panels together with extensive use of dedicated, highly integrated components.

LCD panel fabrication plants are already producing products in quantity. Innolux (formed by a merger between Chi-Mei and TPO) leads with almost 45% market share and when combined with AUO, Taiwanese manufacturers have

0.38 million

UHD PANEL MANUFACTURER MARKET SHARE

Innolux 43.8% AUO 35.0% CSOT 17.2% LG Display 2.9% Samsung 0.9% Sharp 0.3%

Source: WitsView

UHD TV PANEL PENETRATION %

M 250

5

200

4

150

3

100

2

50

1

Sales of UHD panels in August 2013 rising and is expected to reach 4.5% in 2015. Growth has already been spectacular, with sales in August 2013 alone of 0.38 million units; a rise of 47% over the previous month. Total sales of 1.22 million units have already been achieved this year.

BIGGER FOCUS Media interest in the new format has been stimulated by strong campaigns from manufacturers at recent trade exhibitions, such as the major German IFA fair, which has generated significant consumer interest. Japanese manufacturers, including Sony and Toshiba, are expected to focus on larger panel sizes of 55in, 65in and 84in, and will address global markets, while Chinese and Korean manufacturers will extend their ranges to the lower-size TVs by including 39in, 42in and 50in sets in response to strong domestic Chinese demand. The price premium of these lower-sized TVs in China is around 1.5 16 November 2013

successfully gained almost 80% of the market.

WitsView’s research manager Jeffy Chen indicates that: “The war for the entire series of 4K panels will be formally declared in 2014.

WitsView projects that the low-cost UHD TV is likely to become a star product as it gains traction in China, encouraging panel makers to restart their product development of 50in sizes and below.”

The monitors used in professional AV applications use the same LCD glass as domestic TVs and there is only a handful of LCD glass manufacturers in the world.

The mass-market appeal of flatscreen TVs helps to keep prices down in the professional market. So when 4K enters the domestic scene, it will also be available to the digital signage and presentation markets.

Integrators should be prepared.

0

0

2012

Total LCD shipments

Total LCD shipments (million units) UHD penetration (%)

2015*

2014*

2013*

UHD penetration

2012

2013*

2014*

2015*

230

225

228

235

0

0.8

2

4.5

The UHD panel share of the global LCD panel market is expected to reach 4.5% in 2015 *= Forecast Source: WitsView

www.witsview.com

www.installation-international.com

Drive visitors to your stand drives business to exhibitors’ stands at the show and helps convert business opportunities into solid revenues.

Official Visitor Newsletter, before, during and post show and direct to the inboxes of over 50,000 potential visitors to your stand.

NEW

for 2014 ISE Daily TV: allows exhibitors to showcase their activities in video form

Guaranteed editorial with all advertising packages in the form of a Q&A or opinion piece

To confirm your advertising space in any of International: Ian Graham +44 (0)20 7354 6000 ian.graham@intentmedia.co.uk

The Preview Edition is sent to all previous visitors and pre-registered visitors in early January. This offers a unique opportunity to reach visitors with your marketing message ahead of the show.

products, contact the sales team now: International: Les Wood +44 (0)20 7354 6000 les.wood@intentmedia.co.uk

INTERVIEW: ADRIEN CORSO, ANALOG WAY

‘The top of the top’ Since joining the company in 2009, Analog Way CEO Adrien Corso has overseen a transformation of nearly every aspect of the company’s operations. And, as Paddy Baker discovers, this French manufacturer has benefited from a lot of German-style thinking environment. Many electronics companies went through this in the 2000s as the weight of software got stronger. That meant that some of the engineers were ‘hardware people who learned software by doing’ – and eventually didn’t feel comfortable”.

Corso also found that not enough time was being taken to think through product development processes, while projects were growing both in budgets and complexity.

So, what was the vision for the new Analog Way? First, “we want to manufacture state-of-the-art signal processing in Western Europe”. With the growing influx of products from the Far East, this meant “climbing the ladder” – starting at the mid-range and moving up to high-end products.

From customer surveys, Corso found that Analog Way was known for innovation but didn’t always score highly on quality and reliability. “We weren’t involved in all the things that make a good design into a good product.

So we needed to add quality to innovation.”

Quality touches many parts of the new Analog Way. “In many areas, this comes down to formalising processes: we decided that working on our R&D processes was the first thing to do.”

The first stage is the discussion of initial concepts, until agreement is reached

‘If you want high , quality productse you need to hav a steady development process’

ADRIEN CORSO likes to compare Analog Way with Audi. Unlike carmakers such as Peugeot and Renault, it has resisted competition from lower-cost brands by moving upmarket in recent years. “Like they did, we worked on innovation, quality and design”. And during our conversation, it becomes apparent that a lot of what Corso has brought to the French signal processing equipment manufacturer comes from his experience working in German companies.

Corso came to Analog Way in 2009 when he was approached by owner and co-founder Marc Loret to become CEO. Loret had reached his mid-50s and 18 November 2013

wanted to step down from the day-to-day running of the company – although he wanted to remain involved.

According to Corso, Loret was convinced that Analog Way needed to change, and that “to change the company we had to change from the head”. Loret considered that he wasn’t the person to drive that, but he laid the groundwork, “so I wasn’t facing the situation where people were fighting the change”.

THE NEW ANALOG WAY When you join a new company, says Corso, “you first come and look – you don’t touch anything”. But what he found was a company that was “lacking a

lot of things –You could say there was a passion for pro AV and R&D – but if you asked production or sales admin staff, what is Analog Way’s culture or strategy, they didn’t know.”

Loret and Corso decided that they had to work on the vision of a “new Analog Way” (a phrase that comes up frequently during our conversation). So the management team worked to define the company’s new strategy and mission statement, and circulated these around the whole company.

There were deeper problems to address, however. “The business was changing, as were the competition and the

between R&D and marketing.

This plays to one of the corporate values of the new Analogy Way: relevance – ensuring that the company is producing products that are right for the market.

The next stage is highly important: ‘pre-studies’, which focus on identifying and minimising risk. “Are we able to overcome the risks [involved in the product]? If not, we stop.” This stage can take up to one-third of the product development time, but it is time well spent “All the risk must have been worked around at the early stages so the later stages are safe and fast”: this is what Corso calls “the price to pay to achieve a well born design”. He adds: “If you want high-quality products, you need to have a steady development process – not changing direction all the time to end up with a hardware patchwork or spaghetti code.”

Hardware quality also needed to be looked at. The company had used many suppliers and subcontractors for 20 years. “We had to realign those that could follow us to the top of the top.” In the end, the company ended up changing a significant part of its supply chain – in some instances using companies that Corso had dealt with when working in Germany.

Then there was the issue of hardware design. New Analog Way products are more sturdy – “it’s more expensive to do, but if you drop it, it won’t fall apart” –

Adrien Corso – a brief biography Adrien Corso has worked for various multinational corporations, including key players in the electronics industry. Before joining Analog Way, he was general manager of a business unit of Mettler-Toledo, the world’s largest precision scales manufacturer He joined Analog Way as chief executive officer in 2009 – the 20th anniversary of the company Since joining the company, he has been responsible for the overall management of Analog Way, including its subsidiaries in the US and Asia www.installation-international.com

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© 2013 Shure Incorporated

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INTERVIEW: ADRIEN CORSO, ANALOG WAY

(L-R): Franck Facon, marketing and communications director; Adrien Corso, CEO; Amandine Teyssier, communications manager

and they use components that are of a higher spec than absolutely necessary to avoid overheating or running out of power.

“Reliability means productivity and peace of mind. We told customers it would be more expensive but the total cost of ownership would be lower.”

The company is also working with industrial designers for the first time.

“Some people think the aim of industrial design is to make beautiful things, so it’s not relevant. But we ended up with the idea that industrial design is useful because it can help to give you the perception of sturdiness, quality and modernity. Old-fashioned design will give a bad impression about what’s inside the box.”

COMMUNICATING QUALITY Another important aspect of quality is in communications.

It’s important to keep your promises to the market, he says: “So be precise from when you start communicating. Never promise what you can’t deliver, or you give an impression of bad quality.” It’s better to under-promise and over-deliver, he says, in order to build trust. “When Analog Way says something, we do it.

So we sometimes say no!” He has clear views on product announcements: “Never launch a product more than three months after announcing it. And don’t make an announcement just to probe demand in the market.”

In addition to the new focus on quality and processes, people-based issues have

also come under scrutiny. “It was a moral duty but also an economic need to look at the people. For us, managing a company doesn't mean taking advantage of people.

They come here, they invest their life, their skills and their will, and the company is a way of changing these into value and money. ” Not surprisingly, teamwork is a highly important consideration in the new Analog Way: “Only collective success counts,” says Corso.

“We created a tagline: ‘Create a company where we feel good, where we are proud to contribute and where everybody needs to earn his position’. Everybody has to contribute to create that.”

RENTAL, THEN INSTALL Turning to product strategy, Corso initially focused the The new Pulse2 switcher, in the middle of this stack, is the company’s first product based on the new Midra platform (see Products, page 50)

www.installation-international.com

company’s attentions on the rental market. “Our most proactive market is rental and staging – they are very innovative, and always looking for new solutions. So the logical first target for our new products was rental – we had a stronger reputation there, and our big competitors were not so active at that time. Our Rental customers were expecting more from us. Also this market is a good showcase because it’s very intensive, you need a very sturdy design, they demand the best in terms of performance.”

He wanted to make a statement with the first product that was entirely developed under his leadership. “We needed to focus on a very ambitious project that could help us show the world the changes we’ve made.” That product is the LiveCore platform. “It was the new Analog Way as a product – it contains everything we’ve talked about – innovation, quality, relevance, new positioning.

It’s perfectly adapted for rental but also with applications for systems integration.”

He adds: “For us, the number one target was not to build huge revenues from the product – it was to win a durable reputation.” The rental market is suited to this purpose because of the speed of its reaction. “We needed a visible market to get quick wins and quick paybacks.” In systems integration, this can take six to eight months because of the process of submitting quotes, having them approved and waiting for the product to be installed, but “in rental it’s virtually overnight – some people are prepared to buy it at the show”.

LiveCore has been designed to be extremely sturdy, with the lowest failure rate possible. The company also looked at what happens when breakdowns might occur, and how to lessen their impact. “We worked on how to keep improving uptimes. And we looked at downgraded ways of running – keeping the show going even if one or two boards are damaged. We also tried to reduce the time to solve the problem, so we worked on remote diagnosis and maintenance, so customers don’t necessarily have to send products back to us.”

One of Analog Way’s competitors, he says, seems to be willing to start a price war, which he has no intention of following. “It's a strong message when the competition squeezes down its prices, it's like they have no other lever to use: It's acknowledging somehow that our product is better. We do not intend to underprice our LiveCore range, because we trust that it's a good product and a smarter investment for our customers. We sell the value and people see it.”

Corso acknowledges that “rental is also a niche market for processors – in order to grow, we must have ambitions beyond that, including the integration market.” But the two markets have different product needs: “In rental, people never know what kind of show they are going to do, so they need something versatile and built like a tank that can adapt to any situation – the typical rental switcher is therefore powerful, complex and rather expensive. Most of the time that is overkill for the systems integration market, where people are sensitive about costs. They are prepared to pay only for the functionality they use, not for over value.”

With this in mind, the company has launched a new platform, more suited to the installation market, called Midra (for ‘midrange’). “It’s like a baby LiveCore,” he explains, “with everything scaled down to make a more affordable and more specialised product.”

There’s one more thing in the pipeline – what Corso calls “selling our know-how”.

He explains: “In our growth strategy we want to get involved in OEM and customer engineering. Sometimes we have had integrators getting in touch, asking us to design hardware with them – that’s something we’d like to do more in the future.”

The philosophy behind the new Analog Way can be neatly summarised in the company’s corporate values.

These are Team (in French, Équipe), Quality (Qualité), Innovation and Relevance (Pertinence). As you can see, the acronym works better in French – EQIP. And with Corso at the helm, it looks like this équipe couldn’t be in safer hands. www.analogway.com

November 2013 21

SHOW REVIEW: PLASA LONDON

Docklands verdict Following several years at Earls Court, PLASA London was held at the ExCeL Centre in London’s Docklands area for the first time this year. How did it fare? Paddy Baker and James McGrath report

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS on entering the ExCeL Centre for PLASA were good: even on the Sunday, there was a palpable buzz on the showfloor, with good numbers of visitors, and the space was well occupied. The final (unaudited) attendance figure was over 11,000 – with roughly 20% coming from outside the UK – and more than 3,000 spread their visit over more than one day.

Some exhibitors we spoke to during the show reported an easier build-up thanks to the venue’s purpose-built facilities and its location away from the congestion of central London.

On closer inspection, though, there was a distinct shortage of audio manufacturers on the exhibition floor. Some of the big names had sizeable stands – including Martin Audio, Roland and Shure – but many of the audio brands listed in the show catalogue were represented by distributors. Harman’s presence was mainly in the form of its Martin lighting division, although this stand was showing a few audio products from Harman brands.

Some manufacturers chose to be present in other ways.

For instance, d&b audiotechnik sponsored the bar, Peavey 22 November 2013

supplied equipment to the AudioLab Interactive sessions (of which more later), and Vue Audiotechnik even hosted its own equipment demo a few miles away in Bermondsey.

Still more attended the show as visitors but did not exhibit.

All of this suggests that audio manufacturers still see value in the PLASA show, but not enough to make them want to exhibit. The show’s organisers admit that they have work to do here. Chris Toulmin, head of events for PLASA London 2013, said: “We acknowledge that we have more work to do – in certain areas of the exhibition,” adding that the 2013 show had “provided a great starting point for the future development of the show”. The overall response from visitors and exhibitors, he said, had been “overwhelmingly positive”.

AUDIO Audio was arguably better represented off the exhibition floor than on it. The AudioLab Arena provided a space for system demonstrations from a dozen different manufacturers.

The AudioLab Theatre hosted up to five presentations and discussions each day of the show on various topics in live,

installed, and broadcast sound, and the audio business.

A new strand of the education programme, AudioLab Interactive, consisted of six lab-style demonstrations that brought audio concepts to life and challenged some myths. We weren’t able to attend ‘Things you really shouldn’t do with a power amplifier’ – one of which was cooking popcorn – nor could we make ‘Does network latency really cause problems?’, in which a drummer was deliberately put off his stride by being given an increasingly out-of-time in-ear feed. We did, however, manage to come to ‘What happens in an emergency?’ in which a MediaMatrix PA-VA system was set up to simulate the audio in four wings of a stadium. As various failures were introduced (a ‘fire’ broke out, and cables were cut), the audience were asked what they would do if they were in charge of safety at the venue (by means of voting handsets) and it became clear how the design of the system mitigated some of the effects of the failures.

Powersoft was highlighting its collaboration with Pioneer at PLASA. The two companies

have been working together for two years, since Pioneer prepared to enter the professional audio market.

In the AudioLab Arena, Powersoft’s advanced proprietary Armonía DSP digital control suite was powering a 3m-high Pioneer dancefloor stack, the GS-WAVE. This is designed to offer wide dispersion and high SPL across a broad frequency range. We were impressed with the system’s clarity of sound and chest-rattling properties when we stood a few feet in front of it during a demo session.

Unfortunately it performed less well at a very wellattended evening launch event, where the single stack struggled to fill the room, and the presenter’s audio system was also hard to hear.

Focusrite was showing RedNet, its new range of Dante-based audio distribution products that distribute and record high-quality audio with low latency. According to the company, the range has been used in a wide array of live and installed applications in sectors including education and houses of worship.

RedNet 1 and RedNet 2 offer eight or 16 channels of linelevel analogue in and out, with

24-bit A-D and D-A conversion.

RedNet 3 interfaces a digital audio system and components to the Dante network via AES/EBU, S/PDIF and ADAT connections, while RedNet 4 adds eight of Focusrite’s nextgeneration remote controlled preamps/line inputs with two selectable DIs to the Dante system. RedNet 5 and 6 provide a bridge between the Dante network and Pro Tools HD or MADI systems. Finally the RedNet Dante PCIe card delivers up to 128 channels of I/O for any Dante network.

The Roland Systems Group stand featured a live band, whose performance was captured by the new VR-50HD all-in-one AV mixer. Designed for a single operator, it combines an audio mixer, a video switcher, a multiviewer Stuart Holmes of PSCo with one of the company’s new LED displays

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SHOW REVIEW: PLASA LONDON touchscreen and USB video/audio streaming. Sitting alongside the company’s VR-5 and VR-3 AV mixers, the VR50HD adds HD/multi-format capability.

Video inputs can be 3G/HD/SD SDI, HDMI, RGB/component and composite, while outputs, alongside USB, include a main and an aux bus, both available via SDI, HDMI and RGB/ component connections. At the heart of the audio section is a 12-channel digital mixer; sources can be mixed 12 analogue inputs or from audio embedded in the four SDI or four HDMI inputs.

Sommer Cable was highlighting its newly updated Glandmaster splice adapter, which now offers a flexible and sturdy special solution for cable splicings. It incorporates sleeves turned from aluminium and fitted with various female threads for taking up standard glands. When combined with the company’s cable glands, the solution offers numerous options for cable splicing for applications including load distributions, loudspeaker system wirings or fibre-optical and fibre-optical hybrid systems.

24 November 2013

Bosch Security Systems said the latest DCN Multimedia conference will be shipping by the end of the year. The system, which is the first complete product to use the OMNEO network architecture and was first seen at this year’s ISE, is designed to offer a paperless solution for council chamber applications and boardrooms. Several new apps for the product are available through the iTunes store.

Bosch was also showing its newest media matrix for highend retail applications, PLENA. This contains a high-quality Class D amplifier and incorporates a mic for PA calls – a feature that the company says is often overlooked in these types of systems.

VIDEO AND LIGHTING PSCo marked its re-entry into the LED display market at PLASA London. CEO Stuart Holmes told Installation that, after considering a number of display manufacturers, his company has partnered with Unilumin for the new displays, which are available for rental and fixed installation.

“Unilumin is a strong brand with good quality and a good roadmap,” he said.

ETC used a 7m x 4m cyclorama to show off the new Source Four LED CYC fixture

Holmes added that the price of LED had fallen enough “to make it a viable option” – and that PSCo is able to provide support even for 2.5mm and 1.9mm models.

He likened the LED market to that for videowalls almost a decade ago: “The people reengaging with us are the people who bought videowalls from us eight to 10 years ago.”

PSCo had two stands at PLASA: ‘The PSCo LED Experience’ showed the new 1.9mm, 2.5mm and 3.75mm LED models, while the other was devoted to PSCo’s range of Samsung LCD and plasma displays and videowall modules.

Above the ETC stand was a 7m x 4m cyclorama, lit with ETC Source Four LED CYC fixtures, using the Lustr+ LED engine. One side featured a painted backdrop, on which the capabilities of the Lustr+ seven colour mixing system could be demonstrated – including very gradual colour changes to simulate sunrise or sunset.

Also new from ETC was the Cobalt control system. This uses multiple touchscreens for a more intuitive approach to lighting control than is offered by traditional lighting

desks. “Users simply touch what they want to change, just like they’re used to with their smartphone or tablet,” said product manager Sarah Clausen.

Cooper Controls – which incorporates lighting brands Zero 88, Cogent, DTS and LDR – used the show to announce it would now operate under the company’s parent name, Eaton. Highlighting the synergies between the Cooper and Eaton names, David Catterall, general manager at Zero 88 and Cooper Controls, said: “This also increases sales opportunities for the company.

Just in the last 12 months since the acquisition we have landed several projects worth several hundred thousand euros that wouldn’t have happened without the backing of Eaton.” Eaton is a diversified US power management company headquartered in Ireland. It acquired the Cooper Controls family in November

2012. Under the new name, products and brands within the Cooper Controls portfolio will remain the same, “with the same individual customer service”, stressed Catterall.

Robe Lighting unveiled its ParFect 100 LED source ACL beam. This is a static version of the company’s LedBeam 100 and incorporates some of the same features, including CMY and RGBW colour control.

Other features include Tungsten Emulation, Zone Fx, selectable and variable colour temperatures and 7º beam. For the show, the company ran an initiative in partnership with the University of South Wales.

BSc students in live event technology or lighting design technology were given the chance to attend the show as part of the Robe team – helping on the stand, learning about the industry and picking up a few contacts. www.plasa.org

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The first laser-LED projectors – like this one installed at London’s Royal Albert Hall – were introduced by Casio in early 2010

FEATURE: PROJECTORS

[KEY POINTS] Projectors using lampbased illumination technologies continue to dominate the fixed-install market

So-called ‘hybrid’ projectors, featuring a combination of LEDs and lasers, are currently the main alternative to lampbased projectors

The rise in popularity of projectors based on new illumination technology is primarily driven by lifetime cost of ownership

Laser technology has the requisite brightness and colour gamut to displace lamps at the high end, but is still expensive and largely unproven

An illuminating trend A major change has been taking place in the projector market in recent years, as LED, laser and hybrid projectors have begun to displace their lamp-based equivalents. Ian McMurray seeks enlightenment ENGLISHMEN OF A certain age may remember their fathers referring to someone stupid as being “as dim as the TOC H lamp”. Few of us understood the reference… It turns out, however, that TOC H was a Christian movement founded in the First World War that adopted an oil lamp as a symbol. By definition, the lamp was not very bright.

And speaking of lamps… The venerable lamp has been at the heart of projectors since time immemorial. But, it seems, that’s changing. In fact, it began to change in January 2010, when Casio announced its Green Slim range of hybrid laser/LED projectors, which the company said were the first to achieve 2,000 lumens using solid-state illumination technology.

Thus it was that xenon and mercury lamp technologies found themselves in competition with LEDs, lasers and combinations of the two.

“Today, lamp-based projectors represent at least 95% of total global sales as 26 November 2013

they use a tried and trusted illumination technology that has been around for at least 50 years,” says Mark Wadsworth, international marketing manager at Digital Projection. “However, as with all technology, people are looking for a better and more cost-effective solution and this is what solid-state illumination sources propose to bring to the market.”

Phil Clark, head of projection at Casio, sees the numbers slightly differently.

“With hybrid light source technology accounting for around 10% of units shipped in the UK, it would be fair to say that traditional lampbased projectors do enjoy the mainstay of the market,” he says.

MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS “Projectors using solid-state laser/LED light source technologies have developed significantly in the last few years,” says Tom Gibson, product marketing, visual system solutions at Panasonic.

‘Solid-state laser/LED light source technologies offer a host of advantages’ Tom Gibson, Panasonic “They’re attractive because they offer a host of advantages when compared with lamp-based projectors.

They require less maintenance,

with no need to replace lamps and filters. They’re quicker to start up and quicker to turn off. They’re less fragile.”

“There is a constant drive within companies and institutions to reduce cost: the hybrid light source reduces running and maintenance costs offering a fantastic TCO [total cost of ownership] for end-users,” continues Clark. “Not only that, but this new technology removes harmful and toxic substances like mercury from the working environment (due to the absence of lamps), meeting organisations’ drives to improve their green credentials.”

Given such a comprehensive set of advantages, it’s easy to believe that the days of lampbased projectors are numbered.

Alexis Skatchkoff, product manager, projection at Barco, puts the case for the defence.

“Xenon and mercury vapour still have a firm grip on the market, and that’s likely to remain the case for some

time,” he says. “I believe the most important reason is their inherent efficiency in terms of lumens per watt, and how they are built and optimised to generate natural white light.

New technologies have other strengths and opportunities, but these have not yet gained sufficient importance or traction. As yet, there are no good affordable alternatives for high-brightness projection.”

And, just because there is excitement about the new technologies, it would be a mistake to believe that lamp technology is just lying down and playing dead.

“For the foreseeable future, the vast majority of projectors will be supplied with lampbased illumination,” believes Wadsworth. “This technology is on a continuous development cycle to reduce costs, increase light output and achieve longer lifetimes.”

An example of that development is cited by Jason Donica, lamp sales specialist, EMEA, at Christie. “The new Superior Performance Xenolite www.installation-international.com

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FEATURE: PROJECTORS lamps for our Series 1 and Series 2 Solaria projectors last up to 30% longer than existing xenon lamps – we warrant the CDXL-20SP for up to 3,200 hours – and maintain brightness for longer periods than current xenon lamps,” he notes. “Because that means less frequent lamp replacement, users benefit from a lower total cost of ownership.”

“Lamps are still under development,” affirms Skatchkoff. “Continuously offering higher lifetime and higher efficiency is the target.

We continue to work with lamp manufacturers to make further improvements.”

IMPROVED ARCHITECTURES It’s not just about improvements in the lamps themselves, but how projector manufacturers are revitalising lamp-based projector architectures in order to address issues such as resilience and cost of ownership. ‘Eco mode’ – in which the user can swap brightness for lower power consumption and longer lifetime – is now a feature on almost every lamp-based

28 November 2013

projector. Other changes have taken place too.

“The Panasonic PT-DZ21K 20K lumen projector revolutionised large-format high-brightness lamp-based projection with quad lamp redundancy,” notes Gibson.

Along similar lines, Digital Projection offers what it calls ‘sequential mode’ which allows a projector to be run with one, two, three or four lamps, with the projector automatically selecting lamps with the lowest run hours to maximise lamp life.

Be that as it may: the new technologies are encroaching.

“The standard is still conventional lamps,” points out Rudi Hradil, chief marketing manager at show control company AV Stumpfl.

“But, especially for fixed installations such as museums and visitor centres, the new alternative illumination systems are already the best choice. In multi-display installations, even an ordinary lamp failure is a big disaster.

New LED/laser systems are a real advantage because of their reliability, and because there is no need for lamp replacement and the

WORLD’S FIRST LASER LIGHT SOURCE PROJECTOR Earlier this year, Sony launched the VPL-FHZ55 – the first projector based on a laser light source.

The device is Sony’s first lamp-less projector using 3LCD imaging technology to achieve 4,000 lumens of colour light output at WUXGA resolution (1920 x 1200), to deliver bright and vivid colour reproduction.

“Sony has always been about innovation, and this unique laser projection technology continues that tradition,” commented Robert Meakin, business and education product manager, Sony Europe. “Our experience in projection is far-reaching, and we’re

downtime that involves – so ongoing costs for service and maintenance can be reduced dramatically. The system integrator often recommends a more expensive projector solution at the outset, because he knows he will save time and money in future.”

That comparatively recent

applying that expertise to develop a solution for the future.”

The VPL-FHZ55 uses blue laser as its light source, which excites a phosphorous material that in turn creates white light. The white light is delivered to the 3LCD optical system, generating vibrant RGB colour through a colour splitting process. The resulting 4,000-lumen Colour Light Output produces brightness sufficient for a range of commercial applications.

The use of a laser light source also gives the

phenomenon – of looking, not at initial purchase price, but rather at lifetime cost of ownership – is far from unique to the projector industry. It is unquestionably, however, the key driver behind the growing ascendancy of new illumination technologies.

“Traditional lamps in

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projector instant ‘on/off’ capability and ‘tilt- free’ capability for ease of installation in nearly any setting or position. It also features horizontal and vertical lens shift with builtin edge-blending and geometric correction for flexibility and better commercial integration.

projectors are the single component that have the biggest impact on operations, maintenance and total cost of ownership,” opines Skatchkoff.

“Their lifetimes are typically an order of magnitude smaller than the total system. This is something than doesn’t exist in flatpanel displays.

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FEATURE: PROJECTORS

‘In the near future, hybrid will be the dominant solid-state technology’ Gerd Kaiser, NEC Manufacturers, installers and end-users want to get rid of this complexity and cost. The big advantage of the alternative lamp source is the long lifetime and the nearly constant light output over a long period – resulting in lower maintenance time and cost.”

But projector manufacturers are realistic: there is – at least

30 November 2013

Digital cinema projectors, such as Barco's DP4K range, tend to favour xenon lamps because of their high brightness and broad colour gamut

for the foreseeable future – a place for all illumination technologies.

“NEC was the first projector manufacturer to offer a realistic digital cinema 4K laser projector that is available today,” claims Gerd Kaiser, marketing and business development manager for large-venue projectors. “NEC was also one of the first to deliver a mobile projector based on LED

technology. In our installation business NEC continues to base our projectors on lamps, because solid-state hasn’t yet been quite good enough to meet our expectations. But that situation is changing, and you’ll see us bring solid-state projectors to the fixed-install market.”

Christie’s position is similar.

“Xenon and mercury lamps are key in our fixed-install projector range at the moment and will

continue to dominate over the next year or two,” says Donica.

“However, over the longer term, laser will begin to dominate, especially when the price of this illumination technology comes down.”

Digital Projection is perhaps a little further down the track.

“We’re currently developing prototypes with a variety of illumination technologies,” says Wadsworth. “As with all of our products, ultimately the market will be the driving force on which technologies are used where. Our product line currently offers HID (highintensity discharge) lamps, xenon lamps and LED illumination technologies, allowing us to provide a projector for every vertical market.”

“Our PT-RW and PT-RZ laser/LED projectors are achieving 3,500 lumens – and our R&D team are looking to push this higher,” says Panasonic’s Gibson. “Higherbrightness laser LED is a big target for manufacturers as many of the benefits of the light source technology are already clear.”

“But it’s important to remember,” he continues,

STANDARD LAMPS Xenon lamps are the gold standard in applications, such as cinema, where optimum colour fidelity, long-term colour stability and brightness are prerequisites. Mercury vapour lamps, on the other hand, are more efficient – better at converting electrical power into light. This means that, for a given brightness, they require less power and less cooling than xenon – which, in general, gives rise to more compact projectors. They also have a longer useful life, contributing to a lower overall cost of ownership.

“that choosing a projector isn’t just about the illumination technology. There are many hybrid projectors out there that don’t offer professional features such as edge blending, colour matching and installation-friendly functionality.”

Clark makes an interesting, if contentious, point. “Casio offers a ‘hybrid technology

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FEATURE: PROJECTORS

NEC has launched the NC1040L laser projector for digital cinema – but it comes at a relatively high price

only’ range of projectors,” he points out. “We do not offer lamp-based solutions. It is very difficult for other manufacturers to market this new technology efficiently while still maintaining an existing lamp-based fleet. You cannot highlight the downsides of lamps for example, when your ‘bread and butter’ sales come from lampbased projectors.”

MID-GROUND APPEAL As Kaiser and Wadsworth imply: the projector market isn’t ‘one size fits all’. Laser technology is still expensive, but its high brightness and

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colour fidelity make it especially attractive to cinemas. At the other end of the market, pico projectors will use single LEDs to achieve low cost and high portability.

Hybrid LED/laser projectors are likely to prove appealing to the middle ground.

Almost by definition, the ‘middle ground’ represents the largest sector of the projector market. Are the new illumination technologies ready yet for prime time?

“From a technology viewpoint, LED, laser-phosphor and laser are mature,” offers Skatchkoff. “What needs to happen is to make them

commercially mature – create market understanding, awareness and acceptance, in order to create volume and bring prices down.”

“In the near future, hybrid will be the dominant solid-state technology,” believes Kaiser, “because the cost of pure laser technology is very high. Later, as costs come down, the amazing colour space and high brightness of laser will see it becoming dominant.”

“The hybrid market is, in ‘human terms’, a teenager,” says Clark. “It has evolved through a number of chassis designs with several tweaks to the light-source configuration.

This technology is now ready and primed to move to the next level. With other manufacturers joining the hybrid market, this will help to further stimulate the sector.”

But as Hradil points out, there are still unanswered questions about the new illumination technologies, given that their history has been so short. “What about the reliability of the new LED/laser systems?” he asks.

“Are there any ageing problems? For example: can we expect consistency of colour

WHY HYBRID? So called solid-state illumination projectors use a combination of lasers and LEDs. Why not just LEDs? The simple answer is that projectors create images through combining red, blue and green light in varying proportions. In the case of lamp-based projectors, white light is split into the three primary colours, and then recombined. When the over time? We’ll see.”

“But,” he concludes, “we definitely expect that, in the near future, we’ll see a large number of LED/laser projectors in our fixed installations.”

There can be little doubt that flatscreen technology has eaten significantly into projector sales. While the reasons for this are many – ease of installation, generally better resistance to ambient light and low cost – a key reason has unquestionably been that projectors based on traditional lamp technologies have declined in popularity because of their high cost of ownership. While there are

first hybrid projectors were launched, green LEDs offered insufficient brightness – a problem, as green is a large part of the visible spectrum. Taking the – much brighter – light from a blue laser, and filtering it to produce green, fixed the problem. Projectors featuring three LEDs are now becoming increasingly commonplace. many applications where, for example, brightness is more important – and, as such, lamp-based projection, which is by no means standing still, will continue to dominate large sectors of the market for the foreseeable future – it could be said that projector manufacturers are, finally, seeing the light. www.avstumpfl.com www.barco.com www.casio-projectors.eu www.digitalprojection.com www.christiedigital.co.uk/emea www.nec-display-solutions.com www.panasonic.net pro.sony.com

November 2013 31

FEATURE: AUDITORIUMS MICA speakers from Meyer Sound feature at Svetlanov Hall, Moscow

[KEY POINTS] Analogue sunset is intensifying as venues continue to invest in digital consoles

Flexibility of configuration and support for different networking technologies are leading considerations for most large auditoriums

Crowd pleasers

Hassle-free integration with other venue systems, such as comms and video, is expected to become more important in the years ahead

Migration from analogue to digital desks is continuing apace – but what are the truly essential feature requirements for larger, multipurpose auditoriums?

David Davies canvasses industry opinion TWELVE MONTHS ago, Installation sought to take the temperature of the audio console market by looking at the FOH desk-demands of small to medium-sized theatres and concert halls. By and large, the primary conclusions drawn were as expected: ‘analogue sunset’ was ongoing as more venues discovered the flexibility of digital; increasingly compact consoles were proving to be an asset for facilities keen to maximise audience capacity; and support for a variety of networking solutions was generally felt to be a prerequisite of making a futureproof investment.

Slightly more surprising given the rise of new 32 November 2013

networking technologies was the plentiful evidence of a resurgence in interest of the two-decades-old MADI transmission technology.

Unidirectional and limited to 64 channels it might be, but MADI is proven, reliable… and definitely not going away any time soon.

Quite a few of these findings hold true for the larger auditoriums market, which for the purposes of this article has been defined as possessing a capacity of 2,500 and upwards. Perhaps inevitably, however, some specific requirements are magnified: chiefly the shift towards digital transmission of signals to help reduce reliance on (increasingly

expensive) copper cable, and the flexibility to operate desks from different parts of a venue, away from the surface and/or control room.

To help put all these observations into some kind of useful order, Installation invited a trio of leading console makers to put themselves in the position of owner/ operators of larger auditoriums. The result was a handy half-dozen-strong list of requirements likely to face all owner/operators of larger auditoriums seeking to acquire a new console for fixed installation, beginning with…

1) EASE OF INTEGRATION “The first question people ask these days is, ‘How do I

integrate this?’” says Simon Kenning, sales manager at Roland Systems Group, whose latest console innovation is the V-Mixer series. “So as a venue owner, I would be asking what is the existing infrastructure in the building… do I have to reconfigure the whole building to make the console work? Do I have analogue tie-lines or some form of digital connectivity via RJ45 connection or a BNC for MADI, or fibre…?”

For Leon Phillips, product manager at iLive mixing system developer Allen & Heath, a double-whammy of factors – namely, “the price of copper cable and the inefficiencies of sending analogue signals over long

‘Do I have to reconfigure the whole building to make the console work?’

Simon Kenning, Roland Systems Group

www.installation-international.com

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FEATURE: AUDITORIUMS runs” have forced the take-up of “digital transmission for audio, often packaged with control elements”. In the case of Allen & Heath’s digital consoles, this has translated to the comprehensive use of standard TCP/IP networking protocols for direct control of the DSP and surface – making it straightforward to integrate various options for control.

Moscow's legendary Durov Theatre recently upgraded its sound equipment, specifying the new Allen & Heath GLD digital mixing system to manage FOH and monitors

2) FUTUREPROOFED NETWORKING The complexity of delivering effective signal transmission is inevitably informed by the usage of the venue itself. In venues where touring productions are generally working with the site’s favoured protocols, interoperability is not going to be so much of an issue.

“But in situations where you have lots of companies coming in with different technologies, you need a way of being able to bring them together,” says Kenning.

“That’s quite an interesting challenge. There’s no single answer, even at the moment.”

He’s not wrong. Anecdotal evidence suggests an abundance of touring companies still favouring EtherSound, CobraNet, the aforementioned MADI and other established protocols.

But, increasingly, the smart money for the future appears to be on Audinate’s Dante media networking solution, which celebrated its 100th OEM partner (Studio Technologies) during IBC 2013 and has lately been

‘The rise of multimedia extravaganzas has driven us to design solutions for more immersive performances’ John Monitto, Meyer Sound www.installation-international.com

November 2013 35

FEATURE: AUDITORIUMS De Levende Steen in the Netherlands features a Yamaha digital audio system

incorporated into a wealth of new products – not least Yamaha’s CL series mixers.

3) INPUT/OUTPUT Although a good proportion of touring shows still bring in their own consoles, more productions than ever are ‘travelling light’ to help cut costs in a pressurised market.

Accordingly, in-house consoles need an input and output count sufficient to accommodate everything from one-mic comedy sets to full-blown spectacles.

“In terms of inputs, as a general rule somewhere between 48 and 64 would probably be sufficient, but [arguably] it is output channel count that is the key point,” says Andy Cooper, manager, Yamaha Commercial Audio Support Centre – Europe. “Venues that are on that threshold of size (2,500) might be doing monitor mixing from the same desk as FOH, so they will need plenty of monitor outputs – at least 24. Then they will need some matrix outputs as well to send signals to different parts of the PA system.”

Of course, adds Cooper, many larger venues “will have a separate monitor desk – in which case the number of outputs is not such a key issue”.

4) FOOTPRINT Requiring less elaboration but equally pivotal is the size of the console. Simply put, the smaller the desk’s footprint, the greater the amount of space available to accommodate the audience.

In the current economic environment, it’s unsurprising to discover that this is 36 November 2013

becoming increasingly important.

Console selection, therefore, is very much a matter of form and function.

“The fewer seats you take [out] with equipment, the more you can sell to the public,” says Cooper. “Are venues increasingly conscious of that? Yes, they do seem to be.”

5) RECORDING CAPABILITY With touring bands, in particular, looking to squeeze every last penny out of live performances by webstreaming, instant live CD pressing and other post-show revenue streams as income from conventional album releases continues to decline, recording capability is also ascending the priority list.

“In such cases, venues would need multitrack recording capacity, recording every input coming into the mixing desk, to the computer,” says Cooper.

6) INTEGRATION WITH OTHER SYSTEMS This one’s more of a nebulous area, but as venues work on reducing expense and maximising flexibility, the capability to integrate with venue communications, video and other systems is destined to become increasingly pivotal. This is also likely to pave the way for more immersive AV experiences.

Such convergence could take several forms, but for example Phillips suggests that there might be interest in “the integration of radio mic/monitoring where RF hardware may have to be physically distant from the console. [In addition] video linking and comms

CASE STUDY

ALLEN & HEATH GLD RUNNING AMOK AT OVAL SPACE The very definition of a modern multipurpose venue – hosting everything from cinema screenings to full-on club nights – Oval Space in Bethnal Green, east London, has been equipped with an Allen & Heath GLD-80 digital console to ensure the necessary audio flexibility.

“As a truly multi-use space we knew that we needed a flexible and user-friendly console that still sounded great, for both seasoned engineers and those users with more limited experience,” says Dominic Gross, head engineer at Oval Space (pictured, left). Gross’s own experience with GLD informed its eventual selection for the venue: “The GLD seemed to tick all of the boxes.”

Supplied by LMC Audio London, the GLD-80 will be deployed for the majority of events at Oval Space, which opened its doors for the first time in April 2012. But on the occasions that a larger FOH console is brought in, the GLD will be reassigned to monitor duties.

“The flexibility of the Cat5 stagebox system means that we can deploy it anywhere within the space as needed,” says Gross. “This is important as every event requires something different.” Moving ahead, Gross reveals that “we’re very much looking forward to adding MADI to the GLD shortly to allow us to run all digital throughout our signal flow”.

The system has already been put through its paces at a variety of shows, including a set by Thom Yorke-led ‘supergroup’ Atoms For Peace, performing in support of recent album release Amok. “Like any venue moving from analogue to digital, I’m sure the GLD’s fast-paced interface and copy-and-paste functions are a welcome time-saving tool,” says Sam SimonNorris, technical sales at LMC Audio London (pictured, right). “It was a treat to get down and see Dom, the desk and the whole team in action, in what looks [set] to become a very successful venue.” www.installation-international.com

FEATURE: AUDITORIUMS integration with the audio console may be attractive to operators in large auditoria.”

Manufacturers whose primary interests lie outside of consoles also recognise the trend. The rise of “multimedia extravaganzas” requiring “more and more lighting, video and sound equipment”, says Meyer

‘For live performance, the most important loudspeaker feature is technical rider acceptance’ Paul Bauman, JBL

38 November 2013

Sound director of technical support John Monitto, “has driven us to design loudspeaker and other audio mixing solutions for more immersive performances or exhibitions that can enrich the audience experience.”

User permissions and lock-out capabilities, scene control and post-installation support/maintenance are among the other cited items for the typical large venue shopping list. Meanwhile, overall demand for new desks is reported to be robust, particularly with analogue sunset now spreading to the east.

“Developing world markets are picking up quickly on the advantages of cost-effective and flexible digital consoles,” says Phillips. The often economically driven tendency of venues to operate across disciplines is also exerting an influence: “Budget-conscious refurbishment of existing venues [to make them] more flexible and multipurpose in today’s financial climate means that networking audio mixing systems become the norm.”

And, in a wider sense, manufacturers across the

board are benefiting as larger venues upgrade in order to accommodate productions that, for example, may be travelling with band gear and little else in order to help reduce costs. JBL’s Paul Bauman [see box below] sums up the dual drivers succinctly: “A venue with a tour rider-friendly, well-

installed and tuned sound system with a competent, friendly production staff will quickly gain a reputation as a ‘must play’ venue. At the same time, it is necessary to offer the audience an improved listening experience to help justify high ticket prices – and a highperformance sound system

can help to deliver this.”

For pro-audio manufacturers, as the old saying goes, what’s not to like? www.allen-heath.com www.jblpro.com www.meyersound.com www.rolandsystemsgroup.co.uk www.yamahaproaudio.com

SPEAKING OUT The need for versatility in console technology highlighted in the main body of the article is mirrored to a considerable extent by loudspeaker products designed with larger venues in mind. JBL Professional is among those to have risen to the challenge with products including the recently introduced VTX Series featuring D2 (dual diaphragm, dual driver) and Differential Drive component technology. The system has already found its way into a number of sizeable venues, including the Baku Jazz Center in Azerbaijan and The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The VTX Series and other JBL products, including the VerTec compact models, reflect the fact “for live performance, the most important feature is technical rider acceptance since whatever system is installed in the venue must be acceptable to touring artist productions”, says Paul Bauman, senior manager, tour sound at JBL Professional.

‘Technical rider acceptance’ he goes on to define as being largely driven by the following features: sound quality, headroom and overall output capacity, coverage and throw capability, ease of installation, and ease of operation… “although the order of importance of these features will vary depending on who you are talking to!”

And again, as with consoles, Bauman anticipates “increased integration on all levels” – a direction that JBL’s parent Harman Pro is heading in with “the recent introduction of Audio Architect [Architectural Media System technology] software and the [2012] acquisition of Martin Lighting”. Meanwhile, in terms of JBL specifically, “we are introducing the VTX F Series of multipurpose point-and-shoot fill enclosures that can also be used as highperformance floor monitors. There will also be another exciting addition to the VTX family early in the new year, so watch this space.”

www.installation-international.com

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FEATURE: VIDEOWALL CONTROLLERS Network control company Infoblox installed a 16ft wide by 6ft high Prysm videowall in the company's executive briefing centre

[KEY POINTS] Videowall controllers perform a range of functions including image scaling, resizing, positioning and switching

Control rooms are becoming more sophisticated and offer distributed and collaborative solutions to users with network control facilities

Network-attached video sources and encoded video are more common within systems and need to be manipulated by the controller Software-based and hybrid controllers are available that seamlessly manage baseband and encoded content

Looking behind the wall Demands on videowall controllers are increasing all the time – both in terms of the amount of visual information they handle and the use they make of it.

Steve Montgomery reports THE RESOLUTION and size of videowalls has rapidly increased over the past few years, as has the complexity and amount of data that users expect to be able to present on them.

Professional data management applications used in plant and utility control rooms, emergency control centres and transport operation complexes now demand some form of external controller that can simultaneously manipulate many individual channels of information from cameras and TV channels to complex SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) and process control software applications.

Videowalls must present live data to operators and security staff without compromise. They must be 40 November 2013

totally reliable, and flexible enough to respond to any situation so that the most pertinent data is displayed at all times, with the ability to switch views instantly in response to changing situations. While the videowall is the presentation device that displays information, there is always a controller of some type behind it, responsible for managing and manipulating the content shown.

Videowall controllers have developed beyond the role of simply scaling and presenting multiple images in tiled blocks. “The latest installations now demand a more collaborative system for accessing, displaying and controlling shared computer and visual resources,” says Jed Deame, vice president of marketing for RGB Spectrum.

“The controller is the brains behind the videowall. It is responsible for accepting a variety of inputs, scaling and resizing as required, and creating a large multi-monitor canvas with inputs windowed across that canvas. Beyond that, systems now enable operators to completely manage their facility’s enterprise resources in a collaborative methodology that is based on the explicit grant and release of control of source computers.

“A system of userassignable permissions and priorities allows complete flexibility to tailor a system to a specific set of requirements; operators can request, transfer or relinquish control within seconds.

Senior operators can take immediate control. Those sources are then steered not

just to the main wall but onto ancillary screens and to sub-controllers that manage separate displays in remote locations. The latest generation of videowall control software provides intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces with live image thumbnails to improve usability, even for the unskilled operator.”

The fundamental role of these controllers is, as Laila Hede Jensen, director of sales – Europe, Russia & Africa at Prysm, states: “To provide seamless overlap and blending of several video signals over multiple sections of the wall, the ability to show picture-in-picture content and easily move and resize images. Integrators are being more creative with videowall configuration, building them in unusual

Videowalls and controllers are keeping pace with the rise in video resolution and bandwidth

‘The controller needs to transform from a centralised device to a more decentralised one’ Kai Schönberg, eyevis

www.installation-international.com

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Choose your projector on www.barco.com/CorporateAV

FEATURE: VIDEOWALL CONTROLLERS ACCELERATING SPACE STATION SCIENCE: NASA’S PAYLOAD OPERATIONS INTEGRATION CENTER

CASE STUDY

In June 2013, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) unveiled a newly upgraded facility at the Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville, Alabama. The Payload Operations Integration Center is the headquarters for International Space Station science operations.

NASA required a system that enhances collaborative research and delivers round-theclock support to the space station crew.

Teams of controllers need to be able to manage over 200 experiments from the ground, monitor science activities, and connect astronauts aboard the space station with researchers from around the world.

A 2 x 12 monitor videowall uses RGB Spectrum’s OmniWall processor to manage 32 input signals. The processor enables operators

shapes and sizes; the challenge is to display large amounts of content without lowering its quality and reducing its inherent information-carrying capability. The ability to seamlessly switch between content is essential as the experience for the viewer should be completely natural, with no delay or interruption, and free from artefacts, which can be caused during the processing of any conversion of input or output.

Windows, picture-in-picture, switching and cross-fading of inputs must be instant and non-invasive. An increased demand for this has arisen with the popularity of collaboration spaces, where videoconferencing, data sharing and switching between content all need to happen at once. This requires even more ability to control the input.”

PROCESSING POWER This means that the switching architecture and processing capability of the devices must be on a par www.installation-international.com

to share real-time information, including live video feeds, graphics, photographs, experimental results and power usage information.

Other inputs include H.264 feeds from on-board video cameras, news broadcasts, weather information, and the NASA channel, as well as SCADA systems for machine control.

The OmniWall processor outputs these signals to local control stations, auxiliary displays and to the main videowall.

According to Aladin Bashir, a senior engineer with system integrator Colsa Corporation: “The OmniWall processor provides extremely fast source switching, enabling the collaborative management of huge amounts of information, and supports real-time decision making.”

with, or preferably one step ahead of, prevailing video formats. The maximum data rate of DVI is 165MHz with a resolution of 3,840 x 2,560.

Video resolutions exist that exceed that rate so alternative formats need to be accommodated. “The current standards are single and dual-link DVI and HDMI, with DisplayPort approaching rapidly as graphic cards exceed the capability of DVI,” says Nico Kamffer, delivery director, PSCo. “4K and 8K image processing is on the horizon, which allows superhigh resolution playback in any form or aspect ratio up to 10 megapixels.”

In addition, the wide variety of video formats and display technologies in use in these types of installation presents additional challenges in the control and interaction of components throughout the system. Controllers must be able to manage data security and device management protocols, even if they are not strictly being used in the originally defined manner.

The incorporation of EDID

pass-through, emulation and management is essential in ensuring operation of final display screens, while HDCP compliance is often necessary, even on material that may not necessarily require encryption – some devices simply add it as a matter of course.

This concept means that the controller must be sufficiently powerful and sophisticated to deal with any type of incoming data format, scale and mix it with others and switch and transmit multiple signal streams. They are effectively many different devices in one, performing a plethora of functions – switching, scaling, transcoding, KVM extension, edge blending, IP gateways – all with multiple operator access and capable of dealing simultaneously with different display devices, from single desktop monitors to large matrix and panel displays and multi-projector installations.

Complexity and bandwidth considerations have, in the past, dictated that November 2013 43

FEATURE: VIDEOWALL CONTROLLERS eyevis LCD monitors are in use at Dusseldorf Airport’s Control Centre

controllers are generally built around a dedicated hardware approach and as modular, highly configurable options.

That is now changing as software platforms become more powerful and the need to manage encoded material increases.

“We have recently seen a significant introduction of Cloud-based technologies supplementing pure baseband video distribution

44 November 2013

systems,” explains Helgi Sigurdsson, product manager, Matrox Graphics. “Customers are increasingly looking to incorporate more video resources within their videowall installations. Our newly launched Matrox Maevex video-over-IP encoders and decoders can now be integrated alongside a Mura MPX-powered videowall controller to address these requirements.”

RGB Spectrum’s MultiPoint Control Room Management System (MCMS) is built around a high-speed, highcapacity AV hardware switch which acts on real-time, fullresolution video to deliver full-frame rate performance that is not available in videoover-IP systems. It is a hybrid system that uses the IP network to send commands and provide secure remote access and has the ability to

receive and transmit H.264 signals to accommodate network-attached devices.

The wide availability of signal transmission techniques is an advantage to manufacturers, who are able to integrate and deploy standard and proprietary extension capability to suit all installations. Video-over-IP allows access from anywhere within a location, and beyond.

For dedicated video applications, analogue and digital video transmission using CatX and fibre cables can overcome distances between sources, controllers and displays from hundreds of metres to several kilometres. HDBaseT is often offered as an option that can lead to simplification in system design.

Most manufacturers offer complete systems to enable single-supplier system design. Modular designs can be populated as required so that walls with any number of elements and sources can be constructed. Additional variants with smaller, fixed configurations of between four and 16 inputs and outputs and less control and

‘4K and 8K image processing is on the horizon’ Nico Kamffer, PSCo imaging functionality are useful when deployed as satellite controllers for the smaller sub-walls typically found in break-out areas or in special access control rooms in emergency or incident operations centres. In many cases these are controlled from the main controller, forming a complete integrated and usable system.

Hiperwall’s software-based

www.installation-international.com

FEATURE: VIDEOWALL CONTROLLERS

‘There is much more of a peerto-peer sharing of visual information’ Steve Seminario, Planar Systems

An eyevis installation in the A89 (Bordeaux to Lyon) motorway control room in Tarare, France, consisting of six 60in rear-projection cubes with LED backlight and two videowalls of 2 x 2 46in LCD displays – all controlled by one netPIX graphic controller

approach is a digression. A set of computer monitors are located adjacent to each other in a tiled arrangement.

Each monitor is driven by a PC that can be external, or embedded in the monitor.

Content on these display nodes can be resized, located and given visual effects, including rotation and transparency, to enable any desired configuration. It is possible to expand the Hiperwall system without any practical limits.

CEO Jeff Greenberg explains the advantages: “Hardware-based controllers have specific scalability limitations. These can usually be overcome by selecting a higher-end controller, but at higher cost.

Software controllers typically have lower scalability limitations and provide for easy incremental scalability options.”

NEW TOPOLOGIES At the same time the architecture of the control room is developing and new topologies are emerging: “In many applications, the control room is evolving towards an IT infrastructure, which means moving from hard-wired cabling to a flexible network infrastructure,” points out Kai Schönberg, product manager, IT software & controller at eyevis. “Inputs will be streamed to the network and can be picked up and shown in multiple locations and on multiple devices. The controller 46 November 2013

needs to transform from a centralised device to a more decentralised one. They have to be more network-based and cascadable. The Netpix 4800 controller bridges the gap with the capability to deal with real-time video streams, network video and PC graphics simultaneously, combining them into a coherent display.”

Steve Seminario, senior director of product marketing for Planar Systems, agrees that this is changing the industry: “The evolution to the extended enterprise has followed the larger trends of more geographically distributed organisations and the other macro trends related to use of mobile devices. At the same time there is a need to handle a greater number of highresolution sources and many more network-attached visual sources, most notably H.264 cameras. The old model of all sources ending at the control room videowall has expanded to include much more of a peer-to-peer sharing of visual information.

This brings big implications related to security and user rights management.”

Alongside these changes has come the desire to control the system from anywhere within the network. Cloudbased access to systems and data sources is now well established in many fields, and no less so in this industry. It also allows intelligent control of displays to be carried out that can relieve the operator of the burden of responding to critical and emergency situations.

Seminario explains: “The ability to dynamically change windows and content to

www.installation-international.com

FEATURE: VIDEOWALL CONTROLLERS

RGB Spectrumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MultiPoint Control Room Management System (MCMS) is the focal point of the Cyber Command and Control Simulation Center at Rsignia headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, US, which simulates real-world environments for military and cyber security professionals

react to situations is often crucial in coping with unexpected events. Many control rooms rely on the operators to react to situations. But a new trend is emerging in the use of algorithmic intelligence to focus the operators or automatically alter the viewed data. Controllers must be able to respond to that capability.â&#x20AC;?

This is important in many situations: in security, an intrusion alert from the access control system might trigger an event which would cause the cameras in that area to be highlighted on the videowall. In a SCADA system, a failure of a component might bring the control panel for that device front and centre of an entire wall to highlight its critical nature and ensure immediate action.

Videowall controllers are an essential element of any operations centre. They are evolving rapidly and are capable of managing all of the latest video formats, whether they are captured and delivered over discrete cables or in encoded and compressed form on a network. Their ability to meet end-user requirements and provide adaptability in use and options for different formats that will ensure future-proof operation is critical to the success of each and every manufacturer of these types of products. www.eyevis.com www.hiperwall.com www.matrox.com www.planar.com www.prysm.com www.psco.co.uk www.rgbspectrum.com

www.installation-international.com

November 2013 47

FEATURE: REGIONAL VOICES

Russia Russia’s economy was not hit as strongly as some by the global financial crisis, and Moscow has more billionaires than any other city in the world. But how mature is its installation market? Our survey finds out

1.7%

GDP growth (Q1-Q2 2013)

0.8%

STATE OF THE

MARKET

Source: Financial Times

Budget deficit, 2013 (as share of GDP)

Do you think general levels of confidence in the Russian installation sector are higher or lower than six months ago?

ENTERING THE MARKET

Source: Bloomberg

EXTERNAL FACTORS HOW INFLUENTIAL (EITHER POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY) ARE THE FOLLOWING FACTORS ON YOUR BUSINESS?

MOST INFLUENTIAL National economic situation Competitor activity Higher 0% The same/no answer 88% Lower 12%

Legislation/regulations More affordable technology Energy efficiency

‘At the moment in Russia there is no AV consultant market at all. I hope this will change.’

LEAST INFLUENTIAL

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A MANUFACTURER LOOKING TO ENTER THE RUSSIAN AV INSTALLATION MARKET? ‘For normal customers, price is the only issue. For those who just show off, the brand is what matters the most.’

‘For the Russian AV installation market it is important to have a strong project protection policy and to select the proper dealers who have trusted integrators.’

‘The connection between the manufacturer and the end-user (or installer) should be closer. Everyone should be able to place the order directly.’

… AND TO AN INTEGRATOR LOOKING TO ENTER THE MARKET? ‘To enter the Russian AV installation market, the company has to be extremely flexible to the customer’s changing demands, to be ready to provide a technical solution ASAP. It is important to share technical knowledge with customers to make them appreciate your professionalism compared to others.’

‘There are not enough clients.’

DO YOU AGREE WITH THESE STATEMENTS ABOUT THE INDUSTRY?

Strongly Agree

Agree

Neither

Disagree

DESIRED CHANGES

The majority of Russian integrators specialise in a single sector, such as corporate, education or sport facilities

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT THE WAY THE RUSSIAN INSTALLATION MARKET WORKS, WHAT WOULD IT BE? ‘I wish integrators would provide more technically innovative and sophisticated solutions. It is a shame to follow all the customer’s demands without engaging one’s brain and technology knowledge.’

There are no significant skills gaps in the installation sector

‘There is still corruption in the market. Formally it has become more and more transparent with electronic tenders, but in real life the winner is chosen outside the tender room.’

In general, Russian installers are comfortable with the increasing amount of IT networking in AV installations

0%

48 November 2013

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

‘We wish designers and architects were more willing to learn about AV options, as they are the leads for the majority of the AV projects.’ www.installation-international.com

Find out more

soundcraft.com Soundcraft T: +44 (0)1707 665000 E: soundcraft@harman.com Soundcraft US T: 888-251-8352 E: soundcraft-USA@harman.com Š 2013 Harman International Industries, Incorporated

TECHNOLOGY: NEW PRODUCTS

What’s new

Our selection of the latest products for the installation market

BOSE

Install ation

PRODU OF TH CT MONT E H

ROOMMATCH IT’S… Twenty-two new additions to the array module loudspeaker family.

DETAILS: With the addition of these asymmetrical array modules, the RoomMatch series now includes 42 unique coverage patterns providing system designers with coverage control and scalability for venues including houses of worship, auditoriums, performing arts centres and sports arenas. The asymmetrical pattern modules improve sound quality in many room shapes by reducing side-wall reflections, helping to improve consistency of sound quality. The modules also improve stereo soundstage effects when used either in left/right pairs or in L/C/R array

configurations. They feature the industry’s only large-format asymmetrical waveguides, with pattern control down to 800Hz, improving vocal clarity by reducing room reflections in the 1-4kHz vocal intelligibility range.

AND ALSO: All RoomMatch full-range modules utilise six Bose EMB2 extended-midrange compression drivers with 2in voice coils for the high frequencies and dual Bose LF10 highexcursion 10in woofers with 3in voice coils for the low frequencies.

AVAILABLE: Now www.pro.bose.com

ANALOG WAY 2

AMX

PULSE

HYDRAPORT CABLE RETRACTOR IT’S… A retractable cable solution.

DETAILS: Each of the four new Retractor Modules supports a specific AV format (HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet and RGB with Audio) and can be installed in any of the 600, 900 or 1200 HydraPort base assemblies. AMX is also making the new cables available for additional use under carpet or anywhere a flat cable is desired.

Designed to work smoothly, require no adjustments and to ensure video and audio fidelity, the latest additions to the HydraPort family offer functionality and reliability.

The Retractor Modules are also said to be, on average, 85% more compact than market alternatives.

AND ALSO: AMX has also announced two new HydraPort Dual USB Modules that offer the convenience of two USB modules in a single HydraPort unit for connecting to a network and/or charging devices.

AVAILABLE: Now www.amx.com

KRAMER ELECTRONICS TP-580T, TP-580R

IT’S… A transmitter and receiver that uses HDBaseT Class B technology to send HDMI with embedded audio, bidirectional RS-232 and IR over distances of up to 70m.

DETAILS: The TP-580T and TP-580R are designed as a cost-effective method for sending HDMI and control signals over distance. For resolutions above 1080p60 and up to 4kx2k30, distances of up to 40m can be achieved. The products are ideal for use in locations including houses, lecture theatres, churches, boardrooms and the like.

The TP-580T and R support HDCP, 3D passthrough, Deep Colour, x.v.Colour CEC, Lip Sync, HDMI uncompressed audio channels, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD. They are housed in the Kramer Tool enclosure and 50 November 2013

IT’S… A new mixer/native matrix switcher based on Analog Way’s Midra platform.

powered by the supplied 12V adapters.

AND ALSO: The TP-580T can be used with a receiver, or connected directly to the HDBaseT input of display devices from companies such as Panasonic and Epson.

AVAILABLE: Now www.kramerelectronics.com

DETAILS: The Pulse2 is said to offer a new design and functionalities, including some advanced features from the LiveCore series of presentation mixers.

Pulse2 comes in a 2RU enclosure with a deeper chassis, ensuring better air circulation and cooling of the device.

Compared with its predecessor, Pulse, it offers upgraded connectivity, through eight seamless inputs and 14 input plugs: four Universal Analog, four DVI-D, four HDMI and two 3G-SDI plugs. Thanks to the CleanCut effect, the Pulse2 can operate fast and seamlessly switch between any of its 14 input plugs without fade through black or loss of sync.

The device features a matrix mode with two outputs. To fit any display resolution, including non-standard formats like LED walls and rear-projection cubes, it offers custom output format management.

AND ALSO: Thanks to optimised programming and a new architecture, the Pulse2 offers fast seamless switching, with a 50% speed gain in control parameter response. The de-interlacing process on the Pulse2 has been significantly improved, and is similar in quality to the process available on the LiveCore series.

AVAILABLE: TBC www.analogway.com

www.installation-international.com

Individual processing of all microphones over a loop wired architecture !

Worldwide Patent Pending

FULLY DIGITAL CONGRESS & INTERPRETATION DSP SYSTEM The Senator system from Xavtel is a revolutionary DSP driven digital network that is able to provide individual processing of up to 504 microphones in the loop wire architecture using one DSP processor.

All parameters for each individual microphone are stored in the DSP processor and, using Xavtel’s high speed network technology, recalled when a specific microphone is engaged.

Using a digital netlink between the conference processor and the optional 6 channel digital amplifiers from Xavtel (up to 64 units can be cascaded via CAT-5/6), a mix-minus application can be auto calibrated using the programming software maximizing sound quality and virtually eliminating feedback.

Ÿ Loop

wired architecture with star wired benefits.

Ÿ Process

up to 504 microphones individually from one DSP processor.

Ÿ Unique

voice activated gate only responds to human voice.

Ÿ Individual

microphone processing; voice activated gate, AGC, PEQ,

volume, priority, feedback suppression, etc. Ÿ Secure

redundant dual-loop microphone network architecture.

Ÿ Distance

between microphones up to 100M (330') - CAT-5 or 20KM

(66K') using fiber optic. Ÿ 48

to 96 channel audio network for conference and interpretation.

Ÿ Gain

sharing mixer and mix-minus auto calibration.

Ÿ Interpretation

is integrated in the same system, an optional IR

system is not required. Ÿ Optional

RFID card reader and voting pad for each microphone.

Ÿ Optional

AEC card for remote intercom and teleconferencing via

phone line or VoIP. Ÿ Up

to 32 processors can be networked together for up to 16,000

microphones. Ÿ Up-to-date

“Integrated Voting Solution” with microphones or

independent votepad application.

A DIVISION OF ATEIS GROUP

TECHNOLOGY: NEW PRODUCTS

LG ELECTRONICS 84WS70

IT’S… The world’s first 84in UHD LED backlit large-format display capable of playing 4K Quad HD content.

DETAILS: With a 1,400:1 contrast ratio combined with automatic brightness adjustment sensor and accurate colour reproduction, content is said to be clear and precise on the 84WS70. The size of the screen is designed to make it suitable for retail as it is almost big enough to accurately reproduce a life-size person when in portrait

orientation. Equally in broadcast and creative applications the display’s wide viewing angles can make audiences feel drawn into a scene and part of the action.

The 84in comes with an LG 4K media player to showcase content with maximum impact at the highest resolution.

Also new from LG is the 55WV70MS LCD videowall solution. It features an ultra-narrow bezel of 5.3mm (bezel to bezel), said to be the slimmest bezel on a 55in videowall on the market.

CHIEF FUSION

Like the 84in, the 55in offers wide viewing angles plus its 99mm slim display depth allows for greater installation flexibility in a wide range of target applications.

AND ALSO: Both displays are available exclusively in the UK through PSCo’s Distribution and Rental businesses.

AVAILABLE: Now www.psco.co.uk

EPSON

EH-TW9200W, EH-TW9200, EH-TW7200

IT’S… Twenty new additions to the Fusion Series of videowall solutions.

IT’S… Three new top-of-the-range 3D home cinema projectors.

DETAILS: The new mounts include freestanding, bolt-down and ceiling models, making it possible to construct videowalls in locations where walls aren’t available.

Installer-friendly features include six independent adjustment knobs per display; micro-height and levelling adjustment at all column intersection points; and fully integrated cable management. The solid constructions come in a variety of configurations including back-to-back and portrait versions.

The ceiling videowall mounts will support displays up to 55in ranging from 85lb to 125lb (38.5-56.7kg) per screen. The ceiling mounted videowall is compatible with traditional 1.5in NPT and Chief’s new CPA pin connection ceiling plates and column system.

Freestanding landscape models are available in 2 x 2, 3 x 2 and 3 x 3 orientations, while portrait options are 3 x 1, 2 x 2 and 3 x 2. Using accessories, mounts can be combined to achieve videowalls up to three displays high and any length. Portrait arrangements are available in both cart and bolt-down solutions for retail or menu board applications.

DETAILS: The range features the EHTW9200W, a wireless Full HD model that allows users to connect Full HD devices to the projector without having to install them in the same room. The EH-TW9200 is available as a non-wireless version. The EH-TW7200 offers features such as a wide lens shift and very high contrast ratio.

All three models offer a high contrast ratio, which ensures deeper, crisper blacks. The EH-TW9200W and EH-TW9200 both feature a very high contrast ratio of 600,000:1, while the EH-TW7200 is 120,000:1.

their smartphone or tablet – including photos, videos and music – thanks to the MHL (mobile HD link) port.

AVAILABLE: Now www.epson-europe.com

AND ALSO: The EH-TW9200W is one of Epson’s first home cinema projectors to allow users to play content directly from

EXTRON

XTP T UWP 302

AND ALSO: The bolt-down option is said to be designed for permanent digital signage in retail, corporate and hotel lobby applications, or any public space.

IT’S…A two-input XTP wallplate transmitter that provides the convenience of connecting local source devices at a wall or other locations including a lectern or floor box.

AVAILABLE: Now

DETAILS: The XTP transmitter mounts into a standard three-gang junction box, and sends HDMI or RGBHV video, audio and control up to 330ft (100m) over a single CatX cable. It is HDCP compliant and supports computer-video to 1920 x 1200, including HDTV 1080p/60 Deep Color and 2K. For simplified integration, the XTP T UWP 302 features automatic switching between inputs with selectable prioritisation, and can be powered over the same CatX cable. The XTP T UWP 302 is designed for use in XTP Systems for signal distribution and long-distance transmission between remote endpoints.

Key Minder authenticates and maintains HDCP encryption to provide reliable transmission across the XTP System infrastructure.

AVAILABLE: Now

www.chiefmfg.com

www.extron.com

AND ALSO: To further simplify integration with HDMIequipped devices, the transmitter features two Extron technologies. EDID Minder ensures continuous EDID communication between devices. For transmission of HDMI signals with protected content, www.installation-international.com

November 2013 52

TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE

Furniture and mounts James McGrath takes a look at the ways in which specialist furniture and mounting solutions can help integrators to install AV equipment

{ Peerless pops the mount } Peerless cites a growing trend towards larger videowalls in a wide range of markets, and increasing demand for digital signage, as the main reasons for the enhancements made to its DS-VW765-QR (Quick Release) mount.

The DS-VW765-QR features a spring-loaded push-release mechanism to enable quick and convenient access to any individual screen in a videowall (mid-array and in a recessed display). With most digital signage in high-traffic areas, the benefits of this direct access include reduced downtime during servicing and the ability to replace ‘dead’ or malfunctioning screens quickly and effectively.

The system incorporates features to help integrate the system effectively, including an eight-point tool-less micro adjustment to ensure that displays are seamlessly aligned even when the surface of the wall is not completely level. Moreover,

the system is supplied with screen-specific custom spacers that remove all measuring and calculations for mount positioning, which the company says can reduce installation time by up to 60%.

The system is available in both portrait and landscape orientation versions, with an extra large format model due in Q1 2014 that will

accommodate screens up to 95in in size.

Another benefit of the system is that the DSVW765-QR models share a common design with the rest

of the Peerless-AV videowall mounts range. This means that models with different functionality can be used together in specific areas of the display. So fixed, flat-towall mounts in certain positions can be mixed with full-service, quick-release models for other displays, to create a mixed array.

What’s more, the Quick Release mechanism can be

restricted with a locking bolt – this will secure the screen when not required and can protect the displays in public areas. www.peerless-av.com

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Mode-AL’s self-cleaning videowall solution

Developed over an 11-year period, the MV-Brix from Mode-AL is a modular

videowall mounting system for large-format LCD, LED and OLED screens.

For set up, each screen module (or Brick) simply bolts together. This allows for access to each screen 54 November 2013

independently of the adjacent screens as each Brick has its own chassis, allowing it to be attached to its neighbours – providing a self-supporting structure.

The compact videowall offers options for removing screens for access from either the front (MV-Brix Type D and P) or the rear (MV-Brix Type R) depending on the required set-up.

A clever vacuum-like system called the ‘pressurised plenum system’ continuously supplies filtered air into the gaps between the system’s glass and the display screens. This reduces the chances of dust and

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Cleverly designed to exploit the laws of physics, STANDiT from French manufacturer Erard Pro enables a flatpanel display to be installed without drilling any holes.

The mount is mainly targeted at applications in plasterboard walls that cannot be drilled, but also offers integrators a quick solution for mounting flatpanel displays ranging from 30in to 50in.

The hole-less wall mount, said by the company to be the first of its kind, is made from stainless steel with feet placed far in front of its centre of gravity, guaranteeing rigidity and stability, according to the

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company, while a stabilising pad ensures ‘perfect’ adherence to the wall.

The system uses a secure, patented anti-hooking system so that the screen won’t fall down. In addition, users can adjust the screen to one of six different heights over 200mm.

There are three models in the series: the STANDiT 400, STANDiT 600 and STANDiT PRO – each of which offers different heights. All mounts incorporate cable management at the rear for clean installations, VESA 200-600 mounting options and a 10-year guarantee. www.erard.fr

Unicol’s Rhobus videoconferencing and presentation range

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debris settling, meaning maintenance and servicing are kept to a minimum.

The MV-Brix Type R is specifically targeted at the retail market, as it is said to be unique in providing a complete self-supporting screen-mounting system. It can be used to produce a screen array of almost any size that is only 180mm (7in) deep – which is said to give retailers significantly more usable space than any other system. The rear of the bricks can be covered in the retailer’s choice of pegboard or slat wall to increase the retail display area. www.mode-al.com

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Erard Pro uses physics to STANDiT

Unicol’s latest innovation in its array of mounting solutions is the smartly finished Rhobus videconferencing and presentation range.

The unit’s stylish, pianoblack finish helps it blend in with high-end boardrooms.

After speaking with its customers from corporate backgrounds, the company found that the market was looking for an all-in-one solution that could house a PC/codec, single, twin and triple screens, VC camera mount and have a range of utility shelves. The outcome was Rhobus.

Rhobus offers a neat solution for office spaces in that all the equipment required – such as codecs, cabling, PCs and any other equipment – can be stored out-of-sight in a lockable space inside the unit.

As for the VC camera, this can sit above or below a single screen up to 80in, or, when Rhobus is in dualscreen configuration, can be placed on a specially designed mount that places the camera midway between the screens at the centre of the screen height.

Other features include a builtin power socket as standard. www.unicol.com

www.installation-international.com

For the biggest walls, Peerless-AV has the solution Large format video walls, now with added convenience " !" + $ ! , % ! " $ # & - 10/ % & $ "! "$ ! $! ! ! % " !! " - ( !! ! (!* " ! ) " " '" ! ( ") " ! $ "! ! " $ ! % "( !!$ ! . " ( " + & -# ,* & " " !" # ( "$ ! $ !!- % & $ "!) ",! " !" " ! $# % *

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TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE

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Arthur Holm retracts DynamicTalk system

Blending AV equipment in with its environment is often imperative to an installation – especially in highprofile facilities. Gooseneck microphones, although sleek, are no exception to the desire for AV to fully integrate with its surroundings; this is partly because desks are often used for more than one purpose and a clear surface area might often be required.

Arthur Holm has devised a motorised lift system for precisely this requirement. The DynamicTalk motorised gooseneck microphone lift system is available for short, medium and large microphones with XLR connectors. The system is also customisable for all types and sizes of conference system microphones, with the company also offering optional integration of manufacturers’ interfaces on the cover plate, which is made of brushed stainless steel.

The solution is operated via a button on the cover plate, or remotely through RS422 or GPI connections. No adjustments have to be made before the mics are tucked away because the gooseneck mics are automatically pulled down from a flexed to a

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vertical position when retracting.

DynamicTalk has two different working modes, ‘Public Address’ and ‘Conference’. When the former mode is in use, a button on the cover plate allows participants to activate or deactivate the microphone. The Dynamic light LED ring indicates the status by changing colour from green to red; the microphone is automatically silenced when in the retracted position.

In ‘Conference’ mode, the microphone remains constantly active and connects directly to the conference system for further control.

Arthur Holm offers a variety of finish options for the cover plate, which can also be covered with wood, leather or any other table surface material to match the furniture finish. www.arthurholm.com

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SmartMetals’ customisable classroom whiteboard combo

SmartMetals has developed a whiteboard mounting solution that incorporates whiteboards and touchscreen technology as separate entities.

The company says the 152.0100 mounting kit solution, which can accommodate displays measuring between 55in and 70in, is ideal for classrooms and businesses.

Once the user specifies the type of touchscreen display they have, SmartMetals can customproduce the solution so that the whiteboards, which flank the display, integrate correctly. Delivery is usually within three weeks of ordering.

With a combination of whiteboards and a touchscreen, the solution provides a double dose of interaction and collaboration possibilities for users. The two whiteboards also slide together, meeting over the display to 56 November 2013

VariHite Presenter

AV technical furniture specialist TeamMate recently launched an enhanced version of its VariHite Presenter – a versatile mount for largeformat displays weighing up to 150kg.

The new system features enhancements that include variable height adjustment and improved mobility. Both these features were added to provide users with a suitable solution for interactive requirements.

The upper mounting enclosure allows the addition of a computer and the facility to run a laptop or tablet from a connection panel attached to the same enclosure.

}

This means that all cabling and services can be managed within the enclosure, which is lockable and secure.

The all-in-one solution allows integrators to design systems that may include videoconferencing or control functionality; a 2U 19in rack space can house this equipment.

Carrying a five-year warranty and shipped fully assembled, the VariHite Presenter can be deployed quickly.

Users of previous models include major corporates, banks, the UK’s Ministry of Defence and higher education centres. www.teammate.co.uk

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hide the touchscreen when it’s not in use, putting emphasis purely on the boards’ written content.

The mount can be used in conjunction with a motorised floor lift.

This is available in two sizes, one for adult users (model 052.7200), which can be height adjustable between 115cm and 175cm. The other, shorter version is designed for elementary school applications, and allows the screen to be adjusted between 88cm and 138cm (model 052.7250).

The lift, which is available as a fixed or a mobile solution (wheeled), also has an integrated screen bracket for the optional addition of a PC. www.smartmetals.eu

TeamMate enhances

}

It’s academic for Quadra Concepts

Academy lecterns and cabinets from Quadra Concepts have been designed to offer AV equipment users a range of options, and can accommodate the latest control technologies. Each is of a modular make-up, enabling any number of basic units to be put together.

Features include wellventilated but secure designs, strong steel frames with a range of finishes, a choice of laminated or veneered panels and tops, and optional heavyduty castors.

In terms of interior space the cabinets incorporate twin integral equipment racks (13 or 16U). There is also 360º accessibility, developed through working with installers, to simplify equipment maintenance and servicing.

The company says its main advantage is that it manufactures and stocks all its

components, enabling the provision of fast service with a bespoke feel. www.quadraconcepts.co.uk

www.installation-international.com

SOLUTIONS: KANBAR FORUM, EXPLORATORIUM, SAN FRANCISCO The Kanbar Forum is used for talks, audiovisual installations, film screeings and more

[INSTALLED]

tion Installa

OF THE MONTH

Informal but informative Located within a vibrant hands-on scientific educational visitor attraction, the Kanbar Forum benefits from technology that allows it to get the most out of the different types of events that it hosts. Paddy Baker reports HAVE you ever wanted to control a rainstorm by adjusting the size, frequency and velocity of raindrops? Or do you fancy interacting with plankton, the microscopic organisms that supply half of the oxygen we breathe? Or maybe you like the idea of a hands-on ‘Tinkering Studio’ where you can learn about subjects that interest you by making things?

These are just a handful of the hands-on attractions at San Francisco’s Exploratorium, which describes itself as “a 21st century learning laboratory”. Founded in 1969 by physicist and educator Frank Oppenheimer, the Exploratorium moved to expanded, enhanced facilities at Piers 15 and 17 on the San Francisco waterfront in 2013.

It contains over 600 exhibits that are designed to “ignite curiosity, encourage exploration and lead to profound learning”, to quote the attraction’s website.

One of the many distinct areas within the new Exploratorium is the Kanbar Forum, a 3,600sqft multidisciplinary theatre space. It is used for film screenings, live music, lectures, training sessions 58 November 2013

and a variety of special events – under the title Resonance – which explore the technology, culture and perception of sound.

AV system design was by Phil Bailey of systems integrator BBI Engineering, working in consultation with theatrical design firm The Shalleck Collaborative. Adam Shalleck, the latter company’s principal and president, says: “The Exploratorium asked the design team to create an all-age venue for 200 people that framed the idea that has finally come to mass appeal: science is approachable, accessible and hip.”

The Kanbar Forum has been designed to break away from the traditional presentation auditorium configuration, with rows of seats facing a ‘sage on stage’. It can be configured in different ways, as Shalleck explains: “The room has three seating levels: the flat floor in the front of the elevated stage is surrounded with wide, elevated terraces, all provided with movable chairs of varying heights for sightlines, space for tables, and drink and gadget rails. Its casual configuration puts the

audience at ease. Between its configuration and the sound system, audience interaction happens naturally.

There is a bar in the room which gives it a relaxed feel, and the window to the bay connects you back to San Francisco.”

VARIABLE ACOUSTICS The audio systems in the Kanbar Forum were conceived by the Exploratorium’s executive associate director Ron Semper and renowned multimedia pioneer Kristina Woolsey. Chief among these is a Constellation system from Meyer Sound, which enables the Forum’s acoustic properties to be transformed at the press of a button: one instant it can behave like a non-reverberant recording studio, the next it becomes like a vast cathedral.

Ian Hunter of The Shalleck Collaborative explains how the decision to install the Constellation system came about: “The idea of something related to acoustics and science had existed from the beginning of the design phase. Once we introduced The Exploratorium to Meyer, we all knew it was a match.”

Constellation has impressed staff and visitors at the Exploratorium. “As part of his Full-Spectrum Science series, our staff scientist Ron Hipschman has been demonstrating Constellation in his talks,” says Nicole Minor, the Exploratorium’s manager of moving images. “Switching through the presets, he elicits ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ with just his voice and handclaps when the audience experiences the startling, yet natural acoustical effects.”

Shalleck adds: “At the opening event, the audience enjoyed banter with the presenters using the voice lift function, and then the acoustic character was altered to suit a string quartet, a high-impact surround sound experience and a commissioned soundscape installation.”

Constellation is built on Meyer Sound’s patented VRAS acoustical algorithm. It works by using an array of microphones to capture early reflections, then adjusting them as required and playing them back through a set of speakers. To provide a naturalsounding result that does not alter the directionality of the source, a large number of mics

AUDIO Meyer Sound Constellation system • DVRAS Constellation processor • Stella-4C installation loudspeakers • MM-4XP self-powered loudspeakers • UP-4XP 48V loudspeakers • MM-10XP 48V subwoofers • MIC-CARD1 compact cardioid microphones Meyer Sound UPQ main speakers Meyer Sound 600-HP subwoofers Meyer Sound UP Junior monitors Meyer Sound Galileo 616 audio processor Meyer Sound MM-4 front fill speakers Yamaha LS-9/32 audio console Audio-Technica wireless microphones Biamp Audiaflex DSP Toa M9000 mixer/amp Lab.gruppen C20:8x amplifier MOTU 896 computer audio interface Tascam CDX1700 dual CD player ClearOne AEC unit Clear-Com MS-702 production intercom Listen Technology FM Assistive Listening Crestron PRO2 control system with touchscreens VIDEO projectiondesign F35 HD projector Da-Lite Professional Electrol projection screen Blackmagic Design ATEM 2ME Production Switcher Blackmagic Design rackmount LCD monitors Blackmagic Design studio converters AJA KiPro video recorder Cisco-Tandberg videoconferencing codec Panasonic HE-120 PTZ camera Extron VGA/HDMI extenders Ensemble Designs converters/distribution TV One converters/distribution LIGHTING ETC Element Console with RFU ETC Source Four lighting fixtures ETC/Selador LED lighting fixtures Strand S21 dimmer strips ETC Unison Paradigm control system

www.installation-international.com

SOLUTIONS: KANBAR FORUM, EXPLORATORIUM and speakers are needed: the Kanbar Forum’s system features 12 distributed microphones and more than 90 loudspeakers, including Stella-4C installation loudspeakers, MM-4XP selfpowered loudspeakers, UP4XP 48V loudspeakers, and MM-10XP 48V subwoofers.

“The production systems are deceptively simple yet elegantly executed. The most difficult aspect was integrating the numerous Constellation loudspeakers into the architecture in a way that was both functional and visually appealing,” comments Shalleck.

There is also a sound reinforcement loudspeaker system from Meyer Sound in the Forum, which features UPQ-2P and MM-4XP loudspeakers, UPJ-1P and UPJunior VariO loudspeakers, and 600-HP subwoofers with a Galileo loudspeaker management system.

“The main audio system is actually used as part of the Constellation system, and the Constellation system can also be used for surround playback of soundscapes, movies, etc,” explains Hunter.

[ABOUT THE DESIGNER] The Shalleck Collaborative is a planning and design consultancy for performing arts spaces and production systems Two key aspects of its work are planning the architectural and engineering aspects that enable theatres to function; and conceptualisation, design, specification and co-ordination of theatre production systems The majority of its work has been in California, but the company has been involved in projects in Oregon and New Mexico in the US, as well as in Canada and China

designed interfaces, while the other two sounds move on their own trajectory. When two or more sounds occupy the same position in the room, they fuse into compositions of varying length.

VISUALS Video also plays a part in some of the pieces presented. Floating, by artists Wayne Grim and Phoebe Tooke, combines video shot from the airship Eureka as it flies over the South Bay Salt Flats with audio created by digitally

After more than 40 years, the Exploratorium moved to its new location on San Francisco’s Pier 15 earlier this year

Other installed audio kit includes a Yamaha LS-9/32 audio console, a Biamp Audiaflex DSP system, a Clear-Com production intercom and an assistive listening system from Listen Technologies.

The venue’s audio capabilities are further enhanced by Meyer Sound’s SpaceMap multichannel panning, a technology that allows sounds to be flown through space. SpaceMap is being used in Fathom, an interactive sound installation

by Shane Myrbeck and Emily Shisko, currently running at the Kanbar. Fathom is made up of six distinct sounds, four of which can be moved around the space by visitors using a glowing hemisphere on one of the specially

enhancing and manipulating the prominent natural frequencies in the recordings of the Airship Eureka’s engines and propellers.

Video is beamed by a projectiondesign F35 HD projector on to a Da-Lite Professional Electrol screen.

Other installed video equipment includes a Blackmagic Design production switcher, a Panasonic PTZ camera and a Cisco-Tandberg videoconferencing codec.

Overall control comes from a Crestron PRO2 system.

Lighting fixtures and control equipment are mostly ETC. “It took a great deal of effort by a lot of dedicated people to create a room that looks so deceptively simple, yet has the

www.installation-international.com

potential for such a variety of uses,” says Shalleck. “All parties worked together to ensure that the Kanbar’s technical and aesthetic elements fit in with the Exploratorium’s vision.”

The Kanbar has earned praise from David Meckel, a prominent architectural educator. He has said: “The Exploratorium’s Kanbar Theater strikes a magical balance between café, cabaret, pub and clubhouse informed by smart architectural and technological design work to create a kind of digitally enhanced speakeasy that would not have been possible just a few years ago.”

“We’re very excited about exploring the Constellation system’s potential for both artists and scientists,” says Minor. “We’ve only scratched the surface of what we can do with it. I expect we’ll be able to develop an entirely new breadth of work focused on both the art and the science of sound.” www.aja.com www.audio-technica.com www.bbinet.com www.biamp.com www.blackmagicdesign.com www.cisco.com www.clearcom.com www.clearone.com www.crestron.com www.da-lite.com www.ensembledesigns.com www.etcconnect.com www.exploratorium.edu www.extron.com www.labgruppen.com www.listentech.com www.meyersound.com www.motu.com www.panasonic.net www.projectiondesign.com www.shalleck.com www.strandlighting.com www.tascam.com www.toa.eu www.tvone.com www.yamahaproaudio.com

November 2013 59

SOLUTIONS: METROPOLITAN ARTS CENTRE, BELFAST Martin Audio’s W3 arrayable three-way compact trapezoid system was chosen for the main auditorium

[INSTALLED] AUDIO Allen & Heath I-Live R72 digital console Allen & Heath IDR16 and IDR48 stageboxes Allen & Heath i-Live T122 digital console Martin Audio AQ10 subs Martin Audio Blackline F10+ and F12 speakers Martin Audio MA range amplifiers Martin Audio W3 PA system

Creating art A complex technical infrastructure has been installed in this world-class venue in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, writes James Christopher UNITED KINGDOM BELFAST MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre), a vibrant new arts venue, aims to bring local and international talent in the fields of music, theatre, dance and arts to the people of Northern Ireland.

Consisting of two theatres, art galleries, rehearsal space, studios, cafes and more, the venue has had its newly designed production infrastructure equipped and installed by Rea Sound, Martin Audio’s Irish distributors.

Appointed as specialist subcontractor to Bowen Mascott JV after responding to a competitive tender, Rea Sound masterminded the entire technical fit-out including a Martin Audio W3 theatre PA system, as well as stage, working and house lighting, dimmers and control, intercom, video relay and IR – for both the main auditorium (downstairs at the Mac) and the smaller studio (upstairs).

The 350-seat main auditorium on the ground floor is an adaptable, modern theatre space with tiered, retractable seating, while upstairs on the first floor, the 120-seat studio theatre offers flexibility for both seated and standing audiences.

Working from a design specification by consultant Carr & Angier, which had selected Martin Audio’s W3 arrayable three-way compact trapezoid system as best fit for purpose, Rea Sound integrated leading sound and lighting brands throughout.

The scope covers the two performance areas, two 60 November 2013

rehearsal rooms and the foyer, allowing video and audio to be linked between all areas. The two performance spaces have raked seating, retractable to allow for a flat floor. The main space also has two balcony levels and here the design allows the speaker cabinets to be positioned on vertical grids to provide exceptional sound coverage and clarity.

Purpose designed for theatre, each enclosure measures just 28in high. Yet with its high SPL capability it delivers the clarity required for speech and music applications. “The W3 is a fantastic sound system and perfect for the requirement,” assesses Rea Sound’s Roger McMullan.

The original design called for four W3s on each side – however, the client later changed this (to great effect) deploying three W3s on each side, along with a Martin Audio AQ10.

The system is powered by Martin Audio’s MA range of amplifiers located in the dedicated amp rack. These provide separate channel feeds to each of the house PA speakers as well as the infills and effects speakers, which include three Martin Audio AQ10s plus four ‘floating’ Martin Audio Blackline F10+ and two F12+. Custom patch panels allow for the effects speakers to be positioned according to their requirement for the production at hand since the space is designed for multifunctional use and signals need to be routed to

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%

In an age where there is zero room for compromise! TOA have ensured that their customers have it all - from the microphone to the speaker Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not by chance that you encounter TOA on a daily basis with products specified in areas such as your local gymnasium to the worlds prestigious buildings around the world, it is in fact due to design and innovation that makes us world leaders The TOA voice evacuation product line-up includes management system, amplification, DSP, matrix, speakers, in fact we can offer the complete system from small to large, all complying to EN54

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sound without compromise

SOLUTIONS: METROPOLITAN ARTS CENTRE, BELFAST speaker locations throughout the venue.

“The original design called for three AQ10s to be flown from the gantry above at the rear upper balcony,” McMullan continued. “While using the flying brackets from Martin Audio we needed to design and build drop arms to come off the gantry at the right height and angle.”

At the heart of the system lies one of two Allen & Heath IDR units, allowing for full control on all inputs and outputs of the PA speaker channels. A touchscreen controller is located in the main auditorium control room – allowing the user to select either pre-determined presets or their own. Supplied for the audio engineer is an Allen & Heath i-Live T122 digital console and IDR48 stagebox that again allow for ease of use and preset recalls.

SMALLER STUDIO The upstairs PA system also utilises the Martin Audio W3 cabinets flown from the grid horizontally. An Allen & Heath I-Live R72 digital console and IDR16 stagebox again allow for ease of use and preset recalls.

62 November 2013

Elsewhere, Rea Sound has provided a range of other services, including a full backstage communications system, allowing for paging from three fixed positions and any of the stage manager’s desk positions, as well as the show relay mic signals also under IDR control from both venues to all dressing rooms; the IR systems in both venues; and voice description systems in both venues.

While each venue also has its own intercom system, it is possible to link the two systems should the need arise.

Lighting includes 140 ways of dimming with 46 ways of switching in the main downstairs theatre and up to 72 ways of dimming in the upstairs. The discreet video cameras in each venue provide video relay to a variety of areas including foyers, dance and rehearsal rooms.

The same patch panels in these areas also allow for audio tie lines, sending audio relayed from either of the show relay mics in each venue.

The systems are flexible enough to relay audio and video from any of the performance areas, foyer

The Martin Audio W3 speaker cabinets are purpose designed for theatre. Each enclosure is just 28in high

[ABOUT THE INSTALLER] areas, dance and rehearsal rooms and combine them with a live performance in the main auditorium downstairs. www.allen-heath.com www.loudtechinc.com www.martin-audio.com www.reasound.com

Rea Sound has offices in Belfast, Dublin and Cookstown, County Tyrone The company has been active for more than 40 years and offers services including design, commissioning and installation Rea Sound has experience in the fields of houses of worship, theatres, stadiums and more

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SOLUTIONS: ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS, TORONTO CANADA

Jurassic hark

How do you draw the crowds to a botanical centre when most of the plants are dormant? You install a T rex fighting a Triceratops and, as Tom Bradbury explains, you put in a lifelike soundscape for added atmosphere [ABOUT THE INSTALLER] Palmer Audio was created in July 1980 by owner Scott Palmer to serve the live events industry Originally focused on the market in southern Ontario, the company has grown and evolved and now works across Canada and into the US, Mexico, Brazil and Australia Projects include the Coors Light Silver Bullet Express, which involved converting five baggage cars on a train into a themed experience for competition winners, and the Molson Canadian Hockey House at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Over 300 audio effects running in a 72-minute loop were distributed over 16 zones and across 36 loudspeakers

MANY BOTANICAL gardens are ‘dark’ during the January-April period when plants are dormant, and so their operators are actively looking for exhibits to attract visitors.

One such attraction is the large-as-life dinosaur exhibit Battle of the Titans, which ran last winter at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Toronto.

The link between a dinosaur show and a botanical garden is strong, given that most, if not all, of the plants from the prehistoric age are still living all around us.

Installed in the garden’s two-storey atrium, the exhibit was created by designer Hall Train, with audio installed by Scott Pollard of Toronto’s

[INSTALLED] VIDEO Samsung 26in flatpanels

AUDIO Out Board TiMax SoundHub-S16 playback server Electro-Voice ZXA1 and 15 EV ELX112P two-way self-powered speakers

64 November 2013

Palmer Audio, which was supplied an Out Board TiMax2 SoundHub unit by Contact Distribution.

The exhibit presented what was a typical occurrence of the era – a formidable face-off between a Tyrannosaurus rex and a Triceratops. Adjacent kiosks display replicas of dinosaur teeth, horns, bones – even excrement. A dozen of these kiosks, fitted with 26in video screens, were distributed around the lower floor and balcony, running short videos on various aspects of the flora, fauna and geology of the period.

Surrounding the static full-scale models was an immersive environment created by sound designer Gary Hardesty, whose accolades include the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics.

Hardesty explains: “I wanted to create a 3D soundscape that would tell a bit of a story, starting with a Tibetan flute effect and a low-frequency drone to build a feeling of mystery, and progressing to building the forest, injecting different

birds from that era, along with frogs, crickets, and a lot of things that were alive back then, then becoming turbulent and stormy with wind and thunder.”

Out Board’s TiMax SoundHub-S16 playback server and TimeLine editor facilitated the creation of this deep forest environment, an evolving 3D forestscape running in a continual 72minute loop of ambient and spot effects, triggered automatically at the start of the day by the unit’s built-in scheduler. The TiMax DSP matrix then distributed, zoned, EQ’d and panned the multi-layered content via 16 outputs across a total of 36 loudspeakers, which covered both the ground floor area and the 10ft-wide atrium surrounding the exhibit.

As Hardesty expands: “There’s over 300 different effects I put in there, so it’s a fairly deep forest. When you turn it off, it feels like the whole room just collapses. It’s not until you turn it off that you realise how much TiMax is contributing to that whole environment. It’s very cool.”

The decision to use TiMax2

was the culmination of much research, “...and it proved to be very comprehensive in terms of what I was able to do. I was very, very excited to use it,” admits Hardesty. “Like anything, parts of the software benefitted from some fast-track guidance which I received from Out Board’s Dave Haydon over the phone, but the learning curve was actually pretty simple. It’s very intuitive, very simple to use and very friendly.”

He continues: “I liked that the TimeLine editor is almost Cubase-like or Pro Tools-like in terms of dragging and dropping sounds on tracks and being able to do a lot of editing of your tracks right in the TiMax domain, so you don’t have to worry about bringing fully finished pieces into it. And then, being able to layer the cues was great.

In my case, due to the budget, I was limited to 16 outputs, although I could have used 32, so I doubled-up on some tracks and put in different cues to change the routing of the next sound completely. Having the ability to assign routing multiple times certainly gives you a lot

of flexibility. I think those two features combined are very powerful.”

According to Pollard, the audio ran perfectly. He adds: “Compared with some of the other equipment that’s available, we found TiMax SoundHub to be the most cost effective and most fully featured. You’d pay about the same just for loudspeaker DSP, so all the input-output matrixing, playback and show control is basically free.” www.electro-voice.com www.outboard.co.uk www.palmeraudio.com www.samsung.com

The speakers covered both the ground floor area and the 10ft-wide atrium surrounding the exhibit

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BACK PAGE

Rants and ramblings ONE OF the presentations at last month’s Smart Building Conference was given by Mario Pullicino, managing director of Orion Engineering Group, about the use of fibre as a backbone for unified delivery of converged systems.

Towards the end of his presentation he ran through a few case studies for the technology, one of which was the Corinthia Bab Africa Hotel in Tripoli, Libya.

As one of his slides pointed out, this has a fibre infrastructure that covers structured cabling for admin offices, data and voice communication, WiFi, TV, IPTV, the EPOS network, utility monitoring, CCTV and access control. “This was in the news last week, because the Libyan Prime Minister was kidnapped from this hotel,” he confided. Sorry, was that CCTV and access control? “We’re not running the hotel, we just supplied the system,” he clarified. “And the Prime Minister is safe.”

Bits and pieces from the editorial cutting-room floor

INDEX Adder Technologies ..........24 AMC........................................33 Albiral.....................................57 AMX........................................13

Out and about with the Twitterati

Analog Way ..................35, 47 Ateis.......................................51 Audipack...............................57 Barco .....................................41 BBG ........................................55 Blackmagic Design............11 Bosch .......................................9 Community Professional .45 Comm-Tec............................59 Control4................................42 Datapath ..............................17 Dexon .......................................9 Dynacord ..............................15 eyevis ....................................44 Gefen.....................................53

INVISIBLE loudspeaker manufacturer Amina Technologies has made its first foray into sports sponsorship, by providing Hunts County Squash Club Ladies teams with T-shirts emblazoned with the Amina Invisible Loudspeakers logo for the 2013-14 season. The club has three men’s and two ladies’ teams competing in the Cambridgeshire Squash leagues and regularly hosts the British Under-23 Squash Championships.

Why has the company chosen this particular sponsorship opportunity?

Well, each of the ladies’ teams features an Amina employee: Wendy Bradshaw (left of centre trio) works in sales, and Babs Moore (right of centre trio) is sales director. But we can’t help wondering if there’s an opportunity missed here. Amina’s speakers are installed in walls and plastered over, rendering them invisible. Which is one of the few sports where walls play a key role? – squash. So come on, Amina – why not put some of your speakers into a squash court and hold some exhibition games?

Hetec.....................................57 InOut ......................................38 ISE...........................................65 ISE Daily ................................15 Kling & Freitag.....................33 Kramer Electronics............39 Lab.gruppen .......Front cover Lectrosonics........................60 Lightware................................... ...................Inside front cover Media Vision ........................23 Meyer Sound............................. ................Outside back cover MiPro......................................46 Mitsubishi Electric .............27 Mode-AL ..............................4-5 Nebula......................................3 Opticis ...................................30 Peavey...................................34 PVS.........................................31 Rane.......................................37

AS WE mentioned in our PLASA review, a decent number of people turned out to the show in its new location at the ExCeL Centre in London’s Docklands. This isn’t the first show that Installation has attended there.

Broadcast Video Expo made the same move from Earls Court earlier this year. And, until its untimely demise, the UK CEDIA Home Technology event had been held there for a few years. We recall one year when, travelling on the Docklands Light Railway to the venue, we couldn’t help noticing there was a large proportion of teenagers and young adults on the train – and nearly all of them got off at Custom House, the station for ExCeL. So was residential AV technology drawing in a fresh intake of tech-savvy youngsters? Sadly not – it turned out that, alongside the CEDIA event, the venue was hosting auditions for The X Factor.

Ricoh ......................................29 Sennheiser...........................25 Shure ...........................6, 7, 19 Smart-e.................................62 Sommer Cable ....................43 Taiden...Outside back cover Tannoy...................................53 Televic ...................................63 Vivitek......................................8

Subscriptions to Installation are free to qualified readers. Register online at www.installation-international.com/subscribe Installation is published 12 times a year by Intent Media London, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LR, England Editorial tel +44 (0)20 7354 6002 Sales tel +44 (0)20 7354 6000 Circulation & subscription enquiries Tel: +44 (0)1580 883848 Email: installation.subscriptions@c-cms.com Editor: Paddy Baker paddy.baker@intentmedia.co.uk Managing editor: Joanne Ruddock jo.ruddock@intentmedia.co.uk Staff writer: James McGrath james.mcgrath@intentmedia.co.uk Head of design & production: Adam Butler adam.butler@intentmedia.co.uk Sales manager: Ian Graham ian.graham@intentmedia.co.uk

66 November 2013

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