Systems Integration Asia 2014

Vol. 14 Issue 1 ~ October - November 2014

AUDIO • VISUAL • LIGHT • CONTROL SYSTEMS MCI (P) 035/04/2014 PPS 1669/08/2013 (022992)

UAE - The Emerging AV Hub In Middle East

• Stately Facility Smartly Fitted With AV

• InfoComm India 2014 Review

w w w . s y s t e m s i n t e g r a t i o n a s i a . c o m

Christie Display Technology Dazzles with 360-Degree Multimedia Projection Mapping Display at GTB Memorial

Christie WX10K-M and Roadster S+22K-J projectors present a dazzling 360-degree multimedia projection mapping display at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Memorial in New Delhi, India.

Christie and its valued partner, Tricolor India Schauspiel Private Limited, installed WX10K-M and Roadster S+22K-J 3-chip DLP® projectors to present a dazzling 360-degree multimedia projection mapping display at the Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) Memorial in New Delhi, India. Using Christie’s Ü>À« } > ` L i ` } ÌiV } iÃ] Ì i ë À>Ì > «iÀv À > Vi vi>ÌÕÀ } Ì i wÛi i i i Ìà v >ÌÕÀi p > À] Ü>ÌiÀ] wÀi] i>ÀÌ ] > ` ë>Vi q à > wÌÌ } ÌÀ LÕÌi Ì Ì i Ì - }ÕÀÕ /i} > >`ÕÀ° When you are the leader in visual projection, you have the solutions to meet the most challenging setting. From the smallest of meeting rooms to the most sophisticated virtual reality and simulation ÃÞÃÌi Ã] À ÃÌ i `i ÛiÀÃ Ì i À } Ì Û ÃÕ> à ÕÌ Ã L>V i` LÞ Ì i LiÃÌ VÕÃÌ iÀ ÃiÀÛ Vi° - ` ½Ì ` L>V Þ ÕÀ Û Ã ° À ÃÌ i Ü i « Þ Õ w ` Ì i À } Ì Û ÃÕ> à ÕÌ v À iÛiÀÞ possible and seemingly impossible location and application need.

www.christiedigital.com USA ph: +1 714 236 8610 sales-us@christiedigital.com

CHINA-SHANGHAI ph: +86 21 6278 7708 sales-china@christiedigital.com

JAPAN ph: +81 3 3599 7481 sales-japan@christiedigital.com

SINGAPORE ph: +65 6877 8737 sales-singapore@christiedigital.com

INDIA ph: +91 80 6708 9999 sales-india@christiedigital.com

CHINA-BEIJING ph: +86 10 6561 0240 sales-china@christiedigital.com

KOREA ph: +82 2 702 1601 sales-korea@christiedigital.com

AUSTRALIA ph: +61 (0) 7 3624 4888 sales-australia@christiedigital.com

CONTENTS 92

Vol. 14 Issue 1 ~ October - November 2014

80 04 FIRST WORDS

86

Installations 74 Televic Conference For Road Safety Solutions 76 SinQ Ramps Up The Party Equation In Goa 80 VTRON Walls Help In Disaster Management 82 Smartentity Integrates With Crestron At The VVIP Amiri Terminal Building

92 Australia: Sky-High Sound At QANTAS HQ 94 South Korea: Barco's O Series LED Video Walls Making An Impression At The Broadcasting Facilities 96 Hong Kong: HKT Partners With Vega Global For The University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business

Feature 66 UAE – The Emerging AV Hub In Middle East

TECH TALK 84 Dispelling The 5 Myths Of Wire & Cable 86 Thunderbolt 2: The Connection Of Choice

Interview 70 Chadi El Kfoury Gives His View Of The AV space In The Middle East 72 Paul Lee Of AMX On Addressing India With Complementing Competencies

INSTALLATIONS 88 Japan: Bose RoomMatch At The Sendai Sports Arena 89 Hong Kong: Shure At Jao Tsing-I Academy 90 China: Crestron Solutions at VTRON's HQ

VOICE BOX 98 Dante: The Innovatice Networking Technology 100 Biamp: Getting Closer To The Customer 102 Samsung: Every Wall Is A Space For Display 104 Bosch: Forerunning The Revolution Of Security Surveillance

06 NEWS 20 SOLUTIONS UPDATE EXHIBITION REVIEW 34 Integrate 2014 46 InfoComm India 2014 INDIA & MIDDLE EAST COLUMN 61 News

04

FIRST WORDS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Are you ready for IPv6? An AV perspective

PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Thomas Richard Prakasam thomas@spinworkz.com

ASSISTANT EDITOR Elissa Nadine elissa@spinworkz.com

ADMIN & CIRCULATION Julie Tan admin@spinworkz.com

Internet Protocol (IP) - I believe this word is no stranger to many of us. From IP-enabled cameras to HDMI over IP IR controllers, it is without a doubt that the AV industry is embracing the functionality of IP rather quickly.

INDIA AND MIDDLE EAST EDITOR Ram Bhavanashi ram@spinworkz.com

DIGITAL PLATFORM EDITOR Rosalind Tan rosalind@spinworkz.com

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Jimmy Chin jimmy@spinworkz.com

MEDIA REP IN NORTH AMERICA Broadcast Media International Michael J. Mitchell Tel: +1 631 673 0072 mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv PRINTED BY PUBLISHED BY Stamford Press Pte Ltd Spinworkz Pte Ltd 51 Bukit Batok Crescent #06-10 Unity Centre, Singapore 658077 Tel: (65) 6316 2716 Fax: (65) 63162715 www.spinworkz.com Disclaimer Systems Integration Asia is published 6 times a year. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine is to be reproduced, whether mechanical or electronic without the prior written consent of the publisher. Views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the publisher. Unsolicited contributions are welcome but the editor reserves the discretion to use them. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy and honesty in both editorial and advertising content at press time, the publisher will not be liable for any inaccuracies.

In what is called the Internet of Things, sensors and actuators are embedded in physical objects, ranging anything from refrigerators, loudspeakers, media players to even water heaters. Linked through wired or wireless networks using the Internet Protocol to connect to the Internet, the process to transfer data does not require human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. Basically, it's to give an inanimate object the means of receiving feedback and information on its own without any interference from us.

An important factor in the development of the Internet of Things, the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the latest revision of the IP as the earlier version, IPv4, began to run out of allocated addresses worldwide.

With more and more devices connecting to the Internet, IPv6 ensures that we have a continuing pool of resource as we move over to the new protocol. As compared to IPv4 address space with only 3.7 billion theoretical unique addresses, IPv6 address space can support 340 undecillion (i.e. 340 trillion trillion trillion) addresses. Additionally, IPv6 is also considered the most suitable technology for the Internet of Things because of its scalability, flexibility and open end-to-end connectivity.

What does this means to the AV industry?

With this seemingly inexhaustible amount of IP addresses and enhanced features – what better time it is than now to start the concerted development of IP-enabled AV products and devices? In short, the current transition to IPv6 and focus on the Internet has created a platform for growing innovations and future business opportunities.

For manufacturers, it is time to revise some products to include more 'Smart' functions. In terms of product development and research, IP might be an area to start exploring intensively.

For system integrators, now is the time to brush up on IT knowledge as more and more devices go 'online'. By understanding its application, it will definitely help in coming up with better, and more creative solutions for your clients, adding value to your service.

As IP-based technologies mature, the range of corporate deployments will increase. Now is the time for executives across all industries to structure their thoughts about the potential impact and opportunities likely to emerge from the Internet of Things and IPv6 Technology.

Shireen Ho Assistant Editor

shireen@spinworkz.com

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NEWS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Christie Wins Prestigious Project Innovation Award For The Royal Australian Air Force Wedgetail Visual Upgrade Project the Christie Matrix StIM™ WQ 1-chip DLP® projection system.

“This is an extremely proud moment for all of us at Christie Australia and we are very happy to be the recipients of this extraordinary award,” said Bosworth. “I would like to thank our partners from Thales Australia and Boeing whom we worked very closely with on this project, which brought significant improvements to the visuals and operational uptime of the Wedgetail E-7A Operational Flight Trainer through the use of our Christie Matrix StIM simulation system.”

(L-R) Michael Bosworth, general manager, Christie Australia, and Jim Gray, business development manager, Christie Australia with the award

AUSTRALIA: Christie®, a global leader in visual displays and audio technology solutions, is the recipient of the prestigious Project Innovation Award for retrofitting the visual system of the Wedgetail E-7A Operational Flight Trainer with stunning results. The award was presented during the Simulation Australia Annual Awards Dinner held August 26 in Adelaide, South Australia.

The Project Innovation Award is part of the Simulation Australia 2014 Awards organized by Simulation Australia, the national body that promotes the use of simulation, training and modeling for the advancement of Australia’s economy and society. This national award recognizes and celebrates innovation and excellence in simulation by project teams in Australia and New Zealand that have achieved outstanding results in delivering a new simulation capability or utilizing a simulation capability in a new and improved way.

The Christie Matrix StIM™ LED illuminated simulation projection system was deployed to power the new upgraded visual system of the Wedgetail

E-7A Operational Flight Trainer, which is used for training Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flight crew. The retrofitted visual system resulted in an astounding improvement to the visuals of the flight simulator, and proved itself as a reliable operating platform by providing 100 percent uptime for over 16 months. This translated into continued availability round the clock and a lower lifecycle cost. This new visual system also enabled the Wedgetail E-7A Operational Flight Trainer to retain the FSD-1 Level 5 standard – the highest level of accreditation in Australia using LED technology, making it the first of its kind in the Australian simulation community.

Michael Bosworth, general manager, Christie Australia, and Jim Gray, business development manager, Christie Australia, were presented with the Project Innovation Award during the awards presentation ceremony held at the Adelaide Oval. This is the second national level award that Christie Australia has won this year, following its triumph at the DTC Annual Defence Industry Dinner & Awards Ceremony in May where it clinched the 2014 Innovator Award for

Congratulating the Christie Australia team on this achievement, Lin Yu, vice president, Christie Asia Pacific, said, “We’re exhilarated that our Australia subsidiary has won the Simulation Australia Project Innovation Award, which is its second award this year after winning the 2014 DTC Innovator Award. I would like to thank our Australian staff for their hard work on this highly successful project, and express my appreciation to the organizers and judging panel for recognizing the capabilities of our Christie Matrix StIM projection system in meeting the needs of the most demanding users and applications.”

The Christie Matrix StIM is the first projection system to provide independent control over both the visible and infrared spectrum and enable real-time balancing of both color and brightness levels. It is also the first simulation system equipped with solid state illumination –there are no consumables for a virtually maintenance-free system, providing years of continuous operation. The Christie Matrix StIM also features a scalable environment display system that provides the unique capabilities of achieving eye-limiting resolution while simulating Night Vision Goggles. www.christiedigital.com

The new Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K is the perfect live production camera with 10” viewfinder, talkback, tally, color corrector and 12G-SDI connections!

The Blackmagic Studio Camera is the world’s most advanced broadcast camera for live, multi camera production! It features an incredibly tough, lightweight machined magnesium design with a massive 10” viewfinder, 4 hour battery, talkback, tally indicators, phantom powered microphone ports and built in optical fiber and SDI connections. That’s a fully self contained, broadcast grade, live camera solution!

Full Size HD Viewfinder The Blackmagic Studio Camera includes the world’s largest viewfinder built in! The massive 10” high resolution screen has a super wide viewing angle and extremely high brightness so you can see your images with amazing detail even in bright daylight! This professional grade viewfinder makes it easy to frame, focus, change iris settings and make subtle adjustments with full confidence even when you’re live on air!

Optical Fiber and 6G-SDI Connections Connect Blackmagic Studio Camera to your live production switcher with optical fiber cables connected to the built in fiber port or use regular 6G-SDI BNC video cables!

The video connections are bi-directional and carry HD or Ultra HD video with talkback, tally, embedded audio and even camera remote control. With standard, low cost fiber optic cable, you can connect to your cameras over massive distances!

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Talkback and Tally The Blackmagic Studio Camera features built in talkback using general aviation headsets, so you get better noise cancelling and comfort at a much lower cost! You also get built-in tally lights that illuminate automatically when your camera is live so your cast and crew can easily see which cameras are on air! Talkback and tally signals are embedded in the return video connection to the camera, so you don’t have to run separate cables!

Micro Four Thirds Lens Mount The active Micro Four Thirds lens mount is compatible with an incredibly wide range of lenses and adapters. You can use your existing photo lenses for smaller setups and fixed camera use, or connect incredible broadcast ENG lenses via a B4 lens adapter. You can even use third party adapters for high end feature film PL mount lenses, so it’s easy to customize your camera to suit any sized production!

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08

NEWS SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Atlona Launches Tiered Certification Program For Dealers And Distribution Partners INTERNATIONAL: Creating a formalized structure for training a growing dealer network, Atlona announced its first certified training program for dealers and distribution partners, including the ability for participants to earn continuing education credits with CEDIA and InfoComm while gaining Atlona certificates.

know that first-hand,” said Ken Eagle, Director of Training and Technical Sales.

“The certification program, which will be administered with an LMS, a Learning Management System, formalizes the curriculum and knowledge base we want for our partners to have and ensures that our certified dealers and distribution partners are all meeting the same standards.

The new program, launched with training classes at CEDIA Expo 2014, calls for three levels of certification with “Certified Application Designer” at the highest level conferring preferred status as an Atlona partner.

Certifications are offered at three levels, said Eagle. The 100-level courses tackle fundamental technology and those taking these courses and pass exams will receive certificates as “Technology Specialists.” The 200-level courses cover switchers, distribution amplifiers, converters/scalers, extenders, audio and advanced troubleshooting. Those completing this level will earn “Certified Technologist” standing. The 300-level

“We have always provided excellent education tools for our partners, and anyone who has used or visited the Atlona Academy online would

courses cover application design, product specific certification and sales and solutions selling. Successful completion of the third level earns the title of “Certified Application Designer.”

Certified dealers will receive project referrals from Atlona and will also be referred to AV consultants, who are likely to be sources of repeat and recurring business. Certified dealers will also receive priority access to dedicated tech support engineer. After gaining Atlona’s top certification, a dealer can become a preferred partner and be featured on Atlona’s website as a ‘go-to’ resource in a particular region, Eagle said. www.atlona.com

Powersoft At The Seogwipo Art Center SOUTH KOREA: The Seogwipo Art Center, located in Korea's Jeju island, opened its doors in June 2014. The Art Center features a large, 802-seat auditorium and a smaller 190-seat venue, as well as a separate art gallery and an outdoor venue.

The sound system installation for the Art Center was handled by Holy Land Technology of Incheon, which saw the company installing a mix of EAW loudspeakers and Powersoft amplifiers for the venue.

The main auditorium features 16 elements of EAW KF30P loudspeakers with the HF and LF sections being powered respectively by three of Powersoft’s flagship K3 and three K10 amplifiers. The two main centre speakers (EAW JF29) are driven by a pair of Powersoft K2 amplifiers whilst the four main low speakers (SB730P) are powered by two K3 Powersoft amplifiers.

Additional K3s are assigned to the four EAW SB1000zP subwoofers.

Surround speakers are handled by three Powersoft M28Q four channel amplifiers while front fill and under-balcony speakers are assigned to a Powersoft M14D. Finally, a pair of EAW monitor wedges are driven by a Powersoft K3.

In the smaller venue, four EAW JF26’s serve as the main L/R system, powered by four Powersoft K2, while a pair of JF10’s are installed in the centre and driven by a further pair of K2; a K3 powers the pair of EAW SB625zP subs and wedge monitors.

The Powersoft amplifiers met the approval of the client, as O Jonghak, Director of Seogwipo Art Center, explained, “I have used most brands of amplifier before turning to Powersoft — and this was the first time I had used a digital amplifier.” He continues, “It is extremely convenient as I can check the status visually — something that I was unable to do with analogue amplifiers.

The power output is more than I had

expected and it is reassuring that there is no sign of any clipping whatsoever although there are many signals passing through the system.” www.powersoft-audio.com

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NEWS SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Pexip® Infinity Celebrates More Than 20,000 Licenses In Only 12 Months

Simen Teigre, CEO and co-founder of Pexip

INTERNATIONAL: Pexip®, a leading innovator in scalable, distributed videoconferencing software, celebrated the successful first year of its Infinity virtualized meeting platform in September. In only 12 months, the industry’s most innovative visual collaboration company has already surpassed 20,000 licenses and reached customers in more than 100 countries.

Now present in 13 countries across 17 time zones, Pexip’s platform has connected thousands of people through millions of meeting minutes — making virtual meetings as easy as writing an email or simply picking up the phone.

“Enterprises across the globe are rapidly turning to Pexip Infinity for its ability to deliver simple, high-quality, and costeffective visual collaboration to everyone within their organizations,” said Simen Teigre, CEO and co-founder of Pexip.

“By providing simplicity to users, industry leading interoperability across any device, and enormous scalability through a highly flexible software platform, our largest customers are now on a run rate of up to 400 million minutes of video meetings per year. As we enter year two, we look forward to unleashing an amazing list of innovations that will continue our promise of disrupting the unified communications and collaboration space — ensuring that virtual meetings are easily available to anyone, anywhere.”

Purely software-based and virtualized, Pexip Infinity provides the answer to organizations looking to offer video-based collaboration to everyone within the enterprise while using existing IT and cloud infrastructures.

Incredibly easy to install, deploy, and operate, the innovative platform allows enterprises to use their existing videoconferencing and communication hardware or software to create a truly seamless experience. As a result, users can collaborate across any platform including Microsoft® Lync® and other soft clients, videoconferencing systems, telephony, web browsers, or devices such as smartphones, tablets or PCs — enabling organizations to provide high-quality visual communications to all employees at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions.

“In an increasingly crowded cloud video field, Pexip stands out as a platform that directly addresses a very timely issue: the ability to support hybrid environments as we slowly shift from hardware to software,” said David Maldow, founder of Let’s Do Video.

“While Pexip is notable for the strength of its interop service, the nature of their distributed virtualized platform makes them particularly well-suited for these environments. Pexip’s solution allows for massive scaling while respecting a user’s network and leveraging existing assets.”

“As an early adopter of Pexip Infinity, we have been involved in beta testing and providing feedback directly to Pexip’s development team from the infancy stages of the product,” said Chris Ellen, unified messaging team lead, Arup. “Our Infinity deployment enables 11,000 staff members across 37 countries to connect via high-definition video, voice, and data collaboration and we’re also expanding its use to connect with our external stakeholders. All along, the openness

we’ve enjoyed has helped us achieve our business objectives. We congratulate Pexip on its exceptional first year.”

“There’s been a lot of hype about third party products offering video integration to Lync, but Pexip is the first that we’ve gotten excited about,” said Christian Stegh, vice president of strategy at Enabling Technologies Corp.

“In our market, customers have found existing MCU solutions to be capex and hardware heavy, and they’ve disliked payment models of current cloud bridging services. Pexip breaks down those barriers and much more. Pexip’s solution meets the demand to connect any video room system with Lync — and CFOs really appreciate the innovative and flexible licensing structure.”

Taking a sizeable share of the video conferencing market in only its first year, Pexip Infinity has reached across industries to enable multiple Fortune 500 companies to embrace the power of visual communications without increasing hardware, installation, or bandwidth investments. As demand continues to rise for visual communications solutions that simply work, Pexip will be introducing a number of new innovations including an all-new suite of software clients which offer a simple alternative for customers who may not already have a UC client for visual communications.

“Pexip has energized the video conferencing industry using a nextgeneration distributed architecture, an all-software-based virtualized implementation, and an interoperability story that is cutting edge,” said Andrew W. Davis, co-founder and senior partner at Wainhouse Research. “Whether deployed as CPE or as part of a cloud service, Pexip Infinity helps lower overall costs while also driving ease of use and utilization for today’s video conferencing and collaboration users.” www.pexip.com/anniversary

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NEWS SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Da-Lite Announces New Product Compatibility For SMART LightRaise™ Interactive Projectors

INTERNATIONAL: Da-Lite, a leading producer of high quality commercial projection screens worldwide, will release a magnetic and erasable projection screen solution that is optimized for use with SMART LightRaise interactive projectors.

LightRaise interactive projectors are wallmounted, ultra-short throw projectors that transform a dry-erase projection screen into an interactive surface without the need for additional hardware.

LightRaise interactive projectors enable multiple users to simultaneously write, draw and manipulate content using a finger or an interactive pen.

The interactive touch experience of LightRaise interactive projectors relies

on the uniformity of the projected surface. For optimal touch performance, the surface must be flat and free from surface obstructions. The new Da-Lite IDEA Screen meets the recommended surface criteria for the LightRaise 60wi & 60wi2 interactive projectors and exceeds the surface flatness requirements.

Additionally, the Da-Lite IDEA Screen, an erasable and magnetic projection screen, has been uniquely designed to match the native 16:10 resolution of the projector providing a natural, full-screen image.

“SMART is committed to providing teachers and students with an exceptional interactive experience” says Jenna Pipchuk, Director, Program Management, Education for SMART Technologies “the collaboration between SMART and Da-Lite has resulted in a tailor-made solution for our LightRaise interactive projectors, enabling students to focus on learning rather than technical barriers such as hotspots and glare.”

The Da-Lite screen solution is ultrashort throw projector friendly, offering a crisp, colorful projected image with significantly reduced glare or hotspotting effects. The screen construction is

optimized for smooth, natural motion and low resistance with either touch or pen interactivity when the LightRaise system is in use. The IDEA magnetic surface design provides a consistent and high quality projected interactive experience throughout the life of the installation. Da-Lite combines the strength and rigidity of a traditional whiteboard with superior projected image expertise to make this screen solution an ideal pairing for the SMART LightRaise projector line.

“Da-Lite and SMART’s product development teams took a collaborative approach to provide customers with an excellent interactive experience,” says Tracy McKim, Da-Lite Product Development Manager. “The result will provide the end user with the best experience possible when interacting with the technology.”

For the Asia-Pacific region, the arrangement would be similar as long as the LightRaise 60wi & 60wi2 interactive projectors are being used in tandem. www.da-lite.com

ClearOne Achieves Intellectual Property Milestone: Files 100th Patent Application

INTERNATIONAL: ClearOne (NASDAQ: CLRO), a world leader in voice and visual communication solutions, has announced that it has more than 100 patent grants and applications, including those accumulated by ClearOne through its acquisitions. To date, 61 of these patents have been granted with 39 more in process.

The company's portfolio comprises present and future patent protection in five strategic categories: Audio Signal Processing, Video Conferencing,

Multimedia Network Streaming, Wireless, and Industrial Design. These patents were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and with international patent agencies in Europe and the AsiaPacific region.

"The intellectual property developed in house and obtained through acquisitions over the past decade are strategically significant, and will contribute to the future value of the company," said Zee Hakimoglu, Chairman and CEO of ClearOne. "Our global R&D team is the best and brightest in the industry at creating innovative and

differentiated technologies that deliver both world-class business solutions to our customers, and sustained value to our shareholders."

ClearOne is committed to investing in the growth of its patent portfolio to promote continuous research while protecting its innovations.

It is well known in the industry for incorporating the latest new technologies into its expanding product lines. www.clearone.com

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Big IDEAs that Stick The new line of IDEA Screens feature upgraded surface uniformity and rigidity making them the best writable screens on the market for interactive projection. All IDEAs are now thin frame, magnetic, and with hotspot-free and erasable surface. Large sizes are also available up to 60” tall and 16’ wide – that’s a good IDEA

For enquiry : asia.da-lite@milestone.com ©2014 Milestone AV Technologies LLC |

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NEWS SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

VTRON Holds Successful International Distributor Meeting 2014 DLP™ video cube • Visionpro® C series with availability (>99.999%), 6x3 LEDs light source with high brightness, contrast ratio up to 2500:1.

• 2D to 3D DLP™ video wall cubes that support easy switching between 2D/3D with active shutter 3D technology. This solution is ideal for the applications of military simulation training, urban planning, science and technology exhibition.

Group photo

CHINA: VTRON, a world leader in video cubes, held its 6th VTRON International Distributor Meeting (VIDM 2014) on 27th August at its headquarters in Guangzhou, China. With the theme of “Expanding Opportunities with Visualisation Integrated Solutions”, the annual event aimed at providing VTRON’s international distributors to have first-hand experience on VTRON’s latest solutions, keep abreast of the latest video wall trends and share VTRON’s successful cases. VIDM 2014 was a great success as VTRON received overwhelming responses and excellent reviews from distributors from more than 15 countries. “We are very encouraged with this year’s event outcomes. In addition to increased head counts, our on-site survey shows that there was great satisfaction all round,” said C.Y. Wong, Vice President - Overseas Operations of VTRON.

situations. When talking about VTRON’s positioning, Michelle shared 3 key areas to maintain VTRON’s leading position in global and APAC video wall market. First is the additional competitive product features in VTRON's DLP™ product lines.

Second is transforming VTRON into solution provider by introducing VIS, a cloud-based networking platform. Third is continuing to create customer value with better one-stop-shop experience by offering total video wall solutions.

First-hand experience with VTRON’s latest visualisation solutions

VTRON’s distributors were delighted by a wide variety of VTRON’s visualisation solutions that they could experience.

These included:

VTRON’s global move and positioning

The full-day meeting started with an inspiring opening speech delivered

by Edward Zhou, Vice President of VTRON. He shared VTRON’s core customer value and the direction of VTRON’s global move. Going forward, VTRON planned to recruit more talent, offer comprehensive visualisation solutions and strengthen connections with local partners. Michelle Cheng, Assistant Marketing Manager - Overseas Operations of VTRON presented the video wall & control room market

Guests making their way to the Meeting

• Visionpro® C series with laser light source achieving brightness of 2000 lumens.

• DNP’s CSI screen which is now exclusively available at VTRON. It offers 1.5 screen gain; viewing angle of 37°/32° (half gain); high contrast ratio; resistant to ambient light, expansion or deformation.

Super narrow-bezel LCD display 3.5mm/4.9mm/5.7mm ultra-narrow bezel LCD with unlimited signal looping, seamless signal switching, resistant to burn-in effect and thermal protection, DNX™ image enhancement processing, slim and lightweight design, super quiet and no fan operation with natural ventilation system, dust-proof, low

NEWS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

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transformed the way operators present and collaborate among dispersed control room centres. He used a mobile device and VTRON’s latest IDB8461 interactive digital board to demonstrate how easy it is to view and share certain signals to remote area at his fingertips. Following the demonstration, Michael presented the VIS real case application in ICBC (Asia) Shanghai branch, one of the largest banks in the world, and shared how to achieve 7.26 degree curved design and seamless signal switching for the whole video wall.

energy consumption, low radiation emission.

Indoor LED large display • VTRON unveiled 1.488mm/1.92mm/2.48mm pixel pitch LED video walls which offer brilliant image processing performance with integration of mechanic and electronic design; skin colour representation, P2P calibration. Featured with high reliability, all VTRON’s indoor LED video walls are delivered with centralised and redundant power supply, low radiation emission/ noise and dust-proof.

• 1.92mm pixel pitch LED video wall (flagship edition) offers industry highest refresh rate of 8000Hz ensuring no image flickering under video recording.

• 1.86mm pixel pitch glasses-free 3D LED is ideal for shopping mall, exhibition, animation show, etc.

Video wall processor and matrix switcher • Digicom® ARK 3000 series video wall processor drives up to 336 outputs; offers >99.999% availability, additional 4K image processing, interconnection and real-time preview and processing capabilities; supports rich input/output signals including fiber-optic I/O. • Digicom® HC 3000 video wall processor, which is a light version of Digicom® ARK 3000 series. It drives up to 36 outputs with real-time preview and processing capabilities.

• HDMS 7000 HD hybrid matrix switcher achieves broadcasting-grade image switching; offers redundant main control board and power supply, intelligent self-adaptive output resolution and intelligent system management.

Brand new software • Supermedia® is a software to let users pre-arrange the multi-media sources for super-high resolution video wall presentation.

• UCS is a software to control presentation rundown, video wall content and networked audio visual products.

Demonstration of Visualisation Interactive System (VIS) and real case application

Michael To, Technical Support Manager - Overseas Operations of VTRON demonstrated the Visualisation Interactive System (VIS), a cloud-based architecture platform. He showed the distributors how VTRON has

Checking out the DLP™ video cube 3D capabilities

VTRON Awards Banquet party

The meeting was followed by an awards banquet recognising the excellent performance from partners with Best Progress Award, Excellence in Integration Award, Best Performance in SEA, Excellence in Industry Award and Distributor of the Year.

Overwhelming positive response

Feedback from guests was encouraging as it allowed them to have a closer look at VTRON’s manufacturing and production capability, as well as enabled them to have in-depth communication with VTRON's overseas team members. Through the VIDM event, VTRON’s partners were motivated by the strategies and latest solutions.

Meanwhile, the distributors also expressed their commitment to promote VTRON’s solutions and requested for more support from VTRON. The meeting did also facilitate smoother business cooperation between VTRON and their partners. www.VTRON.com

Demo tour to see VTRON's latest visualisation solutions

THRILLING. Re-define your future. At ISE 2015, find out how today’s tools will power tomorrow’s content – enchanting audiences everywhere from living rooms to arenas, and giving your business magical new stories to tell.

Find out more:

www.iseurope.org

A joint venture partnership of

NEWS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

17

Blackmagic Design Announces Acquisition Of Eyeon Software, Inc. INTERNATIONAL: Blackmagic Design has announced its acquisition of eyeon Software, Inc., a leading developer of high end digital compositing, visual effects and motion graphics software for the feature film, commercial, television and broadcast industries. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, eyeon is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Blackmagic Design. eyeon is also the developer of Fusion 7, one of Hollywood’s leading visual effects compositing and motion graphics tools. Used in numerous feature film and television projects, Fusion 7 was involved in the making of films like Maleficent, Edge of Tomorrow, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, The Amazing Spiderman 2, Captain America, Gravity and many more.

“We’re really excited about the acquisition of eyeon,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “Fusion compositing, 3D and motion graphics software has been used on some of Hollywood’s biggest visual effects blockbusters. When used together with DaVinci Resolve for editing and grading, Fusion gives customers the world’s most advanced tools for 3D compositing, visual effects, motion graphics design and more!”.

“Blackmagic Design is the most progressive company in professional post production today,” said Steve Roberts, CEO and founder of eyeon. “With their focus on developing the best solutions and a global network of offices, Blackmagic gives customers the products and services they deserve. The acquisition of eyeon will provide greater development and support of Fusion and Generation, where our customers will now have more dynamic, comprehensive, and faster solutions for their creative needs.”

The post-production industry also welcomed the news of acquisition. “Fusion 7’s great 3D improvements have added to our toolkit, giving us options that greatly expand our ability to quickly put together shots and make final adjustments without the need to go back into a 3D app for changes,” said David Stinnett, VFX Supervisor, Blur Studios.

“Fusion 7 expands our ability to stay flexible for whatever the job demands.” eyeon will continue to support its customers and expand its sales channels with the added strength of the Blackmagic Design organization. eyeon will also continue to develop solutions for the VFX and post production industries, including its flagship application, Fusion. www.blackmagicdesign.com

18

NEWS SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Epson Celebrates 25th Anniversary Of 3LCD Technology “Businesses are moving towards innovative and immersive projection applications that enhance the total customer experience. Epson’s latest projectors offer a diverse range of functions, from interactivity to video mapping, to command an audience’s attention,” said Ms Tan May Lin, General Manager, Epson Singapore (Sales Division).

SINGAPORE: In October this year, Epson will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the development of its 3LCD technology. During a media event in September, Epson shared their insights on projector market trends and growth potential, as well as the direction of its upcoming product lines.

As Epson pushes for greater adoption of projection technology in the corporate and education segments, there is a need to tap on the collaborative capabilities of projectors. To achieve this, constant innovation, refining of products and being focused on the specific target markets – are necessary for growth and success.

“Our 3LCD technology is an example of how we are constantly innovating.

But innovating new technology is not enough. We also spend a lot of time refining our products, such as our interactive projectors which have been improved to work with multiple fingertouch capability and multi-location interactivity. Also, we want to make sure that we focus on the right markets,” said Mr Siew Jin Kiat, General Manager, Inkjet & Laser Printing Division and Visual Instruments Division, Epson Southeast Asia.

As lamp technology and production costs improve, there has been a leap in widespread adoption as brighter

projectors become more affordable.

Aware of this growing trend, Epson aims to introduce a variety of commercial projectors that will make installation and usage easier, with simplified connectivity and enhanced interactive capabilities to raise productivity.

While industries such as the hospitality and creative segments have started to popularize applications like outdoor projection mapping and indoor advertising, other areas like the teaching industry have found interactive applications far more useful. Some trending applications of projector technology include: ultra large screen projection and projection on nonflat surfaces such as 3D objects and interactive collaborations with projected images.

Following the launch of the 3LCD touch-enabled interactive projector, the EB-595Wi, in May 2014, Epson will progressively roll out strategic new products and updated models over the next five years. Product development will target high growth sectors, such as the commercial and Home Theatre segments. Models that address the needs of large venues, such as high brightness models, as well as specific commercial applications such as digital signage and promotional campaigns are also among the products in the works. www.epson.com.sg

20

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

WORK PRO: WEQ 31 Equalizer With Feedback Alert WEQ 231 is the new stereo equalizer of 31 + 31 bands with constant bandwidth (constant Q) by WORK PRO. The main feature that makes WEQ 231 different of all the other equalizer available on the market is the addition of feedback alert function.

The feedback alert allows to check in real time if there is any signal peak on a specific frequency. This warning is visible through the lighting of the LED that belongs to the detected frequency.

The system adds a general sensitivity adjustment control in order to hit the right frequency value in the hypothetical case of feedback detection on adjacent frequencies; thereby, the user is warned with greater accuracy about the feedback point and is able to modify the

response curve removing the one-time feedback.

In addition to this main feature, WEQ 231 adds every single feature that are usually incorporated in this kind of devices, such as high-pass and low-pass filters, the possibility of adjusting the crossover frequency of these filters and the input gain level and bypass function.

This equalizer has balanced inputs

and outputs with different types of connections (through XLR-3, TSR ¼” and terminal block).

Its standard dimensions for 19” rack format (3 HU) makes possible to fit the device in a rack with the different elements that compose an installation, like signal processors, amplifiers, etc. www.workproaudio.com

KRAMER: New Wall Plate Switcher/Transmitter audio can be embedded into the signal (either HDMI or VGA) or transmitted by itself without video.

The WP−577VH can be powered via a single connection to either the transmitter or receiver through Kramer’s Power Connect Plus™ system. K−Link™ compatibility gives the unit the flexibility to either control remote devices, or be controlled by Kramer Protocol 3000, and to send data to external RS−232 devices.

Kramer Electronics WP−577VH, is a 2− gang Decora wall plate CATx switcher/ transmitter for HDMI, VGA and stereo audio with support for RS−232 data and control.

The WP−577VH has auto switching capability. It will automatically switch to either the last connected input, or a selected priority input, and transmits the signals to a compatible DGKat twisted

pair receiver (such as the TP−578H).

These automatic switching features make the WP−577VH an ideal solution for a BYOD environment such as boardrooms, hotel rooms and hospitality venues. The use of Kramer DGKat technology allows for easy installation of the WP−577VH and signals can travel up to 70m (230ft) at 1080p60 over CATx cabling. The WP−577VH also has automatic analog audio detection and embedding. Stereo

The WP−577VH provides signal reclocking and equalization, is HDTV compatible and HDCP compliant, and offers a maximum date rate of 4.95Gbps (1.65Gbps per graphic channel). The unit also passes EDID from the display to the source.

The WP−577VH is in stock and available from Kramer offices around the world. www.kramerelectronics.com

TWICE AS NICE Meet the demand for dual-display video conferencing solutions with Chief’s FCA623 Fusion® cart accessory.

This new accessory converts a Chief XL or videoconferencing cart into a dual monitor configuration, creating an elegant, extremely functional video conferencing system.

Get the details at chiefmfg.com

©2014 Chief is a division of Milestone. SIA_September-2014.

+852 2145 4099 Q chiefmfg.com

22

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

IHSE USA: Draco Vario 483 Series Extender Cards The Draco vario 483 series extender cards enable long distance transmission of DisplayPort, USB, audio and RS-232 signals over Cat-X or fiber cabling.

The 483 series extends signals up to 140 meters over Cat-X or 10km over singlemode fiber. They provide an effective means for incorporating high resolution DisplayPort images up to 4096 x 2160 (4K) for ultra high definition video and are easily integrated into the draco tera enterprise and draco tera compact line of matrix switch solutions.

DisplayPort is one of the newest video interface standards introduced by the VESA. Typically, DisplayPort is not directly compatible with DVI or HDMI; however, the 483 series includes dual-mode capabilities that allows the transmission of a single link DVI or HDMI source across the interface through the use of a 3rd party external passive adapter when used point-to-point. When the 483 series are used as part of IHSE USA’s unique matrix switch systems, it becomes simple to connect HDMI/

DVI displays to DisplayPort sources or vise-versa.

The Series 483 units can transmit video and audio simultaneously with embedded audio as part of the DisplayPort 1.1 standard.

They support most digital audio standards enabling playback of the audio signal through monitors with integrated loudspeakers.

However, a unique feature of the 483 series is the ability to embed digital audio from a secondary source when a 474 series audio/data expansion card is added to the main DisplayPort unit. There are a number of option cards available for additional signal transmission alongside DisplayPort, such as USB 2.0, Digital Audio, Analog Audio, RS-232 and RS-422.

For critical workstation environments, the 483 series is offered in a version supporting redundant signal path.

Two RJ-45 (copper Cat-X) or duplex LC (singlemode or multimode fiber) connections allow parallel path transmission that can be connected in variations of backup, redundant, or parallel path configurations. DisplayPort transmission over IHSE USA’s fiber units is inherently secure and immune to EMI making it a favourable solution for government, military, air traffic control towers and medical environments. www.ihseusa.com

CAYIN: Next-Generation Digital Signage Player topologies, to present data visually and helps users get their hands on it instantly. Equipped with a web-based Skin Editor, users can design their own digital content by performing a dragand-drop operation to define the size and the location of each zone.

CAYIN's next-generation digital signage player is embedded with the completely renewed and upgraded SMP-NEO system software. The CAYIN SMP-NEO series digital signage player features a stunning and completely renewed system that can fit various application requirements and budgets. Here are four significant features of SMP-NEO: Users can design and manage their own content with the new user interface.

It adequately utilizes various visualizations, such as infographics, calendars, maps, icons, and network

Users have the ability to create dynamic content as the SMP-NEO supports dynamic playback modes and includes multiple zones with independent schedules and full-screen presentations as digital posters, among others.

Moreover, SMP-NEO supports a variety of multimedia formats and can playback 1080p full HD video, Flash® animation, HTML5 web page, image, music, and text ticker. Equipped with an AV-in connector, users can even play real-time video by directly connecting to a TV tuner, a DVD player, or other multimedia devices.

To keep up with the trend of omnichannel integration, SMP-NEO integrates popular web services such as, Twitter, weather, news, streaming videos, and many more.

Compared with the traditional methods, analytic-driven digital signage can be a great help, not only for advertisers to manage their budget and evaluate their ROI but also for marketers to provide relevant content at the right place at the right time. Managing with the advanced software SuperMonitor 4 and SuperReporter 2, SMP-NEO allows marketers to monitor specific campaigns in real time and further collect important data and insights from digital signage.

It can greatly help marketers boost their marketing opportunities in the future. www.cayintech.com

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

23

RTI: New KX10 In-Wall Touchpanel Featuring a widescreen 10-inch display, RTI’s new KX10 in-wall colour touchpanel provides users with clear, customized control of any entertainment or environmental system. An HDMI video input combined with the WXGA resolution LCD display also provides high-definition video viewing. The KX10 even provides a composite video input for viewing lower-resolution sources such as video from security cameras, while a camera and microphone enable video intercom support. Engineered with a sleek, low-profile design, the unit is capable of controlling devices directly via IR or RS-232, and features two-way control and feedback when used within a complete RTI control system. www.rticorp.com

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ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞ ůŝŶĞ ŽĨ DŝdžĞƌƐ Θ ^ĞĂŵůĞƐƐ ^ǁŝƚĐŚĞƌƐ Z ^ϸ͗ ǀĞƌƐĂƟůĞ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶ ĨŽƌ ĨĂƐƚ ĂŶĚ ĞĂƐLJ ĐŽŶƚƌŽů Designed for the 6 models of the DŝĚƌĂΡ ƐĞƌŝĞƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵƉĂƟďůĞ ǁŝƚŚ tŝŶĚŽǁƐ͕ Mac & Linux, the RCS² ĞŶƐƵƌĞƐ ĨĂƐƚ ƐĞƚƵƉ ĂŶĚ ĞĂƐLJ ůŝǀĞ ĐŽŶƚƌŽů ŽĨ ĂŶLJ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĂƟŽŶ͘ /ƚƐ ƵƐĞƌͲĨƌŝĞŶĚůLJ ŐƌĂƉŚŝĐ ŝŶƚĞƌĨĂĐĞ ŽīĞƌƐ ĞĂƐŝůLJ ŶĂǀŝŐĂƚĞĚ ŵĞŶƵƐ͕ ĐŽŶƚƌŽů ĂŶĚ ƉƌĞƐĞƚ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ ŝƐ ĂƐ ƐŝŵƉůĞ ĂƐ ĚƌĂŐ Θ ĚƌŽƉ͘

dŽ ůĞĂƌŶ ŵŽƌĞ͕ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƚ ǁŝƚŚ ƵƐ ŽŶ͗

(TQO #UKC 2CEKſE Analog Way Pte Ltd - Singapore Phone: +65 6292 5800

Email : sales@analogwayasia.com

www.analogway.com

ANNOUNCEMENT

dnp seeks new partners/resellers in Asia Paci¿c

dnp denmark is looking to extend its market outreach, by making a number of new strategic partner appointments.

Parwaiz. “This will provide them with a great competitive advantage, which in turn will lead to large profitability.”

The company is seeking AV companies specializing in a number of key segments, including: House of Worship; Broadcast/TV studio; Command and Control rooms; Home Theatre; Conference/meeting rooms and Education, specifically in the Pacific Asia region.

He added that he was looking for individual specialists within their respective areas of expertise rather than general AV suppliers. “We want to attract resellers serving many customers within any of these focused segments,” he confirmed. “Companies should have good references, be good at networking — and most importantly have good access to end-users and consultants.”

“We are interested in engaging with resellers who want to be early adopters and first movers in offering a new state-of-the-art, patented and well proven technology for these segments,” said dnp Area Sales Manager, Anjum

Interested parties in the region should contact Anjum Parwaiz at +45 2167 4059 or ap@dnp.dk

www.dnp-screens.com

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

25

CHIEF: Unique Monitor Array Series Launched

The new K4 Series of Kontour® monitor array mounting solutions feature focal depth adjustment capability - an industry-first feature from Chief. The focal depth adjustment is perfect for stations with multiple users because it allows them to effortlessly move the screens to their preferred depth.

The K4 series features: • Focal depth adjustment • Swivel and pan capability • Ergonomic handles • Centris™ Fingertip Tilt • Cable management • Sleek, solid aluminum arms with attractive color accents • Support for monitors up to 24"

The K4 Series is designed for array stations with multiple users such as trading desks, dispatch centers, control rooms, call centers, healthcare and more. The series includes grommetmounted solutions for 2x1 up to 6x2 configurations, and wall mounted solutions for 2x1, 1x2 and 3x1 configurations with slat all options coming soon. www.chiefmfg.com

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26

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

NEC: PA Series Projectors selectable ECO Mode technology extends each projector’s lamp life by up to 50 percent, while eco-conscious features like quick start (3 to 4 seconds), auto power on and direct power-off further advance the projector’s lifetime.

Incorporating NEC's unique Scaler Chip, the new projectors are capable of managing 4K input and share the signal with connected projectors. Featuring extended geometric control, a selection of lens options and portrait mode support is also available.

In addition to UHD content, the six new projectors offer high performance and outstanding picture quality for professional applications. They combine contrast ratios of up to 6,000:1 with unique features, such as NEC third generation Sweetvision contrast enhancement technology. The 10-bit video processor also helps in noise reduction, advance colour correction and scaling.

Advanced installation performance is offered through a range of features,

including portrait picture mode support, which is ideal for digital signage applications. A wide 2x zoom, and vertical and horizontal lens shift enable easy and professional installation. Rich connectivity and multimedia features including DisplayPort, HDMI In – and HDBaseT – provide easy connection.

In line with NEC’s Green Vision, the projectors offer advanced green ECO features including low-energy consumption settings. The new models use only 0.16W of power in Stand-By mode – resulting in clear environmental benefits.

With up to 4,000 hours lamp life and inorganic panels designed for longer usage and lower service cost, total cost of ownership (TCO) of the new PA Series projectors is low. The additional

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Additional LAN/WLAN network control is offered across all models through NaViSet Administrator 2, which enables remote monitoring and control of all projectors in a network, virtual remote software, and HTTP browser control to manage a single projector via a standard web browser.

The PA Series models also offer stacking capabilities which allows up to four projectors to be stacked vertically or horizontally to boost the image brightness up to almost 28,800 ANSI lumens. This feature is an asset to larger-sized screens and environments with additional ambient light. It also prevents the complete loss of an image, which can happen when using only one projector. Moreover, with NEC's tilt-free installation, the projector can also be rotated freely (360 degrees) in order to point up or down depending on the installation requirements.

The PA series ship with a two-years limited parts and labour warranty. www.nec.com.sg

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

27

SONY: 3LCD Laser Light Source Projector Using Sony’s latest laser light source technology, the VPL-FHZ700L packs all of the benefits of vivid colour 3LCD technology with a longer laser light source lifespan. Tested to have a light source operation time of up to 20,000 hours, this latest model can help to save substantial costs and time associated with bulb replacement.

Besides delivering WUXGA resolution (1920 x 1200) and features such as instant on/off, tilt-angle-free design, edge blending, wide range vertical/ horizontal lens shift and advanced geometric correction, the FHZ700L also offers integration flexibility with multiple interfaces, and seven optional lenses.

The 7,000 lumens with 3LCD colour brightness delivers images with vivid, natural colour at a constant brightness mode, making it ideal for busy auditoriums and large venues.

Integrators who want to get creative and change the way they present video images can also have unlimited possibilities with this laser-based projector.

For instance, they can roll the projector 360° clockwise or counter-clockwise, including portrait or landscape orientation, and still get a stable, clear projected image.

To enable easier connectivity and reduce total system costs, there is also an optional slot-in HDBaseT™ board available.

In addition to the laser F-series, Sony also unveiled a number of upgraded projectors for the C-, D- and E- series.

Several new features include upgraded resolutions and HDBaseT™ connectivity for C-series VPL-CH375 and VPL-CH355, while D-series VPL-D100 and VPL-E200

projectors have been refreshed to include a long-lasting lamp replacement time of 10,000 hours. Another impressive feature of the new D-Series and E-Series is the ability to run presentations wirelessly via tablets and smartphone devices through the Pixelworks’ VueMagic Mobile Presenter application.

The new VPL-FHZ700L laser projector and new C-series projectors will be available from September 2014 and November 2014 respectively. The D and E-series projectors are currently available in the market. pro.sony-asia.com

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

29

ONCAM GRANDEYE: 360-degree Surveillance Technology Protected by over 30 patents, Oncam Grandeye's surveillance technology enables high-resolution recording of the entire fisheye view, independent of what an operator is doing. Images can also be processed during playback as if they were live images. During playback, images can be dewarped and virtual cameras can be generated, enabling the viewer to pan, tilt and zooom around the entire scene. Key technology features include: wider area of coverage with less blind spots, retrospective tracking, and since the 360-degree camera have no moving parts, it requires less maintenance.

All Oncam Grandeye products also come with free, downloadable app

for users to utilize the dewarping abilities on a mobile device. Called the 'OnVu360', the app enables all-day, all-year round local or remote access to information in real-time over WiFi and 3G/4G network. It is available on both Apple and Android platforms.

Optionally, integrators can also purchase an integration pack which enables Network Video Recording (NVR) partners to fully integrate with the Oncam Grandeye cameras. The integration pack supports a range of operating systems including Windows, Linux, Android and iOS, for use with NVR software.

Having launched its Asia HQ in Singapore recently, Oncam Grandeye has officially introduced its 360-degree surveillance technology to the region.

The Oncam Grandeye surveillance cameras currently comprised of the Evolution and Halocam product line. www.oncamgrandeye.com

I N N O VAT I V E S C R E E N T E C H N O L O G I E S

S ELF A DHES IVE P RO JECTIO N F IL M S

S U N R E ADAB L E PRO J E C T I O N S C R EENS

U LTRA S H O RT TH ROW P RO JEC TIO N S C REENS

S U P ER H D FRONT P RO JEC TIO N S C R EENS

S W ITCHA B LE SM ART GLA S S & F ILM

I N T E R AC T I V E P RO J E C T I O N FOIL S

MIRRO RVIS IO N TV’S & OVERL AYS

S O U NDP O DS - TU RN A NY S U RFAC E INTO A SPEA KER

D O YO U H AV E T H E V I S I O N ?

Resellers required

W W W . P R O D I S P L A Y . C O M U ni t 5 | S hor t wood Business Pa rk | Hoy la nd | B a rnsley | S74 9LH T: + 44 ( 0) 870 766 8438 | F: +44 (0)870 766 8437 | E: sa les@pro display.c o.uk

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SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

ECLER: HMA120 Powered Media Mixer

etc.), auto stand-by mode, and an additional remote control port to manage the source selection and output volume by means of WPm series wall panels.

The HMA120 mixer features Class-D technology and convection cooling thus ensuring silent operation.

The HMA120 is a compact and affordable self-powered audio mixer, equipped with 5 audio inputs and an integrated media player. The 5 audio inputs comprises of 3 x LINE ST, 1 MIC and another MIC input that has an option to be selected as line input.

It features a 120W powered output that supports both low (4 Ω) and high impedance (70V, 100V) loudspeaker lines. If more power is required, the

rear panel AUX Out allows to connect another amp unit.

The front panel features a USB port and a SD/SDHC card slot which enables the user to play MP3 files directly with accessibility through the front panel buttons.

The HMA120 also includes a 2 level priority system (paging, emergencies,

The system would suit itself well in retail stores, restaurants and bars where BGM and paging might be required. With message priorities and independent selection of source/volume it is user friendly and easy to operate.

For enquiry within Singapore email: sales@wokeehong.com.sg www.ecler.com

ATEN: DVI KVM Over IP Extender With Multicast Connectivity

Supporting one or two DVI displays at each end, the KE6900 and KE6940 provide the capability to extend, share, switch or multicast a transmission from anywhere with video resolution up to 1920 x 1200 at 60 frames per second. It is the ideal solution for post-production, control and monitoring, retail, healthcare, surveillance, training, and government applications that demand real-time, high-quality graphics with fluid control.

The KE6900 and KE6940 DVI KVM Over IP Extender consists of transmitter units that connect to the computer and receiver units that provide console access from a separate location.

The computer is accessed from the remote console over a standard TCP/

IP network via Cat 5e cable that allows point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and multipoint-to-multipoint administration.

Integrating ATEN’s advanced graphics processor, the KE6900 and KE6940 both deliver video with the same vivid and sharp quality on the remote console without latency, regardless of the distance between users and computers.

In addition, the ATEN Matrix Manager management software allows easy administration of all KE6900 and KE6940 devices over a network. This scalable and dynamic management system uses and intuitive user-friendly web-based GUI, providing the capability to manage both the transmitter and receiver devices and peripherals such as USB keyboard/

mouse, USB storage devices and display monitors.

Through ATEN’s Matrix Manager management software, the KE6900 and KE6940 support advanced features for username and password authentication, user authorization and auto-detection of all devices that can be switched and shared. With security in mind, the KE6900 and KE6940 adopt AES-128 bit encryption for secure transmission while RADIUS, LDAP, AD or remote user authentication provide further security.

The Altusen KE6900 and KE6940 DVI KVM Over IP Extenders are available now. www.aten.com

32

ADVERTORIAL Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

CASIO: New Lamp-Free Ultra Short-Throw Projector With Control Capability Through Smart Devices The XJ-UT310WN with the optional wall mount kit (YM-80)

• Images captured by a smart-device camera (phone or tablet) can be projected by the XJ-UT310WN in real time. For example, a teacher can walk around the classroom and capture images of student's group work and instantly project them on the screen.

• Content can be projected from apps stored in the smart device or from the Internet browser screen through the projector thus enabling the easy creation of lessons or presentations.

Offering high-brightness performance of 3,100 ANSI lumens, Casio's XJUT310WN, is also a lamp and mercuryfree projector. The projector features Casio's proprietary Laser & LED Hybrid Light Source which means high brightness without the use of a mercury lamp, which also saves time as there are no bulbs to be changed.

In addition the projector works with a low power consumption of just 230 watts thus offering users financial and environmental benefits.

The Laser and LED Hybrid light source has a long life of up to 20,000 hours of usage and a new original structure has been devised to minimize deterioration of brightness due to dust. A 2GB internal storage capacity allows users to download their presentation files over a wireless network thus eliminating the need for a PC. The XJ-UT310WN also boasts a full suite of inputs including, Video, Computer and HDMI terminals with audio. It is equipped with a powerful 16 watt speaker and a dedicated dynamic microphone input ensures everyone can hear. Network (RJ-45) and local RS-232 connections provide control and remote status monitoring capabilities.

In addition, users can also control the Ultra Short-Throw projector through their smart devices. The app compatibility with both Android and iOS-based platform creates more ease and versatile use for the user.

The Smart device application features include: • Operation of a PC connected to the XJ-UT310WN from the smart device, thus allowing the presenter to move around the room without having to return to the PC.

• Operation of the projector through the smart device application. The projection content source can be switched between PC, AV and other input devices, internal memory, and USB connected device. The sound and picture, including features such as freeze and blank screen, can also be adjusted with a variety of other operations.

Casio XJ-UT310WN is now available.

For enquiries contact projector@casio. com.sg http://world.casio.com

34

EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

By Shireen Ho

INTEGRATE 2014: That's A Wrap!

Held on 26 – 28 August, Integrate 2014 attracted over 5,000 visitors and 129 exhibitors.

In association with InfoComm International and CEDIA, Integrate 2014 provided delegates the opportunity to meet and network with the industry’s finest companies, leaders and thinkers.

Featuring 27 product categories at the exhibition floor, the Integrate tradeshow ensured that the needs of all visitors; from distributors, integrators, manufacturers to consultants and AV/IT technicians across various markets, were met.

Featuring the largest number of visitors and exhibitors in its history, the 129 exhibitors at the event presented more than 300 brands to over 5,000* registered visitors at the 3-day show.

A

ustralia's leading AV and integrated systems tradeshow, Integrate, kicked off on 26 August in Sydney with much fanfare.

There were world-renowned keynote

speeches, quality education programmes, and over 300 leading brands at the threeday show at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park.

Improving its product offerings, Integrate 2014 had attracted over 30 new exhibitors this year. Some of these new exhibitors include Delta, eyevis, Leyard, KNX, ONELAN, TriplePlay and Ricoh. *Visitors statistics are CAB audited.

On the show floor AMX demonstrates new Enova presentation switcher The star product at the AMX booth was the newly launched Enova DVX-2110 series. Featuring fewer source inputs than previous Enova DVX, the 11th and 12th All-In-One Presentation Switcher models, Enova® DVX-2110HD-SP and DVX-2110HD-T are targeted at smaller meeting room such as huddle rooms and classrooms.

Featuring four video inputs including two multi-format DVI inputs that accept both

analog and digital video sources and two HDMI inputs with all inputs being HDMI/ HDCP-capable, it also retained all of the features that come standard on every Enova DVX, including AV switching, an integrated NetLinx controller, professional audio DSP, amplifier and twisted pair distance transport – ensuring meetings and presentations run seamlessly. www.amxaustralia.com.au

APG presents TC Group brand synergy As exclusive distributor of Tannoy, Lab. gruppen and Lake brands for Australia and New Zealand, APG showcased some exciting brand synergies and user potential on the show floor.

“As the TC Group Brand manager for Australia and New Zealand, I was particularly excited to demonstrate the obvious synergies between Lab.gruppen, Lake and Tannoy.” said Nik Buchanan, Product Manager at APG. “From cost effective solutions involving LUCIA and

CVS series, through to performance systems involving PLM and VX series, there was plenty to talk about! We had a strong flow of traffic throughout the show from our existing customer base of AV integrators and Consultants as well as some new contacts. As the Biamp distributor it was a major asset to be able to demonstrate the new networked Lab.gruppen D Series with Biamp Tesira on our stand – that product in particular enjoyed some very positive feedback.”

www.audioproducts.com.au www.tannoy.com www.labgruppen.com

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Atlona simplifies classrooms and small office system design Co-exhibiting at the IDT booth, Atlona showcased products from the HDVS collection that target small and medium spaces.

Launched earlier this year, the Atlona AT-UHD-CLSO-612 switcher has 2 HDMI, 2 HDBaseT and 2 multi-function analog inputs, enabling integration of both new and legacy sources with HDMI displays. Additionally, the switcher also features a built-in scaler, which can take

any analog signal and upscale it up to UHD resolution, or even downscale 4K material.

“Having the scaler is critical to the installer, because with all sorts of devices i.e. tablets, digital laptops, analog laptops etc., coming into meeting spaces, how do you deal with that?

With the new CLSO-612, we are able to connect whatever device people bring in, scale their content and still

make it looks nice on the display.” said Jeff Meyer, Director of Business Development, EMEA & APAC, Atlona. www.atlona.com

Christie stuns with variety of visual and collaboration solutions 1-chip DLP® projector, which features laser phosphor illumination. With a brightness of 5400 ANSI lumens, small footprint, low-weight, quiet operation and a full site of lenses, the Christie DWU555-GS is ideal for boardrooms, higher education, houses of worship and smaller location-based entertainment venues.

In collaboration with Kramer Electronics, Christie provided a number of visual products to complement Kramer's solutions. Featuring Christie MicroTiles, Christie Interactivity Kit and Christie Jumpstart, visitors at the booth saw a stunning visual display of interactive content.

Another Christie highlight at the Kramer booth was the new Christie DWU555-GS

At Christie's own booth, visitors saw a live demonstration of the new Christie Brio Team and Christie Brio Enterprise, which were being exhibited for the first time in Australia since its launch in June.

Simple to access with no training required, Christie Brio Team is fully selfcontained and does not require access to the local area network. Users can quickly connect to the Brio Team unit and wirelessly share information with team

members in the same room without the need for additional drivers and external dongles.

For users who need to share content across multiple locations and collaborate securely, Christie Brio Enterprise comes into play. Integrated into the local area network for access to Internet and network services, Christie Brio Enterprise allows participants to see the same information at the same time regardless of their geographic locations. To demonstrate its capabilities, Christie had set up different nodes at the booth to simulate collaboration activities such as conference calls, sharing of audio, video and whiteboards. www.christiedigital.com

Crestron moves from 4K Ready to 4K Already New to Integrate this year, was the 4th generation 4K DigitalMedia™ platform.

Officially launched in InfoComm in Las Vegas last June, this is the “first opportunity Crestron had to put out in the market place in a public fashion”, remarked Gordon Anderson CTS, DMC-E, Regional Sales Manager – Australia & New Zealand, Crestron Electronics.

There was plenty to see at the Crestron booth, including a live demonstration of effective switching for 4K signals, collaboration solutions such as Crestron RL™ and AirMedia™ and flashy displays of touch panels like TSD-2020 and facilities management software.

Designed for use with any blade-based Crestron® DigitalMedia™ Switcher, the DMB-4K-I-HD is an input blade that provides eight independent HDMI® inputs with associated analog audio inputs.

"What we didn’t used to have and got now, are input cards and in-points that support the delivery of 4K content.

So displayed here are a number of 4K displays with a number of 4K inputs.” commented Anderson.

In the 4K product category, Crestron also displayed its latest 3-Series DigitalMedia™ Presentation switcher.

Beside showcasing its ability to manipulate 4K signals, Crestron also exhibited its enterprise management software, Fusion RV® and Fusion EM®. www.crestron.com

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Delta unveils its first and latest ultra-bright laser-based Video Wall of up to 2000:1, Delta video walls was also shown to improve energy savings of up to 10% (compared to traditional technology).

To commemorate its debut at the Integrate show, Delta unveiled their latest ultra-bright laser-based Digital Light Processing (DLP®) video wall.

Featuring an industry-leading brightness of 1,800 lumens and a high contrast ratio

Through a live demonstration, delegates experienced the advanced functionality of Delta’s innovative display and monitoring solutions, all of which were designed to maximise reliability and efficiency for control room, public display and visualization applications.

In addition, the redundant light source and power supply in the new Laser-

based DLP® video wall guarantee no downtime, making it ideal for applications demanding 24/7 operations thus, providing a remarkable reduction in costs of ownership.

Delta also exhibited their advanced visual display control systems for its video wall, such as the Distributive Vision Control System (DVCS) and the Embedded Vision Control System (MiNiCON). www.deltaww.com

Digital Projection showcases 12,000 lumen laser projector At the Amber Technology, Digital Projection showcased its latest 12,000 lumen solid-state laser projector – the HIGHLite Laser 12K. The new 3-chip projector delivers a stunning 12,000 lumen output and boasts 20,000 hours of stable solid-state illumination with a WUXGA resolution.

Edge blending is included as standard along with Geometric Correction for a seamless viewing experience. HIGHLite Laser 12k delivers fully active 3D with up to 144 Hz refresh rate for a smooth and flicker-free quality.

For high speed video delivery, the projector also comes with Dual HDMI 1.4, DVI and 3G-SDI inputs. To complement this, HDBaseT connectivity allows the transmission of uncompress HD video over a CAT5e/6 LAN cable.

The available lenses range from 0.77:1 to 6.76:1, making it a versatile application for event and staging, houses of worship, command and control centres and virtual reality venues etc,. www.digitalprojection.com

Exterity paths the way for IPTV and TV gateways Compact and HD-ready, the Exterity AvediaPlayer Receivers r9200, r9210 and r9220 are set-top boxes that can connect any screen to an existing IP network, enabling the receipt of live or recorded video streams. Featuring a single Ethernet port and an HDMI output, the receiver supports a variety of HDMI video resolution formats up to 1080p.

Richard Phillips, International and Strategic Partners Sales Director for Exterity

No longer a stranger to Integrate, Exterity partnered with Hills once again to display some of their latest products, such as the AvediaPlayer Receivers and the new AvediaStream TV gateway.

The static channel feature also allows users to have their own content appear in the standard channel list – benefitting end users in the corporate and hospitality environment to switch between live broadcast and stored video to share regulatory or serviced-orientated video resources such as training, facility safety, or operational announcements with employees, visitors or guests.

In addition to the AvediaPlayer Receivers, Exterity also exhibited the AvediaStream TVgateway g4448, a device designed to stream live TV and radio channels over existing network.

“Founded in 2001, Exterity are pioneers in the IPTV business for enterprise. In Australia, we have done projects at ABC in Brisbane and the Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. We work very closely with integrators and installers – teach them as much as we can about our solutions, so when we support them, they can support our end-users.” said Richard Phillips, International and Strategic Partners Sales Director, Exterity. www.exterity.com

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Gefen competes with a comprehensive portfolio of 4K UHD devices Together with Amber Technology, Gefen put out a comprehensive portfolio of UHD solutions. Its core offering at Integrate this year includes splitters, switchers, extenders and matrixes, with a specific focus on 4K. On display was the 4x1 Switcher for HDMI 4Kx2K, where Rod Sommerich (CTS), Far East & Pacific Rim Regional Sales Director of Gefen LLC, demonstrated the functions and capabilities of the new switcher using a four-unit video wall.

Ideal for retail establishments, sports bars, schools, museums, hospitals, hotel lobbies, or any other installations where UHD HDCP-compliant AV content from up to 4 HDMI sources is required on an

UHD display, the device allows users to switch easily between four UHD sources.

The switcher supports resolutions up to 4K x 2K (3840 x 2160@30Hz).

HDCP, Deep Color, 3DTV pass-through, and lossless audio formats such as LPCM 7.1, Dolby® TrueHD, and DTSHD® Master Audio™.

Each Ultra Hi-Def source can be switched to the display using the front panel push-button controls, the included IR

remote, RS-232 serial control interface, or through IP, using Telnet, UDP, and the built-in web server interface. LED indicators on the top panel display the current switching status. www.gefen.com

IDT steps up on range of product offering

It was a mix-and-match of solution offerings over at IDT booth D46 this year.

Gathering some of their best brands under one roof, visitors to the IDT booth found solutions ranging from 4K player for digital signage to Video Wall mounts.

“Over the past two years, IDT has step up on its product offering. With a much broader range of products, we hope to cover all key markets and become a one-stop solutions provider for our customers.” said Mark Lowe, General Manager, IDT. One of the exhibitors at IDT was BrightSign. For the first time in Australia, BrightSign showcased its BrightSign 4K product line.

“Right now, we have most interest coming from luxury retailers. As digital signage previously was unable to display UHD content without getting BrightSign pixelated, this is the first time luxury retailers can make use of the technology to have large format screens that actually looks like print.” commented Jeff Hastings, CEO, BrightSign.

Also exhibited at the IDT booth was Chief, the mounting specialist. Featured at the show was Chief's ConnexSys Video Wall Mounting System. Resolving common video wall challenges, the ConnexSys Video Wall Mounting System provides users the ability to level each row once by using strut channel to connect multiple mounts together with a simple-to-install system that can handle the largest requirements. Product types range from Landscape to Portrait mounting, with or without rails, and supports a weight capacity of 68kg.

Up next at Da-Lite, IDT remarked that they had just relaunched the brand in Australia in July. For the Integrate show, Da-Lite showcased the UTB Contour, one of the brand’s star products. Featuring HD Progressive surface designed for 1080p, 4K and Ultra HD, the UTB Contour comes with an ultra thin bezel frame at 6.4mm and a low profile flat panel design at 3.5cm off the wall.

Similar to last year, Jupiter Systems presented their Canvas solution once again at Integrate. A collaborative visualization tool that allows the sharing of a common operating picture, Canvas enables video, data, applications etc., to be shared with co-workers anywhere, on any devices. With their technology success in the United States, Jupiter has hope to break into the Asia market, hence Integrate was seen as one of the platforms to gain access to the Asia Pacific region. www.idt.com.au www.brightsign.biz www.chiefmfg.com www.da-lite.com www.jupiter.com

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Kramer liberates traditional meetings with VIA Collage users. A system that can simultaneously show six people's screens on a display— or 12, if you employ two displays, VIA makes team collaboration easier.

Featuring 1x HDMI and 1x DP Display Port, users can bring video into the collaboration easily. Last but not least, it is also touchscreen-compatible with whiteboard, so for users who preferred to work on blank canvases, this feature will allow them to create, annotate, illustrate, review, edit or highlight on the display.

Well-established as the manufacturer of quality scalers, switchers, routers and cables, Kramer Electronics has recently gone into collaboration technology as well. At Integrate booth C26 this year, in addition to its usual range of flagship products, Kramer also showcased their new VIA Collage, a Kramer's first in the collaboration solutions market.

A tool for “meeting smarter”, Kramer's VIA Collage is a wireless presentation and collaboration device that enables users to connect and collaborate wirelessly. Providing a common platform for all connected devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets during meeting, VIA Collage not only allows users to share content, but also create and edit content in real-time with other

Leyard enters with 4K control room solution Also new to Integrate this year, Leyard Optoelectronics Co., Ltd presented the TVH1.9 4K LED video wall at booth E44.

Measuring 295-inch display area, the solution was massive and eye-catching.

To simulate a live-action monitoring, the images and videos were constantly changed to allow visitors to experience the display monitoring solution.

Integrating multiple functions such as monitoring, command, management and teleconference, Leyard's 4K control room uses 4K technology and LED display to maximize display. The solution gives a 160° super wide angle of view that enables users to collect various signals and resources as well as seamless screen-splitting capabilities that allow information to be displayed proportionally.

In addition to the TV1.9, there are two other options of displays: the TV1.6 and

TV2.5. For TV2.5, display space can go up to a whopping 389-inch. www.leyard.com

In addition to VIA Collage, Kramer also displayed a variety of switchers at the show. Sharing the limelight with VIA were VP-553, a 6x2 presentation switcher/scaler for HDMI and HDBaseT signals; VP-773, the popular 8-input switcher/scaler which was also the star product for last year's show; and the VS-3232DN, a matrix switcher chassis for DVI and HDMI signals. www.krameraustralia.com.au

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Distilled into “6 Key Values”, this depth of accrued knowledge and experience served as the foundation behind the development of our Commercial Installation Solutions product lineup. By combining a unique, streamlined overall approach to installed sound, with acclaimed Yamaha product reliability and thorough customer care, this flexible lineup promises to benefit everyone at each stage of the installation process—from installers and contractors, to investors and owners. Most importantly, however, it is the patrons, clients, and customers of each commercial installation that will ultimately benefit from the clarity, tonal quality and musicality of these unique installed solutions that exude the decorated history of the sound specialists of Yamaha.

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Lightware demonstrates new UMX series TPS transmitter Over at booth F30, Lightware exhibited the new UMX-TPS-TX140 from UMXTPS product family. Since its launch at InfoComm, this is the first time a working unit is demonstrated in a 4K modular routing environment.

The UMX-TPS-TX140 transmits universal video at a resolution up to 4K, plus audio and control up to 170 m distance over a single CAT cable. Designed for small boardrooms and classrooms, it supports digital and analog video and audio including VGA, YPbPr, HDMI1.4 and DP 1.1 with analog stereo or embedded 7.1 HBR audio. The UMX-TPS products are

HDCP compliant and provide factory, custom and transparent EDID emulation.

with.” said Jacques Deventer, Director, Lightware Visual Engineering.

“Also what is unique about this product is that it can give you a live area reading.

If a cable gets damaged or something, it will prompt a red light and you will know exactly which cable you have a problem

To ensure interoperability, the UMX-TPSTX140 is compatible with Lightware’s TPS (HDBase-T) extenders and modular matrix switchers. www.lightware.eu

QSC presents new Q-Sys Integrated System

During Integrate this year, QSC at booth A13 showcased an array of products ranging from Q-Sys Integrated System platform to loudspeakers and amplifiers.

Amongst which, its newest products were Core 1100 and Core 3100 from the

Q-Sys family. Representing the second generation of Q-Sys Enterprise Cores, the Core 1100 and Core 3100 are new servers with double the processing power from its predecessors. The Core 1100 provides up to 256 x 256 lowlatency network audio network channels and 96x AEC processing channels, while Core 3100 provides up to 512 × 512 lowlatency network audio network channels and 192× AEC processing channels.

In the loudspeakers category, QSC displayed the latest AD-S6T, a model from the Acousticdesign Surface Mount

range. Featuring 6-inch weather treated woofer with 1-inch silk dome tweeter, the loudspeaker has a 105-degree axisymmetric coverage.

“In this year's show, we are focusing a lot on end-user experience instead of the technician application. Using the QSC app, we are trying to show people how to operate our product from the end user perspective.” commented Andy Pearce, Director of Sales – Asia Pacific, QSC Asia Limited. qsc.com

Reach dedicates recording and streaming solutions to vertical markets Participating in Integrate for the third time, SZ Reach at booth F26 exhibited a range of products from Lecture Sharing System to Video Conference Recorder.

Amongst them, REACH Bee 8 and Healthcare Simulation Capture System were the focus.

Great for recording training and meeting scenarios, the REACH Bee 8 enables recording, live streaming and playback of video signals and presentation signals. It supports video quality up to 1080p HD video signals and features a USB input that allows for storage and download of files.

Next on display was the Healthcare Simulation Capture System. Consisting of SD/HD Encoders, HD Decoder and the Media Conqueror, the Simulation Capture System captures signals from camera, monitor and PC. Its recording, streaming and debriefing capabilities have met the requirements of many medical training institutes in Australia and Asia, such as the SingHealth Academy in Singapore.

“In Australia, there is a simulation centre in almost every state. So far, we already have more than three projects here in

places like Queensland and Perth, so we consider Australia being a very big potential market for us.” said Jack Mao, Regional Manager, SZ Reach Tech Co., Ltd. www.en.szreach.com

Integrate returns on 25 – 27 August 2015, with the show location moving to Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia. integrate-expo.com

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

InfoComm India 2014 raises high stakes

See. Hear. Touch The Future Of Your Business

by Ram Bhavanashi

InfoComm India 2014 – the second edition of the prestigious annual congregation of India’s audio-visual and systems integration industry – held in Mumbai from 17-19 September raised the stakes high and promised to bring more. The punchline of the event – ‘See. Hear. Touch the future of your business’ – appeared expressively clear as the event unfolded to an incredible diaspora of movers and makers of the industry.

Larger floor space, bigger booths, newer exhibitors and new solutions, more focussed programming, better footfalls, and – though a concern or two – brighter propositions for future editions- that summarised the event. SIA reports on an arguably highly promising event.

Figures and facts

• Over 110 Exhibitors from 21 countries • 5643 visitors which is a 28% increase from last year • 40 percent rise in Tech Sessions attendance • Global launches, Market test launches, New directions

The ‘writing on the wall’ was apparent.

The message of InfoComm India 2014 appeared well taken by the industry stakeholders right from its promotional roadshows during the run-up period to the event, as it came out clear during the three days of 17-19 September at the Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC) in Mumbai where the event was held to a much appreciated audience.

For the record, the event with over 110 exhibiting manufacturers (and distributors) from as many as 21 countries and occupying the expansive Hall-1 of the BEC, was attended by a total of 5,643 visitors comprising consultants and SIs, policy makers and government functionaries, and potential end users and AV buyers from allied industry lines. The technical sessions saw a very healthy growth of 40 per cent over the previous edition.

For one, the event showed new dimensions and directions. It had global launches from big and small exhibitors; it had test launches for products that are yet to make commercial roll out; it had exhibitors from allied industries; and it had new demands too.

“We being the Government of Indiaowned consulting enterprise, need to be abreast with latest trends and solutions available on the market.

InfoComm India George Kuruvilla presented all that,” said George Kuruvilla- Director (O&M) at the Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL). A Ministry of Information & Broadcasting undertaking, BECIL actually facilitates technology infrastructure implementation in diverse government organs.

“It is imperative for us to understand and experience latest tech trends,

to be able to implement the same in various government institutions,” explained Kuruvilla. “We strongly believe InfoComm India is one platform to showcase it all, we stand to interact with the whole value chain of the industry.”

Siraj Siddiqui

For Siraj Siddiqui, Head of Information Technology at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), coming to IFI event was a big reckoner.

“While we built high credentials in professional education, we have been comparatively passive in leveraging AV mechanisms for furthering the experience of learning,” says the highprofile IT exec, “coming to this event has exposed us to the plentitude of opportunities.”

Compliments Ratnesh Javeri, Managing Director, Innovative Systems & Solutions Pvt Ltd: “I am pleasantly surprised with the amount of improvement made to this year's edition Ratnesh Javeri compared to the 1st edition held last year. First there is the overall visual appeal of the show floor.

The OEMs have put in great effort in displaying their solutions effectively. The

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

content within the booths is impressive as well. Fulfilling enough, the quality of footfalls has been great.”

Bigger, better, & brighter

For most exhibitors, InfoComm India 2014 has grown bigger, better and brighter. Both the exhibitor booths and the floor space got bigger as the number of exhibitors and exhibits grew qualitatively. “The show has certainly grown bigger,” asserts Bharat Kumar of Kramer India.

“It is much better than last year,” he said, “we not only had very quality audiences to our exhibits but also found them very enthusiastic. Our VIA collage solution Bharat Kumar attracted incredible enthusiasm from the visitors. It is certainly one show we feel like taking a pole position.”

For Hitachi India, it’s been a very exciting coming back to IFI. The company showcased ‘world’s smallest and lightest UST projector for the first time at the event. “The projector is not yet ready for commercial roll out; it is slated for next year. We brought it here to test market, such is the enthusiasm,” said Tarun Jain, Hitachi’s Country Head-India.

“We found a high level of enthusiasm from the visitors Tarun Jain who are also very qualitative,” he said and added, “we feel our purpose of coming here has been achieved; we will surely come back.”

For Harman Professional, who displayed AMX solutions on their booth for the first time after the big announcement at InfoComm USA in June, IFI 2014 has been exceedingly good. “It’s been very positive, very focused, and very promising,” said Prashanth Govindan, Harman India’s Director-Operations.

“We could meet and interact the full value chain of the industry- consultants, SIs, dealerdistributor-vendors, contractors, and more importantly potential end users,” he said. “What’s more, our bringing AMX on our booth, is well received; it Prashanth Govindan showed a renewed confidence on AMX solutions. We stand to get our deal sizes bigger and bigger now.”

Perhaps, a summary of the moods from the event come out in the words of Kanchen Mishra, Sales Manager, Aveco Technologies Pvt Ltd.: “a show like this without doubt is required. It enables us to get good exposure for our company and products. We got to see many end users and the quality of the visitors was great. It is an excellent show.”

The Organizer's View

For the organizers, InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd, it was a matter of learning from the first edition, fine-tuning and aligning needs to ensure that exhibitors and visitors reap maximum benefit Richard Tan from the exhibition.

“Our focus this year was on how to do things better and enhance the experience of exhibitors and visitors,” said Richard Tan, Executive Director of InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd. “For instance, operationally we changed the vendors for registration and security this year which resulted in better experience.

Most importantly we had to ensure delivery of quality visitors and this we did with our show preview presentations in 8 cities. Last year we did 7 cities but this year though we increased by one city, we also included new cities where we felt that the province or state had strong potential for the AV business due to big planned infrastructure projects and investments such as Pune, Cochin, Hydrebad and Chennai.”

“A significant difference this year was that the first two days saw a consistent high degree of conversations going on in the booths throughout. This is a direct reflection of the quality of the visitors to the exhibition. Meaningful business opportunities ground these conversations and this to us is the most successful impact of this show compared to last year.”

Strategic Plans for 2015

Not one to sit on their laurels, plans are afoot for more strategic promotion of the exhibition next year. “The country itself is currently in a wave of feel good factor, with the BJP winning majority seats. The government has made infrastructure development key for the coming years. These are in areas of transportation, hospitality, housing and education. Segments that are aligned with potential for the AV business. Thus we want to take advantage of these,” says Richard Tan. As part of that strategy, InfoCommAsia will resurrect their well received roadshows next year targeting Delhi, Hydrebad and Chennai as the infrastructure projects in these cities offer much potential. This will be part of their show promotion where it would be a full day exhibition supplemented with education. “With this we expect our roadshow participants to be able to meet with high level key buyers from these three cities and invite them to see their full slew of solutions at InfoComm India.”

“Another quantum stride we are looking at is to work with the Associations who are our partners, in different ways.

They have been so enthused with the exhibition that they want to do more with one idea currently floating around is to organise Events within the Event, thereby encouraging more of their members to visit the exhibition,” adds Richard.

One other idea that is in the pipeline is to have a showcase of “Technologies of Tomorrow”. This would be an area within the exhibition, which would provide glimpses of technology that would influence market trends. “We intend

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

to include forums within the showcase space so that the technologies are augmented with thought leadership, which we hope will provoke the industry to look beyond AV and how these technologies will affect us.”

networking, and is optimized for specific business applications with fixed I/O configurations.

The show returns next year for yet another edition of reassurance, to be seen from 1 – 3 September 2015.

From the show floor…

Benq announces its “arrival” into ProAV business

Taiwanese digital innovation solutions major Benq took the IFI 2014 platform to announce its ‘arrival’ into the professional AV solutions domain. The company launched Rajeev Singh its advanced range of interactive flat displays, wireless and laser hybrid projectors. The newly launched product range includes interactive flat panels RP 700+ and RP 650; high brightness projectors PU 9730 and SH 963; interactive projector MW853UST; and wireless projectors W1070+ and MW665.

“Our show this time is a reinforcement our seriousness on ProAV business. To ascertain to all those, who felt we are not in this space, that we have pretty much arrived,” Rajeev Singh, Country Head & GM, BenQ India said. “This show helped us send our message clear.”

The show this year is far more clear and much better organized, Rajeev said, adding, he found the show getting more focused, and should grow bigger next edition.

occupies only half rack unit space, and the microphone units that are wired to each other using standard Cat5 cables.

The closed ring simultaneously supplies the microphone units from both sides with uncompressed digital audio signals and voltage.

Features such as silicone pushbuttons with multi-colour backlighting and tactile feedback, as well as a headphone connector or an induction loop for assisted listening, meet the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The microphone units are available in a variety of fitted or desk-top versions, and enable the system to be integrated individually, elegantly and discreetly into any conference set-up. Up to 100 microphone units can be operated from one central control unit.

TesiraFORTÉ hosts a Tesira configuration file and, therefore, does not require a SERVER or SERVER-IO in order to function. Enhancing the functionality further, is a USB port to each model, supporting up to 8 channels of configurable USB audio that can be allocated in the programming interface. www.biamp.com

Bose India makes its appearance at InfoComm India

“The show looks good overall; we however wish we had a better booth location for a better visibility,” said Naveen, beyer’s India Sales Manager.

www.benq.co.in

www.asia-pacific-india.beyerdynamic. com

beyerdynamic launches the new Orbis system in India

Biamp demonstrates the new TesiraFORTÉ

beyerdynamic India introduced its new wired conference system ORBIS, following up with its global launch at the InfoComm USA in June and Integrate Australia in August this year. The ORBIS comprises central control unit, which

Built as an audio solution that can play in both the Everyday and Enterprise audio environments, the TesiraFORTÉ can be installed as a stand-alone conference room audio solution, or as a component of a much larger system. The feature-rich device brings to install specialities like standard model for high-quality audio; external codec conferencing solution; conferencing over standard telephone service solution; and VoIP conferencing solution.

Biamp Systems India has brought to the market its new TesiraFORTÉ, the first AVB DSP with configurable USB audio. Coming as a server-class device, the new system comes in four different models with optional AVB

Bose Corporation (India), having begun making their pitch at the industry conventions from last year, took to InfoComm India for the first time, in a big splash with its ‘solutions for every space.’

While the company demonstrated all its popular models and solutions under the FreeSpace and RoomMatch systems that included both indoor and outdoor audio solutions, the highlight of the booth was the India launch of RoomMatch Utility

Huge room volumes

Parallel wall mounting

www.dbaudio.com

The challenges remain consistent, but seldom appear independently. The d&b columns, however, are new and corrective; a unique combination of waveguides and damped ports create a cardioid pattern with a constant horizontal directivity of 90ﾂｰ, whilst the tight vertical dispersion tilts downwards in the low to mid range and is adjustable in the high frequencies. Handy for those who like to comprehend word for word in long, large, high, reverberant spaces with impediments to intelligibility. The d&b xC-Series: positions text clearly.

Large and high ceilings

+LJKO\ UHﾃ？FWLYH VXUIDFHV Visual unobtrusiveness

Extremely reverberant spaces

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

(RMU)-208 small format loudspeaker.

Designed for high quality foreground music, under-balcony, zone-fill and vocal-range floor monitor applications, the new RMU-208 features a single Bose EMU-2 compression driver that provides mid/high frequency voicing.

“InfoComm India is the platform for ProAV domain in the country, and we took to this to spread the message that Bose is for ProAV solutions as well,” said Arun Kumar, Divisional Manager, professional solutions division.

“We have seen a new level of enthusiasm from the visitors to Bose’s ProAV solutions,” he said and added, “we had some quality footwalls. We are happy to be here.” www.boseindia.com

The system is best suitable for small to medium training room set-ups with around 25 people seating. “We are mainly aiming at the booming education market in the country,” said Sanjay Hans, National Sales Manager at Casio India.

Launched globally just last month, the new UST projector is brand new for India.

www.chiefmfg.com

Christie demonstrates endto-end visual solutions

“The IFI show this time is much better,” said Sanjay. “We have been able to interact with some prospective buyers.

We feel our purpose of coming here has been achieved.” www.casio.co.in

Chief uses IFI platform to encourage knowledge upgrading

Casio brings lamp-less projectors to India

Sanjay Hans

Electronics major Casio brought its recently launched lamp-less “nomercury” UST projection systems XJ-UT310WN to Indian ProAV market.

The ultra-short throw, dust resistant system comes with 3100 lumens, and as many as 20,000 hours of life-span. The projector features Casio's proprietary Laser & LED Hybrid Light Source which means high brightness without the use of a mercury lamp, which also saves time as there are no bulbs to be changed.

In addition the projector works with a low power consumption of just 230 watts thus offering users financial and environmental benefits. Users can also control the UST projector through their smart devices. The app compatible with both Android and iOS-based platform creates more ease-of-use and versatility for the user.

partners in helping them achieve their objective of spreading the knowledge.

Chief embarked on a novel idea to get their Certified Partners to actively solicit new learners to register for their free online training – the Partners get rewarded with shopping vouchers, as long as they get new industry personnel to register for the training. There is no doubt that gaining knowledge will improve the overall skills and understanding of the AV industry and Chief's main aim together with their sole distributor, GreenSources, is to get as many professionals in India to learn and even earn industry credits. And as a sweetener they decided to reward their

Visual solutions major Christie Digital Systems demonstrated comprehensive end-to-end visual solutions suitable for diverse applications. The multi-zone display attracted visitors with a striking and fascinating product showcase divided into four zones - Transform, Share, Display and Collaborate. Each zone featured state-of-the-art Christie products that are ideal for specific applications.

The Transform Zone featured thin and elegant professional LCD flat panels that enhance any environment with brilliant, high-definition visuals. Making their debut at InfoComm India in the Share Zone are the Christie Brio Team and Christie Brio Enterprise nodes. The intuitive Christie Brio Team enables team collaboration on the same project in the same room without the need for additional drivers and external dongles.

Display Zone highlighted the Christie Spyder X20, the world’s most powerful video processor while the Collaborate Zone demoed the stunning 84-inch Christie QuadHD84 LCD panel, featuring Quad HD resolution (3840 x 2160) and true 60Hz refresh update rate for a natural display performance.

“InfoComm India is one of the most anticipated tradeshows in the country and we are pleased to be part of this huge event,” said Rajesh Patkar, Deputy General Manager, Christie India.

“The show is simply fantastic. We had incredible visitor enthusiasm,” he said.

“The purpose of our coming here is served more than expected.”

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014 year, the revolutionary, market-leading technology solution is presented to the Indian market through IFI 2014.

Besides the four themed zones, Christie and its partner Modern Stage Service demonstrated the actual holographic projection techniques successfully used by the Bharatiya Janata Party in India’s recent electoral campaign that became an overnight sensation. www.christiedigital.com

ClearOne launches its new Converge solution in India

Grifiths Zachariah

Audio conferencing solution major ClearOne, coming to InfoComm India for the first time, launched its all new 512x512 channel Converge Matrix sound reinforcement and sound distribution system. The company’s product display is also highlighted by another first time coming beam-forming microphone array that is integrated directly with the new collaborative room pro media collaboration appliance. The other products showcased included the 4:4:4 true colour digital multimedia system providing for streaming, control, and unlimited scalability, besides the new breed of media collaboration platforms on-premise and in the cloud.

“The show is pretty interesting; much better organized and focussed audiences,” said Grifiths Zachariah, Senior Technical Sales Manager, India & ME at ClearOne. “We are happy to be here.”

includes I/O cards, receivers, and extenders. The DM 4K switchers can display anything up to 4096x2160, enough to make sure presentation looks over-the-top, as amazingly awesome as it's supposed to be. Guaranteeing for the 4K competence of the products is Crestron 4K Certified logo as Crestron engineers do the 4K product testing in the DigitalMedia Lab and guarantee forhandling true 10 Gbits/data rates.

Crestron also demonstrated the RL video collaboration solution that combines Crestron hardware with Microsoft Lync software. The RL is incredibly easy to use; anyone can start a collaboration session with the touch of a button.

Using any mobile device or network computer, remotely join the conference to communicate, share documents and collaborate.

Besides, the automation major launched for India its latest touchpanel – FTTS600, along with the Fliptop, and Room scheduling touchpanel- both integrated with the RL. www.crestronasia.com

Delta ‘displays’ world’s first laser-based DLP video walls

Control automation solutions major Crestron continued with its ISE, InfoComm USA and Integrate Australia demonstration of end-to-end 4K distribution solution. The solution

Delta also displayed yet another revolutionary Industry Intelligent Monitoring Management System (iPEMS) based on the ‘Internet of Things’ technology along with the DVCS advanced vision control system that enables monitoring of over 10 million supervision points in real-time, ultra high-resolution visualization with intuitive Scalable Vector graphics, big data mining and analysis capabilities.

“We have always been technology leaders; we were the first to introduce network-based controllers, and followed by many such others,” explains Agarwal.

“We want to be seen as technology leaders and our endeavours are always in that line. This is one such initiative.”

Delta also showcased its Vivitek brand of projectors. www.deltadisplays.com www.delta.co.in

dnp showcases gamechanging short-throw screen

www.clearone.com

Crestron demonstrates endto-end 4K distribution, RL solution

“The technology is revolutionary in more ways than one,” explains Hemant Agarwal, Senior Director- Display Solutions Business Unit at Delta.

According to him, the new solution is unique combination of ultra-brightness, high-performance, eco-friendly, and ‘viewer-friendly’ characteristics. “The unique technology used in the making of these cubes contributes to the visual comfort of the viewer, and thereby helps eliminates the fatigue element,” explains Hemant.

Delta Display Systems, the display division of the $8-billion Delta Group, brought to Indian AV market its recently launched world’s first laser-based DLP (cubes) video wall solution. First introduced to the global markets at the Integrate, Australia 2014 in August this

Danish screen solutions major dnp launched for Indian market its hottest selling screen model- the hybrid rear projection and front projection microoptical screen STS- designed exclusively for extreme short throw projection systems. The brand-agnostic screen syncs in line with practically every short throw projector on the market such as those from Hitachi, Epson, Sony, Vivitek, NEC etc. explains Pervez Anjum, Area Sales Manager-Asia at dnp. First

EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

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make it more emphatic through this platform.”

Soren and Anjum

launched in China, and followed by its introduction in the USA, the STS is now brought to India.

“It has been a big hot seller in China, and we believe it will be a game-changer as well for the Indian short-throw projection market,” says Anjum. “The screen has an incredible pull in education and commercial verticals from all across Asia.”

Priced very competitively, the STS screen comes in three variants- 92-inches with 16/10 aspect ratio; 100-inches with 16/9, and 84-inches with 4/3 aspect ratio.

“India has always been an important market and with the education and commercial segments growing exponentially, we see a great opportunity for the model,” Anjum expressed confidence. “InfoComm India is the platform that we look forward to every time, and we are happy to be here.” www.dnp.com

Drita Technologies makes it big at IFI 2014

Besides the TRX60 and TPD 100 models from Trilion, Drita is also demonstrated its own makes of controllers at the InfoComm. “InfoComm is the most effective platform for demoing our products to our customers- which is why we come here with reinforced commitment,” said Mustafa. www.drita.in

E&E showcases Prym Audio end-to-end solution

Gopinathan Poncho

Coming to InfoComm India for the first time, multi-brand distribution major, E&E showcased its recently developed end-to-end clubbing audio solution Prym Audio. “Prym Audio is designed to serve the market not as a mere box seller but as a complete solution provider,” explains Gopinathan Poncho, the solution developer, and Executive Director at E&E India. “Prym speakers are, thus, not for sale as just individual products but as complete solution.

Unlike most manufacturers in market, we are not interested in selling just boxes and want to concentrate on complete solution. Actually that’s an interesting part of the need we saw, and came up with the offering.” www.prymaudio.com www.enesystemsindia.com

The team from Drita and Trilion

Drita Technologies came back to InfoComm India with bigger versions of TRX60 Series, and TPD 100 Series.

“This is part of our reinforcement of focus on the Indian market,” explained Mustafa Harawala Drita’s DirectorSales & Marketing, and Dheeraj Guha, CTO. “That we are now the exclusive system integration partners for Trilion Technologies in India, we wanted to

Harman showcases a whole big range of AV soutions

HARMAN Professional showcased a comprehensive array of AV solutions that are highlighted, among others, by AMX Enzo- a collaboration tool and a cloudbased presentation and content sharing platform. Also on display was the Sereno video conferencing system, designed to support conferencing applications in smaller meeting rooms.

On display from Harman fold was the AKG ConferControl 3.0- a completely redesigned desktop application to configure and control both CS5 and CS3 conferencing systems from AKG. BSS Audio showcased, for the first time in India, the Soundweb Contrio Wall Controllers designed to provide a simplistic, yet powerful interface allowing for greater control of audio for a variety of applications and venues. While Crown had its DriveCore Install (DCi) Series power amplifiers, the greenest amplifier line ever on market, JBL range featured the all-weather compact loudspeakers including the JBL AW 595 and JBL AWC 82 that combine durable construction with premium drivers and components to deliver clear, intelligible speech and music reproduction over a wide area.

Complementing the display with architectural lighting solutions was Martin Lighting with its Exterior 400, Exterior 100 and Exterior 50 ranges of fixtures.

Says Prashanth Govindan, Harman India’s Director-Operations: “We could meet and interact with full value chain of the industry. What’s more, our bringing AMX on our booth, is well received; it showed a renewed confidence on AMX solutions.

We stand to get our deal sizes bigger and bigger now.”

“InfoComm India has grown and evolved as a platform that gives us the opportunity to connect with a variety of install partners and consultants,” said Ankush Agarwal, Director, Marketing and Business Development, at HARMAN India. www.harman.com

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Hitachi test markets world’s smallest and lightest UST projector

The team from IHSEUSA

control signals over Cat-X or fiber optic cabling.

Digital Learning and Presentation technology solutions leader Hitachi unveiled a whole big range of new projectors. The line-up includes the brightest ever projector CP-WU13K and Full HD projector CP-HD9320 that promises to exceed expectations of Pro AV market. Seven more new Ultra Short Throw models include the CP-AX2503, CP-AX3003, CP-AX3503, CP-AW2503, CP-AW3003 and Interactive UST- CPTW2503, CP-TW3003 models, offering to transform learning and presentation experience in the education, government and corporate sectors.

However, the Hitachi show was highlighted by its test marketing of yet-to-be-named projector- the world’s smallest and lightest UST projector. “The projector is not yet ready for commercial roll out. It is still under market testing,” explained Tarun Jain, Hitachi’s Country Head-India.

This feature-rich Vario series supports either one dual-link DVI or two single link DVI video sources through a DMS59 connector and the appropriate DVI-D adapter. Engineered for reliability and exceptional ultra-high resolution image performance, the 482 series uses IHSEusa’s optimized compression technology to deliver perfect transmission of DVI-D computer video images for one 2560x2048 @ 60Hz or two 1920x1200 @ 60Hz video transports.

“The InfoComm India show is interesting; it looks better than it was last year,” said Manny Patel, President and CEO at IHSEusa, LLC

Up to 6 presenters’ screens can be displayed on a single display device and up to 12 can be shown simultaneously when two display devices are used. The VIA Collage also supports third party video conferencing applications such as Skype, Go To Meeting, Lync and WebEx allowing for remote participation.

www.ihseusa.com

www.kramerindia.com

Kramer demonstrates seamless meetings ‘VIA’ collage

Lightware showcases its 4K solutions

“Infocomm India presents us with a great opportunity to strengthen our business with a wide-range of customers in the Indian AV industry,” Tarun said, adding, “Our visitors represented many of our oldest and most loyal customers as well as new, potential customers. www.hitachiconsumer.com/in

ihseUSA meets long distance transmission needs with Draco 482 Series KVM (kernel-based virtual machine) solutions major ihseUSA brought its Draco 482 Series Dual-Link extenders offering long distance transmission of Dual-Link DVI, USB-HID, USB 1.0/2.0, analog or digital audio and RS-232

individual devices. Anyone connected to the VIA Collage can contribute to the main document at any time. An impressive feature of the VIA is that any document created during a meeting, stored on the VIA Collage or residing on the device of anyone connected to the system can be instantly saved to the devices of all meeting participants.

The Interactive whiteboard function on the VIA Collage allows multiple users to annotate, edit or highlight the current document or even a frame of video via their touch enabled devices.

AV gear major Kramer Electronics made global launch and demo of the curiously awaited VIA Collage- showing an easy solution to the BYOD challenges, and providing for seamless and effective integration of PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices into any meeting.

Meeting attendees can easily create and edit a common document using their

“The VIA solution obviously has drawn a big attention. It captured the demanding meeting professionals’ imagination,” said Bharat Kumar of Kramer India. “The show has grown much better too; the visitor footfall is much qualified and focused. So is the attention to the VIA.”

The Lightware team was pleased with the quality ofvisitors to their booth, as they continued to engage the Indian market and offer alternative solutions for their integration needs. The world's first 80x80 25GBps HDMI1.4 compliant Matrix that was released at ISE this year, was brought to the Indian audience as well as the recently released UMX-TPS extenders' family. www.lightware.eu

EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Panasonic ‘displays’ large, robust 4K LEDs

Electronics major Panasonic highlighted its display on the show floor this year with what is regarded as the most robust 4K LED on the market. While a whole big range of its recently launched LFB Series high performance, multi-touch full HD display systems were on display, leading the show from front was the TH-98-LQ70 98-inch professional durable and large 4K display. Coming in with a protective (toughened) glass panel and aluminium cabinet, the 4K display promises to withstand even the harshest conditions even as it provides bright, crisp and high resolution images in 4K. With approximately 8,290,000 pixels, or about four times the pixels of a FullHD display, the LQ Series produces extremely detailed images, achieving true-to-life images. With an optimal viewing distance of 1.5 times the screen height, it's an excellent choice for meeting rooms, where images are often viewed up close, and for creating impressive ambience in signage applications, where it can be expected to attract considerable attention from people passing by. The display can also be vertically installed with no effect on lamp life, allowing for highly flexible installation.

“It is arguably one the most fascinating display panel on the market,” says Vineet Mahajan, Head-Display & Security Solutions, at Panasonic India.

“It captured the visitors’ attention too,” he said showing the panel being hit by a 3kg iron ball and staying unaffected.

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ProVA reinforces the Q-Sys platform, AT microphone range

Revolabs introduces the new Elite wired microphone system

Chennai-headquartered India distributor for QSC and Audio-Technica ProVisual Audio has brought to InfoComm India platform the CXD-Q network amplifier line as well as the AD-S microphones from AT. Designed specifically for deployment with the Q-Sys Network Audio Platform, the CXD-Q models combine the flexible amplifier summing technology (FAST) found in the CXD/PLD amplifier platform with the same Q-Sys network connectivity and processing to create the ultimate audio routing and power solution for installed sound applications.

Conferencing solutions leader Revolabs showcased its new Elite Wired Microphones. Available in omnidirectional and directional (cardioid) versions, the Elite Wired Microphones offer a unique combination of exceptional performance features and contemporary design elements to meet the demands of conference environments that can't accommodate or don't need wireless microphones.

The CXD-Q represents their ongoing commitment to create installed sound solutions that are incredibly versatile and integrate seamlessly with Q-Sys. From AT fold, ProVA introduced the AD-S6T, and AD-S112SW to the India market. The distribution major also showcased AT’s omnidirectional boundary microphones ES945 LED, and ES947 LED, besides the ATND971 Cardioid Condenser Boundary Network Microphone- a revolutionary device that bridges the gap between audio and IT as the first wired microphone that transmits audio and control data together over Audinate’s Dante network protocol.

“InfoComm India has grown in substance; we are pleased to be here,” says Sandeep Branganza, Business Development Manager at ProVA. “The show appears to be more focused and organized, bringing in quality audiences.”

www.panasonic.com www.provisualaudio.in

Using the same form factor and user interface as Revolabs Elite Wireless Microphones, the wired microphones are also ideal for environments in which wired and wireless microphones are used in tandem, increasing the maximum number of microphones available and combining wireless flexibility with the security of wired microphones. www.revolabs.com

Sensytouch launches projected capacitive multitouch system

The world's sleekest projected capacitive Multi-Touch system featuring a slim 2.3 inches in thickness was launched

by Sensytouch at InfoComm India.

The PCAP 42” display is extremely responsive and dynamic. The sleek design only uses one power cable with the PC integrated within the design.

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

The Southern California based company, that was established in 2010, has been building its capacity and capabilities to ensure that users have the best multi-touch experience with the best engineered solution.

Sensytouch prides itself in building its solutions from concept to completion that includes manufacturing the hardware, building the technology and creating the software, to drive the systems. The company has been making its mark with renowned companies such as BMW, Johnson&Johnson, Radisson and more.

Suda Sampath, President and CEO of Sensytouch highlights, “we are pleased to launch our PCAP system here, as India is an emerging market where we feel there is much potential for our solutions.

We are delighted that we could use InfoComm India as the platform to launch our solution.”

The VPL-FHZ55, on the other hand, is the world’s first 3LCD laser projector, delivering game-changing performance and reliability in missioncritical installation applications. The environmentally-friendly laser light source is teamed with 3LCD BrightEra technology giving superb image quality in 4000 lumen brightness, exceptional contrast and consistent colour stability.

The SRX-T615 model, aimed at industrial visualisation and simulation applications, comes with 18,000 lumens brightness and projects ultra-high definition images in 4096x2160 pixels.

Sun Infonet Introduces Shure's QLX-D To India

“The new design also delivers better time alignment and greater coherence between LF and HF for an even wider sweet spot, and brighter, more defined and precise sound,” explains Mark Millar of TC Group.

Also on exhibit were the table mounted and wall mounted solutions. www.sensytouch.com

Sony India projects its latest, brightest LCD systems

Electronics giant Sony demonstrated its latest and brightest projection solutions.

The exhibits are highlighted by the display of VPL-FHZ 700L, VPL-FHZ55, and SRX-T615 projectors that were actually shown at InfoComm USA in June.

was first launched at InfoComm USA recently. The new Ceiling Monitor System – or CMS in short – represents a new pinnacle in sonic performance from a ceiling loudspeaker device due to its revolutionary technology featuring an Omnimanget (single magnet)-powered Dual Concentric Transducer Design, and a unique Torus Ogive Waveguide assembly.

Shure's QLX-D digital wireless receiver is targeted at mid-size events and installations. The QLX-D offers AES256 encryption and is networkable.

Transmitters take the form of handheld, earset, microphones and bodypack transmitters. Designed to be incredibly RF spectrum efficient, QLX-D reliably operates more channels on-air than any other wireless system in its class.

Automatic channel scan and IR sync make finding and assigning an open frequency quick and easy. Compatible with the Shure SB900 lithium-ion battery, QLX-D rechargeable power options provide dramatic long-term cost savings and extended transmitter battery life over alkaline batteries, with battery metering that reports remaining runtime in hours and minutes.

CMS 3.0 also offers new magnetically adhering grilles, which are easy to fit or remove, and available in either Classic (traditional, inset within the bezel) or new Arco style – for concealing the entire unit, including the bezel, beneath a sleek architectural grille. www.tannoy.com www.tcgroup-international.com

Televic Conference brings Confidia Wireless G-3 solution to India

www.suninfonet.net The VPL-FHZ 700L is the world’s brightest 3LCD projector coming with a long-lasting laser light source with 7000 lumens brightness, and offering high WUXGA image quality, versatile installation options and lowered running costs.

TC Group launches CMS 3.0 in India TC Group launched in India market its revolutionary premium in-ceiling loudspeaker system- the CMS 3.0. The third generation innovative system

Belgian conferencing solutions major Televic Conference launched the recently upgraded Confidea Wireless G-3- the 3rd generation of the popular Confidea wireless conferencing solution. The new upgrade has been developed from the

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

ground-up, building on the experience of the previous generations and employing state-of-the-art Quad-Band wireless technologies, fault-tolerant error correcting protocols and advanced encryption algorithms. The system as a whole has received a fully revised and upgraded wireless engine, offering even more frequencies.

Winar Tech Inc., Showcases Linux Signage Solution

“The upgrade brought in more wireless stability, reducing the interference by other wireless devices,” explains Richard Cazin, Export Manager at TC. “The system is extremely user-friendly; it can function independently, and doesn’t require a central unit.”

On showcase for the first time in India was the VZ-8light4, VZ-8plus4, VZ9.4L desktop visualizers, VZ-C6 ceiling visualizer, VZ-C3D 3D visualizer, and EYE14 live image camera system. The VZ-C6 that was exhibited is a good alternative to the EYE-12 as a ceiling camera as it is fully equipped with its own light source and onboard recording function.

The company also showcased its uniCOS multimedia conference system. www.televic-conference.com

Video Design demonstrates WatchOut solution

Sweedish audio-visual media tools and solutions provider Dataton AB – in association with its India Partner Video Design – brought its latest offerings from its popular multi-display powering software solution WatchOut. The company demonstrated the immaculate display effects and image clarity that are achieved with the recently launched WatchOut 5.5. The new version seamlessly allows for hardware assisted synchronization for frame-accurate rendering across multiple display computers. While allowing naming of display computers and clusters it provides for addressing entire clusters by name. While providing for frame blending, it allows displaying web images from a file on disk or from the dynamic image server. One can load an image from a URL too. www.videodesign.in www.dataton.com

Wolfvision Brings To India Its Full Range Of Visualisers

www.wolfvision.com Winar Tech Inc., based in USA, has its software development centre , under the name of Niche Softek Pvt. Ltd. based in Mumbai India. At InfoComm India, the company introduced its Linux-based wireless player which features a HDMI port and a Micro USB for power. All content is easily managed via the Streme management software which is browserbased.

Deven Limayee of Winar Tech comments, “with Linux you do not need to worry about software licence fees. It helps to bring the cost down and enables companies with smaller budgets to delve into digital signage.” The company did show windows based solutions as well and showcased how the solutions can be used effectively for the different vertical markets, from retail to hotels, banks, and more.

Putting its efforts more on the software aspect, Deven feels that application ideas is what will drive the implementation of Digital Signage growth. “We are component agnostic.

We can work with any display that the client is comfortable with. Our expertise lie in the software implementation that drives the signage.” www.streme.tv

Stats That Stun!

Here are some stunning stats about Konftel’s participation at IFI. Note it was a 12 sqm booth at the back of the hall.

More than 300 visitors in three days. 203 visitors registered at the booth. 43 web registrations through Konftel website.

Key Visitors to the booth: End Users: Microsoft, Qualcomm, Ca Technologies, Capgemini, Red Bull, Mahindra & Mahindra, NPCIL. AV Consultants: T2 Consultants, PMI, CMS, 4G, Tattva Consultants, Qbix, Image Solutions.

AV Integrators: Actis, Godrej, Enkay, Plus Business, Tech Connect, MRH, Leviathan, Cosmos, Unify, Vega, ProVA, PAN Telecom, Solution India, Genesis IT, etc.

Most Discussed Product: Konftel 300, Konftel 300Wx, 300IP and Konftel 55W Most Discussed feature: Built-in recording and call bridging Most Discussed Solution: Installed audio solution using Konftel 300 with PA Interface Box End Result: Exceedingly fulfilling

(L-R) PS Tiwari of Konftel with Aldrin of Tattva Consultants

INDIA & ME NEWS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

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Barco 'Connect's With Movers And Shakers Of Indian AV Industry the American semiconductor company, particularly in the field of cinema.

Managing Director of Barco India, Lutz Nehrhoff von Holderberg (Left) with Senior Vice President, International Markets & Sales Operations, Ney Corsino

India Partners Meet 2014 – the second edition of Barco’s annual ‘Connect’ programme – conducted recently in Bangalore demonstrated the company’s vision and mission as also its latest offerings that attracted a great amount of industry attention. The programme conducted in a luxury resort on the outskirts of the Garden City on 5 and 6 September saw an attendance of around 80 industry professionals and Barco partners appreciating the latest innovations from the Belgian visual solutions major that included ‘nogap video wall technology, smooth collaboration, interactive imaging and cutting-edge projection.

Building upon last year’s debut event of connecting with the industry through partners, this year’s event brought to centre stage Barco’s positioning as onestop solution for diverse visualization and collaboration needs. Attendees were presented with hands-on demonstartions of innovations that included: • Near-seamless LED and LCD video wall solutions such as OverView M-series and OLS-series

CORRIGENDUM

• Wireless ClickShare presentation system, interactive, multipurpose systems for lobby domination • Advanced video scalers, controllers and presentation switchers, like the ImagePRO-II and SreenPro-II series • Range of IP centric controllers like TFC and TFN • X20 enterprise wide visual communication platform • Large-venue and cinema projectors, like the HDX W18 flex, RLM W12, DP2K-10S with Alchemy, and a range of business projectors Pathway to new opportunities Lutz Nehrhoff von Holderberg, who recently took over the reins as Barco India’s new Managing Director welcomed the gathering, while Barco Senior Vice President-International Markets & Sales Operations Ney Corsino presented the company’s vision. Executives from different divisions presented the latest offerings from their respective divisions.

One presentation that came from outside Barco fold was by S Ganesh from Texas Instruments who presented ‘latest DLP trends in AV industry. Barco is one of the three licensees Texas Instruments DLP technology and works closely with

“We want to show our partners how Barco is transforming the way people present and share information and ideas across the enterprise and around the world,” Barco India MD Lutz Nehroff said. “Our effort is to connect with our partners more effectively; programmes like this go a long way to contribute to the purpose,” he said adding, “we’re thrilled with the attendance we have.”

Said Seinior VP Ney Corsino: “Our solutions fulfill the need for high quality visualization, real-time video processing, and collaboration- all necessary to engage stakeholders wherever they are located, and help maximize situational awareness and fast decision-making.”

While day one evening was marked by hands-on exposure and demo of Barco’s latest offerings, day two programme engaged the participants in focused interactions and deliberations aimed at further exploring growth opportunities.

Some of the important attendees included integration and consulting professionals Shyam Shankar, Sugunakar Naidu and Babu Prasad Dorairaj from Ideas Ahead; Shyl Kumar Balu from Genesis IT Innovations; Vipul Patel from System Architect & Engineers; Vivek Birje and Praveen Thakur from Cosmos; Shivanand Mahashetty from Online Instruments; Sachin Shetty from GDC Technology; Vikas Sadarangani from Vikas Corporation; Adiyta Modi from Modi Group; and Uday from GM Audio. www.barco.com

In the print version of August-September 2014 issue of SI Asia, on page-76, the photographs of Mr. Mandar Gupte of Barco India and Mr. Tarun Jain of Hitachi India got swapped instead of being in alignment with their quotes. Mr. Tarun Jain's designation also appeared slightly wrong as Country Manager, while his profile is Country Head-India. SI Asia deeply regrets the errors.

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INDIA & ME NEWS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Biamp Systems Deepens Commitment To India And Region With New Service Center “The emergence of the Indian marketplace in the audio space creates several exciting opportunities,” said Robin Ghose, SAARC regional manager at Biamp Systems. “As we continue to invest in the region, our focus is on developing infrastructures that facilitate first-rate customer service. Opening an in-country service center is a natural extension for the growth of our Indian sales team.”

The Biamp Team representing SAARC, APAC and Middle East region

Biamp announced the unveiling of a service center located in Mumbai.

As part of the company’s strategic expansion plans within the region, the facility will provide service and repairs under warranty for Biamp products in country — underlining the company’s commitment to the region’s growth and India’s position in the industry.

Effective immediately, customers located in India will no longer need to ship units out of country to access warranty repairs on Biamp products. Service will be offered directly from the center in Mumbai, managed by a team of Biamp application engineers. Biamp is known for its industry-leading 5-year warranty and for having one of the lowest failure rates in the industry. The center will provide the same level of service quality

and automated testing offered at its Oregon headquarters in the USA. This commitment to exceptional service and support is a testament to the industry’s growth and Biamp’s focus toward today’s emerging markets.

“It was extremely important that the India service center offer quality on par to the service center at our headquarters in Oregon,” added Martin Bonsoir, EMEIA applications engineering manager for Biamp Systems. “Our Indian customers can now concentrate on creating outstanding communication solutions with our equipment, knowing they have access to an additional support channel from Biamp.”

Customers can contact Biamp’s new service center directly at +91 22 26658170 or via email at support@ biamp.com

Ashok Sharma Sets Up Joint Venture Company Tricolor Technologies India Ashok Sharma has set up a joint venture company with Peter He of Beijing Tricolor Technology Co., Ltd, through his fully-owned company Eyevis Display Solution (India) Pvt Ltd. Founded in 2005, Beijing Tricolor Technology specialises in the manufacturing of professional, leading edge, A/V system products. These excellent products include Video Wall Process controllers, Edge Blending processors, Fiber Optic Equipment, high-end Matrix Switches, Twisted-Pair Converters and Splitters. The company has been actively involved in providing solutions to various vertical markets across the Globe and has experienced explosive growth in the last few years.

Ashok Sharma, on the other hand, though young in age is an industry veteran in India having been the key point man to drive the sales of display technologies product in India in the past.

EDS' Tricolor India strategy is to design the products in India and get them manufactured by the R&D team in Beijing Tricolor. "We have an excellent, second to none, world-class, R&D team in Tricolor. Their incisive knowledge, and their passion for the development of products, enables our company to bring, to the global market, very advanced systems," says Peter.

Ashok adds, "With the expanding infrastructure in India, video-walls will play an important role in India, in sectors such as control rooms for transport, telecommunication, power plants, military and such. Our objective is to bring highly advanced solutions to the India market at pocket-friendly prices.

This partnership allows us to design controllers and get them manufactured to specs to suit our requirements. Our engineers had spent time at Beijing Tricolor's factory and we are very pleased

(L-R) Ajay Mehra, Alex Ruan of Tricolor Beijing, Yoshpal Bhatia, Narendra Kumar Rai

with our test units. Teaming up with a company that has expansive knowledge in this field enables us to offer quality solutions to the Indian market.”

Ashok and Peter used InfoComm India 2014 as a platform to introduce Tricolor Technologies India.

Email: Sales@indiantricolor.com

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INDIA & ME NEWS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

New BDM For Sennheiser ME Education And Broadcast Markets

John McGregor, newly appointed Business Development Manager at Sennheiser Middle East

Audio major Sennheiser announced the appointment of John McGregor as its Business Development Manager (BDM) for the Middle East. The regional office in Dubai reported exceptionally strong growth figures for both turnover and profit in 2013 and believes this move will further strengthen its foothold in the region's education and broadcast markets. In his new role, McGregor, a former tutor at the highly reputed SAE Institute in Dubai, will also drive knowledge transfer initiatives directed at the audio specialist's Middle East partners and customers.

McGregor will serve in Sennheiser Middle East's Systems Solutions Division and will report to the company's Director of Sales and Marketing, Mig Cardamone.

‘The on-going digitization and the convergence of IT and audio technologies are prominent trends in the region's broadcast industry, while educational institutions are increasingly leveraging the latest audio solutions to enhance and revolutionize the classroom experience,’ felt the Sennheiser Sales Director. “John has a wealth of knowledge and experience specific to both these verticals which will help him guide customers in making sound investments,” he said, “as he grows within his role, he will also extend his focus to segments such as installed sound.”

Sennheiser's Systems Solution Division encompasses both Professional Systems and Integrated Systems and broadly covers the company's entire professional audio segment. As a member of this division, McGregor will drive business opportunities for Sennheiser's range of wired and wireless microphones, conference and translation systems as well as for products from Neumann, a part of Sennheiser Group, and K-Array and Rycote, which are Sennheiser partner brands. He will also play a

key role in educating and training partners and customers to ensure the optimal deployment and utilization of Sennheiser's products.

Prior to joining Sennheiser, McGregor worked as a BDM at MediaCast, a Dubaibased premier distributor of professional audio/video solutions ranging from broadcast, live-to-post, and on-demand.

He also served a five year tenure as a lecturer at the SAE Institute in Dubai during which he enjoyed the privilege of being one of the first professionals in the region to utilize cutting-edge audio systems such as the AMS Neve digital console and the Avid Control Surfaces.

Commenting on his new role, McGregor said, “I've always been very impressed with the speed at which the Middle East accepts and implements new technologies. Having worked in the production, education and sales sides of the industry, I know how the industry operates and I look forward to helping customers get to where they want to be. Sennheiser is at the very forefront of audio innovation and leadership and I am excited to be a part of this industry powerhouse.” www.sennheiser-middleeast.com

D V Prakash Sets Up Own Distribution Venture India. EIS Techinfra Solutions India Pvt Ltd – as the new company is called – is headquartered in Bangalore, and is actively seeking to expand its foot print across the country through sales and service offerings.

D V Prakash, a noted figure who represented Mindstec in India till recently, has set-up his own business in

“I have been in the business for over 15 years now; I have been thoroughly exposed to the dynamics of AV distribution business; I thought it’s it’s time I moved on,” said D V Prakash now Founder-Director of EIS Techinfra. “The idea of having our own business has been in my mind for quite some time

now,” he said adding, “I felt the time for the decisive move had come, and that’s it.”

According to him, the company’s strategy has been to choose only those product lines that are in demand in the country, and no one else have them at present. Accordingly, EIS choose to bring in solutions from Condeco Software, Mediapointe, Lumans, eisconnect, Exterity, and PeopleLink audio conferencing (for Karnataka). www.einfratech.com

INDIA & ME NEWS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

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QUICK TAKE

ClearOne: Setting A New Game For The Industry SI Asia: It's been some time now for you on the hot seat- how do you look at that? exciting, watchful, or challenging?

GRIFITHS: This is really exciting.

ClearOne is a market leader in audio conferencing. I look forward to expanding ClearOne’s presence in the India and Middle East regions. Our recent acquisitions of NetStreams, MagicBox, VCON, Spontania and Sabine have already opened new opportunities for growth. We are in the process of sorting and charting out the growth plans, and that makes it all the more challenging.

Leading audio conferencing solutions provider ClearOne has a new regional representative for India and Middle East.

Grifiths Zacharia, CTS took over the reins as Senior Technical and Sales Manager for the IME region. Based in Mumbai, he is responsible the the audio major’s prospects from across the IME. Having also set up its regional support centre recently, the audio leader is showing a new aggression has focused plans for the region. SIA had a brief tete-a-tete with Grifiths.

SI Asia: What is your role- as you look at it in clear terms?

GRIFITHS: As a Senior Technical Sales Manager- India & Middle East, I am responsible for the overall management of ClearOne’s Pro AV and Media Collaboration business in the Middle East market and Pro AV for the India market. Gauging the market trends, understanding customer mindset and needs from time to time, and framing a business plan in accordance with it is part of the role. As it is, aligning ClearOne products with the market needs is an important aspect. Expanding the company footprint in a very positive fashion in the region goes without saying.

SI Asia: Would you please do a quick SWOT for ClearOne IME at the moment?

GRIFITHS: ClearOne is a proven innovator in the field of audio visual communications. ClearOne commands more than 50 per cent market share in the Installed Audio Conferencing market globally. The future opportunities are practically endless for ClearOne in India and the Middle East regions as a total audio visual communication solutions provider. You think of any type of hands-free communication - we are there for conferencing, streaming and signage. We continue to work closer with the IME market players and provide a broad range of solutions for Media Collaboration, Professional Audio, Unified Communications, and Multimedia Streaming and Signage. So, opportunities are plenty, and we do have our strengths to leverage them.

SI Asia: Which market vertical you think you are strongly positioned in, and which you feel the most challenging?

GRIFITHS: ClearOne’s products are used by organizations sizing small businesses all the way up to Fortune 500; 100; and 10 companies. They serve a diverse spectrum of vertical markets, including education, enterprise, government,

healthcare, legal and finance, and houses of worship. We have moved into some new technology domains with our latest acquisitions in Media Collaboration, Streaming and Signage along with our industry leading audio conferencing product line. The new technologies are exciting and at the same time challenging in that we need to take them to the markets in a way they understand and benefit from them.

SI Asia: What is your approach to the challenging segment?

GRIFITHS: Future looks pretty bright with these new challenging technologies appearing to integrate together towards setting a new game for the AV Industry.

Training our industry is key and ClearOne has been the leader in providing technical trainings through ClearOne University online and onsite. We will continue to educate the AV industry in the India and Middle East market towards raising the awareness levels and understanding technology.

SI Asia: Now ClearOne has its own regional support centre. What gains you think you will have by setting up the service centre?

GRIFITHS: The initiative helps our customers gain, and therefore we also gain. ClearOne’s regional support center for India is announced in partnership with Bangalore based Midas Digital Services Pvt. Ltd. This brings ClearOne support more closer to Indian customers without the need of sending defective units outside India for RMA. Midas will initially focus on service for ClearOne’s industry leading audio products, CONVERGE, INTERACT, MAX, CHAT and the Beamforming Microphone Array.

These products whether in warranty or out of warranty will be eligible for service. www.clearone.com

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INDIA & ME FEATURE Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

MEA’s AV Market to Reach $ 4.63 billion By 2016

UAE- The Emerging AV Hub In Middle East

by Ram Bhavanashi

Riding on an unprecedented upsurge in infrastructural projects, and promises of post-recession activism and mega events, the audio-visual industry in the Middle East appears to scale new heights in the near future. While the majority of the region appears to be gaining in optimismfilled momentum, UAE, and particularly Dubai is projected to emerge as hubs of audio-visual dynamism in the region. There are concerns though, of hype shrouding up the reality while the industry players are raising the stakes. An SIAsia perspective….

Presumptions and Projections Even as I was preparing to organize my jumbled up thoughts and inputs from industry towards keying in this piece, my mail box smiled on me with a popup message: InfoComm International’s 2014 Global AV Market Definition and Strategy Study (MDSS). The study findings – as expected – came as reinforcement of what people have been telling me for a few weeks, and what the ground had been showing off for a few months now. An immanent infrastructural surge (critics can reckon it as real estate/ retail boom as well!) that is spurred by

both governments’ as well as some mega property developers’ initiatives.

Says the MDSS finding: ‘Driven by large infrastructure developments such as the World Expo 2020 in Dubai and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha, the MEA audiovisual market is projected to grow (from $2.79 billion in 2012) to $ 4.63 billion by 2016, posting an annual growth rate of 13 per cent.’ Further, according to the report, the UAE’s audiovisual market is projected to grow (from $700 million in 2012) to $1.24 billion in 2016, making it the fastest-growing and second-largest in the Middle East.

“Boosted by Dubai, the Middle East and Africa region offers strong audiovisual market potential, thanks to strong investment, a young online population, and a low penetration of audiovisual Richard Tan adoption,” says Richard Tan, Executive Director, InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd. “Audiovisual and IT are increasingly becoming integrated across the Middle East and Africa,” expounds Richard. With

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INDIA & ME FEATURE SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

InfoComm MEA (providing an effective platform) people are able to learn about how audiovisual technology is being used in various verticals, from entertainment to government.

According to him, a wealth of professional audiovisual expertise has been helping the UAE and Dubai to be the region’s audiovisual hubs, serving other Middle East markets and beyond.

The ground reality

Perhaps, the premise for the exciting industry surveys and studies, projecting big fortunes for the UAE and Dubai, took base in the ICT-connected mega real estate/retail infrastructure projects taking shape independent of the two big events- the 2020 World Expo and the 2022 Soccer World Cup. Even as the surveys and their projections were in the making, Dubai made the global headlines in July with its Emir Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum announcing what was regarded as the most ambitious retail entertainment infrastructure plan ever made on the planet. Unveiling their plan to create the Mall of the World, the Emir said "we plan to transform Dubai into a cultural, tourist and economic hub."

The galactic (4.46 million sqm spread) realty project has lined up a slew of jawdropping features- all with a high level of ICT. A whole big temperature-controlled city and world’s largest network of temperature-controlled promenades (7 km); a 15,000-capacity indoor coliseum; 100 luxury hotels; spas; medical centres; 20-screen cinema, and more- all under one roof.

Dubai Holding, the developer of the giant property, had estimated that annual operating expenses for the first decade would be about 2.5 billion dirham (over 680 million USD approx).

Even as these gigantic ideations gain momentum, there are as many as 13 mega commercial complexes in the making in Dubai totaling a whopping $2.7 billion say media reports. Nakheel, one of the renowned property developers in the UAE was reported to be preparing to build a large mall on

a huge palm tree-shaped, man-made island.

On the other hand, Dubai’s cousin and UAE’s capital city Abu Dhabi is fast coming up with its own gigantic retail project, the Yas Mall. Created over a man-made island spreading over 235,000 sqm, the mall boasts all the trappings of a global destination and rearing to go on stream this November.

Very recently, the UAE Governmentaffiliate property developer Emaar announced it will list on the Dubai Financial Market (stock exchange) on 2nd October. This follows closely the Group’s issuing sukuk (Islamic Bonds) worth $750 million in June this year. The fundraising initiative is apparently aimed at expansion of its malls business in the emirate.

That these mega projects bring a lot more associated audio-visual streams into reckoning, they are taken to contribute to the overall AV domain prospects.

The prospects

“Commercial and Retail segments look very promising,” says Chadi El KFoury, Founder-Director of Smartentity, the Kuwait-based systems integration firm. “Major Chadi El Kfoury, infrastructural Founder-Director of investments Smartentity happening from government in various States are generating promises to catalyze the industry dynamics,” he opines, “the government policies aimed at further reducing the region’s dependence on oil exports is also acting as a driving factor.”

Interestingly, KFoury rates Kuwait as one among the most happening markets in the region for AV dynamism, and lists raising GDP levels as a prime factor.

Generically said, Saudi Arabia has been the traditional leader in AV market size and opportunities as well. While most

industry players admit to its pole position, some, of late, have been tending to highlight its unpredictability.

“While it is quite huge, and continues to provide for Swadesh Khetawat, Managing Director of voluminous projects, the Taxan Gulf market is highly unpredictable,” feels Swadesh Khetawat, Managing Director of Taxan Gulf, one of the top AV distribution enterprises in the ME. For him, ‘markets like Qatar and Kuwait have been growing much faster, while UAE has ironically been running slow.’

While being skeptical about the hype around World Expo 2020 and Soccer World Cup in Doha bringing immediate fortunes for AV, the Taxan Gulf chief feels it’s the latent demand in markets like Saudi, Qatar, or Kuwait that is pushing the growth. “Even Iranian market offers lot of potential but for the sanctions against the country,” he says and vouches, “I would be among the first to rush there, the moment it is opened.”

The skepticism about the immediate growth is being shared

by Mindstec, yet another leading AV distribution company from the UAE. “The market does have potential Syed Wahab, Director but business is of Mindstec not happening in tune with the expectations,” says Syed Wahab, Director of Mindstec. “Projects are getting delayed and thus the whole arithmetic has been changing.”

While segments like education, and hospitality industry have always been on the growth path, the same is not reflected in other segments. “It would take some more time before we can

INDIA & ME FEATURE Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014 sound promising about the growth,” feels Wahab.

“Turkey could be the hottest as it's an open proactive market. However, there are other markets that have been growing consistently for some years now,” opines Chadi El KFoury. “On the other hand, Iran could be the weakest market due to the restrictions and sanctions imposed on the country by international community.”

The manufacturing segment, however, is upbeat about the market dynamics. Most manufacturers feel the industry is breathing free from the recession that has been holding Paul Lee, AMX’s Sales back its otherwise vibrant growth for Operation Manager for Middle East, Africa some time now, and Asia Pac and is showing up much optimism.

“The ME markets are gradually coming out of Recession,” feels Paul Lee, AMX’s Sales Operation Manager for Middle East, Africa and Asia Pac. “The postRecession responses from the markets have been very vibrant,” he opines.

While Saudi Arabia has always led the region’s growth and rejuvenation, countries like Qatar, and UAE have also been equally vibrant by virtue of their massive infrastructural projects. “The realization in the governments about the mega events like World Expo and FIFA World Cup will promote more and more investments into building infrastructure," he opined, “this should influence flow of investments from all other concerned segments.”

For P.S. Tiwari, Regional Sales ManagerIndia and Middle East at Sweedish conference solutions provider Konftel, the ME industry is very promising at the moment with very encouraging growth dynamics. While Saudi Arabia has always been big, followed by UAE and Qatar, Konftel has been making it good in new markets like Oman.

P.S. Tiwari, Regional Sales Manager- India and Middle East, Konftel

“We are doing a major aviation project in Oman; the country is showing lot of potential,” he said, “other neihbouring markets are also showing promises.”

According to him, even Iraq has a lot of AV projects while Iran has been trying to break off the sanctions.

Another audio conferencing major Sennheiser has reported exceptionally strong growth from its regional office in Dubai for both turnover and profits in 2013 and later, and is looking forward to strengthening its footprint further.

“The on-going digitization and convergence of IT and audio technologies are prominent trends in the region's broadcast industry,” says Sennheiser’s Director of Sennheiser’s Sales and Director of Sales and Marketing-ME, Mig Marketing-ME, Cardamone Mig Cardamone, “the educational institutions are increasingly leveraging the latest audio solutions to enhance and revolutionize the classroom experience.”

Understandably there is a unanimity among the industry stakeholders on a few aspects- while education, and hospitality segments have been growing at an exponential rate in the region, it is the availability of local talent pool that hasn’t been growing at all. While almost all the manufacturers say they have been conducting periodical training programmes to the dealer/distributor and SI communities, the talent domain hasn’t been showing up the required “local” numbers.

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Interestingly, the training and promotional/awareness programmes have mostly been conducted either in Dubai or Riyad and have not been spreading to other promising places like Doha, Muscat, Jeddah and others.

‘This is one is one area the stakeholders, and facilitating agencies like InfoComm have a really major role to play,’ feel the SI and distribution community.

On the technology front, most feel the signage applications have been changing radically while ‘disruptive technologies’ have been spreading fast.

“The term ‘digital signage’ is changing its connotation rather faster with its applications taking newer expression by the day,” feels Swadesh Khetwat.

Says Chadi, “As wider use of smart devices become increasingly accepted, business enterprises have been exploring opportunities for migrating into adjacent and associated market domains to exploit new revenue models such as mobile commerce and mobile payment systems. Already, a number of data and technology giants are jockeying for position."

According to him, “as these waves of disruptive technologies continue, a whole new set of markets will be created even as long-established businesses are transformed. In this radically changing environment, network providers will be faced with a choice: either evolve into the role of innovation provider, or be simply content to serve as a utility.”

It is this backdrop that events like InfoComm shows matter a lot, is a generic opinion coming out from most. Technology buyers and users come to such events to explore those opportunities.

Demonstrating the region’s audiovisual growth, InfoComm MEA 2013 attracted 14,770 visitors, a 23 per cent increase from InfoComm MEA 2012, with 88 percent being vertical market end users.

The forthcoming InfoComm MEA 2014 is bringing over 200 exhibitors from over 30 countries showing a big promise.

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INDIA & ME INTERVIEW SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

A Very ‘Smart Entity’ In The Middle East AV space compliment the client needs ensuring incorporation of quality products and processes.

Our vision is to be the primary provider of information technology turnkey solutions within Kuwait and the Middle East region.

SI Asia: In which verticals does Smartentity operate in?

The name is self-explanatory. Smartentity Technologies and Consultancy, the Kuwait-based IT infrastructure solutions provider-turned integrated AV solutions provider has made a name that perhaps befits its name. With some of the most prestigious installations in the region, Smartentity is among the top AV players in the Middle East. SIA interacted with Chadi El KFoury, Founder & Director of Smartentity to know what the ‘entity’ is all about and up to. Excerpts:

SI Asia: Tell us something about Smartentity- its genesis, evolution through the years, and its current standing in the industry...

KFOURY: SMARTENTITY was established in 2007, basing from Kuwait city. It was founded with the sole purpose of providing clients with high quality professional commercial and residential turnkey solutions and technical system integration. Having started off with passion and built in competencies that were the need of the market, the company quickly evolved into a leading information technology turnkey solutions provider in Kuwait. SMARTENTITY today offers tailored design processes and unparalleled customer service bringing to place the world’s best audio, video and automation brands.

Our business focus is to provide highest level of service within the Information Technology industry and offer an extensive range of custom-made and cost-effective solutions that serve and

KFOURY: We operate in diverse vertical markets like Education, Commercial, Residential, Transportation, and Retail, and diverse segments as well.

The company services and solutions include AV automation installation and presentation solutions consultancy and outsourcing; installation of fibre optic, electrical and security systems; data cabling and building energy management systems, besides luxury home cinema.

SI Asia: Among these diverse domains, what is Smartentitity's core competence? How does it help the client? please explain...

KFOURY: SMARTENTITY known as SEC offers System Integration solutions as a single-window turnkey solution, which integrates the best-in-class products and combines solutions to meet a wide range of business needs from small business entities to large conglomerates.

Whilst serving a number of major clients, SMARTENTITY has developed an excellent reputation by continuously providing quality service and showing commitment to their work.

An important part contributing to this competence is the commitment to excellence. SMARTENTITY commits to leveraging its strengths in design, technology and service to provide end-to-end solutions. This strategy of delivering complete solutions using our global delivery model to both consumer and corporate customers allows very positive growth opportunities.

SMARTENTITY commits to simplifying the

way people interact with technology. With the increasing number of technologies and operating platforms at work and home, SMARTENTITY solves the complexity of managing technology with reliable, consistent and scalable systems.

SMARTENTITY commits to continuously improving work performance and the quality of service provided; including internal and external quality performance, based on the needs of today’s competitive market to ensure complete satisfaction of our customers.

SI Asia: The Middle East market overall has been through both difficult times and uptrends for the past few years. How promising or challenging do you find the market today?

KFOURY: Commercial and Retail segments look very promising in the Middle East region- due to very high consumer confidence, as also major infrastructural investments happening from the government front in various states. The World Expo 2020 in Dubai is a big thing; given the reputation of the city, and the excitement it has been generating promises to catalyse the industry dynamics. The 2022 FIFA World Cup event in Doha, as it is, has its own pull, promising to bring along increased industry activity on multiple fronts.

According to experts, this assessment is made on the back of rising gross domestic production and the approvals for several new mega infrastructure projects and government policies aimed at further reducing the region’s dependence on oil exports. “In short…

Kuwait and the Middle East are on track to achieve their goals, with GDP rising at a time when global economic conditions remain unstable.”

SI Asia: How do you compare the Middle East AV industry against that in the West, and Far East- in terms technology adoption and client awareness?

INDIA & ME INTERVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014 KFOURY: Educating the client about the technology available, its use, benefits to business and the overall experience has always been a hard task as compared to other markets in the West. This may appear to be low demand but that is not the case always as the projects are generally of considerable size work for the integrator. However, it is racing time now, and the industry looks very promising.

SI Asia: What technology, or trend you think is driving the regional industry today? and why? please explain...

KFOURY: As wider use of smart devices become increasingly accepted, business enterprises have been exploring opportunities for migrating into adjacent and associated market domains to exploit new revenue models such as mobile commerce and mobile payment systems. Already, a number of data and technology giants are jockeying for position.

As these waves of disruptive technologies – as a section of the technology developers would want to call it – continue, a whole new set of markets will be created even as longestablished businesses are transformed.

In this radically changing environment, network providers, for example, will be faced with a choice: either evolve into the role of innovation provider, or be simply content to serve as a utility.

SI Asia: What has been Smartentity's single biggest achievement in the recent past? how did it help the company's brand identity and competence?

KFOURY: The Bayan Palace in Kuwait. One of the finest architectural masterpieces in the Arab world, the Amiri Diwan of the State of Kuwait is an expansive palace premises spanning nearly 1.4 million sqm, and sporting an incredible AV systems integration.

As a turnkey solution, we have done quite a prestigious integration. The task included over 13,000 CAT7 and fiber cabling points; Avaya telephony system

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with over 4600 sets; Galaxy access control system, surveillance, intrusion detection, video management system, integrated services; NEC video wall and over 700 professional signage systems; Exterity IPTV and digital signage systems; PA with over 800 speakers; Master Clock IP clock system; Active Cisco components with fully redundant core, distribution and edge layers); and as many as 52 fully loaded meeting rooms with a-z Crestron Digital Media systems and Crestron Control systems.

The incredible work done at the palace won us many credentials as the most performing dealer/distributor in Kuwait.

Latest has been the most outstanding wireless solution for 2013 by ClearOne.

SI Asia: What characterizes Smartentity's contribution to the Middle East AV industry? please explain...

KFOURY: SMARTENTITY specializes in creating custom home/office/ entertainment and automation solutions for astute clientele. Our systems have been installed in the homes of Royalty, Heads of State and connoisseurs throughout the region. We offer fully integrated, fully customized, technology turnkey and hassle-free solutions. www.smartentity.net

SMARTENTITY started its business in 2001 as an IT consulting firm specializing in IT infrastructure, life cycle application software and web development. Led by a group of professional IT experts with vast knowledge of the industry and market trends, and realizing the market’s need for a quality provider of unified turnkey solutions, SMARTENTITY took into its stride the challenges and complex nature of IT system integration, products and solutions- achieving many growth laurels in the process. In 2007, SMARTENTITY changed its business model to become the premier Information Technology Turnkey Solutions Provider.

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INDIA & ME INTERVIEW SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Addressing India With Complementing Competencies The acquisition of AMX by Harman International is much more than the commoner’s knowledge in the global AV industry today. Taken as one of the most impacting acquisition for the industry in recent times, the coming together of two dynamically growing technology majors is also being keenly observed for what would be its bearings on the two companies and the industry.

SIAsia interacted with Paul Lee, Sales Operations Manager, MEAAP recently on the future directions. A snapshot.

SI Asia: Congratulations on the new big development.

How does it feel to you, as an important member of the team AMX global?

PAUL: It does feel great; an air of excitement; and a proactive look into the future. Two great technology solutions majors coming together making for a formidable AV conglomerate with a lot of promises. There is a much wider horizon out there now to explore; much wider opportunity for growth. The mood is pretty upbeat.

SI Asia: Post-acquisition, AMX is referred to as AMX by Harman.

What do you think about the brand equity of the new AMX? PAUL: Yes, AMX shall henceforth be called AMX by Harman. However, it will still be AMX in its integrity and character, and will retain its incredible brand equity even as it continues to grow under the Harman umbrella. The reputation and identity that AMX built over the years will be carried forward with wider and stronger appeal now as we move ahead in synergy with Harman.

SI Asia: What do you think would be the bearing(s) of this acquisition on AMX’s regional markets in Asia, particularly India?

PAUL: We certainly do not see any change concerning bearing; we rather see this as boosting the existing set-up and growth prospects across the region.

Having made some critical initiatives in India in the recent past, AMX on its own had already stepped up its ‘next phase’ operations in the country, consolidating the good work done over the previous phase. There has been some significant growth taking the AMX cause forward in the region. This, we believe, would get further bolstered with the strengths of Harman coming to catalyse the on-going initiatives.

The important point to be noted here is that the acquisition

and synergy processes roll out taking the whole global market as one holistic initiative, and India is part of it.

SI Asia: What specific areas do you think AMX India will benefit from the big move? And what areas does it contribute to the combined cause?

PAUL: Let me answer the part one first.

AMX is globally known for simplifying technology, enhancing the user’s experience of using technology – both in business, and residential – and AMX India continues to reflect the same. On the other hand, Harman is known for its reach, besides, of course, the wide array of audio and lighting products addressing every market segment. The combination makes for a compelling proposition for any user, and AMX India stands to significantly benefit from thatreaching out wider and deeper markets.

Coming to the second part, as it moves along with Harman deeper and deeper, AMX India complements Harman product and service solutions with its simplifying technology competencieswhich anyway will be a global process.

If you look at the history of both AMX and Harman, and the way we both have evolved, it becomes apparent that there are certain areas of market geography as well as technology domain where they both have individual competencies. By coming together, these competencies will complement each other like none other, and promise to create a basket of irresistible solutions for any user segment.

INDIA & ME INTERVIEW Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

SI Asia: You spoke about synergies. Considering the fact that both the companies have their own product, and sales and marketing set-ups, what synergies do you think the combined entity have in place?

PAUL: There are many synergies visible.

There will be a much bigger, expansive pool of resources; R&D strengths and technology initiatives; wider product portfolios and solution combinations; marketing muscle, and, of course, those critical competencies that the two companies did not and cannot possess singly. All that synergise to help the combined company evolve towards becoming a complete AV conglomerate.

As this happens globally, the same philosophy percolates and spreads through India as well.

SI Asia: How about the operational structure, and the perceived uncertainty associated with it?

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PAUL: Like any acquisition of big scale, and for the sheer nature of the operational structure, it will take some adjustment time for both the companies to completely sync into each other and move ahead like one Group. This cannot be judged as period of uncertainty, but purely a period of adjustment, or period of understanding each other. There are no concerns however; we are only excited looking into future with a lot of promises.

PAUL: First of all, all AMX matrix switcher enclosures have enough capacity to handle various versions of 4K signals right now but we are keeping our options open for which standard we will support for the input/output boards. To be very objective, while we realize there is a high degree of excitement in the market over the 4K environment, we also notice that the industry hasn’t yet fully evolved with the standards for the same.

There are no globally acknowledged, if not approved, standards yet on that.

While we embrace this new emerging standard, we would want to see the industry evolve simultaneously to match the timing.

SI Asia: With so much hype all around about 4k, and AMX being a technology simplifying major, how do you look at that proposition? Now, under the new identity?

For India per se, as the market evolves to join the big league – as it is, it is one of the fastest growing markets in Asia – we hope the day is not too far for us to see this happen here with its own unique setting. www.amx.com

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INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Televic Conference For Road Safety Solutions

S e n n h e i s e r , S a v i v i s i o n s h a r e t h e h o n o u r s AV is going places. With the imperativeness of effective communication and sharing information amongst people being increasingly realized, diverse areas of human activism is taking to audiovisual technology means to further the respective cause. One of the best exemplifications, perhaps, of this happening is the adoption of AV systems integration at the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), a Faridabad-based non-profit organization working for the cause of road safety understanding amongst people, often from different nations. An SIA snapshot.

Name: Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) Location: Faridabad, NCR Segment: Transport Owner: IRTE Type: Conferencing set-up Task: Conferencing with Multilingual interpretation system AV Design Consultant: Savi Vision Pvt Ltd, New Delhi AV Systems Integrator: Savi Vision Systems deployed: • Televic Confidia 49 delegate units; • 1 Chairman station; • 1 Semi-flush mount for Confidea; • 36 Sennheiser RS-220 wireless headphones; • 110 Sennheiser HD 180 wired headphones; • 4 interpreter booths - each with 2 interpreter stations The Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), is a unique organization, different from the staid. It was formed in December 1991 in Faridabad – the southern end town of India’s National Capital Region – by an interdisciplinary group of members comprising educationists, doctors, journalists, engineers, ex-servicemen, architects, automobile experts and those from law enforcement etc. with the main objective of making Indian roads safer for the users.

Set up as non-profit organization, IRTE organizes seminars and roundtable conferences all through the year with delegates of diverse nationalities. The organization required a conference and interpretation system at their newly built ‘Road Safety Hall of Nations’ at the College of Traffic Management in Faridabad. Flexibility and reliability were of capital importance for the new system

to be installed. A specific set-up towards the install required the college to perform complex coupling of two rooms on the lower floors as well.

New Delhi-based AV systems integration firm Savi Vision Pvt. Ltd. had the honour of handling this prestigious project as ‘design-build-maintain-support’ of the conferencing set-up. The 27-year-old turnkey solutions provider has earned laurels for its critical competencies in conferencing solution which has apparently brought them onboard the IRTE project.

“It was a design-build-maintain-andsupport task for us,” says Sanjeev Ratra, Director at Savi Vision. “Our brief was to design a simple and flexible conferencing system that facilitates hassle-free multi-lingual communication among the participants.”

That meant a thorough observation of the install site, and assessment of the requirement. Being an integration partner of Sennheiser India – who in fact is in strategic alliance with Italian conference solutions provider Televic Conference – Savi Vision proposed to weave in the solution with Televic’s interpretations system. After a close examination of the presentation, it was decided to opt for Televic Conference and Interpretation System as the perfect fit for the situation along with the video display component.

Product installation

Accordingly, the spec was laid out to install the Televic Confidea Wired system comprising of a total of 49 delegate units and one chairman station, as well as four interpreter booths, each with two interpreter stations. A semi-flush mount for Confidea Wired was installed making

INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014 the entire set up look very aesthetic.

Besides beauty and performance, the system brings several features to place- it is upgradable anytime to as many as 1024 delegate units; it doesn’t require any additional software to operate, and more, it can be used as a standalone system without the need for any additional ceiling or wall-mount speakers. However for this install, augmenting the audio with perfect speech reproduction are 24 units of Tannoy CVS-4 Micro 70v in-ceiling speakers, uniformly distributed across the ceiling. The conference system is connected to an amplifier and an audio mixer with equalizer. Importantly, it can also be made hybrid with wireless conference system with as many as 28 language interpreters.

More, the system is characterized by a total of 36 Sennheiser RS-220 wireless headphones, and as many as 110 Sennheiser HD 180 wired headphones to aid in hearing the interpretations of proceedings in the user-chosen language.

The video and display component comprised two sharp medium throw projectors focusing onto two large, motorized draper screens that are complimented by two sample display panels.

While the install task was accomplished as per the specs and client satisfaction, it wasn’t all that smooth, as the very shape of the install site did pose some potential

challenges. The horizontal spread of the hall made it a challenging proposition to install a completely hassle-free conference solution. However, this was resolved by carefully rearranging the delegate units in a way that all the delegates can face the presenter. A significant aspect of this act was that this complete planning and final installation was done in a record time of three days flat.

“Technically speaking, there wasn’t any challenge,” explains the Savi Vision Director. “That every aspect of the site was so clearly analyzed, and the solution so ingenuously devised, and that we are used to handling such situations, it wasn’t a big thing,” he explains further.

“We were able to do it without much concern.”

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According to him, the Televic Conference solution they chose also spoke for itself to address situational challenges.

“I have had such a great experience with everything with Sennheiser starting from project initialization till implementation,” elaborates Ratra. “The product, the installation and the results have been fabulous and exactly as per expectations.”

Says Vipin Pungalia, Vice-President, Professional & IS Segment at Sennheiser India: “Televic Conference provides solutions for a wide variety of applications. In any given situation, the Televic Confidea is an ideal hassle-free audio solution system as it requires a minimum of hardware and software.” www.savivision.com www.sennheiserindia.com

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INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

SinQing In Ecstacy A visit to Candolim's party pride reveals just why SinQ is one of the hottest party destinations in Goa today

Candolim has always been that one place in Goa that’s managed to perfectly amalgamate nature, beauty, serenity, and of course, party! Scenically, Candolim boasts of the iconic Fort Aguada, and roads with nature’s canopy on either side, making it quite a blissful place in al. More from the party point of view, Candolim is also home to one of Goa’s current favourite dance out destination SinQ Beach Club.

SINQ in sync with surroundings

Deriving its name from the beautiful and breath-taking Sinquerim Beach, SinQ Beach Club is quite massive in terms of its sheer expanse, encompassing an area of over 600 sq.mts of space that can host between 3000- 4000 guests at any given event, across its various sections.

The owners acquired an area of 2500

sq mts. in Candolim with the objective of creating a premium party destination that would appeal to and better suit the needs of the local party enthusiasts as well as various tourists that visit Goa. It so happened that while researching on how to bring their vision to reality, they developed several concept designs, each of which fuelled their own creative vision and lead to the creation and affirmation of SinQ Beach Club.

INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

The Party Zones

In terms of the individual entertainment and party spaces available at SinQ, we learn that the space has been designed keeping in view aesthetics and space dynamics, and found the overall design to be very attractive and quite well executed. The variety of areas offers guests a good night out - there’s the fully sound proofed main club indoor area, with an adjoining pool deck area with a bar outdoor seating and poolside cabana, both of which are located on the ground level. The expanse also houses a lounge cum pub/bar area at the upper level on the first floor. There’s also a separate space which now sports the guest rooms that act as a party hotel space.

“We’ve conceptualized the entire space keeping varied moods of party lovers in mind. It’s a uniquely well defined space that comprises a nightclub, an open-air lounge area with a discotheque and a poolside area with stylish cabanas,” says Kenneth, Manager of Operations at SinQ Beach Club. “We’ve ensured that the ambience always maintains the perfect balance of luxury, relaxation, high spirit and all-round positivity.” According to him, SinQ Beach Club spawns the synonyms of a dazzling lifestyle, high energy music, breath-taking live DJ performances and lots of happy and spirited dancing. “We’ve pretty much stayed true to our vision, and this has established SinQ as the place to party at while in Goa.”

Sinqing in Elegance

“Our target audience is more of a younger clubbing crowd, preferably

young couples and older party goers.

Basically a mid to higher end clientele that looks for a place to deliver an all-round quality experience - be it the music, the ambience, the F&B and everything in between. Because that’s what we are all about - the quality experience!” explains Kenneth as he discusses about the club’s focus in terms of their target audience and clientele.

“We’ve made all arrangements to ensure that we deliver true on our word. Great lighting, great sound, cushy furniture, larger party pads incorporating private bar counters etc are just some of the great features available at SinQ.” Panaji, Goa-based and renowned design firm Raya Shankwalker Architects was entrusted with the responsibility of creating an elegant design for the entire expanse; commissioning an appealing

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design that syncs well with the regale of the interior and overall scaping. Raya Shankwalker, Principal Architect of the firm led from the front and managed the design and commissioning of the project.

“It’s the overall package that makes SinQ a good venue, and Raya and his team have done a fantastic job here. From the perspective of aesthetics and layout, SinQ is both unique as well as exclusive - the different sections at the place have been designed in a manner that it serves the interests of the entire spectrum of visitors. And from the technological point of view as well, the club is one of the most tech-savy and tech-stable clubs around - featuring one of the impressive intelligent lighting and sound system setup there is,” says Kenneth. The lighting includes a plethora of moving head LED units, a few bright laser units,

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INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014 design, installation and final system optimisation. The team, we learn, was an excellent synergy, using each others’ expertise and creative solutions to come up with aesthetically appeasing practical and cost effective solutions, always keeping in mind the guests overall experience. Says Raya, “Special mention about the team at Sound Wizard - they were passionate, focussed and so very good at what they did, and this has reflected at all levels of our association and resulted in a memorable experience.”

bright LED runner strips, a delicately crafted ambient lighting scheme, and the perfect merge of downlighting and wallceiling wash scheme, all of which come together perfectly to a unique sense of chique and awe.

He adds, “I can also proudly say that we have one of the best and most stable sound system that you’d find anywhere. We were always of the opinion that sound would play a very vital role in building the party vibe and in contributing to the success of the club, which is why we paid special emphasis on having a system that was near to perfect! And we’ve pretty much hit the nail right on its head - DJs love performing here and party people love partying here.”

Raya adds his experience, “As a club, SinQ exudes a feeling of elegance and exclusivity, as it delivers nothing less than a premium experience, be it the ambience, the FnB or even the sound and visual experience that we deliver to our audience. Aesthetically, the place is just breathtaking, and in terms of the technology, we’ve used the best possible gear for the AV setup, and the magnificent quality just shows. And it’s all thanks to the wonderful support from the management of SinQ and the various partners that helped bring the project together so perfectly.”

Raya Shankhwalker Architects worked closely with Pondicherry-based acoustic and sound design solutions company SoundWizard along every step of the way in terms of devising the sound proofing, internal acoustics, AV system

An Immersive Sound Experience

Kumbha Young Grenier, CEO of Sound Wizard confirms that he and his team were given full acoustical and AV design freedom within the guidelines set out for visual finishes and of course the house budgets. “Budgets and finances are always a factor to work with, but in this case, doing a great job was more important to the client, and spending wisely on good quality equipment and good solutions helped in achieving an amazing result overall,” explains Kumbha. “We designed for the overall experience taking care of acoustics first, and then focusing on the perfect complementing sound system to deliver the necessary coverage and SPL. When it came to making the decision on the overall audio setup, we unanimously opted for an all exclusive QSC setup, primarily because of its quality and also considering the huge advantage of having a single source supplier in Pro Visual Audio for procurement as well as a future operational maintenance of the system.”

The stand out factor about SinQ in terms of its audio and acoustic design is the even coverage and SPL maintained

throughout the venue, with special emphasis on the high pressure zone a.k.a the dance floor. At the dance-floor area, the subwoofers are flown to provide improved coverage, with a cardioid subwoofer pattern designed to gain more SPL out of the same equipment.

From the setup design in this area, it’s also quite apparent that there was a conscious choice to position loudness away from the bar areas and create slightly lower pressure zones for people to be able to communicate with the bar tender. The outdoor lounge area too has the loudspeakers positioned above the bar to face away from the drinks counter and toward the audience. This area also has an added USP in the fact that the team have designed posts with speakers and a subwoofer at the base in between the tables so as to ensure that all tables enjoy an even and consistent sound experience.

The stellar highlight of the audio setup at SinQ though is the active use of QSC’s pride and joy of system control - the QSYS Core. As Kumbha elaborates “I guess SinQ is the first nightclub project in India to use the QSC QSYS Core processor and a definite first time for Sound Wizard. On paper it is the most flexible and ideal system for this kind of setup. But since we had never used it before, it was like we were taking a bit of a gamble. But my word, it paid off perfectly - the QSC QSYS Core processor works brilliantly - it’s easy, flexible and reliable, and a total joy to work with.”

And as he caps off by sharing his team’s experience of being a part of the project, Kumbha says “It’s been great! Raya and his team were fantastic, and working with them totally made the project a massive success.”

INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

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AUDIO SETUP Main Club Area: • 4 x QSC KW512 wooden enclosure loudspeakers • 6 x QSC K8 loudspeakers • 2 x QSC GP218sw subwoofers • Amplification through 2 x QSC PL340 power amplifiers

Sinqing in Awesomeness – Music, Dance and F&B

Having a fundamentally kickass system demands the kind of high energy and deep impact music that would allow the system to flaunt its merit. And at SinQ there’s a whole lot of amazing music played all through. “We play all kinds of music, and we have special nights for particular genres of music too. The only exception though is Bollywood music” explains the SingQ Operations Manager as he talks about the music programming at the club.

The club houses two of Goa’s most exclusive and experienced DJs, as DJ Rinton and Mr.E grace the space as SinQ’s official resident DJs. Specializing in House music, RnB & Hip-Hop, Rinton is young and talented DJ who started off 12 years ago at quite a tender age, but soon worked his way up the ranks, playing at most of the renowned clubs across the country including places like Goa, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, etc and also internationally in countries like Dubai. On the other hand, Mr.E is one of Goa’s best known deep house and electro music specialist, and has been around in the scene for quite a long time.

But the music is not the only showstopper at SinQ, as the place is always bustling with people that can’t get enough of the plethora of awesome alco-bev and bite options available at the club. Says Kenneth “Not only do our customers love to party at SinQ, but they also love relishing the spirits and food here. SinQ is very popular

for its cocktails, and I must mention that the cocktails we serve have been designed based on guests’ tastes and moods! Even the regular cocktails have a certain uniqueness that makes them characteristic to SinQ.” From the food perspective, the BBQ grills pizzas and tandoor snacks are the hottest selling items in terms of food!

Glorious Future Beckons

SinQ management recently, softlaunched SinQ Beach Club, Tavern - A Goan style Restaurant, and SinQair - for Private parties at Candolim, North Goa. They have also launched a 32-room hotel, with each comfy room equipped to bring feeds from the SinQ Beach Club into the room if the guest so wishes.

Plus, now that SinQ has introduced its Party Rooms, and with a brewery that is soon to be launched, they have now become a very unique party destination.

“We now proudly call ourselves as ‘India’s first ever Party Resort’. If that isn’t exciting, I don’t know what is!

We’re absolutely stoked and we thank all our patrons and supporters who have been with us throughout our journey.

And we’re confident of an even better journey ahead!” exudes a confident Kenneth.

SinQ - a club that has pretty much accomplished milestones of success in the past few months, and is turning out to be one of the leading clubs in Goa. www.rsagoa.in www.soundwizard.net www.provisualaudio.in

Pub Area: • 16 x QSC AD S52WH two way loudspeakers • 5 x QSC S28Tw WH subwoofers • 5 x QSC AD S32T surface mount loudspeakers • Amplification through 2 x QSC CX254 power amplifiers and 3 x QSC CMX800V power amplifiers Outdoor Lounge Area: • 12 x QSC AD S82H two way loudspeakers • 12 x QSC S28Tw subwoofers • 15 x QSC AD S52T surface mount loudspeakers • Amplification through 1 x QSC ISA800TI power amplifier, 2 x QSC ISA300TI power amplifiers (1 for VIP section + 1 for sit out), 3 x QSC CMX800V power amplifiers, and 3 x QSC CMX500V power amplifiers The DJ Area: • 2 x Pioneer CDJ 2000 players • 1 x Pioneer DJM 900 mixer • 2 x QSC K10 loudspeakers for monitoring • A single KRK KNS8400 headphone for close ear monitoring Comprehensive Distribution and Processing - DSP: • 1 x QSC QSYS Core 250i that handles upto 64 audio channels • 4 x QSC CIML4 I/O Cards for Mic/Line In • 6 x QSC COL4 I/O Cards for Line Outs • 1 x QSC I/O Frame with 4I/O modules

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INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

VTRON Monitors Disaster Management In Instanbul The solution is considered as one of the largest video wall installations in Europe

Istanbul – one of the most incredible cradles of history in the world – is unique in more ways than one. Playing a gateway between Europe and the Middle East, the transcontinental Turkish city enjoys ‘large’ credentials from either side. ‘Largest urban agglomeration in Europe,’ second largest in the Middle East, and fifth in the world in population; seat of four large empires spanning over 2600 years; European Capital of Culture; and, of course, one of the most sensitive places for earthquakes. A city of this scale of unique characters does need a mechanism where its unique characteristics as also the people’s lives are protected, and it did- through setting up a sophisticated Disaster Coordination Centre. The unique character of this Centre is really big- said to be the largest video wall in Europe. Taking the big honour is Chinese visual solutions major VTRON. SI Asia presents a snapshot.

The culturally rich and geographically strategic and populous city of Istanbul – by virtue of positioning on the vulnerable North Anatolian Fault – is also prone to seismic upheavals. The 7.1 magnitude Marmara earthquake that shook northwest Turkey in 1999 with over US$5 billion worth devastation led the Istanbul Administration to conceive Istanbul Seismic Risk Mitigation and Emergency Preparedness Project way back in 2005. The Governorship of Istanbul, with support from World Bank and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction

and Recovery, launched a comprehensive programme to help the city administration prepare for in advance, and respond to earthquakes, and other natural disasters.

An important aspect of this massive programme was to design and create a Disaster Coordination Centre. The centre was created in Hasdal under the aegis of Istanbul Governorship. Simply said, this facility is a natural disasters monitoring centre that provides critical information and protective management data in times of emergency. Playing central to the whole process is the Control Room created in the Coordination Centre featuring what is considered as the ‘largest video wall in Europe.’

The video wall featuring five rows of nine each 70-inch (5 x 9) full HD VisionPro C Series LED-lit DLP cubes that are powered by five sets of ARK3000 SP video wall processors – all from VTRON – provides full and stunningly seamless and crystal clear view of the city operations such as traffic and public movement as also presentation documents.

The impacting aspect of the video wall and its configuration is their capability of real-time and incredible clarity of display. The real-time display ensures the fastest responses in Control Centres and corresponding departments while the high contrast and brightness full HD images ensure precise information sharing.

Says Cumhur Em, Chief Engineer in the Directorate of Disaster Management of Istanbul, Turkey: “VTRON’s visualisation solution presents operators with all critical information at a single glance.

With the system’s fairly good signal synchronization, this significantly reduces the reaction time in case of incidents; and as a result decreases outage times.”

The Istanbul Administration’s spec to the system integrator was to design and create an adequately big display (video) wall to better monitor any natural eventuality like earthquakes, floods, big forest fires etc. The objective was to monitor the situation through online camera images, videos and or documents. The underlying message of the spec was that the solution has to be reliable, robust and at the same time eye pleasing.

A thorough scan of the market and a multitude of solution providers made it apparent that VTRON possessed the needed system solutions and expertise to incorporate the solution for a flawless functioning 24/7.

Though it did appear to be a simpler job, it wasn’t really to be one, for the very nature of the facility, and its functionality.

That the size is really big and it had to perform in tandem with a wide range of AV systems in the centre as also across the install points, it required a really diligent approach to the install, and trained personnel who knew what they ought to do.

According to Cumhur, VTRON install team fulfilled the criteria with near perfection. “VTRON products are very strong and stable, especially the controllers. Almost all the systems are performing without a hitch which is a confidence reinforcing factor.” www.vtron.com

QUICK GLANCE

Hardware: Five units of Ark3300SP Controllers; 45 units of Visionpro C-PHxx3 Cubes Software : VWAS 5.5; VWAS Explorer; Vextuner Control Software for cubes and V-Link Express

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INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Stately Facility Smartly Fitted With AV Smartentity does it with Crestron Digital Media

By Ram Bhavanashi to design, build, install, configure and programme it all within just a month.”

According to the integrator, that the facility is a VVIP Terminal where diplomats and high-profile government officials converge and debate on matters concerning the country and region, it had to have the best-ofthe-breed systems. More, that the facility has several meeting and dining spaces, besides dozens of lobbies, all those spaces had to be equipped with AV systems that meet the diverse requirements. The systems had to be sophisticated in their functionality and yet simple to use.

The VVIP Amiri Terminal Building created in close proximity to Kuwait International Airport – with the sole objective of housing private offices of Kuwait’s Head of State, its Emir – is not only a unique architectural marvel but also an incredible AV manifestation where size and scale rank among the best and big in the region. Turning an exhaustive install into exquisite and elegant expression was Smartentity while playing central to the ‘smart’ integration was Crestron. An SIAsia exclusive…

The Project: With stakes being so high and prestigious, the facility’s audiovisual systems integration was to be challenging not only due to size and scale but also for the timeframe set for the task, and more, for the very nature of the site and setting. For, the facility had already been equipped with a particular AVSI solution but it wasn’t to be the liking and comfort of the client. This apparently made it a challenge to the expertise and ingenuity of the Turnkey solution provider called in.

In close proximity to Kuwait International Airport is the distinctive VVIP Amiri Terminal Building, which houses the private offices of Kuwait’s head of state, its Emir. Designed by internationally acclaimed architect Wael Said of the Kuwait-based design firm Associated Engineering Partnership, the VVIP edifice is a hugely impactful model on the Kuwaiti skyline with a characteristic combination of pyramidal and dome structures that are enriched internally by gold cladding, classic wooden finish interiors, patterned marble floors, and more! The design and purpose befits the requirement of Emir Sabah IV AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah GCB, and the executives of the Council of Ministers as well as General Secretariat.

It was thus a potentially challenging yet, prestigious task for the locally-based AV consultancy and integration firm Smartentity Technlogies & Consultancy.

“Yes, the setting called for many complex integration jobs while we had to maintain a very simple easy-to-use user interfaces,” recalls Chadi Kfoury, Founder & Director of Smartentity.

“More, we had a very tight schedule

The Brief: “It had to be a flexible system with very easy to use interfaces for control functions,” says Foury. “The brief we received called for an efficient AV system that would incorporate environmental controls in the dining and meeting rooms,” he explains, “although the system we designed are complex behind the scenes, the client-facing end is extremely robust, easy to use and maintain, and above all its reliable.”

A very critical part of the integration model Smartentity chose was to employ control automation solutions major Crestron’s Digital Media at the centre of its expansive install work.

The Scale: The massive integration job at the facility comprised multiple numbers of: • • • • •

Cisco Telepresence systems NEC video walls NEC projectors Chief mounts Arthur Holm touch screens

INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014 • • • • •

Draper motorized screens Smart Interactive flat boards Smart document cameras Atlona wireless HD presentation units Sennheiser mics, and a whole big host of • Crestron control systems - Schedulers, - Video switchers, - Annotation systems, - Wiring associates, and - Ceiling speakers And more…

According to the integrator, the deployment of Crestron Digital Media encompasses the entire control of lighting, HVAC and all the AV sources.

“The Crestron elements of the design are all crucial in meeting these goals,” explains the Smartentity Director. “It is central to the whole integration.”

The Work: The shared areas and corridors in the building have been fitted with occupancy sensors which feed directly to the lighting system. This saves the energy from being over-consumed or wasted, thus contributing to the ecofriendliness of the facility. This setup also keeps the amount of wall switches down to preserve the integrity of the décor.

The meeting rooms are equipped with a single preset that is programmed to keep the operation of the system as simple for the end-users as possible.

For presentations, a single press on the touch screen will dim the lighting to 65 per cent; the projector switches on whilst the screen simultaneously lowers; and as the projector lift drops, the automated blinds also close.

Completing the AV installation in the meeting rooms and dining room are controls for the input sources such as Blu-ray, Apple TV, VC, projectors and

LED displays which are all controlled and networked using Crestron DigitalMedia.

“Cresron DigitalMedia takes central position and allows for all the sources to remain active on the same network and are delivered without any scaling or compression,” informas Kfoury.

According to him, the system has been divided into two zones- one for the meeting facilities and one for the dining room. That the VVIP meetings are quite often followed by a break either for beverages or for lunch it is a common practice that more people will join the meeting or the new arrivals will join the group for a discussion on a fresh topic. In each of these scenarios, the presentation leader will have control over which streams, feeds and sources are shown and in which areas. The DM setup allows the user to be very flexible whilst still enjoying the best quality of signal and source management.

The presenter also can use the Crestron V24 panel which has become increasingly popular for its annotation feature. When discussing notes, diagrams or showing photography, the V-Panel works as an interactive display where the presenter is able to annotate over the displayed image. In several instances, the presenter uses the device to show comments and contributions from the guests in the room. The V24 is also part of the DigitalMedia system, and thus can be sourced to the LED displays so that everyone can see and comprehend the subject under discussion.

As specified by the client, the installation is also characterised by eco-friendly aspects of the system, the lighting and the HVAC. Crestron Lighting keypads with dimming settings for 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 per cent have been installed across all the interior areas and provide a quick and easy means of adjusting light levels as per the requirements of a room.

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While temperature of the rooms can be easily adjusted via the Crestron touch screens if required, Smartentity team has also programmed an average default preset to better manage the energy output, and thus reduce the carbon footprint while maintaining a comfortable level of temperature.

The Result: With the brief fully realised, the installation at VVIP has been extremely well received. Evidently, the beauty of the system is its simplicity lighting, heating, cooling and the host of AV sources are managed and seamlessly monitored which allows the Emir and his staff the freedom to conduct their businesses without any system related hiccup.

With the confidence in the system being a priority from the beginning, the successful delivery of this solution stands to maximise productivity with a system that simultaneously works to minimise energy wastage.

“The client is extremely happy and satisfied,” says the Smartentity Director. “We have provided almost limitless options to present, share, and collaborate during the meetings,” he explained. With the required flexibility in communication and collaboration coming to place, the client experience with the system and integration has been a reinforcing.

The SI goes on to say that with a view to ensuring that the install delivers consistent performance without a glitch, they have not only trained the local maintenance team at the Terminal on how to operate the system, the firm provides maintenance and backend support on a regular basis.

KFoury acknowledges that besides the immaculate system performance delivery of Crestron Digital Media, it was the incredible support they got from all the manufacturers involved that made them deliver on the install mandate successfully. www.smartentity.net www.crestron.eu

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TECH TALK SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Dispelling The 5 Myth # 1: All Wire is Created Equal

One of the most common myths is that all wiring and cable is the same, so integrators opt to purchase the cheapest available. After all, wire’s simply just that…wire, right? Not so! says ICE Cable Systems President Brian Rizzo.

According to Rizzo purchasing inexpensive cable means the integrator is taking a substantial risk because the only effective way to build cable cheaply is for the manufacturer to skimp. In fact, some companies go to extremes to reduce costs, including shaving copper and even changing foot markers! Both of these can lead to a real disaster on the job.

To illustrate his point, Rizzo describes a security system project wherein the surveillance cameras getting installed required long runs of camera cable.

However when the integrator went to activate the cameras, a number of them would not power-up. Rizzo’s company helped the integrator identify that the manufacturer of the cable had been shaving copper wherein the 18/2 actually proved to be 22/2. Not only was the reputation of the integrator compromised, but the job needed to be rewired, which caused the integrator money loss on the project, not to mention his reputation.

Myth # 2: A Box is a Box is a Box

Not true! In addition to cable performance, ICE Cable Systems strives to improve all aspects of the wire installation process for the integrator.

For example, in response to integrator complaints of constant problems with conventional cable boxes, ICE Cable innovated a bulk wire carton that utilizes a patented Reelex II payout system. This includes a 4-inch (10.16cm) payout hole and a special cable winding pattern that solves all of the common

pulling problems (kinks, knot, recoils, tangles, etc.) and maintaining optimal performance. Called Big Mouth Payout, the dispenser and winding pattern make pulling the wire a very smooth process, which is extremely beneficial when the integrator is working alone, like atop a ladder. Integrators should be looking for these kinds of innovative solutions that help make them more efficient on the job.

Myth # 3: Certifications and Performance Standards are Not Important Because Wire & Cable is a Commodity Product Not true says Rizzo. He explains: “Wire and cable is the structural backbone of your system and ICE Cable System’s starting point is that everything we build must be made to the proper specification. All of ICE’s cables are UL or ETL listed and RoHS compliant. The company uses full copper and flame retardant compounds, so integrators can be certain ICE cables will perform as advertised and their installations are safe.”

”Many manufacturers are saving money but comprising the integrity of the cable by using non-UL compounds; this passes a significant legal liability onto the integrator as using non-UL approved products can put them in hot water,” says Rizzo.

HDBaseT is a new connectivity standard for whole-home and commercial distribution of uncompressed HD multimedia content and ICE Cable Systems’ Cat 5e/6 (LAN) cables have received HDBaseT certification. ”With HDBaseT, integrators are running video, audio, ethernet, control and power all on one cable, all of which requires equipment “handshakes” on each end.

We want to help integrators do it right the first time so they can move onto other areas of the job,” says Rizzo.

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Myths Of Wire & Cable Myth # 4: Premium Wire Means Expensive Price Not so! Here is where in-depth knowledge of manufacturing and passion come into play.

Knowledge Surveying the market and studying the struggles integrators had with wire & cable products prompted Rizzo to spend considerable time in China while transitioning ICE Cable’s Systems supplychain from the United States. There Rizzo learned to speak Chinese. As Rizzo puts it “the Chinese were willing to custombuild products in ways that US factories were not and in some cases offering capabilities that you could not find in the US.” Rizzo says the “secret sauce” is to offer full spec, full-performance products with features and benefits that result in faster and more efficient installations.

This means labor savings for the installer and represents a sharp contrast to the compromised product that was being offered in the marketplace.

Passion These factories feature state-of-theart machinery, engineering, full UL compliance and at each stage in the manufacturing process, Rizzo has hand picked each key supplier who could deliver on the innovations ICE Cable Systems builds. This allows ICE Cable Systems to have 100% control over the features and quality of the product it sells today.

Value Add to this equation a low-overhead operation, ICE Cable Systems is able to deliver premium wire & cable products at extremely competitive dealer costs while still enabling the integrator to earn lucrative profit margins.

Myth # 5. It’s Impossible to Compare Wire & Cable

Not so! For integrators to really know who to trust when choosing a vendor, they need to get product samples from multiple companies and test them, even evaluate them by using a micrometer and other test equipment. In addition to comparing prices on hundreds of skus, this is a time-consuming process.

Another option is to learn the specifics of each company and find out how they build their products.

So how do you do this? “Talk to a company rep, visit their website to see what their message is,” says Rizzo. “Are they talking about their product being really inexpensive or are they talking about innovation? If they’re talking about “less money” then you have to ask yourself “What are the hidden costs of

low quality cable and packaging? Their ‘narrative’ is the best telltale sign of what they are all about and what kind of product you’re going to get.”

About ICE Cable Systems

Founded in 2004 by president Brian Rizzo, ICE Cable Systems is a leading manufacturer of premium low-voltage wire and cable products serving the Audio Video, Alarm and Security, Commercial, Electrical Contracting and Data Center channels. The company’s products are available to integrators both directly and through more than 50 distributors internationally. ICE Cable’s success is driven by ingenuity and its desire to make superior products that offer more value to installers. www.icecable.com

REELEX Packaging System by ICE Cable Systems What is REELEX technology?

REELEX is ICE Cable Systems' patented winding technology inside all their BMP boxes.

A combination of custom-designed machines and software that allows cable coils to pull from the inside out without any rotation of the bundle.

During the winding process, many factors are manipulated including the changing tension, the “fluff” of the bundle and more. The result?

Low tension and smooth payout – void of any twists, snags or tangles.

The REELEX II coil features a large payout hole that increases pull performance. With a more direct payout path, there is less bending of the cables while dispensing. This is

especially important for large and stiff cables. According ICE Cable Systems with REELEX II installation time is improved by 30%.

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TECH TALK Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Thunderbolt 2: The Connection Of Choice For Your System And External Storage Back in the mid-‘90s, USB (Universal Serial Bus) did a good job standardizing the dizzying array of cables and connectors used to connect, communicate and deliver power between computers and a wide range of external devices. The industryadopted standard simplified the bus and communications protocols so a single connector interface could be used for a wide range of devices.

While the current version - USB 3.0 continues to more than meet the needs for input devices for supporting charging and syncing all of our tablets and phones and for handing the lower demands of consumer backup and storage use, it is showing signs of stress when you look at the needs of professionals and power users.

Thunderbolt 2 continues to deliver content faster and more reliably than even the emerging USB3.1. It is as of now widely (almost exclusively) used for M&E production and post production and needs to be more widely adopted to help other commercial users handle their growing workloads of data and content.

High-speed, high-volume video and audio creation/production require

Larry O'Connor gives us his take on Thunderbolt 2. Larry is Founder and CEO of Other World Computing, Inc. (OWC), a manufacturer and e-Tailer of Solid State Drives, data storage solutions, memory and accessories for Mac and PC computers.

With two decades of development and market experience with flash, Larry’s passionate creativity led OWC to develop the only non-Apple SSD solution that is compatible with the MacBook Air. An alumnus of Marquette University, O’Connor’s strong industry commitment and focus have earned him numerous industry awards and several notable recognitions, including Dealerscope’s 40 under 40’; six consecutive years on the Inc. 5,000 list and three years on Crain’s Chicago Business ‘Fast 50’.

USB3.1 vs Thunderbolt Gen2

low latency and highly accurate time synchronization. This means you can increase productivity with enhanced performance and decreased lag times. To meet these demands, Intel and Apple developed Thunderbolt technology which initially provided 10 Gbps throughput. With the rapid adoption of 4K video production/ distribution, Thunderbolt 2 is now being implemented to deliver more bandwidth and lower overhead to provide full bandwidth response.

Keeping pace with our newest highperformance processors, system designers have been able to integrate the Thunderbolt 2 chipset and interface into thin, light laptops so cinematographers and other power users are able to achieve workstation performance over a single cable in the office and in the field.

TECH TALK Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014 Thunderbolt is based on PCI Express and DisplayPort which allow designers to use off-the-shelf controllers and standard drivers while supporting higher-definition display resolutions as well as eightchannel HD audio.

While the Thunderbolt protocol physical layer delivers comprehensive link maintenance, the key to its performance and flexibility is the transport layer. This layer includes a high-performance, lowpower switching architecture and a very efficient, low-overhead packet format.

The technology multiplexes PCI Express transactions and isochronous DisplayPort communications on the same link.

Thunderbolt cable

Available as either a copper or optical cable, the Thunderbolt copper cable economically delivers the specified bandwidth and is capable of delivering 10W of power to bus-powered devices such as high-capacity, high-speed SSD and HD storage solutions.

PCI Express

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PCI Express Thunderbolt™ Cable

DisplayPort

DisplayPort Thunderbolt Controller

Thunderbolt Controller

Because the PCI Express bus and DisplayPort are incorporated in the controller, simultaneous traffic from both busses are packetized and transmitted over the cable.

The technology multiplexes PCI Express transactions and isochronous DisplayPort communications on the same link.

To ensure optimum performance for demanding applications such as audio/ video production/post production and mission-critical data management transfer, we tested Thunderbolt 2 enabled storage systems and were able to consistently achieve sustained data rates up to 1,342 MB/s. This makes working with large video files – even 4K – easier, faster and consistently reliable.

In addition, Thunderbolt 2 delivers enough bandwidth to daisy-chain multiple high-speed devices without having to add a hub or switch.

For example, video production/post production facilities maintain full copies of all of their work – RAW, FX, CGI, edits, versions and final cuts. Thunderbolt 2 allows you to connect as many as six storage solutions, providing up to 120TB

and more of stored workflow content immediately available to the producer or editor for fast, efficient project management.

Opportunities Ahead

Thunderbolt 2 is rapidly becoming the connectivity solution of choice by professional and prosumer cinematographers and production/ post production experts who almost universally rely on newer Mac Pro and MacBook Pro systems that include the technology.

In addition to the technology’s lower peripheral and cable costs, the ability to quickly and easily carry out large data transfers for a wide range of applications will drive its broader adoption—not just by workstation and performance laptops that meet the rapidly expanding A/V market’s storage and peripheral needs but for SMB data management and backup requirements.

Thunderbolt2 provides two bi-directional channels on the same connector with 20Gb/s throughput in both directions. As a result, the technology is able to move data 40 times faster than USB 3 and up to 24 times faster than FireWire 800.

Because the PCI Express bus and DisplayPort are incorporated in the controller, simultaneous traffic from both busses are packetized and transmitted over the cable. The technology delivers more bandwidth and lower overhead to provide full bandwidth response.

While the Thunderbolt protocol physical layer delivers comprehensive link maintenance, the key to its performance and flexibility is the transport layer. This layer includes a high-performance, lowpower switching architecture and a very efficient, low-overhead packet format.

Test results show that Thunderbolt 2 enabled storage systems were able to consistently achieve sustained data rates up to 1,342 MB/s.

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INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

JAPAN

Bose RoomMatch Easily Handles Mix Use Multi Purpose Hall M&H consults and delivers impeccably

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he city of Sendai – 400-year-old capital of Miyagi Prefecture on the west coast of Japan is one of the oldest cities in the region. Popularly referred to as the ‘City of Trees,’ owing to its very unique zelkova species trees, the city is one of the renowned centres of academics and culture in the country, and, of late, a preferred destination for a variety of sportswear.

So, when a Sports Arena was planned for the sports-loving citizenry of Sendai, who else to step in for this project but Xeibo Japan – a renowned sportswear brand with a strong culture of giving back to the community.

While initially conceptualized as a sports arena, looking at the location and broader perspective of the need, it was planned on - “Astro Nagamachi” that is the heart of the city, it was expected to support facilities that will bring business and clients to the city. It was also felt that in order to continue to contribute to the cultural enrichment of the region and its passion for sports, a multipurpose hall that is equipped to seamlessly transform from a livewire environment of a basketball game to a space for holding a black tie stakeholders meeting, may be a better choice.

The original intent of the project, thus, got revised to hold sports events like basketball, volleyball and futsal (five-man

indoor football), and also live concerts, job fairs, and more, business forums and meetings.

The contract to create the facility was awarded to M&H, a respected audio consultant in Japan. The space needed must not only transform from an electrified atmosphere of a Japanese basketball league’s (BJ) home game into a quiet formal board meeting in a blink of an eye, but meet all the audio and video needs that come with the changing programs.

M&H reached out to various partners to deliver in line with the client’s exacting needs for final delivery. For audio, they connected up with Bose whose design engineers worked with them each step of the way delivering a truly configurable solution that switches seamlessly between scenarios of diverse requirement.

The vision was to create a first-of-itskind multipurpose arena with state-ofart-facilities and equipment. The entire audio-video needed to be integrated with a sophisticated control system that made switching between different applications, called scenes, effortless and easy. For each application the delivery in terms of audio and video needed to be perfect - high speech intelligibility for stage performances/ board meeting, a high SPL for a sports game to create

the right excitement in the arena and amongst the crowds.

On the audio front, the arena has an expansive profile of 25 full range RoomMatch modules along with 8 subwoofers catering to the sound in the arena. These systems are again supported by as many as 52 FreeSpace DS 100 speakers for sound through the concourse. Another batch of forty 802’s were added for the ribbon to make sure there is uniform coverage of sound and no matter where one is seated, and what application has been pressed into use, the sound delivered was clear and natural.

Further, all the speakers are supported by a robust set of electronics with as many as 17 Bose configurable PowerMatch amplifiers and four ControlSpace electronic signal processors that handles the job via ESP networkable cards for the arena.

The end result has been very well appreciated. “We wanted to create an exciting music and lighting experience for fans when they watched a basketball game, but we also needed a system that supported other events where clear speech was important,” say the Arena owners. “RoomMatch loudspeakers fit both requirements perfectly.” www.bose.com

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HONG KONG

Shure Facilitates Chinese Culture Education At Jao Tsung-I Academy EduServe takes the honour of equipping the Academy

RA 6013 digital radiators, capable of covering areas of up to 1000 sqm, distribute a powerful and reliable infra-red signal to 50 wireless DR 6008 receivers.

Conference Room

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he Jao Tsung-I (JTI) Academy, a historic compound located at the former Lai Chi Kok Hospital, was recently revitalized under a project of the Development Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR government, transforming the landmark into a centre dedicated to promoting Chinese culture and encouraging cultural exchange. With a wide range of facilities visited by local and overseas guests, the academy required a reliable, high quality AV system to support its various exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and conferences.

EduServe, the authorized Shure distributor in Hong Kong, well understood the requirements and needs of this unique site and was awarded to equip the JTI performance hall, classrooms, and meeting rooms with topline Shure wired and wireless microphones, simultaneous interpretation systems, and digital discussion systems.

“The main performance and theatre hall was a key site in the sound system installation project,” says the Exhibition & Public Program Manager at JTI

Academy. “It is frequently visited by overseas guests and used for seminars by foreign lecturers, which is why we needed an easy-to-use interpretation system which can transmit wireless language translations to the audience.”

The Shure DCS 6000-series Interpreter Units and Digital IR Audio Distribution System provided the perfect solution for this requirement. The portable IS 6132 P Interpreter Units deliver fully digital simultaneous language transmission, and RA 6013 digital radiators, capable of covering areas of up to 1000 sqm, distribute a powerful and reliable infra-red signal to 50 wireless DR 6008 receivers. The receivers use latest electronics technology, ensuring maximum performance and a long battery life-time, while the design fits nicely into the concept of the historic, 120-seat theatre hall.

“The DCS 6000 system is a stateof-the-art digital conferencing and interpretation system. Paired with the legendary SM58 and Beta58A wireless microphones that are being used on stage, the performance hall is now

equipped to deliver superb audio quality and engage the audience,” commented Carl Poon, Manager at EduServe.

In addition to the main theatre hall, Shure digital conferencing and discussion systems also guarantee excellent sound quality in the conference rooms of the JTI Academy, where the DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System now facilitates committee conferencing across various locations. 25 DC 5980P Discussion Units with CU 5905 Central Unit were connected with an HD video conferencing and projection system.

The integrated solution transmits clear conference audio together with a local camera signal, enabling committee discussions with remote participants.

“The easy setup, central control, userfriendly design, and especially the integration with our VC system are great features and have made it a lot easier for us to organize conferencing sessions with all committee members, even those who are not physically present,” says the Program Manager. www.shure.com/asia www.eduserve.com.hk

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INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

CHINA

Vtron Technologies Takes A Glimpse At The Future Of AV Solutions Crestron’s powerful, intelligent control solution streamlines system operation and management for Vtron’s experience center

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tron Technologies is the worldleading provider of large-screen digital display wall system and solution. Through relentless development of optic, electronic, image processing, transmission, positioning and authentication technologies, Vtron endeavors to develop visual communication products that integrate hardware, software and industrial solution. These products make group communication and decision-making simple and effective. Vtron has been ranked as No.1 by market share in China market since 2004, and its systems have been installed in more than 50 countries worldwide.

Challenges

The new Vtron Experience Center comprises a demonstration room, multifunctional room, presentation room, and electronic sand table room. The Center aims to demonstrate the power of Vtron’s solutions, also to provide an

excellent place for holding keynote presentations, conferences and other events. Since several equipment and scene adjustments were required, the company wanted a solution that could streamline the operation and function property. Therefore, it was necessary to seek out a solution to help automate operation.

The sales and management teams needed to control lighting, climate, cameras, DLP® video wall, and video conferencing system, as well as switches between input sources like HD or DVD players. The complex system needed a simple user interface to ensure both teams could operate and manage it easily, and also needed to provide low energy consumption, safety and easy administration of equipment.

In addition, each room needed a keypad and a touch screen to control the system and the control room should be able to remotely control on it. Since many events require adjustments to the scenes, the company wanted to avoid meticulous and time-consuming configuration processes. Some common scenes could preconfigured and set everything with the touch of one button—such as a

welcoming mode, conferencing mode, demonstration mode and more—the company also wanted to be able to set their own presets as new needs arise without the assistance of a professional programmer.

Today’s multimedia landscape contained multiple types of sources. Vtron wanted to allow the use of any device—wired and wireless—as an input source for holding conferences and sharing content in different locations. AirMedia™, DigitalMedia™ and Wi-Fi provided the versatility the company needed, supporting PC, Mac®, iOS® and Android® devices.

Building the System

The main challenges in implementing the system were integrating the vast number of disparate components and accommodating Vtron’s need for flexible

INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

and simple scene management. Thanks to Crestron’s powerful integration capabilities, all of the requirements were met.

The system was designed with multiple key Crestron products: • Central Control System: the all-new 3-Series Control System® MC3, 2-Series Control Processor PAC2M; • Touch Screen: Smart Graphics™ 7” Touch Screen TSW-750, 8.4” Wi-Fi Touch Screen TPMC-8X-GA, V-Panel™ Integrated 12” HD Touch Screen TPMC-V12; • HD Signal Switching: 8x8 DigitalMedia Switcher DM-MD8X8, including multiple configurable input and output cards • HD Signal Transmission: DigitalMedia 8G™ Fiber Receiver & Room Controller w/Scaler DM-RMCSCALER-S;

• Wireless Projection System: AirMedia Presentation Gateway AM-100 • Unified Collaboration System: Crestron RL™ ; • Crestron Light Control Modules, etc.

The system used a dual-mainframe architecture to coordinate system control, while the hardware was installed according to a hybrid design with both centralized and distributed. This not only centralizes the control and significantly reduces wiring costs and installation difficulty, but also embodies the characteristic of local and remote control.

The Results

Powered by Crestron’s integrated solutions, the new Experience Center far exceeded Vtron’s expectations. The sales and management teams have fully embraced Crestron’s powerful and intelligent system after a short period of familiarization.

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“Operating the system is unbelievably simple. The integrated system allows us to easily switch between different scenes and fully customizes lighting, climate, speaker volume and more—all through a single button,” praised Vtron’s sales team. “In addition, Crestron RL allows us to hold collaborative conferences and demonstrations regardless of location, displaying the full potential of Vtron’s DLP video wall and IDB visual effects.”

Advances in technology have brought changes to lifestyles and work habits.

Today’s customers not only demand features and quality in products, but also request strong collaboration between different products. In other words, customers need solutions that facilitate the operation and management of the growing number of devices in a system, which are simple operation, low energy consumption, safety and easy administration.

“The streamlined HD video transmission offered by DigitalMedia, the versatile cross-platform compatibility enabled by AirMedia, and the robust collaboration features of Crestron RL—these solutions bring an unprecedented experience to the Center, and make it more valuable to us than we expected,” the sales team continued. www.crestronasia.com

92 Sky-High Sound At QANTAS HQ INSTALLATIONS

SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

AUSTRALIA

Bosch, Dynacord, and Electro-Voice systems are providing intelligible sound throughout the innovative Qantas HQ hub in Sydney, Australia thanks to Wood & Grieve.

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ood & Grieve Consulting Engineers were recently tasked with specifying audio equipment for the new Qantas headquarters in Sydney. To establish the acoustics of the space and design the sound system layout, a 3D EASE model was built by Wood & Grieve.

Subsequent to reviewing many speaker solutions, Bosch was elected as the company to supply the optimal sound solution, including products from Bosch, Dynacord, and Electro-Voice.

Qantas headquarters is an architecturally award-winning campus, accommodating thousands of Qantas staff under its long, interconnecting roof. Along the internal street of the hub, 16 Bosch LS1 Hemi Directional loudspeakers were installed.

The Bosch LS1 Hemi Directional loudspeakers featuring a complementary UFO design were installed within the internal street of the hub

The loudspeakers balance directly above the street lights and have a complementary UFO design, adding another visually stunning element to the space. Not only a visual pleaser, the LS1s direct sound downward hemispherically instead of dispersing it around in unwanted directions, which was ideal in the Qantas hub as it is a highly reflective environment.

Olivier Gaussen, National Acoustics Coordinator from Wood & Grieve Engineers explained, “The Qantas hub is a very complex acoustic environment as it includes large amounts of reflective surfaces such as glass and terrazzo floor, and it is located underneath the secondary runway of Sydney Airport.�

The outside lunch area features Electro-Voice ZX1i weatherized loudspeakers

Wood & Grieve tamed many of these acoustic quirks within the space by adding various absorption materials in strategic locations. The LS1s also have high speech intelligibility perfect for paging and emergency calls, as well as high sound pressure level with very even coverage which is extremely suitable for enclosed high-ceiling areas similar to the Qantas hub.

INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

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successfully installed prior to the hub’s formal opening.

Bryan Davidson of Bosch was asked to commission the system and do some tuning, which he states, “Was quite a pleasing experience thanks to Wood & Grieve who had all their homework done in making sure that the space had a very low reverberation time, thereby allowing us to achieve a high STI.”

The video screen features two Dynacord TS400 vertical arrays on the left and right of the screen, with two Electro-Vcoice SB122 compat 12” subwoofers installed in the centre of the bottom of the screen for added punch

The head-end equipment consisted of an Electro-Voice NetMax N8000 DSP for all background music routing, in conjunction with a Dynacord Promatrix 8000 paging system. The equipment works collaboratively to allow staff to page to any of the eight different acoustic zones within the hub, as well as providing pleasing background music.

Furthermore, Wood & Grieve designed a large video screen to be fitted within the hub, and determined that the Dynacord TS400 Vertical Arrays were the most suitable speakers for the application. The TS400s are situated to the left and right of the big screen. The 2.5-way design uses spaced and filtered drivers as array elements which deliver very even and smooth coverage throughout the challenging acoustic space. In the centre of the bottom of the screen, two ElectroVoice SB122 compact 12” subwoofers

were installed for added punch. These subs are incredibly small, yet extremely powerful, packing 400-watt continuous power handling (1600-watt peak) into a 15 kg package. The sound system is completely invisible to the public, as designed by the architect.

One of the many components of the Qantas hub is an outside lunch area designed for staff and patrons. Within this space, six Electro-Voice ZX1i weatherized loudspeakers were fitted, which deliver smooth, full range sound performance with exceptional reliability, and extend the BGM and paging capabilities.

Trevan Johns & Associates were the winning systems integrator who did an exceptional job. Despite a particularly short timeline, all equipment was

“The Qantas hub is a very complex acoustic environment as it includes large amounts of reflective surfaces such as glass and terrazzo floor, and it is located underneath the secondary runway of Sydney Airport. Wood & Grieve tamed many of these acoustic quirks within the space by adding various absorption materials in strategic locations."

Olivier Gaussen, National Acoustics Coordinator from Wood & Grieve Engineers

“After the commissioning was completed by the acoustical consultants, the dynamics, clarity and intelligibility from the sound system was astounding,” added Trevan Johns, owner of Trevan Johns & Associates. Mr. Gaussen from Wood & Grieve Engineers concluded, “Qantas Airways stakeholders and executives were all very impressed by the quality and uniformity of the sound across the hub. The design was a real success as reverberation time and speech intelligibility performance requirements were met in a very complex acoustic environment.”

The head-end equipment consists of an Electro-Voice NetMax N8000 DSP for all background music routing, in conjunction with a Dynacord Promatrix 8000 paging system.

Consultant: Wood & Grieve Engineers www.wge.com.au Systems Integrator: Trevan Johns & Associates www.tjacom.com.au Supplier: Bosch www.boschcommunications.com.au

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INSTALLATIONS SSystems Integration Asia October - November 2014

SOUTH KOREA

Barco's OverView Video Wall Making An Impression in South Korea's Broadcasting Facilities Barco's OverView O series LED video walls feature ultimate redundancy of all critical components

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arco has had a busy year populating South Korea's broadcasting facilities with its OverView O series videowall solution. By introducing 3rd generation LEDs, Barco's LED video walls now produce 33% extra brightness, with the LEDs consiming 33% less power when operating at today's standard brightness levels. We take a look at some of the installations.

MBC Creates ‘Mirror Of The Future’

As the number one broadcast network in Korea in terms of reliability, popularity and influence, the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) keeps pushing the envelope. In its new headquarters in Sangam Digital Media City (DMC), Seoul, the network is creating Korea’s first urban entertainment center (UEC).

Showcasing MBC’s current stature as well

as its future, the center is equipped with the latest generation of broadcasting equipment, including a brand-new Barco OverView video wall in a 9x2 configuration.

One of four major national television and radio networks, MBC is the oldest commercial broadcasting network in South Korea. Its flagship terrestrial television station is Channel 11 (LCN).

The network also includes 19 regional stations and 10 subsidiaries. By exporting high-quality media content to over 50 countries, the group is quickly making a name for itself beyond the Korean borders. Today, the group is looking to strengthen its ties with broadcasting companies around the world.

The new company building in Sangam Digital Media City (DMC) perfectly conveys MBC’s ambition to become one of the most competitive media groups of the 21st century. In the brandnew broadcasting studio, a video wall backdrop has been installed featuring Barco’s OverView product range. On top of a new OVL-715 9x2 setup, MBC’s existing 8x3 setup was dismantled and given a second life in two additional 8x2 and 4x2 configurations. Despite having clocked up two years of intensive broadcasting, these modules still produce the same ultra-sharp images as when they were first taken into use.

With its unique sensor technology providing optimum brightness and colour stability and its high levels of redundancy for guaranteed uptime, the wall echoes MBC’s core values of reliability, creativity and professionalism.

Furthermore, the modular set-up offers virtually no limits in size, thus effectively creating a pathway to an even brighter future for MBC.

Wall-To-Wall Emergency Coverage At KBS

As South Korea’s biggest radio and television network, Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) has been selected by the Korean government to provide emergency situation broadcasting.

For this purpose, an innovative news studio concept was built using Barco OverView OVL-715 video wall in a 3x2 configuration.

Since its founding in 1927, KBS has taken the lead in the development of broadcasting in South Korea. The public service broadcaster is responsible for some key technological turning points, such as the first radio and first television broadcast. In 2001, KBS was the first network to broadcast HD programs.

In 2014, KBS can add another milestone to that list with its EOC News studio; a studio facility dedicated to emergency situation broadcasting. In case of a typhoon, flood, earthquake or other disaster, this studio will be used to

The 9x2 configuration

The 8x2 and 4x2 in News Studio B

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in to the South Korean YTN channel is never a bad idea. Founded in 1993, the channel has been offering 24-hour news since 1995. To upgrade its capabilities, the network moved to Sangam Digital City in Seoul in March 2014. There, a brand-new video wall was installed featuring Barco technology in a 9x2module setup.

With slogans like ‘Always first YTN’, YTN has quickly become one of the most popular news channels in Korea. As a first step towards further broadening its scope, the group decided to move its headquarters to Sangam Digital City in Seoul.

SBS

provide the population with minute-tominute updates of crisis situations.

Naturally, this type of broadcasting requires a system that is extremely reliable. In addition, to compensate for the often low video quality of video sources, the image quality requirements of the system are extremely high. Both factors were decisive for KBS in choosing Barco’s Overview OVL-715 3x2 video wall, with its high redundancy levels, worry-free operation and impeccable, crisp, clear images.

SBS Installs Largest Backdrop Video Wall Of Its Kind In South Korea

Two and a half years later, the system was in need of expansion. Following its excellent past experiences, SBS decided to call upon Barco once again in May 2014. Today, the network can boast the largest backdrop video wall for broadcasting in the country – complete with Barco’s trademark technological ingenuities that ensure maximum uptime, minimum maintenance and premium image quality at all times.

A Broad View On 24-Hour News – Always First YTN

If you’re looking for the latest update on what’s happening in the world, tuning

The new office building features all the latest broadcasting technologies to enable further growth for YTN. In the television broadcasting studio, for example, a Barco OverView video wall with high-redundancy levels is installed, ensuring continuous coverage of the latest news. Furthermore, thanks to its minimal screen gaps and wide viewing angles, the wall aligns perfectly with YTN’s focus on complete news coverage from a broad perspective. www.barco.com

On stepping inside the broadcasting studio of South Korean network SBS, the mere size of its new backdrop video wall will leave you baffled. With a 14x2 module set-up, the system is the largest of its kind in Korea. Installed in May 2014, the system is a significant expansion of the already impressive 11x2 Barco OverView video wall that was set up back in 2012.

One of four major terrestrial television networks in South Korea, SBS is the only private commercial broadcaster in the country with a wide regional network.

Through Channel 6, its flagship terrestrial television station for digital and cable, the group has received high ratings across a variety of programs.

In 2012, after extensive market research, SBS contacted Barco for the installation of a 70” video wall in its news studio.

YTN

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The University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business Relocates To Hong Kong HKT partners with Vega Global to help ensure that the Hong Kong campus has the same look and feel as other classrooms in London and Chicago.

The AV Installation

The entrance, as an informative and welcoming area, requires all the main information to be presented in a convenient and useful way. Thus, 3 LCD monitors, connected to a Scala digital signage software, are there to deliver the important information.

The study rooms remind one of business meeting rooms; 16 similar rooms are provided with all the necessary equipment for classmates to connect, share notes and work in groups.

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he University of Chicago Booth School of Business is the secondoldest school in the USA—and second to none when it comes to influencing business education and business practices. After a successful 13-year run of the school's Executive MBA Program in Singapore, Chicago Booth decided to relocate the program to Hong Kong to expand and strengthen the school's presence and influence across the region. With this relocation, Hong Kong has become the home of Chicago Booth’s Asia Executive MBA Program.

Maintaining Excellence

Since the Program and curriculum in Hong Kong follows the same structure as Booth's other Executive MBA programs, the main idea was to ensure the set-up of the Hong Kong campus was similar to those in Chicago and London.

By constructing similar classrooms, Chicago Booth made it a priority to make faculty members “feel at home” and ensured that they could expect an identical AV experience when walking into any classroom. Additionally, some modules required for graduation from

the program, are spent studying with an international cohort of students from all three campuses. Therefore, a stable and reliable communication system was required throughout.

To implement the project with the highest standards, HKT had chosen Vega Global to be its partner in providing the AV solution for this project which included installation and integration of various audio/visual equipment, riding on the IT Network.

The tiered classrooms, with seating for up to 100 guests, is ideal for seminar or training meetings. The finest technology is used to provide the highest level of information sharing and for easy interaction between the professor and the students. It includes 3 ceiling mounted Christie LWU-501i projectors which display content on a Da-Lite Advantage Electrol 130’’ automated projection screen installed behind the professor’s lectern, at the front of the classroom.

A Crestron 15’’ V-Panel is used to control all the lights and equipment,

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When there is a necessity for remote teaching, a Cisco video conferencing system that is installed can be exploited, connecting students with a professor in Chicago. It allows the professor in Chicago to see the students in Hong Kong and likewise, students are able to see the professor and the content that he is teaching. Here, a Vaddio HD back wall mounted camera works in conjunction with a portable Mediasite ML recorder, which records and streams live events with a go-anywhere appliance.

making it easy for professors to switch the attention of students from one focus point to another while motivating student learning in a memorable way.

Using a Crestron DigitalMedia Switcher DM-MD8x8 the room is equipped with ultra-fast digital video and audio switching, and lossless HD multi-room signal distribution, for all types of AV sources.

To interact with students, a Wolfvision VZ-8light4 + FP document camera is used. It allows users to display books, unique documents, mobile content and share files with the whole classroom in a dynamic way.

The Professor’s voice is enhanced via a Shure gooseneck microphone or lavalier omnidirectional lapel microphone. Other omnidirectional microphones are used to pick-up students' audio and are evenly mounted in the classrooms ceiling.

The Listen Technologies system LS-8001-WH, which is designed for assistive listening in compliance with ADA requirements, has also been deployed.

Furthermore, recording of lectures can be done via a Vaddio WallView HD-20 camera and Mediasite ML portable recorder.

The Vaddio WallView HD-20 camera features a motorized 20x optical zoom lens with 11 glass elements, a 3.27 Megapixel 1/2.8-type Sony Exmor CMOS

sensor, and a slip-clutch robotics system.

All for capturing clear, high-definition images with precise, wide-ranging movements. With powerful imaging and pan/tilt/zoom systems, the HD-20 is considered “perfect for recording”.

Remote Capabilities

The 'Large Meeting Room' has a capacity for up to 100 people and is used for multiple functions including: meetings, classes, remote teaching and video conferencing.

To cater to the rooms multi-functional role, 3 units of Da-Lite Advantage Electrol 130’’ projection screens are mounted onto the ceiling to display the information using three Christie LWU501i projectors. These come in handy for a classroom setting, where students in small groups are able to project their work onto the projector screens with their laptops, via cables in their work tables.

For the best sound to be achieved, 16 JBL ceiling mounted speakers are used with wireless omnidirectional microphones employed to pick up the audio from students. For the professor, Revolabs lavalier or wireless omnidirectional microphones are used to ensure mobility together with high definition audio.

The room can equally be used for basic point to point video conferencing with other University of Chicago locations.

The Listen Technologies LS-80-01-WH assistive system is deployed in this room as well.

The Creston 8.4’’ wireless touchscreen is provided for the professor to control lights and all possible equipment, including student's laptop which are connected via Crestron AirMedia.

The Crestron AirMedia has the ability to show any source in any combination on the projection screens. Using Crestron AirMedia you can walk into any meeting space and wirelessly present PowerPoint, Excel, Word and PDF documents, as well as photos, from your personal iOS or Android mobile device on the room display. It makes presentations from almost any device fast and easy.

Last but not least, ensuring that the equipment are all kept neat and tidy, Middle Atlantic racks have been deployed to meet the school's global standards. www.vega-global.com

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: The Innovative Networking Technology That Is Changing The Audio Landscape On 17th July this year, Audinate reached a milestone when Kramer Electronics became their 150th Dante Adopter. Dante is the preeminent media networking technology developed by Audinate, and has grown its OEMs by more than 50% in the past 11 months (as of press time Audinate had already achieved 158 OEM partners). Dante offers virtually perfect synchronization, ultra-low deterministic latency, and plug and play configuration management.

Dante is a complete, commercially supported solution, which is recognized to be easy to integrate, easy to install, and easy to use.

It was Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Aidan Williams’ interest in music that sparked the new company’s direction. His approach as an IT professional forged Audinate’s path down a road less travelled, and he identified the challenges of constantly connecting his synth to mixers, sound cards, MIDI cables and more, as a bona fide networking problem. This charted the course to integrating these many connections into a single network.

SI Asia speaks to Audinate's COO, David Myers about Dante's beginnings and its future.

SI Asia: What is Dante?

SI Asia: The AV industry has been dwelling on AV-IT integration for many years now. Was this the impetus for the development of Dante?

DAVID: Audinate’s vision is to revolutionize AV systems and enable our customers to thrive in a networked world. Audinate was formed in Sydney Australia, where a small team of engineers was designing new technologies for Motorola Research Labs. Motorola closed the facility in 2003, but a few members of the team stayed together. They secured backing from National Information and Communications Technology Australia (NICTA), a government research institute whose goal is to spawn innovative technology to benefit the growth of industry in Australia.

Thus in 2003, began years and countless hours of refining what would become Dante — an innovative networking technology that solved the challenges of delivering tightly-synchronized audio with ultra-low network latency. Audinate took a novel approach to simplifying network set-up as well, creating an intuitive and easy-to-configure user interface ready-made for the thenoncoming AV/IT convergence.

DAVID: Dante is a complete featurerich network solution. The development of a networking technology is not as simple as just copying a standard; it requires significant resources to build the embedded firmware programs, and add important feature sets and interface capabilities and to tune performance to allow it to scale robustly. Dante’s foundation is built primarily on open standards. Alongside basic Internet Protocols such as UDP and DHCP we use the IEE1588 standard for accurate clocks, The VoIP DiffServ Quality of Service protocol for prioritizing traffic, and standards like IPv4 Link-Local and mDNS for dynamically discovering and configuring network devices. Together these create a more encompassing and complete solution than just a networking protocol.

SI Asia: What are the key benefits that Dante brings to the audio industry? From the view of (a) customer/end-

user (b) integrator and (c) for the manufacturer?

DAVID: Dante is the market leader in media networking, built on open standards to leverage all advancements made in IP. Dante is both the most requested and most interoperable networking solution. The strengths of Dante are many, but essentially all boils down to the fact that it’s easy to use, easy to install and easy to integrate.

Let’s consider some more specific examples. Automatic configuration and self-discovery eliminate common errors – for example, duplicate IP addresses - which can be very hard to diagnose. As networking people, the Audinate team have pioneered plugand-play label-based routing to simplify complex network configuration, glitchfree redundancy, virtual soundcards, ultra-accurate clock synchronization, and support for routable IP networking among other groundbreaking developments in media networking.

Dante is also the first Pro AV networking solution to fully exploit Gigabit and QoS in Ethernet switches.

Customer/end user: Dante is easy to use and infinitely scalable, with extensive capacity to support very high channel counts. Dante also delivers ultra-low latency to minimize signal delay, and makes everything a logical connection instead of a physical connection to keep things simple and easy to manage.

Because it's so interoperable, with hundreds of other Dante-enabled products to choose from, putting together a complete Dante networking system is as easy as plug and play, which saves money and time while delivering clear crisp audio.

Integrator: Since Dante exploits standard IP networking as much as possible, system designers familiar with IP networking and VoIP, in particular, are very comfortable designing and supporting Dante networks. Dante is

VOICE BOX Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014 easy and quick to install, self-discovering, works with any compliant switch on the market, offers Layer 3 IP networking, and is highly interoperable with over 300 products and 158 OEMs.

market. Now a USB, Firewire, or analog microphone, speaker, headset, or audio interface box can be plugged into your computer and connected to the digital network.

Manufacturer: Our track record of success with 158 OEMs speaks volumes.

We get consistent high praises from our OEM partners on how easy Dante is to integrate into their products. OEMs recognize now that it takes enormous resources to develop, maintain, and evolve a networking technology. Our ability to provide them with well-defined solutions that are easy to integrate is critical, enabling them to focus their internal R&D on their own products so they do not have to invest expensive resources on a solution that cannot meet the performance, interoperability and feature set of Dante. The end result is saving our partners years of engineering development time to get products to market. Our OEMs also can count on extensive testing by Audinate and partners from small to large-scale networks to ensure interoperability.

SI Asia: How else is Dante delivered?

SI Asia: Dante provides transport. What about distribution and control?

DAVID: There is not a single part of the audio supply chain that Dante doesn’t touch. Dante-enabled products can be found from microphones to loudspeakers and everything in between, in break-in/ breakout boxes, and large and small consoles, DSP processors, amplifiers, intercoms and even recording solutions.

DAVID: We are a networking company first and foremost, and all these applications come together in a networked environment. In fact, Dante was the first networking solution to enable a common shared network for audio, control and data traffic. By leveraging existing network switches, we are enabling our customers to migrate to more cost-effective cabling and network designs.

SI Asia: The new Dante software app (Dante Via) can you kindly elaborate in which circumstances or environment would it be most suitable to be used?

DAVID: The applications for Dante Via are endless and limited only by the user’s imagination. Dante Via can be used to build a synchronized AV network made up of computers, or used in sound extension applications connected to the tens of thousands of existing Dante-enabled systems deployed in the

DAVID: We already deliver Dante as software with the Dante Virtual Soundcard, and Dante Via is a new and more powerful example allowing audio to flow directly between a computer and the network. Other Audinate implementations are on a variety of cost-effective processors, with varying channel capacity. Our Ultimo chip is a tiny Dante chip designed for costsensitive low channel-count endpoints like microphones, speakers, and wallplates. We have a range of higher channel-count solutions that scale to 512x512 bidirectional channels on a single processor.

SI Asia: Is Dante now available throughout the audio chain solution or is there any missing part?

To get an idea of the just how many Dante products are on the market, all one needs to do is click on this link. It tells the full story: https://www.audinate. com/products/dante-enabled

SI Asia: What if any are the challenges for manufacturers to adopt Dante in their solutions? How can this be resolved?

DAVID: We’ve heard from quite a few of our partners that implementing Dante was the easiest integration they have done as a manufacturer. Dante is a commercially supported implementation backed by more than 40 people in Audinate dedicated to networking. We have extensive engineering and support resources to ensure that our partners are

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fully supported throughout their research and development processes.

SI Asia: Does Audinate intend to support AVB? What, if you are okay to elaborate, is holding back the quick progress of AVB?

DAVID: While Audinate has completed some engineering development of AVB, and participated in several demonstrations of AVB, it seems that the market interest for Layer 2 AVB has dramatically declined. The availability of AVB compliant network switches and an unclear picture on common support for interoperable network controllers are still key open issues.

As a result, we are waiting to see if there will be a real widespread market demand. Dante already provides the highest interoperability. In the future Dante networks can be networked to computers with Dante Via or bridge to AES67-compatible products.

(AES67 is a developing standard that uses a Layer 3 transport protocol based on existing standards; and enables interoperability between various IPbased networking systems. Audinate has announced that it will incorporate support for AES67 early next year).

SI Asia: What is the future for Dante?

DAVID: The future for Dante is incredibly bright, as we have tripled our OEM manufacturers in just the last two years.

While hundreds of products are already on the market, there is a pipeline of hundreds of additional products in development from our OEMs. Installation contractors want a technology that works, that is supported, that is tested, works on modern IP networks, and will continue to evolve. Over the next year Audinate has significant development plans to implement extensive new features and continue to innovate. www.audinate.com

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Getting Closer SI Asia: How has Biamp evolved over the years in the region?

MATTHEW: In recent years, Biamp Systems has experienced significant global growth, primarily in terms of growth of both our product offerings and our organisation. India and China have played important focal points in this growth. Initially Biamp’s product offering focused on processing for conferencing solutions; now with Vocia we offer a fully-compliant and sophisticated networked public address and voice evacuation system, as well as a highly scalable, multi-purpose AVB networked processing solution with Tesira.

Biamp Systems, the leading provider of innovative, networked media systems, has re-oriented itself to better address the changing market dynamics, with new focus on specific regions, expanding teams, and product initiatives.

One of the key developments in recent past has been the realignment of SAARC region, separating it from the EMEA, to APAC side of its Global Team. SIAsia interacted with Matthew Packer, Regional Director of Asia Pacific for Biamp Systems on the company’s latest initiatives, particularly relating to India.

Excerpts:

In order to support this expansion into more markets and larger projects, we’ve increased the size of our team. We doubled the headcount of the APAC sales team in 2012 and have since added an additional three area managers in India. We also have an Application Engineering team of five in the APAC region, located in strategic locations in Mumbai, Hong Kong, and Brisbane.

The expansion and growth of both these teams has increased the depth of expertise available to our partners and the region as a whole.

SI Asia: There has been a sort of restructuring in Biamp ranks and approach to global markets- what have been its bearings on the region?

MATTHEW: The SAARC region has been realigned, separating it from the EMEA sales team to APAC-side of the global team. We see a lot of strategic benefit to this, not only in proximity but also in how we identify and address any challenges faced by SAARC countries, which are very similar to those experienced in the rest of the APAC region. For example, this allows us to apply a similar

philosophy and sales approach to both sales and education opportunities in India as we do in, say, China, where there are a lot of similarities.

SI Asia: How about the same on Biamp's R&D strengths and initiatives?

MATTHEW: With the realignment of sales, marketing communications, and product management under one department back in 2012, we’re now experiencing a much closer collaboration between these disciplines—a tightening up of these core teams. Recent product releases such as TesiraFORTÉ are a result of new product management processes, which are fed with market requirements from the sales team giving customers exactly what the needed, along with a consistent professional message delivered by our marketing communications. You can expect to see more results from the synergy we gained, in the form of additional products that specifically respond to market requests.

SI Asia: How different do you see the APAC market from that of a) the global market as a whole, and b) other specific markets like the Americas, Europe or Middle East?

MATTHEW: Many of the major markets in APAC (China, India, Southeast Asia) have developed more recently than the West, and are continuing to develop at lightning speed. This provides both significant opportunities and challenges—like how to fulfill the quickly growing needs and a quickly evolving market.

One issue that is key in the Indian and Chinese markets is that there isn’t a strong pedigree of audio engineers.

Engineers in this market have not had the benefit of mentoring from the

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To The Customer previous generation that is prevalent in the West. As an industry leader, we need to find ways of educating the talent and getting these guys up to speed quicker so the market can continue to grow and demand can be met.

On the other side of the situation still within APAC, we also have countries like Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong that are a delight to work in, as there continues to be strong industry development and there are many engineers that are very experienced. Japan likewise, although the preference for local brands, creates an uphill battle.

SI Asia: Which one do you see the most vibrant, and why? Which one(s) do you feel otherwise?

MATTHEW: I would probably put China, Hong Kong, and Macau as the most vibrant countries with regards to the AV market. Those markets have amazing projects that are not only large in scale but also leverage many, and sometimes all, of our product and company strengths. It’s always a source of great pride to see our equipment go into a facility where the feature set precisely matched the system requirements.

We are seeing this a lot in Macau at the moment, with large resort facilities wanting the highest available quality in background music, while having full life-safety certification for the system, as the audio solution will double as an emergency evacuation system. This dual-capable networked solution is ideal, especially when it can all be controlled and monitored remotely from one location.

On the other side, Japan is a market where strong allegiance to national brands, and a tendency to always to do things the same way, mean we can easily be discouraged by the market. Biamp brings new and exciting ways to improve

performance and lower cost, but not everyone is interested. We do have our loyal supporters there however, and are appreciative of that.

SI Asia: What specific strengths do you see as guiding or driving Biamp forward in the region?

MATTHEW: Biamp knows that our products perform only as well as the people who put their ideas and innovation inside them. This carries over to the consultant and integrators who understand how our products can be used—how the features and capabilities can be leveraged. Biamp isn’t a ‘box moving’ brand; we provide an opportunity for the integrator to add value to a system. Therefore Biamp understands the value and need of educating the integrator through training, both in-person and online.

In-person training brings the benefit of hands-on time with the equipment and the opportunity to participate in peer discussions. Online training means we can reach exponentially more people, saving them time and money with training at their fingertips. Both training options come at considerable cost to Biamp, but it’s an investment that we know will always bring excellent returns. We see education as a major strength that will drive both the industry and Biamp into the future. We don’t just teach people about the products we make, we also teach about audio principles, how to design and how to commission systems, and how to get the most out of the features.

SI Asia: What market segment/vertical has been the biggest growth area for Biamp? What discrepancies do you see on this aspect from region to region (country to country)?

MATTHEW: Distance conferencing has been our biggest growth driver in the last few years. When I joined Biamp in 2006, we were selling no distance conferencing products in China, and it was just starting to take off in India.

Companies are moving from not doing any form of distance conferencing to fully integrated audio/video solutions, and they are rolling it out nation-wide now.

SI Asia: Could you please tell us the biggest thing that happened to Biamp (AsiaPac) in the recent months?

MATTHEW: The most significant thing would be the launch of TesiraFORTÉ, which was released at ISE in February of this year. It has been a very hot seller; gaining lots of attention from the market. We anticipated that there would be a positive reaction, but we really underestimated the immediate demand for the product, especially the VoIP enabled model. Reactions like this validate our efforts to response to market demand and requests.

SI Asia: What do you think as the immediate, near-term, and long-term future for Biamp APAC? MATTHEW: Biamp holds great hope for the future both globally and specifically for APAC. Our focus will include continued expansion, as well as additional infrastructure so that we can continue to deliver excellence through products, training, and customer service to this evolving and growing industry. www.biamp.com

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Every Wall Is A Space For Display, Says Samsung SI Asia speaks to Andy Sim, General Manager for Enterprise Business of Samsung Electronics Singapore, about the recent release of digital displays solutions during a media launch in Singapore.

With the change in consumer habits and the proliferation of social media - it changes how people connect, so Samsung provided a similar platform that suits their current way of life.

SI Asia: There seems to be a lot of emphasis on PC-less technology. Can you tell us more about Samsung's approach?

Imagine. Visualize. Create. This was Samsung's key tagline for the Display Art Gallery event held at its Global Learning Academy. True to its words, the interactive display art gallery demonstrated the possibilities of visual display technologies with lots of imagination.

Featuring digital displays and solutions that cater to the needs of the various industries like retail, hospitality, education and corporate, the Samsung Display Art Gallery used vivid digital paintings, drawings and high-res photography to highlight the different customer engagement solutions.

Among the many products, the UltraHigh Definition Large Format Displays (UHD LFDs), Second Generation Samsung Smart Signage Platform (SSSP), Samsung MagicIWB and Samsung LYNK™ SINC were seen particularly exciting for the AV industry.

So what does the future hold for Samsung digital signage? What differentiates Samsung in the digital signage business? Seeking answers to these burning questions and many more, SI Asia spoke to Andy Sim, General

Manager of Enterprise Business, Samsung Electronics Singapore, to find out more.

SI Asia: Hi Andy, for a start, can you please tell us how did Samsung come up with the concept of “Display Art Gallery” to showcase the display solutions?

When we talk about displays, many people think of display as static. Through the interactive gallery, Samsung wanted to educate the market that displays can be very immersive and different as it also can acts as a strong revenue generator.

Samsung also wanted to showcase its technology, both in terms of hardware and software that allows us to offer a total digital signage solution to our clients.

For example, by partnering with several local artists, we created an opportunity to show people how the display solution can also be used as a platform for people to express their ideas in the form of art. Using our MagicIWB technology, the artists showed how they are able to exchange their work across different displays.

With the launch of 2nd generation Samsung Smart Signage Platform (SSSP), the two key aspects of this is the PC-less touch and PC-less video wall capability.

For PC-less touch, that's basically having a touch overlay which allows the display to have an interactive screen. As for PC-less video wall, it means that without any PC, users will be able to link multiple screens together and present it as a large video wall.

Traditionally, to manage display content would require a PC and a display management software. But PC takes up space, so applications can be limited because of that. Secondly, it is also cumbersome to maintain such system as the costs are high and the ability to change the application becomes dependent on the solution.

VOICE BOX Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

In Samsung's direction, we wanted to enable the market. By having the software integrated into the hardware, we provide customers with a base platform by eliminating certain cost consideration. So for a start, the solution maybe as simple as what we have already provided them, but if in future they need the ability to scale certain aspects, we are still able to do it. This allows organizations to get onboard with the digital communication platform, and we help lower that entry barrier.

SI Asia: Samsung displays now have HDBaseT connectivity as well. How does it help with the display solution?

Previously in AV set ups, there has always been a lot of cables involved, particularly VGA cables. The limitation of these cables is the distance, because VGA typically goes up to only 30 meters while HDMI and DVI are very much shorter.

When doing a mass scale deployment like 20-50 units, the distance becomes an issue. Now with HDBaseT connectivity, we can allow signal to be distributed over IP, providing integration into the panel.

SI Asia: As demonstrated, one can draw and create content on Magic Whiteboard. If a user wished to have the content saved, where will it go?

It actually depends on where did you preset the location. So this means that it can go to local drive or a shared drive.

As a user-defined driver, the storage drive space depends on user 's usage and direction.

SI Asia: Overall, the display gallery has been interesting.

So where does Samsung see itself in terms of the digital signage business?

Like the age-old saying goes, the sky's the limit - where digital signage can be applied is entirely up to a person's imagination. In our video shown earlier, we can see the future of digital signage almost everywhere. From car windscreens to airplane windows and even on the exterior of a building itself, this is the future.

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Every wall is a space for signage display, but for now, we see a lot of opportunities to convert static posters, photos, information board etc., into digital. Moving on, Samsung looks forward to more public spaces where there are more interaction with endusers.

Right now, we are not only focusing on hardware display, but rather as a total display solution. That's where many Samsung's partners come in and work with us on solution display integration.

So in time to come, we hope to share more exciting collaboration and solutions put up in the market. www.samsung.com

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Forerunning The Revolution Of Security Surveillance Bosch launches a new 4K Ultra HD IP camera, DINION IP ultra 8000 to bring up the game of security surveillance in the market.

So what is the significance of these features? To find more about the changing face of security cameras, SI Asia spoke to the Bosch personnel behind the product: Ian Crosby, Head of Product Management, Imaging/Camera/ DVR, BU Video Systems & Products, and Lim Yong Gang, Vice President, Regional Marketing, Security Systems, Asia Pacific.

SI Asia: Can you tell us more about Bosch's Intelligent Video Analysis (IVA) and Content-Based Imaging Technology (CBIT)?

(L-R) Ian Crosby, Head of Product Management, Imaging/Camera/DVR, BU Video Systems & Products, and Lim Yong Gang, Vice President, Regional Marketing, Security Systems, Asia Pacific

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elivering ultra high definition (UHD) images in controlled settings is simple, yet the typical surveillance application is challenged by moving objects, variable lighting conditions and bandwidth limitations for transmitting video. Introducing its first ultra HD camera, the DINION IP ultra 8000 MP, Bosch makes 4K ultra HD imaging relevant to the security market as it delivers quality images even when motion and challenging lighting conditions pervade the scene. At four times the resolution of full HD (1080p), 4K ultra HD provides a tremendous advantage in capturing detailed, vivid images even when zoomed in digitally.

Beside UHD images and IP capability, DINION IP ultra 8000 MP also has several noteworthy features such as: • Wide dynamic range (92+16 dB) • Content-Based Imaging Technology (CBIT) • Intelligent Video Analysis (IVA)

Ian: There has been a lot of hype in the past years about VCA (Video Content Analysis), and Intelligent Video Analysis (IVA) is just our version of it. For many manufacturers, they have developed the technology from the consumer markets where facial expressions i.e. blinking eyes, smiling faces are important, but we feel that security systems have a higher level of requirement than that.

For our version of IVA, we get our video analytics capability from Bosch's automotive division. Over here, we are not just talking about protection of property, we are talking the safety of people. We need to develop analytics in driver assistance to note if there is a person in the road and we need a system that can automatically alert the driver, or in some of the more advanced cars, to automatically stop the car before it hits the person, or the car in front of it. Now, the premises for that has to be accurate, because if it goes wrong, a person might die, so we inherit those algorithms as the background algorithms for our IVA. We then have a group of our own engineers to modify these algorithms for security applications.

As the IVA uses the same underneath algorithm structure aimilar to automotive, we are able to have a safety, critical structure to build the security protocols on top of, because of that, our analytics capability is far more accurate and reliable.

IVA has two primary tasks, live alerts of which we have many configurable types and then there's the retrospective analysis, this I believe is an often overlooked major benefit of IVA the camera streams metadata back to a central point so that the metadata can be interrogated instead of the video.

For instance, you have a month's worth of footage, and you are looking for a suspect with a red bag, you might have to look through perhaps multiple cameras, a month's long footage and even running it at 4x speed, that's going to take a long time.

But what metadata can do, is that, instead of video, user can set an option that says, "I wanna see any person, any object that is of suspect's size, in this time duration, carrying a red bag.”, The system will then interrogate multiple cameras over a whole period, taking a fraction of the conventional time, and then put out every single instance it finds with the criteria you defined. And that's fantastic retrospective analysis for police forces, city surveillance, etc.

As for CBIT (Content Based Imaging Technology), after speaking to a lot of customers, we found out that many of them had problem setting up cameras.

You could be going through twenty checkboxes and twenty sliders, per unit, per camera, I'm overdoing it a bit but you see the point. Alternatively, you can create a configuration file and send it over to multiple cameras, but users will still have to optimise each camera.

What we learnt is, customers don't want that. They want the camera optimised, out of the box. So we have this analytic capability where we can identify relevant objects in the scene. We can also adjust the imaging perimeters and the encoding perimeters based on that. For instance, when I am looking at an empty parking lot where nothing is happening, the camera will increase the encoder strength so that the bit rate goes down, saving storage costs. On the other hand,

VOICE BOX Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014 if something happens and I want to get much better resolution and sharpness, the camera will then change the encoder perimeter based on that.

Secondly, if there is an area with multiple lighting conditions; very bright at the window but very dark near the door, a standard camera will usually set the exposure level at a compromise position where the user can see both areas, albeit not very clearly. However, for the camera with intelligent Auto Exposure, it will notice if a person comes in, alerting the user saying, 'That's important and I want to know its face”, and it will increase the contrast there to show you the face of the intruder automatically.

SI Asia: With Ultra HD – bit rates and storage are a challenge. So will there be a storage problem?

Ian: If we are talking about replacing multiple cameras with one camera, storage requirement will most likely drop, rather than increase. Unless you are talking about replacing standard cameras with UHD cameras at a 1:1 ratio, then they are going to get an increase which goes without saying, but at the same time, they get a lot more details. It's always a trade-off, details versus bit rate.

SI Asia: You mentioned that the camera uses iDNR (Intelligent Dynamic Noise Reduction) to help reduce bit rates when there is no motion present and increase only when necessary to capture important details

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but in a public transportation environment there will be consistent movement – how would it work in this type of scenario?

On the other hand, I keep getting asked if users will have to buy UHD screen?

I ask them, Why? When you buy a 5-megapixel camera, did you have to buy a 5-megapixel screen?

Ian: H.264/AVC is a scalable algorithm itself, so for example, having four 10HP cameras would have a higher bit rate then having one Ultra HD camera. It’s not exactly one-to-one, but with more resolution, you can do more spatial compression, and with a higher frame rate, users can do more temporal compression. Ultra HD is a standard, 8 mega pixels at 30 frames per second, so effectively H.264 benefits users. For instance, I can push up a UHD stream, at around 6.3 mega bits per second even when there is a lot of motion in the scene, and then have it capped to around 8, and it will still have sufficient details.

Usually when you put image on display, you don't stretch it to full screen, but what it means now with UHD is that you are able to if you want. If not, users can always digitally zoom into the picture and pull out the details, or transmit individual ROIs as virtual cameras.

SI Asia: Would companies face issues using the 4K UHD camera if their video management system and display system do not support 4K? Ian: My integration partner program manager once said, "It's just a video stream, that's it. You are just sending out a stream of video and so the Video Management System can pick it up.”

Though the VMS may change the way the cameo is displayed, but that's not much work to do in terms of integration.

Many companies are already doing that so it's not such a big jump for the VMS to do this type of integration.

It's all about how you utilize the data.

In security, we care about getting the details when we need them. So you don't need the 4K screens unless it's for over view monitors and control stations, then perhaps you will need a giant 4K screen to display the whole picture.

SI Asia: Can you elaborate on the advantages of IP camera?

Is there a growing demand?

Ian: If you look at the global market in 2013, about 55% has gone IP already, if you project that forward, let's say, 2018, we are looking at about 86% - 87% IP, so the market trend is incredibly clear.

When I talked to sensor manufacturers, all of their development has gone towards CMOS sensors, IP senses, and a lot of this is capitalized because of the masses of advancements that go on to our smart phones, compact cameras etc.

All of these things are in digital format, and all their development goes there and then they take derivatives of that and convert them to security products.

So the sensor manufacturers' drive us in this direction. Many SOC manufacturers are also going in this direction, because the general trend now has gone from closed-systems to open-systems. These top-tier manufacturers know this as well as we do, so they are going on this direction too.

I think, IP is about taking the world into a more open structure and connecting it. Bosch has a direction for the internet of things and services where we see the world becoming a fully connected place. Almost everyone has a cellphone

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VOICE BOX Systems Integration Asia October - November 2014

Superb front light compensation

now and I have seen refrigerators with IP addresses - all of these things can be connected together and talk to each other. IP enables this smart interaction which analog can't. IP gives you the connectivity, interaction, smartness and intelligence you need in this age.

SI Asia: Do you see AV System Integrators being able to sell your security camera solutions as part of an overall package?

Yong Gang: For AV system integrators, IP should not be an issue as the product itself is pretty much plug-and-play and they conform to the ONVIF standard.

Together with our local sales offices and our partners, we will be able to advise them on what is needed and how to do it.

In addition, training can also be arranged with our local offices for partners who want to better equip themselves.

We are also putting a bit more effort into our pre-sales activities by having more business developers out there to support customers with more complex requirements in order to develop a solution that will meet their needs.

Ian: I think this is basically about video going IP, and IP is an industry standard.

It helps with the internet of things, so whether is it audio or video, in the internet world they don't really care, because it is just data coming in.

SI Asia: Where do you think the future of security surveillance is heading? Will it be just higher definition and sharper images or do

you foresee new features or capabilities coming up?

Ian: From an engineering perspective, I do see the mega pixel race continuing and that's one aspect to it, as some manufacturers are already trying to sell 20 mega pixels sensors in the market.

I see larger format, with the future going one inch, when you move into more pixel density. Currently there are some amazing technology on the horizon where everything is connected, and you have everything getting miniaturized. Soon you won't see big cameras in ceilings, on the walls or out on the intersections of streets as cameras become more ubiquitous with the environment. You might not see them, but they are just there, effectively monitoring everything. But of course you got to think about issues like privacy and all, and that's one of my concerns as well. At Bosch, what we are doing in engineering at the moment, is looking at things like the dehumanization algorithms. So for instance, I'm looking at the city, I see the city and I see objects moving, but I don't see people, I don't see the person. The only time for someone to access that information is when an incident happens and a court order is issued to gain access to the details of the person. Now that's the type of thing we are thinking of engineering at the moment.

Of course for now we will continue to develop cameras with more mega pixels with lower cost, IP cameras etc, but we will also think about where we are going on longer term. How do we protect people? How do we make sure people lives are maintained and made better

and not worse? Some of the things we are looking at is privacy and encryption and these are things we are investing a lot of time and effort into researching.

Development is all focus on making better cameras, smart cameras, cameras that installs itself but the research aspect will all be about privacy, encryption etc.

We keep talking about security, surveillance, but it's not just about that anymore in future. It's about cameras in the city being able to detect rubbish on the streets and alert authorities to sort it out or being able to automatically detect congestion on the road and transmitting that information to your car so that it can reroute on its own. All those stuff I see happening: automatization, automatic urbanisation and smart cities, buildings.

That's the future.

Yong Gang: Bosch security system is slightly different from competition, where most are purely focused on developing products. But Bosch as an organization, see the future with internet of things. Moving forward, we see video cameras beyond a security role. It is basically a sensor in the whole, larger part of a connected world. If you make it intelligent with all the technology and R&D, it basically can help us to improve our lives. With all the algorithms built in, we can make our lives easier and it will be seamlessly integrated into daily lives like what smart phone has over the last 10 years.

The DINION IP ultra 8000 is now available for all markets worldwide.

For enquiries: Enquiry.apr@sg.bosch.com www.asia.boschsecurity.com

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