AV Specialist Vol. 116 by Tim Jones

The win-win payoff in staff education There’s a training debt that’s owed Al Aan TV connects with viewers Christie shines bright in Riyadh

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Gearhouse celebrates New Age friendship concert Gary Kayye predicts the future

Contents AV Specialist Volume 116

12 There’s a debt that’s owing…. Despite the challenges of a global recession, broadcast and media technology suppliers are reporting skill shortages. This is not a new phenomenon, and has been an industry issue for some time .

Stunt Factory factors in safety for Fear Factor The Fear Factor reality series has achieved worldwide recognition for its ability to challenge contestants with seemingly impossible scenarios.

Christie projectors shine bright in Riyadh The annual Eid Al-Fitr Festival is the three-day Muslim holiday

Piotr Jaxa shooting Eve de Ses Decombres with the Sony EX3 in Mauritius.

that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Radio training in East Africa Given the important role of the mass media, and its potential for information dissemination in the community

Publisher & Managing Editor Kevan Jones kevan@avspecialist.tv Feature Editor Dick Hobbs dick@avspecialist.tv Circulation Anne Ebrahim ann@avspecialist.tv Designer Rajiv Gopalan rajiv@avspecialist.tv Advertising sales Africa, Middle East, UK Richie Ebrahim richie@avspecialist.tv

Eve shoots from her ruins in Mauritius Troumaron, a run-down quarter in the suburbs of Port-Louis, the capital city of Mauritius: The life of four young people in an area of the city marked by sadness and unemployment becomes a fight for survival.

Publisher’s Note I’m a patient man who’s seldom inspired to shout abuse at other road users but a few days ago my blood was raised to boiling point. The

Europe Emmanuel Archambeaud earchambeaud@defcommunication.com

traffic lights at the end of the road were out of order and I was stuck in a

Represented in North America by: Broadcast Media International Michael Mitchell Tel: +1 631 673 3199 michael@avspecialist.tv

forward and resigned myself to a lengthy delay. Shock and horror as a

Represented in the Middle East by: AV Specialist MENA FZ LLC PO Box 502314, Dubai United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 (0)4 391-4718 Fax: +971 (0)4 345-2898 Represented in South Africa by: Doddington Direct cc PO Box 3939, Honeydew, 2040, South Africa Tel: +27 (0)11 083-6418 Fax: +27 (0)865253852 Represented in Europe by: Def & Communication 48 Bd Jean-Jaurès, 92110 Clichy, France Tel: +33 (0)1 4730 7180 Fax: +33 (0)1 4730 0189 Ave qualified circulation (Jan - June 2010) 4514

traffic jam about a kilometer long. I waited patiently as the traffic inched

string of mini-bus taxis took to the verge and bullied their way passed the waiting vehicles. As they neared the out-of-order traffic light they jostled their way back into the flow of traffic and then, horns blaring, charged defiantly through the clogged intersection. Who the blazes do they think they are? Are the rules of the road not the same for us all? And why should I drive responsibly when quite patently, you can get to your destination faster by tormenting other road users. The next day, knowing that the traffic lights hadn’t been repaired, I try a different route. Using back roads and a handy detour I might make better time on the morning school run. Not a chance. Every other road user seems to be trying my route and the streets are gridlocked. No verge this time so the minibus taxis simply take over the oncoming lane. Without any consideration for other road users, they’ve seized ownership and forced oncoming vehicles off the road. Waiting with gritted teeth, I watch as they squirrel their way to the front of the traffic queue and ease through the offramp. I’m fuming. I’m still stuck in the traffic and the taxi’s are well gone. Now I understand how road rage develops, and the mildmannered man becomes a maniac driver out for revenge.

Taking a fresh look at HD.

www.fujinon.de The transition to HD requires substantial investments. Be wise and chose Fujinon’s attractively priced ZA series HD lenses – the smart solution. Thanks to the reduced (by one) zoom factor. The ZA series offer full HD quality and the same user-friendly controls as incorporated with the renowned HA series. Fujinon. To see more is to know more.

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FUJINON (EUROPE) GMBH, MIDDLE EAST OFFICE, JEBEL ALI FREE ZONE, P.O. BOX 18408, Dubai, U.A.E., TEL.: +971 4 887 3074, FAX: +971 4 887 3053, fujinonm@emirates.net.ae FUJINON (EUROPE) (EUROPE)GMBH, GMBH,HALSKESTRASSE MIDDLE EAST OFFICE, JEBEL ALI FREE ZONE,TEL.: P.O. +49 BOX(0)18408, U.A.E., 4 887 3074, FAX: +971 4 887 3053, fujinonm@emirates.net.ae FUJINON 4, 47877 WILLICH, GERMANY, 21 54 9Dubai, 24-0, FAX: +49TEL.: (0) 21+971 54 9 24-290, www.fujinon.de (EUROPE) GMBH, HALSKESTRASSE 4, 47877 WILLICH, GERMANY,SAITAMA, TEL.: +49JAPAN, (0) 21 54 9 24-0, 9 24-290, FUJINON CORPORATION, 1-324 UETAKE, KITAKU, SAITAMA CITY, 331-9624 TEL.: +81FAX: (0) 48+49 668(0) 2121 52,54FAX: +81 (0)www.fujinon.de 48 651 85 17, www.fujinon.co.jp

Binoculars

Product

news Easy migration to IP infrastructures DVI KVM Matrix with dynamic port assignment

DualFlow is a new technology from Newtec that allows broadcasters to migrate cost-effectively from traditional ASI to IPbased satellite operation, with efficient investment during the transition period. Aimed at the contribution, DSNG and distribution markets, DualFlow enables two-way IP interactivity over satellite and allows operators to choose when they make the switch to IP by simultaneously supporting both ASI and IP. Operators can therefore continue to service clients using ASI and cater to clients already converted to IP operation. DualFlow is available as part of Newtec's Azimuth satellite broadcasting modulation equipment.

The new DVICenter from Guntermann & Drunck is designed to optimise studio workflow and declutter the workspace in studios or OB vans. The KVM DVI Matrix switch permits multiple users, each equipped only with keyboard, mouse and display, to simultaneously access a series of computers that can even use different platforms. Applying the new matrix switch provides maximum flexibility to the studio infrastructure since each workstation can now be deployed for different tasks. The included extender functionality is where the studio space saving comes into play - because computers can now be placed into a dedicated server room, freeing up space in the studio. Thus, the generated heat and noise leaves the studio along with the computers. By creating such a convenient and less distracting studio environment, people can concentrate on the big picture. The DVICenter also allows engineers and IT administrators to service and configure the connected computers without disturbing studio or postproduction operatives. This way, the devices can be deployed 24/7 while the staff remains concentrated, cool and undisturbed.

Eco-friendly lights from Litepanels

Litepanels have introduced a new range of Sola Fresnels that combine the single-shadow performance benefits of Fresnels with the advantages of LED. The new SolaENG is camera-mountable and battery powered, providing output equivalent to a 250W Tungsten

Fresnel yet drawing just 30W. The new Sola6 provides output equivalent to a 650W Tungsten Fresnel yet only draws 75W. Electronic dimming and motorised mechanical focus are completely controllable either by using the manual dials, touchscreen or DMX address (Sola6 contains a fully integrated DMX interface). If you need a single light to use in the field or as part of a full studio, Litepanels 1x1s are the answer. Versatile and cool-to-the-touch with low energy draw, these compact and lightweight square fixtures can be combined as needed. Choose from 5600º or 3200º Spot or Flood.

Ross Video rolls out Vision 2 Live Production Studio Ross Video has introduced the ultimate production system package, combining all of the necessary creative tools into a tightly integrated package – simply connect cameras, displays and the highest quality multi-definition production system is at your fingertips! “Producers wanting to harness the power of today’s multi-definition production tools often struggle with the complexities introduced when various servers, switchers and graphics systems are combined”, states Nigel Spratling, Switcher Business Development Manager for Ross Video. “Interfaces across different platforms are not always intuitive or user friendly and there are lots of choices out there. By packaging and integrating a production ‘suite’ we have eliminated these concerns and created a powerful yet affordable system that is very easy to use.” At the centre of the system is the elegant Vision 2 control panel with full mnemonics, a 2 MLE QMD chassis loaded with every input, output and video effect you could ever want. 3

Product

news JVC introduces GY-HM750 ProHD camcorder JVC Professional have introduced the GY-HM750E ProHD compact shoulder-mount camcorder. Ideal for ENG news, sports, documentaries, events, and other location shoots, it offers the industry’s fastest shoot-to-edit workflow by recording native HD or SD footage in ready-to-edit file formats on low-cost SDHC memory cards. Equipped with the same 3-CCD imaging system in the GY-HM790E, JVC’s ProHD flagship camcorder, the GYHM750E delivers outstanding 1920x1080 images in a small, lightweight form factor. It records at selectable data rates up to 35 Mbps and can record HD footage in 720p, 1080p, and 1080i, as well as SD footage (576i). Using JVC’s established native file based workflow, the GY-HM750E includes a dual card slot design that records to non-proprietary SDHC cards and/or optional SxS recorder. A new feature, borne from numerous customer requests, allows simultaneous recording to both SDHC cards, for instant backup or client copy.

Live presentations from Axon During Cabsat Axon will be showing live presentations and demonstrations from the extensive range of Synapse modular interfaces, SynView multiviewer, Cortex monitoring and control software and 3rd generation video air check / compliance recording system TRACS2 and is looking forward to meeting its regional partners and clients. The Synapse system continues to grow, with 3Gig processing and now with, the award-winning 3D processor G3D100, a low latency, dual-channel (stereoscopic) module with specific 3D functions; horizontal and vertical flip on either input for 3D mirror rigs, plus left and right ‘eye’ signal squeeze to present combined anamorphic side-by-side images in a single stream. With two full-blown colour correctors onboard, combined with the on-board mixer can be used to create any type op anaglyph 3D video. The unit has recently been enhanced with 2D to 3D conversion. The module has been used for various 3D demo transmissions in Europe, Middle East and the US.

Vinten’s Vision blue

Thomson launch ‘green’ transmitter

Since the earliest years of broadcasting, the Thomson name has been synonymous with expertise and innovation at the highest level. A trusted partner to the world's leading broadcasters, Thomson has pioneered many developments that have shaped the industry, leading innovation in solidstate technology, Digital

Adaptive Pre-correction (DAP), Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), and Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB). During Cabsat, Thomson will introduce their new Elite 1000 GreenPower Transmitter Line. This sleek, highperformance UHF transmitter features 50-V LDMOS technology and boasts an output power of up to 9.6 kW DVB per unit with an energy consumption savings of up to 15 percent over the previous Elite transmitter series. Utilizing Thomson real-time Digital Adaptive Pre-correction (DAP), the Elite 1000 GreenPower line provides leading-edge DTV transmission efficiency, optimized output power, exemplary signal quality, and high redundancy.

Vinten is showcasing its new Vision blue and award winning Vector 430 at Cabsat on 8-10 February 2011. These innovative products, successfully launched at IBC2010, are the latest in Vinten’s highly acclaimed range of top quality camera support solutions, and will be shown alongside two other Vision 3AS and 8AS pan and tilt heads at the forthcoming broadcast trade event. The 4

Vision blue is a competitively priced pan and tilt head and tripod system which is designed to provide the experienced camera operator with professional support to match the extremely highperformance of today’s popular small lightweight camcorders and DSLRs equipped for video. The Vision Blue addresses the need for a broadcast quality tripod system capable of genuinely balancing the smaller, lightly accessorised cameras. The Vector 430 has already received two accolades, including the TV Technology Europe STAR award, and TVB Europe’s ‘Best of IBC2010’ award. This pan and tilt head bridges the gap between the Vision and Vector ranges and is ideal for the growing number of applications which use both compact box lens and large EFP barrel lenses.

Introducing the world’s largest affordable SD, HD and 3 Gb/s SDI router! Eliminate complicated manual video patching forever! Broadcast Videohub is a powerful broadcast grade routing switcher featuring a massive 72 inputs, 144 outputs, 72 deck control ports, auto switching SD, HD, and 3 Gb/s SDI, in a compact rack mount chassis only a few inches thick.

World’s Highest Quality

Industrial Strength Routing Switcher

Network Router Control

With 72 inputs and 144 outputs, Broadcast Videohub has enough SDI connections for 72 edit systems or decks. With twice as many SDI outputs, each user can have a completely independent SDI output for monitoring. This means you can monitor direct from any equipment in your building without effecting routing! 72 deck control ports are also included for a complete routing solution.

Broadcast Videohub uses software control panels that run on Windows™ and Mac OS X™ for “routing control” right from your editing system desktop! Broadcast Videohub connects to any computer via USB and is then shared over your local network. Router labels can be changed from any computer and are fully unicode compatible for foreign language support.

Simultaneous SD, HD or 3 Gb/s Video Broadcast Videohub handles mixed SD, HD and 3 Gb/s SDI connections all on the same router at the same time. Broadcast Videohub detects when an input changes, and automatically sets all the outputs connected, to match the changed input. SDI re-clocking and output SDI slew rates will also change automatically.

With exciting new 3 Gb/s SDI connections built in, Broadcast Videohub allows twice the SDI data rate than normal HD-SDI. Use 3 Gb/s SDI for high resolution real time 2048 x 1556 feature film editing. 3 Gb/s SDI has full compatibility with SD, HD and 2K in 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 all with a single BNC cable.

Broadcast Videohub

US$14,995 Learn more today at www.blackmagic-design.com

Product

news Blackmagic announce software update for UltraScope waveform monitor Blackmagic Design has announced a new software update for its Blackmagic UltraScope and Pocket UltraScope waveform monitoring products. This new update includes new video gamut and audio error logging as well as customisable profiles so different post production and broadcasters can define their own operation standards for quality control. This new UltraScope v1.5 is available now for both Mac and PC platforms. With this new software update, Blackmagic UltraScope now offers an even better SD, HD and 3Gb/s HD-SDI waveform monitoring solution that

Encoding package for Egripment cranes With the increasing demand for Virtual Studios as well as use for Augmented Reality, Egripment offers now a high quality encoding package to be used with Egripment cranes for VRApplications. Based on the classic TDT Crane System and the 305/306 Remote Head, a fully encoded system is now available. “Camera cranes for VR-Application are usually situated in the high end price segment of the crane market, very often unaffordable for the end user,” says sales director Richard Villhaber, “but the encoding package for our Egripment crane delivers high quality and reliable crane operation in a much more affordable price range, while maintaining the same high standards that Egripment is known for.” The encoding upgrade can be used with the TDT Crane Arm, the Scanner Classic Arm, the Scanner Elite Arm as well as the JanJib System.

Front Porch Digital at CABSAT

At CABSAT 2011, Front Porch Digital will exhibit with its Middle Eastern service bureau partner, StreamPort Media, to highlight its DIVASolutions Migrate product line, SAMMA solutions. Front Porch Digital has enhanced the global versatility, interoperability, and

functionality of its SAMMA family of products for migrating media content from videotape to safe, secure, and readily accessible filebased formats. SAMMA products displayed will include SAMMAclean, SAMMAsolo, and SAMMArobot. Another Front Porch Digital partner, systems integrator Salam Media Cast, will showcase Front Porch Digital's DIVASolutions Manage product line with its award-winning DIVArchive solutions. The enhanced DIVArchive solutions feature full Unicode asset support and are capable of full integration with popular media industry editing and production tools, including Avid Interplay, Apple Final Cut Pro, and Apple Final Cut Server.

broadcasters and post production facilities can use for quality control, edit suites, colour correction, equipment rooms and video engineering. The new error logging features help users save valuable time and money by enabling quality control throughout and automatically checking and logging all RGB gamut, luminance and chroma video levels as well as audio levels. This means UltraScope is perfect for monitoring camera output on set, eliminating guesswork about camera settings when location shooting and greatly reducing costly fixes in post production.

Award-winning Cine DSLR plus Video 18 S1 and 20 S1

Sachtler will showcase the new Cine DSLR fluid head as well as the ENG / EFP Video 18 S1 and Video 20 S1 fluid heads at the Cabsat

show in Dubai. The awardwinning Cine DSLR fluid head is well suited for the professional use with DSLRs shooting HD Videos such as the Canon 5D Mark II or 7D. It has a payload range of 1 to 5 kg and a counterbalance in ten steps. The Video 18 S1 and the Video 20 S1 are the latest models of the legendary Video 18 and Video 20 ENG / EFP heads. They both have a 16-step counterbalance. The Video 18 S1 has a payload range of 2 to 18 kg; the payload range of the Video 20 S1 is 2 to 25 kg. Both heads provide the classic Sachtler Speedbalance Technology and a Touch & Go plate.

Introducing the next generation of Pro Tools. Professional audio production as you’ve always wanted it. Run Pro Tools® software with Avid®, third-party audio interfaces, or standalone. Develop superior mixes with Automatic Delay Compensation. Enjoy more professional features, now included as standard. Go hands-on with Euphonix controllers and EUCON integration. And collaborate more easily than ever.

Get Pro Tools 9 – www.avid.com/protools9

© 2010 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements, and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid, the Avid logo, and Pro Tools are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Product

news UBMS welcomes Cabsat with a bang

TV One launch LCD colour monitors

United Broadcast and Media Solutions (UBMS) one of the leading broadcast equipment distributor in the Middle East and Africa, is gearing up for Cabsat 2011 with an array of the latest pro-video and broadcast equipment and technologies in the market today. Among the highlights. UBMS is launching the Phantom Flex from Vision Research, considered by many to be the most flexible digital cinema camera. With a capability of shooting from 5fps to over 10,750 fps and a “High Quality Mode” for ultimate image quality, this camera will be a crowd pleaser. “The demand for high-end broadcast equipment and solutions is on the rise in the Middle East & Africa as the industry looks set for steady growth” says Reza Nikfar, CEO of United Broadcast & Media Solutions. “2010 has held steady for UBMS, and 2011 looks likely to be another solid year as the demand for quality equipment across the region continues to boom”.

TV One have launched their brand new LM-1920R and LM1520R at the ISE 2011 exhibition. These are High Performance colour LCD Monitors for the professional market. Their respective sizes are 19” and 15” diagonally and they are housed in unique rack mount housings that tilt up or down to optimize the viewing angle. This is particularly beneficial when circumstances necessitate that the monitors be mounted above or below normal eye level. Also included is an integrated swivel stand on the rear of both units to allow table top use if desired. Both models feature high brightness, Active Matrix LCD Displays with wide viewing angles, excellent contrast ratios, PIP and POP. They are flicker-free, low radiation, space saving, feature low power consumption. NTSC and PAL Television Standards are supported and automatically detected.

Argosy appointed Master Distributor for Hamlet

Argosy, a leading UKbased international supplier of HD broadcast cables and studio infrastructure products, has been awarded the contract to become the Master Distributor in the Middle East for Hamlet, a leading provider of television broadcast test, measurement and monitoring devices, for

Glidecam stabilization at Cabsat

digital, analogue, high and standard definition systems. With the agreement signed earlier this month, Hamlet’s products will be on display for the first time on the Argosy stand at CabSat alongside a collection of Argosy’s existing infrastructure products. “The appointment of Argosy as our Master Distributor will allow us to better drive our sales channels and ultimately grow our broadcast test and measurement business in the Middle East,” said Steve Nunney, managing director of Hamlet. “With its wealth of knowledge and expertise, Argosy is able to easily showcase our test and measurement devices.

During this years Cabsat show Advanced Media Trading will introduce the new Glidecam X-10 to the ME market. This is a highly advanced, professional camera stabilization system

designed for cameras weighing up to 6 pounds when used with the Glidecam 2000 Pro, or for cameras weighing from 4 to 10 pounds when used with the Glidecam 4000 Pro. The Glidecam X-10 system will allow you to walk, run, go up and down stairs, shoot from moving vehicles and travel over uneven terrain without any camera instability or shake. The Glidecam X-10 is very similar in design to the Glidecam Smooth Shooter; however the X-10 comes with both sections of its support arm being able to move vertically, whereas the Smooth Shooter comes with only the front section of its support arm being able to move vertically.

The Leading International Digital Media Event for the Middle East, Africa & South Asia

8 - 10 February 2011 Visit us at Oasis stand: #S3-A31

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TP-100

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- HD 1920x1080i and 1280x720p - 17â&#x20AC;? multi-image monitor for each source plus preview & program - Built-in 5 channel dual intercom & tally - Built-in TBC & frame synchroniser

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5-Channel HD Mobile Studio

Apple iPadtm Teleprompter

The dv prompter application is available to download Free from Apple App Store.

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twofour54 tadreeb signs MoU with Bahrain Information Authority twofour54, the Government organisation driving Abu Dhabi’s development as a centre of excellence for worldclass Arabic media and entertainment content, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Information Affairs Authority (IAA) of the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain to become the preferred supplier to the IAA for media training and media training consultancy services.

he MoU was signed by HE Noura Al Kaabi, head of tawasol, twofour54 and HE Sheikh Fawaz Al Khalifa, President of the Information Affairs Authority. After signing the MoU, the delegation was shown around the twofour54 campus at Khalifa Park, including the twofour54 tadreeb training academy, and the state of the art twofour54 intaj production facilities located next to the National Theatre. The IAA, a Government Authority of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has responsibilities over press affairs and external information, broadcasting and media including radio, television, news and artistic affairs, publications and

publishing, government press and the Bahrain News Agency. The MoU will see services delivered through twofour54 tadreeb, the region’s premier vocational training academy, in addition to support

from the world class production, post production and media asset management facilities of twofour54 intaj. twofour54 is an Abu Dhabi government initiative and an integral part of its 2030 plan, which seeks to diversify the Emirate’s economy and establish the Emirate as the cultural capital of the Middle East. Its vision is to establish a sustainable Arabic media and entertainment content creation industry in Abu Dhabi; a regional centre of excellence which is internationally renowned. The aim is to stimulate creative and professional partnerships in the television, radio, film, publishing, online, mobile, music, gaming and animation industries.

Creating Full Tapeless Workflows

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There’s a debt that’s owing…. Despite the challenges of a global recession, broadcast and media technology suppliers are reporting skill shortages. This is not a new phenomenon, and has been an industry issue for some time. In the most recent IABM Industry Trends Survey, published in December 2010 in conjunction with Ernst & Young, 22% of respondents reported that skills and staff issues were limiting contract or order fulfilment. It might be reasonable to expect skill shortages at a time of sharp economic growth but it is almost counter intuitive to see them in troubled economic times.

uring 2010, the IABM undertook a research and investigation programme to gain an understanding of the problems and to identify skills issues relating to technologists and engineers in the sector. The conclusions raised a fundamental issue about the poor performance of the industry in developing its technical workforce. If you go back a generation, many young engineers were able to benefit from employer-led development programmes. These were undertaken by the major broadcasters around the world and by the major suppliers. They featured apprenticeship programmes, graduate entry schemes, and both classroom and on-the-job training. While there are exceptions, much of this activity has disappeared over recent years. In fact many of the technology leaders of today benefitted from these programmes but as they retire they are now leaving the industry bereft of such provision. It’s arguable that there’s a debt owing by this generation of engineers and technologists to the next generation of talented young people. That debt is about re-instating professional workforce development schemes for technical staff.

If you go back a generation, many young engineers were able to tap into training opportunities offered by the broadcast industry and acquire skills that allowed them to deliver long-term value to their employers. Unfortunately, much of this training activity has disappeared in recent years, leaving a debt owed by the current crop of broadcast engineers to the next generation who’ll be required to operate TV studies in the future.

that there is little or no visibility of the career opportunities that are available in technology businesses and in media engineering in particular. Our industry has some of the most exciting jobs around. Whether it’s putting in the multi

Continuing professional development Interestingly though, the problem goes much deeper. There’s an issue about the educational continuum that stretches from schools right through to continuing professional development (CPD) – what some people refer to as “lifelong learning”. At one end, and in some geographies, there is a problem that young people and their teachers are not persuaded of the value of the study of mathematics beyond the age of 16 and therefore large groups of people unwittingly exclude themselves from an engineering career. The problem is compounded by the fact

platform infrastructure for Formula 1 coverage or architecting the coverage of a Presidential election or designing “spycam systems” for wildlife documentaries, these are high profile roles with responsibility, technical challenges and no shortage of glamour. Does the industry showcase these types of opportunities? No, it does not. Right across the business, across genres, regions and platforms there are a wide range of interesting and rewarding career opportunities for technologists and engineers.

Attracting technical talent

Roger Crumpton is Director of Education, Employment and Training at IABM. IABM is the international association that represents broadcast and media technology suppliers worldwide 12

Universities tell us that undergraduate courses in digital media engineering and related programmes are often poorly subscribed, yet often feature full employment for graduates on completion. As an industry we’re not doing nearly enough to attract the best technical talent to our industry. While broadcasters may seek to recruit “media engineers”, suppliers will often

Lights, camera, action! During November 2009 Deutsche Welle hosted an industry training initiative for community radio and TV channels in South Africa. Participants came from Bay TV in Richards Bay, Cape Town TV based in Cape Town, Soweto TV from Soweto and Tshwane TV from Pretoria. DW trainers, Patrick Benning and Frank Norden said they want to empower the participants from community television by giving them training and how to make good television. “When one thinks of television you always imagine the glamorous life, you forget it involves hard work, like not having enough equipment and working volunteers” said Benning. Zanele Mthembu who is a producer from Soweto TV agreed with Benning. Mthembu added “there are difficulties that community television faces everyday, like people not pitching up for

be looking for graduate electronics or software engineers to fill roles in development or support teams. The most able students in colleges and universities tend to be targeted by the much larger IT and telecommunications industries. This leaves the more niche broadcast and media technology community at a disadvantage. There’s a need here for the industry to up our game and take some proactive steps to engage with young people, with careers staff and with colleges and universities. We need to showcase our industry and the exciting careers that are available and we need to develop the talent pool. Fortunately the overall numbers involved are quite modest. There is no need for some grand global initiative. We need to increase the global talent pool by hundreds each year, not thousands. That means effective community programmes by individual broadcasters, suppliers and their industry Associations can make a real difference.

2. No substantive educational curriculum. 3. No lifelong learning mindset. 4. No clarity of job roles and skill requirements. 5. No framework for skill recognition and improvement. 6. No formula for coping with convergence. 7. No forward view - difficulty with future gazing. This is really a lamentable situation and the responsibility rests with the whole industry community to try to put things right.

Engage with students

Induction training

Engaging with talented students means finding ways to reach out to them and to attract their interest. This may mean providing work experience opportunities; industry support for final year projects; vacation placements; access to relevant technology and, probably most important of all, closer collaboration with academic staff. As we move along the educational continuum and young people move into work, the role of the employer becomes pivotal. While Infocomm has done a great job in the professional AV community by introducing education and certification programmes, there is nothing comparable in the broadcast technology. This needs to be remedied. Work undertaken by IABM in conjunction with sectoral groups has highlighted seven fundamental issues: 1. No established career paths.

The IABM investigation highlighted

Maggie Nyaunda from CTV checks her equipment while Timothy Ncube from Bay TV looks on.

interviews”. Working for a community radio station is similar to a community television station. Both share similar challenges, shortage of staff, no funding, lack of advertising and over worked staff. requirements for induction training for new technology recruits and for ongoing development for engineers and for technical experts as they progress through their careers. At the induction level there is a need for orientation training for graduate entrants to help them grasp the fundamentals of audio and video which they may not have covered in sufficient depth in their higher education courses. There is also a need for “technology awareness” orientation for staff who may not be engineers or technologists but whose job functions touch technology and who require basic understanding. These roles are in procurement, sales and marketing and

Skills development at the SABC

“Skills shortage is not new to the SABC and we are currently in the process of proposing a plan to establish a training academy,” says Aldred Dreyer, Head Technology Workstream at the SABC in Johannesburg. 13

“In 2005 when we developed the digitsation plan for our facilities we needed about 50 new graduate engineers (to complement the existing team) in order to implement the plan properly. Over the past 5 years we have invested heavily into training interns and then redeploying them back into the business.” Dreyer points out that a boom in the local broadcast industry has skewed the cost of employment as demand for skilled engineers outstrips supply. “We are well aware of the pressure we are under due to the lack of skills in the industry and we are implementing plans to alleviate the pressure,” he says.

Cinematic artistry in every field. Sony's new PMW-F3 Super 35mm Full HD Compact Camcorder brings cinematic image quality to DoPs and filmmakers working with any budget. Fitting seamlessly into multiple industry-standard file-based workflows, the PMW-F3 provides exceptional flexibility to achieve new levels of artistry and engagement.

PMW-F3 Visit us during Cabsat: Sheikh Saeed Hall, Stand S3-A11 For further information contact Sony Professional Solutions MEA FZ LLC Unit C-50, P. O. Box 502050 International Media Production Zone Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 391 8400 Email: middle.east@eu.sony.com website: www.pro.sony.eu/mea

in areas like customer support administration.

Update knowledge and skills Once established, engineers need further development to broaden their capabilities and their career opportunities. This embraces deeper technical understanding and also management and communication skills. With technology changing every 5-10 years there is also a requirement to help more mature staff update their knowledge and skills and for them to re-skill to take account of the changing nature of the technical infrastructure. Ideally, these development needs will be addressed through effective vocational training supplied by employers and relevant third parties like the IABM. However, for there to be an enduring impact and a shift in industry attitudes to staff development, there also needs to be a credible testing and certification scheme. The supply side and the demand side of the industry really do need to come together to adopt an engineering competency framework that provides the kind of career pathways and industry recognition that is taken for granted in other industries.

Major education initiative To tackle these issues the IABM is launching a major education and training initiative. An Educational Liaison Officer will be appointed to build relationships with academic institutions and with employers. A new IABM Training Academy is being established to develop and deliver technology training programmes on a classroom basis and online. These programmes will be rolled out on an international basis and the IABM will be working with MECIA and SACIA to provide courses in the Middle East and in Africa.

Develop technical workforce The goal is to see the development of the technical workforce as a cornerstone of company thinking once again. It is the effective adoption and delivery of emerging technologies that characterises the industry in which we all operate. Skill shortages frustrate the progress that the industry can make. At a time of difficult economic conditions it is hard to get companies to focus on workforce development. Yet by a strange irony, it is the lack of that commitment which is limiting the growth of an industry that has so much

Rocky road ahead for African broadcast industry Since the introduction of television in South Africa in 1976 we have moved a full cycle from greenhorns in television engineering and operations, to a competent workforce, and now seemingly on our way back to square one.The culture of broadcast in South Africa was organically grown out of the SABC, propagating facility and production houses throughout the country. The SABC collaborated with learning institutions such as WITSCATE (Witwatersrand College of Advanced Technical Education) by stipulating subject content for their engineering diploma. The SABC also ran comprehensive in-house training together with specialist product training by suppliers such as Sony and Ampex. SABC effectively became a source for skills to the industry as a whole. Outside of the SABC training was purely on the job, with key positions being held forever by the same engineers until retirement. Many of these positions were advertised outside of the country leaving little or no opportunity for local residents. This held back progress and left many semi-skilled technical workers in need of further training. In 1998 Botswana Television (BTV) was born. If BTV reflected the state of broadcast training in Africa, then the continent is in real trouble. Qualified engineers and technicians who’d been working in broadcast radio found the leap in technology overwhelming, and although the BBC was brought in to provide training they found it difficult to assimilate European standards into the local market. The lack of knowledge by staff in the procurement chain made BTV an easy target for suppliers, many of whom reaped a merry harvest. The broadcaster attracted technical staff by highlighting the more potential. At the moment, people in the younger demographic are really engaged (some may say obsessed) with digital content. The emergence of social media and the creation and consumption of audio and video are pervasive yet few people look beyond the content to explore the “how” and the “why” of the infrastructure that makes it possible. Given the reported problem of skill shortages it must 15

Rob Gray brings 35 years of broadcast training to the table. He provides practical training workshops throughout Southern Africa.

glamour of television but failed to provide a career path that matched the aspirations of people attracted by this alluring picture. Typical was when a newly trained BTV sound technician resigned to become a shoe salesperson. She preferred the regular shop hours and steady salary to the long and unpredictable working hours and relatively low pay she earned in broadcasting. Some say that you should have “passion” for the industry. This may be true, but there’s no point in having passion if you don’t have the qualifications or personality profile for the job. There true broadcaster is a dying breed and unless we launch an aggressive training and skills development programme, the broadcast industry in Africa will soon find itself without the skills and talent it needs to survive. surely be the job of the leading technologists in the industry today to showcase the business in which we operate and secure the availability of the engineering resource for the future. A tactical mind will focus on the next product development or the next studio rollout. The strategic mind needs to focus on activity to stimulate and motivate the next generation of engineers and technologists and so secure the future of the enterprise!

The payoff in educating your staff Today when we are asked to spend some of our limited time on anything, the natural question is “what’s in it for us?” From your perspective, the payoff should be about the attainment and application of knowledge. A person who has “it” and knows what to do with “it” will rule the roost. We must understand that the AV/IT integration market is demanding value and differentiation and those that provide these elements will be rewarded with profitable sales and recurring revenue streams.

n order to meet the needs of the AV/IT integration market and clearly show that it is not a commodityladen random mixture of technologies, we have to prepare ourselves to adopt a solution and value added approach. We must adopt an “anti-commodity” attitude toward our suppliers and customers alike and show that the value that our customers receive from us goes far beyond the “boxes” that we sell. If value is understood then we will be able to charge for all that we provide.

Adding value On the surface a lot of what we provide may look like a commodity. As an example when we speak of displays every end user “think” they know about

displays but in fact do they “really” know? The reality is between probably not and definitely not. As we know, the solution and application will be the deciding factor of which technology to use and that cannot be provided by looking at a spec sheet or what some might call “common knowledge”. In actuality they really do need you, the integrator, to sort all this out. We used displays as an example but the same thinking holds true for everything from cables and connectors to projection screens to networking, etc. Every facet of our business takes in-depth knowledge on the part of the integrator and the value is in the ability to sort it all out for the end user resulting in a fully integrated system that meets or exceeds their expectations. 16

Value-added approach Since we are now selling solutions in a value added approach it is incumbent on us to educate ourselves far beyond the spec sheet. We need to know all of the features of a product and more importantly all the prime and sub benefits that may accrue from those features. The value added we provide comes in knowing which features are a real benefit to the end user. The knowledge of features and benefits does not come for free and is not intuitive in a spec sheet. This leads us to the need for more and better education to meet the market conditions as they are developing.

Process of education The process of education has

never been so important. A recent InfoComm Market Forecast brought up some interesting statistics. First of all, the respondents to the survey forecast that the market would grow significantly over next few years even in tough economic times. Secondly, an overwhelming number of respondents said they would be hiring more employees to handle the increased market load. Finally, the respondents noted that their number 2 concern was hiring qualified people to fill the jobs being created in the industry. Studies have clearly shown that it is much better to grow your own staff from within and the percentage of people who stay with a company increase exponentially with internal educational programs. There is also the benefit of training people within the framework of your own business practices and a dedicated staff knowing that the company cares about their growth. Progressive companies who invest in their people translate to improved employee morale, less turnover of personnel and ultimately increased sales, profits, and customer retention. Education comes in 2 distinct categories: There is AV/IT industry training and certifications such as CTS from InfoComm, ISF-Commercial certification, and the Digital Signage Experts Group with DSCE certification. There is also manufacturer provided training on their products and services.

Industry organizations Industry organization curriculums and certifications are designed to give the student an unbiased and impartial background in the standards and practices of the industry, not to mention that these curriculums are often taught by some of the most respected people in the business. You also get the added benefit of being able to proactively market these certifications as proof of your professional credentials and compete at a higher level compared to those who do not ascribe to these standards. Now we turn to “training” provided by manufacturers. To say that this is all over the planet in terms of quality would be an understatement. We can point to companies like Kramer Crestron AMX and Christie as a few stellar examples of those who take the education of their vendors seriously and have designed numerous programs to fit those needs but this is the exception rather than the rule. Effective education takes time to prepare and present and most

integrators have literally hundreds of manufacturers that they represent. If they gave time to each supplier to educate their staffs then there would be no time for anything else so the value of the “time spent” becomes critical. “Time spent” is the only thing you cannot buy more of so treat is as a precious commodity to insure substantial return on this investment.

About the author

Education strategy One approach is to create an education strategy for your company starting with a list of your most important suppliers. Then break it down into sales and technical training and be descriptive and proactive in what you require as an end result of the training. Do not permit a manufacturer to take up your time to simply go over the spec sheets and features of a product when you can do this on your own. What you do need from manufacturers is a tutorial on applications, solutions, and prime benefits as well as clear differentiation between their products and the competition.

Provide customer value We must fly in the face of the commodity mentality and convince our clients and perhaps even ourselves that we provide value far beyond “box”. According to a Gallup Survey of top 10 customer concerns, risk abatement and trust is number 1, value is number 2, and price is down at number 8! The customers need to understand the value you bring to their project and the best way to insure that this is properly communicated is to educate your entire company in selling the benefits and

Alan Brawn is a principal of Brawn Consulting, a US-based audio visual consulting, training, educational development, and market intelligence company with national exposure to major manufacturers and integrators in the industry. He was formerly President of Telanetix and previously National Business Development Manager and National Product Marketing Manager, Pro AV Group, Samsung Electronics. Alan is an AV industry veteran with experience spanning over 2 decades including management of a Pro AV systems integration company for 7 years, and one of the founding members of Hughes-JVC back in the early 1990s. Alan has been an Imaging Science Foundation fellow and instructor since 1994, and co-founder of ISF Commercial. He holds CTS certification, is a CTS Prep instructor, and is a member of InfoComm's PETC council as well as being an adjunct faculty member of that organization.

Upsell expertise for better margins

George Puthenkulam is chairman of MECIA and general manager of Dutco Tennant, one of the Middle East’s leading AV technology suppliers. “Manufacturers see the Middle East market differently and they are ready to involve themselves on the ground by 17

investing into local offices and resident personnel,” he says. “They do not see any value in providing exclusivity to dealers or integrators so the only differentiator left as an integrator is the quality of staff you employ. It simply makes sense for an integrator to portray himself as vendor neutral and upsell his expertise rather than his equipment list,” he says. “It allows you to earn a better margin on your products, retain customers for longer, and reduce maintenance and support costs by getting the job done correctly first time out.” He believes that this ability to upsell expertise can only gained from vendor-neutral training provided by industry associations such as InfoComm and MECIA.

tangible value of proper design, integration, and service after the sale. This will not take place by assumption, rather by establishing a continuing education program to properly address the market reality we face today. In short, effective education does not cost, it pays.

Industry-run training programmes often provide students with information thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not been biased by the commercial requirements of a manufacturer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generally presented by some of the most respected people in the business. You also get the benefit of being able to market your certificate as proof of your competence and your commitment to professional standards.

Training is a win, win situation

Almost from its inception, 20 years ago, Electrosonic SA identified knowledge and training as imperative to the long term sustainability and growth of an audio visual company in South Africa. In those days it was a very small, highly specialised industry. Since then the industry has matured and grown dramatically, with competition being stronger than ever, but the same principles of training and knowledge endure. Electrosonic has now evolved into a pure distribution channel, and therefore we rely almost entirely on repeat business. In order to secure repeat business, you have to have excellent product, design, programming and standards

knowledge. You have to be able to offer the best possible solution to the dealer. The same principal applies to dealers and their relationships with their customers. As a result, our emphasis on training is stronger than ever. Our own staff are constantly undergoing training, both locally and abroad. This is to enhance and update our own knowledge as well as to attend train-the-trainer courses so that we can share this knowledge with our dealers. We offer training to dealers throughout the year. The training is varied and includes sales, technical and programming. Some of the training is product specific, while some is generic. We believe that our investment in training pays very high dividends. Experience has shown us that as the skill levels of our dealers increases, so do their orders, while the amount of sales and after-sales support required, reduces. Training is an investment that every professional audio visual company in South Africa should be investing in, and as a first goal they should have at least one CTS certified member.

Netia extends base in Africa with installation in Burkina Faso RTB selects Radio-Assist software suite to streamline broadcast workflow and enable digitization and preservation of national audio archives

Digital audio software

adio TĂŠlĂŠvision du Burkina (RTB), the national public broadcaster and principal media outlet in Burkina Faso, has installed the Netia Radio-Assist 8 suite of digital audio software to support its broadcast workflow from start to finish. Installed just before the 50th anniversary celebration of the country's independence, the Radio-Assist system not only streamlines operations at RTB, but also enables the broadcaster to digitize, migrate, and preserve Burkina Faso's tape-based national audio archives in a secure, easy-to-access digital format.

On-site training "While we are most confident in the power of Netia's software functionality, we have also been most impressed by the on-site training the company provided to our staff," said Ouezen Louis Oulon, managing director at RTB. "Local training

in the use and management of a sophisticated broadcast solution is an extremely valuable part of this installation, and Netia was very proactive in working with staff here in Ouagadougou to commission the system and ensure our personnel could operate the system autonomously."

The Radio-Assist 8 range of digital audio software programs covers the entire operation of a radio station, addressing acquisition, sound file editing, commercial and music production, scheduling, multicasting, data security, and administration. "RTB's installation of Radio-Assist 8 represents another in a growing base of Netia deployments across Africa," said Mus Rezzoug, product director at Netia. "As broadcasters across the continent look to improve daily broadcast operations and to preserve and repurpose treasured historical media, Radio-Assist provides a complete and scalable solution, along with expert training and support." Netia, a GlobeCast company, is a leading provider of software solutions that enable efficient management and delivery of content to today's full array of media platforms.

Music Room at Majestic Hotel in Dubai decides for VENUE SC48 Music Room became one of the latest in a long list of Avid’s VENUE Live Sound console owners in Dubai. Hotel Majestic’s Music Room located in Bur Dubai, which is one of the most popular locations for live music, just bought and installed a VENUE SC48.

studio-quality plug-in support, seamless integration with Pro Tools LE systems, and complete show file portability, it offers as well several innovative new workflows that streamline the mixing process, allowing you to concentrate on mixing the show instead of operating the board. Tareq Al-Hassan, Engineer at Music Room says: “When I saw it for the first time I was impressed at the layout of the console, how easy things were to find and after even a few minutes realized how quick and easy it would be to start working. You can tell that it’s been produced for the touring and the in-house engineer that has a variety of bands to work with on short time restraints. On first impression I felt it was an easy transition from analogue: the visual aspects and the feel of it really help with that”.

usic Room in Hotel Majestic is a popular venue in Bur Dubai where live bands play every night. General Manager of Majestic Hotel Dubai, Alex Economides, and his engineer Tareq Al-Hassan talked with Kiran Tauro who has used VENUE Live Sound consoles for many years with UAE based event production agency Epic Events on deciding which live sound console will fit their needs best. They finally decided on VENUE SC48 as the best bet. VENUE SC48 is the fully integrated live sound system from Avid that stands for amazing sound quality and the rock-solid reliability of VENUE in just a single portable compact console. The console not only features the celebrated characteristics of VENUE, including

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Committed.

ISE announces ‘Magic Monday’ – industry conferences While the show floor of ISE 2011 does not open its doors until Tuesday, 1 February, there are plenty of good reasons to plan to arrive at the Amsterdam RAI at least one day before, including a trio of top-level industry conferences taking place on Monday, 31 January that will help to prepare your business for the years to come.

DiSCO – the Digital Signage Conference InfoComm Future Trends Summit A first for ISE in 2011, InfoComm International’s Future Trends Summit offers a tantalising glimpse into the market and technology developments that will shape your business in the years ahead. With a host of top-name speakers presenting on topics including emerging standards, new display technologies and building information modelling, the Summit has a convenient start time of 11:00 for those not arriving in Amsterdam until the Monday morning, and is very competitively priced.

Managed by Invidis Consulting in partnership with OVAB Europe, DiSCO is a new kind of digital signage event. Comprising two parallel tracks (one devoted to Business & Strategy, the other to Best Practice), the Conference offers insider perspectives on the key issues affecting everyone in the digital signage and DOOH marketplace. A two-level pricing structure ensures that you maximise your value from attending DiSCO: choose from an ‘Access All Areas’ pass that allows you to switch between tracks, or a ‘Track 2 Only’ option limited to the case studies of the Best Practice track.

WR Visual Communications Summit For the first time, Wainhouse Research brings its internationally renowned European Summit to ISE. In keeping with the show’s focus, the Summit will concentrate on the issues associated with moving visual communications into the enterprise mainstream; the challenges facing large and small enterprises; and how the varying solutions address those challenges. Starting on Monday, 31 January, the Summit will continue into the morning of Tuesday, 1 February, and all attendees will receive a complimentary pass to the ISE 2011 show floor.

Live television audience

Gearhouse celebrates New Age friendship

Additional pressures included the concert being televised live worldwide on ESPN, opening up the potential audience to several million. Gearhouse SA is used to working to tight deadlines and under perverse and difficult environmental conditions. The experience, resources and synergies of several of the company's departments Rigging, Structures, Audio, Lighting, Media, together with the services of sister companies SDS (set building) and LEDVision (LED screen) - were energised to make this one rock in true Bollywood style. A strong and committed team of over 50 crew from the company's Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town branches was assembled to work a gruelling schedule and deliver an amazing result, project managed by Michael Lewis and Eyal Yehezkely. Integrally involved with the advance and on site co-ordination was Gearhouse's Durban branch operations manager, Stuart Andrews, who dealt with much of the mountain of necessary

Over 40 thousand excited cricket fans packed the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa, to see India clinch victory over the Proteas (South Africa) in the Standard Bank International Pro20 cricket tournament, in the process, making history as the biggest crowd ever to watch a cricket match on the African continent.

knife edge finish fuelled the amazing vibe, but theoretically it would have been a win-win scenario whichever team had triumphed for SA's substantial Indian community in Durban, who needed no extra reasons to party as they also experienced history with the 'New Age Friendship' Celebration Concert.

Visual extravaganza This visual extravaganza of spectacular proportions was the first ever such post cricket match entertainment event, with the additional resonance of celebrating the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Africa.The Concert was conceived and produced by Katija Ali of AA Media for match organisers Cricket South Africa (CSA). Ali asked Gearhouse South Africa - with whom she has worked on many previous projects - to deliver a production design and all the required technical elements to make the show starring Indian megastar Shah Rukh Khan and a host of other top talent from India and South Africa - something very special. The stage, set, visual and lighting design

was created by Gearhouse's Tim Dunn - a carefully crafted fusion of classic architectural shapes and cultural symbols from India and Africa.

Imagineering skills The production was ensconced into the bleachers at the south end of the stadium, it's striking form combined metalwork, scenic texturing and LED screen surfaces complementing the magnificent curvature of the 350 metre long, 105-metre high arch that defines the skyline of Durban's iconic visual masterpiece. Dunn's imagineering skills were tested with many curve balls! The stage structure's footprint had to involve the removal of an absolute minimum of seats; the design had to be roof-less to preserve maximum sight lines from all around the stadium - amid the KwaZulu Natal rainy season where the meteorology was at best unpredictable and at worst schizophrenic; the colour of the stage and set cladding had to ensure the cricket ball was clearly visible during the match, and the whole operation had to be installed and ready in under a week. 24

Makhaya Ntini's farewell match “The cricket is going to be a sideshow to the festivities,” said ESPN’s Firdose Moonda before the Standard Bank Pro20 tournament between South Africa and India in January. “It's Makhaya Ntini's farewell match, which is enough to charge the occasion with emotion. Sachin Tendulkar is going to be honoured for continued contribution to the progress of cricket. All that will end with a Bollywood extravaganza. It's a magical stage for such an occasion. The Moses Mabhida Stadium doesn't have the dimensions of an international cricket field and the straight boundaries are particularly short, which means boundary hitting may be the order of the day.” By the end of the day, India emerged victorious, winning the match by 21 runs.

groundwork, protocol and administration needed to stage a gig of this scale in the venue. This included regular meetings with the various stadium departments, technicians and engineers, plus local authority departments and copious crossliaison with both end clients - AA Media and CSA - and Tim Dunn as the design evolved. Advance work started on the project in September, ramping up steadily and then intensely as the show date approached.

Dedicated team Amassing experienced and dedicated teams from each department was one of the keys to the success of realising such an ambitious technical project, which was severely interrupted and hampered by long periods of torrential rain during the build. Also at the essence was keeping the complex network of communications between all involved - from the crews to the clients fluid, face-to-face and transparent. Others central to the production loop were the show creative and artist liaison teams from Wizcraft and Cineyug, both based in Mumbai, who lined up the performers also starring Anil Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra from India together with Locnville, Drum Cafe from South Africa for the 3 hours of action packed live entertainment, which also included a speech by South African President, Jacob Zuma. On site, as with all large Gearhouse projects, a great camaraderie and spirit fuelled everyone's energy and determination to get the show on in the face of all the prevailing challenges.

Structures, Set & Rigging The first departments on site were Gearhouse Structures overseen by Attie van Staden and the team from SDS (Sets, Drapes, Screens) led by Pieter Joubert and AndrĂŠ Matthysen who all collaborated closely to build the foundations. A large scaffolding 'back wall' was constructed to facilitate installation of the 'Calabash', a traditional African pot shaped trussing construction anchored to two 9 metre diameter circles top and bottom with 16 gently curved 8 metre ribs, which crowned Dunn's stage set. Ninety per cent of the Calabash was built on the ground. This was then craned into place by a 60 tonne crane which landed it on the 20 metre high (from the ground at the front, 10 metres off the stepped bleacher deck behind) back wall. The final 4 ribs were added once it was in situ. The main scaffolding superstructure accommodated further set elements and the PA wings. Flanking the Calabash were

6 variously sized 'minaret' style domes made from white fabric stretched over arched mini-trussing - rigged on platforms along the 2 side wings of the scaff structure at different elevations. There was a large LED centre screen onstage, with 5 chevron shaped scenic LED columns either side, with the clean, precise lines of the LED bringing a dynamic contrast to the curves above.

Scaffold supers tructure SDS produced a series of grey corrugated PVC printed drops to fill in all the gaps concealing all traces of scaffolding, together with slick grey headers to cap the LED columns, so apart from the Calabash and the front legs of the ground support system (see below), no raw metalwork was visible. The PA wings were finished in gauze scrims sporting the CSA logo. The structure, fully loaded with all the technical equipment - including, LED, lights and PA - weighed about 150

tonnes, requiring some careful loading calculations before receiving the green light from the stadium's structural engineers to build on the seating stands. The stage measured 26 metres wide and 12 deep, with three shallow curved thrusts at the front, continuing the arc theme of the higher elements. The scaffolding superstructure was built by GH Structures, then clad and dressed in wood by SDS, and diligently hand painted in black with 3 white CSA logos on each thrust area. This worked brilliantly as ambient branding for the overhead camera shots. Distinctive floors are a frequent feature of Dunn's designs. Twenty-five translucent oval 'shields' were attached to the front of the stage apron and back lit, a contemporary take on Zulu armoury, providing a flourishing finishing detail to the set's visual coherence from the lowest to the highest levels.

Lighting the stage With the front legs of the ground

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support system a good 3 metres upstage of the edge of the central thrust, the only downstage lighting positions were 12 follow spots, 6 per side on 2 platforms (6 x Gladiators and 6 x Supertroupers) in the stadium at 90 degrees to the stage. This presented a challenge as some of the acts featured large dance contingents, however, Dunn was replete with multiple options for back, side and mid stage plus set and scenic lighting fixtures. Crowning the top circle of the Calabash were 10 Robe ColorSpot 2500E ATs, ideal for aerial effects. The ribs were all toned by an LED PAR top and bottom, and on the 10 front facing ribs were 12 x iPix Satellites used highly effectively for lively 'sparkling' chases. In the centre of the top deck of the Calabash were 7 x Panther 5K xenon searchlights for mega bright aerial and back beam effects into the night sky. Along the front edge of the structure's top deck were 8 Robe ColorSpot 2500E ATs and 6 Robe REDWash 3â&#x20AC;˘192s, while the minarets were internally lit using 12 i-Pix BB4s a side. The ground support onstage had a widthways span of 30 metres with 2 levels of trim at 9 and 10 metres, diagonally slung truss upstage and the mid truss that was moved in during the match for the 3 cameras. On the ground support were another 20 REDWashes, 6 Robe ColorSpot 2500s and 24 x ColorWash 2500s. These were all used for front and back stage washing, upstage key lighting and loads of fabulous, rich and powerful beamy looks.

Defining geometry The 25 shields along the front of the stage were each up-lit with a BB4 unit. Dunn explained that the lateral aim was to give the stage scale, presence and a defining geometry amidst the stadium's visually commanding environment; to integrate lighting and visuals seamlessly with the set, as well as working independently to cover the performance space and diffuse the onstage energy into the audience. The show had to work for TV and live audiences and contain enough much anticipated big stadium lighting WOW factors throughout, whilst ensuring that all - from those sitting parallel to the stage to the Presidential Box to the top of the bleachers at FOH - enjoyed a great show experience.

Glitz and fun He programmed and ran the show on a grandMA full size console, with Hugh Turner calling follow spots. Pure experience, basic imaginative instincts and an in-depth technical understanding of the kit's capabilities were all invaluable tools

enabling Dunn to produce an epic show with all the glitz and razzamatazz of Bollywood combined with all the dynamics required for a high profile live telecast in such a short timeframe. Mercifully, the Friday before Sunday's show was the first dry, sunny day of the week, but this left only 2 nights for some intense programming, with limited stage time to themselves and darkness ending abruptly at 4 a.m. with the unfailingly cheerful twittering of birdsong!

Impressive video display A second grandMA full size at front of house was used by Gearhouse Media's Marcel Wijnberger, driving 3 x MA VPUs sending custom created ambient content plus that supplied by some artists to the onstage LED screens. A full Barco Encore screen management system, operated by Luigi Cosani, handled video distribution to all the LED surfaces, which were made up from 224 panels of Lighthouse R16, configured as a single image to run across all 3 processors. He also received a TX feed from the Supersport HD OB truck, which was output to 2 x 16 by 9 ft side screens either side of stage at the back of the second level seating, each fed by a Christie 18K projector. Wijnberger also designed and installed the fibre system running data for lighting and video from the stage, 280 metres to the front of house position. Two lines (master and backup) were run via two MA NPUs backstage at the dimmer position.

Rock the house Sound was a mix of the L-Acoustics racks-and-stacks from Gearhouse Audio and the stadium's house JBL VerTec system, for which FOH and monitor 27

engineer Cyril "Rasta" Sewela and his team of 4 liaised with house sound designer Alex Sanfillippo. The stage hangs were 2 arrays of 12 x L-Acoustics VDOSC speakers a side, complete with 16 SB 28 subs in total, plus side hangs of 6 Kudos a side, all powered by LA8 amplifiers. The stadium system consists of 12 stacks of 9 x VT4888WRX, spaced equidistantly below two elegant steel catwalks running along either side of the stadium below the roof line. The optimum goal was to ensure a clear, even coverage throughout the space, and to tweak the house system to sound like the output was coming from stage. Sewela tuned the system, and the show - including monitors - was mixed via a Yamaha PM5D, its small footprint also ideal for the situation, tucked unobtrusively in the front rows just above pitch level, about 30 degrees around on stage left. They made use of all the console's onboard effects, and Dolby Lake processing for system EQ. He also found that his experience of working on the recent AR Rahman concert - the first full production music show to visit the venue and a couple of other heritage shows in there was extremely useful. A full selection of radio mics were part of the audio package, including locally made Ocalex headset mics, plus Shure headsets and hand-helds along with a Sennheiser G3 IEM system. The concert was a massive success with Jacob Zuma even suggesting that it could become an annual event. For Gearhouse, it was the conclusion of another totally unique, large production to add to their impressive list of world class designed and delivered events, as much as it was a 'celebration' of incredible teamwork, knowledge, foresight and hard work.

aluminium product which had proved its mettle in a number of previous Fear Factor seasons.

Deadlines approach

Stunt Factory factors in safety for Fear Factor The Fear Factor reality series has achieved worldwide recognition for its ability to challenge contestants with seemingly impossible scenarios. The trick is to ensure the safety of participants while keeping stunts dangerously exciting. The Stunt Company has built a reputation for making anything happen even with the tightest schedule.

ecently, Endemol India was contracted to produce a third Fear Factor season that would outshine all previous series. The Stunt Company from South Africa was assigned to supply all of the rigging, mechanizing, truss motorizing and stunt solutions, as has been the case with many of the other Fear Factor series, including the South African versions. The latest season was due to take the team and their expertise to Rio de Janeiro on an almost impossible schedule due to many delays.

Safety comes first Gideon van Schoor and Craig Ginsberg of the Stunt Company got to work immediately already being aware that the budget, skills and truss systems available to them in Brazil were not up to standard. Since the products available in Brazil proved to be too heavy for the distances that

needed to be accommodated, The Stunt Company turned to long-term supplier, T&A Lighting for a solution. On evaluation of the situation they came to the conclusion that they would build all the rigs in South Africa and ship them across to Brazil, reducing costs while ensuring that the team had access to exactly what they needed. The obvious choice was Prolyte H30v, a safety-tested 28

The team was tasked with constructing a balancing beam between 2 trucks over which contestants would ride a bicycle, a giant ferris wheel which contestants ran over on , a seesaw over a long fall, a sky-high pole hopper, cable stand and more. Prolyte H30v is ideal for this type of application since it can span long distances without support. It is a very lightweight material which makes it easy to erect in challenging areas, giving the Stunt Company the ability to construct strip rigs exceptionally quickly to meet the tight deadline. With contestantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lives on the line it was vital that the rigs made it to set without their integrity being compromised. Gideon and Craig literally built the truss into the Brazilbound container to be certain that it arrived safely. Upon its arrival on site, The Stunt Company got to work immediately, knowing that any challenges would have to be overcome without compromising the deadline. Despite the challenges and risks involved, Prolyte H30v can handle the most demanding applications. Prolyte, based in Holland, has been manufacturing alluminuim trussing and staging for close to 20 years. Prolyte makes products that offer solutions for every job or project, and supports their clients with profound product knowledge and product information.

TV-host Priyanka Chopra single-handedly added the glam factor to Fear Factor, but she also proved she was as tough as the competitors in Rio de Janeiro.

Megahertz to showcase range of SI services alongside KIT KIT digital and its recently acquired business, Megahertz Broadcast Systems (MHz) will showcase the company’s combined broadcast systems integrations services and IP-based solutions for the first time at CabSat 2011. Acquired by KIT digital in September 2010 to facilitate bridging the gap between traditional broadcast systems integration and new media playout solutions, MHz has extensive global experience in designing and delivering innovative turnkey solutions throughout the content distribution chain — from venues and AVIT to OBs and DSNGs, HD studios and server-based playout through to the installation of earth stations across the Middle East. “Megahertz is one of the most respected providers in the advanced digital video systems integration arena and has a wealth of expertise, particularly in the Middle East, with successful installation implemented at both fixed and mobile television facilities across the region,” said Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, chairman and CEO at KIT digital. “KIT digital offers a complete end-to-end

solution in the IP-delivery arena which together with the acquisition of Megahertz last year, gives us a truly global footprint for the deployment of high-end systems integration for major broadcasters and network operators.” With some of the leading brand names in the Middle East and Africa as repeat clients including, Al Jazeera, ART in Jordan, Kuwait Television,

Oman Television, Qatar Television & Radio and e.tv in South Africa — MHz continues to be seen by many global media companies as a reliable partner that helps to minimize the risk of deploying new technology. “KIT understands the ever changing needs of consumer demands for the ability to access content anywhere, any time and on any device and delivers IP-based solutions to meet these demands,” said Frances Jarvis, managing director of Megahertz. “In recent times Megahertz has seen a greater integration of IP technologies across broadcast installations that enable improved workflow efficiencies, particularly in DSNGs. We have already helped broadcasters drive cost reduction through the implementation of improved mobile satellite systems, increased data throughput and lower power requirements.”

Get ready for more reach, more choices and the coming HD-TV and 3D revolution with Arabsat’s newest satellite With the launch of Arabsat’s new state-of-the-art BADR-5 satellite, the largest Arab community in the sky now reaches farther than ever across the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. BADR-5 is the latest addition to Arabsat’s constellation of BADR satellites at 26º East, bringing more reach, more in-orbit redundancy, more entertainment choices, more possibilities and more power to experience the HD-TV and 3D revolution of the future. Join the largest Arabsat community in the sky and tune in to the future, today.

www.arabsat.com

Most important event for AV professionals in ME The recent financial crunch may have slowed it down a bit, but the Middle East is back on track fairly quickly with a more realistic outlook. Professional Audio, Lighting and Live Events technology have always remained a key indicator of this region’s burgeoning market potential for international players. With the economy now bouncing back and spending power continuing to increase, entertainment and leisure remain important investment grounds for individual and corporate investors – opening greater opportunities for new and existing companies.

resenting an ideal mix of residential and commercial applications, equipment, technologies and services for a fast growing market, currently worth over US$ 4 billion annually and projected rise to US$ 6 billion within the GCC over the next five years, PALME Middle East offers exceptional opportunities for new businesses as well as established market leaders to tap on growing markets.

Largest trade show PALME Middle East, co-locating INSTALL for AV & Systems Integration and Smart Home technologies and MUSAC for musical instruments, equipment and accessories, has established itself as the region’s largest trade show for professionals in this burgeoning industry. Now in its ninth year, PALME occupies a key position in the global trade show circuit and provides the Middle East with its own unique industry forum. Key international names have already confirmed their presence at the 2011 show as a testimony of the importance of this event for their business prospects in the Middle East and Northern African region. With the event now being just a few

authority of visitors that attended the 2010 edition of PALME Middle East accumulated to a whopping US$ 1.035 billion, which clearly indicates the size of this burgeoning market and how much business companies may attract by being part of the forthcoming edition of this show in April 2011”, he added.

19% increase

weeks away, the show floor is starting to have fewer spaces left for the lucky ones that wish to take advantage of the burgeoning regional markets and demand that continues to grow. “Market dynamics are now changing and regional buyers are not travelling as much to Europe or the US to source products and services as they used to 3 years ago.

Business growth There is an immense potential for business growth and finding newer market segments for manufacturers who wish to explore the Middle East as a markets. Above all, the extraordinary spending power makes this region unique”, said Eben Botha, Exhibition Manager for PALME. “The purchasing 32

The show witnessed 19% increase in number of exhibiting companies, 95% of which confirmed that the quality of visitors and their return on investment for participating at PALME had met or surpassed their expectations. “We had another great show this year, despite the travel plans being somewhat disrupted from the UK. We were able to really increase market penetration which is made easy with a show like PALME”, says Gordon Cooper, Director of SES, UK. Roberto Coleman, Director of SmartHDL Business Development that also exhibited in PALME 2010, says “Not only were we pleased with the number of visitors that visited our Exhibition but we (also) learned how to use limited resources more effectively and discovered cost-effective ways to build up our pipeline while reaching a much boarder spectrum of prospects.”

Never.no lets Al Aan TV connect with viewers Dubai deployment engages audience and encourages viewers to share opinions.

l Aan TV, a Dubai-based infotainment network focused on women, has deployed never.no's Auto Dialog System and Interactivity Desk to connect with its viewers who are using Twitter. Specifically, never.no technology enables Al Aan TV to quickly and automatically harvest, sort, respond to, and broadcast moderated tweets from viewers. This is the first installation of never.no's award-winning interactive technology in the Middle East. "We have been very pleased with the never.no solution," said Muhammad Irfan, Al Aan TV broadcast and satellite operations manager. "Not only has it done what we hoped for in terms of helping us forge a closer connection with viewers and letting their opinions be heard, the technology fit cleanly into our workflow and was easily installed." At Al Aan TV, never.no's Auto Dialogue System, which automates communication workflows, has been customized to automatically harvest, sort, and respond to the Al Aan TV Twitter feed. Harvested messages are then passed to the never.no Interactivity Desk platform, where they are moderated, sorted, and published to appropriate channels in conjunction with Vizrt graphics playout. As a result, only appropriate, authorized messages are answered, published to broadcast, or both. The never.no technology can also be configured to

communicate with other social networks or mobile solutions, and to publish images and video to broadcast. "Al Aan TV wanted to do a more effective job of connecting with its followers on Twitter," said Lars Lauritzsen, CEO of never.no. "Toward that end, Al Aan TV was looking for a solution that would enable it to quickly and easily respond to viewers' posts and incorporate them into the broadcast. By automating workflows

between the social network — Twitter — and the broadcast solution, never.no's Auto Dialogue System and Interactivity Desk do exactly what's required." The never.no implementation is part of a major phased upgrade at Al Aan TV's recently expanded facility. The upgrade will enable Al Aan TV to accommodate new programming, including live production, and new revenue-generating services. 33

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Christie projectors shine bright in Riyadh The annual Eid Al-Fitr Festival is the three-day Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

n Riyadh, Samir El-Wesemy’s company, EvenTech Co. Ltd, staged a major outdoor event at the Regime Palace District, sponsored by the Supreme Authority for Riyadh Development and attended (and officially opened) by HRH Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz. Among his many other duties he is Vice Chairman of The Supreme Saudization Committee. The event on all three days featured traditional shows from Saudi teams that represented all the cities in the Kingdom — and included children’s shows with puppets. EvenTech conceived the initial designs and developed the technical infrastructure, installing and providing all the event equipment such as projectors, screens, moving head lighting, trusses, staging, decoration and cinematography. They fielded three powerful Christie HD12K 1080HD 12,000 ANSI lumens

DLP 3-chip projectors from their inventory, mounted on Thomas Mega Truss. Fitted with SXGA+ 1.2:1/HD 1.1:1 FP lens, these delivered content onto a massive 24m x 6m screen backdrop behind a 1400 sq. metre stage. All edge blending, alignment and processing functions were implemented in a Christie

Spyder, which also provided a multiscreen PIP view. The device was fed with a variety of source inputs, including bespoke content, live cameras and library footage to create the desired impact. All the projectors were supplied from EvenTech’s extensive stock of Christie instruments, which has been built up over a five year period, and includes Roadie HD+30K and DS+5K’s. On each of the three days it is estimated that 5,000 guests attended the event, which was deemed a huge success. Samir El-Wesemy, who acted as Executive Director and Project Manager, said, “This is the third year that EvenTech has been invited to provide AV services at this big event — and that’s a measure of the trust that exists between us and The Supreme Authority for Riyadh Development.”

SIGNAL METAMORPHOSIS

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...and, unlike the butterfly, we can reverse the process Kramer has a full range of high quality products to distribute, switch and transcode HD-SDI and HDMI signals whether for use in a Broadcast application, or a Pro-AV system. For transcoding, take a look at the Kramer FC-331 (3G HD-SDI to HDMI) and the FC-113 (HDMI to HD-SDI), and for our other Digital products why not check our website: www.kramerelectronics.com © 2010 Kramer Electronics Ltd. All rights reserved

www.electrosonic.co.za . 011-770 9800 or 031-533 0900 or e-mail sales@electrosonic.co.za

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Christie projectors shine bright in Riyadh The annual Eid Al-Fitr Festival is the three-day Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

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PALS achieve OpenDSNG certificate PALS Electronics has successfully achieved the Multimedia Exchange Network over Satellite (MENOS) certification of its vehicle-mounted and flydrive satellite antenna systems for use with Newtec’s ASBU-MENOS OpenDSNG networking solution. The certification process ensures that the proposed solution is fully compliant with the MENOS OpenDSNG standards and can be used in the MENOS network operated by the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) on Arabsat satellite capacity.

e are delighted to join the MENOS OpenDSNG program and look forward to offering this solution to our customers,” says Fikret Guzel, General Manager of PALS. “This program will complement and future-proof our next generation of IP-

based products by meeting the needs of broadcast customers with traditional equipment as well as early adopters of the latest technology.” The award-winning MENOS network is a revolutionary all-IP networking solution for exchanging multimedia content over satellite. It enables fully automated, cost-effective sharing of video and radio content among scattered sites. For broadcasters facing unprecedented business challenges, Newtec’s MENOS OpenDSNG solution provides key benefits, including flexible multi-network usage, and significant CAPEX and OPEX savings. PALS’ integrated solution will work either in MENOS or traditional DSNG mode, with software in the PALS system controller allowing the user to select which mode to be used. The MENOS system includes a complete range of tools to facilitate coordination of video and radio exchange tasks while also providing additional IP services across the network. Advanced DVB-S2 modulation

technology including Newtec’s unique LinkFlex capability, combined with the statistical multiplexing of data, voice, television and radio signals ensures optimal efficiency of the use of the satellite bandwidth. Since October 2008, ASBU and Newtec have certified several professional integration partnering companies enabling them to join different certification programs on the MENOS system. ASBU encourages all interested integration partners to offer such MENOS-certified solutions. Broadcasters in the Middle East and North Africa are now able to acquire and use such MENOS-certified equipment for accessing ASBU’s MENOS exchange platform or any other privately operated open platform. “This new certification demonstrates the increasing demand for powerful IP-based services in the Middle East region and in the broadcasting industry as a whole,” says Slaheddine Maaoui, Director General of the ASBU. Serge Van Herck, CEO of Newtec, says, “PALS is a recognised leader in the DSNG market. We are pleased to find in PALS an additional MENOS partner that believes in the same core values: providing state-of-the-art solutions around customers’ needs.”

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Double take. Simultaneous recording made simple with the new GY-HM750.

Introducing the GY-HM750 – a highly mobile and professional dual memory card camcorder. Based on an upgraded digital processing engine, the GY-HM750 features improved picture quality, with the ability to record either HD or SD directly to economical SDHC solid state media. Record to both cards simultaneously for an instant backup, or individually for virtually unlimited recording time. And like other ProHD camcorders, the GY-HM750 records in the native file formats of popular professional editing systems for the world’s fastest workflow. It is also equipped with a 68-pin chassis connector that allows various modules, including the KA-AS790 ASI adapter, to be attached without external cabling – ideal for live microwave broadcasts. Whether you’re shooting news, commercials, documentaries or music videos, the GY-HM750 will help keep your media safe.

For further information on the new GY-HM750 camcorder, please visit our website at www.jvcpro.eu/jpe/hm750.

For UAE, please contact Oasis Enterprises LLC on +971 4282 1337 or email info@oasisppd.com. For South Africa, please contact Inala Broadcast on +27 (0)11 206 8344 or email info@inala.co.za. For Middle East & Africa, contact JVC Professional on +971 4 803 6210 or email exportsales@jvcpro.co.uk. ©2011 JVC Professional Europe Ltd. All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Specifications subject to change without notice.

GY-HM750 camcorder with KA-AS790 ASI adapter

Connected TV platform makes an entry into the Middle East & North Africa

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In a development that will revolutionize the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s connected home entertainment industry, Techstorm, a UAE-based new media technology company, has partnered with Silicon Valley-based Verismo Networks and their award-winning Internet TV Platform to launch the VuMax service and bring HD quality entertainment directly to TV sets through broadband Internet.

his will be an operatorindependent OTT (Over The Top) platform service to be introduced in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and targets a huge market of Internet users who seek compelling entertainment from across the globe through their broadband connection. The Verismo Platform allows Techstorm to deliver OTT videos, including live TV channels, linear channels and value-added Internet applications. Videos from popular websites, online radio, and movies on demand are delivered seamlessly to television sets through the power of broadband Internet. Additionally, the new platform brings social networking applications such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace directly to the TV set for the entire family to enjoy together.

Connected home Personal media is easily accessed over the home network or by connecting a USB drive. In addition, the Verismo platform supports Electronic Program Guide (EPG) and Digital Rights Management (DRM) which ensures content can be seen only in the region where rights owners have rights for. The new service is delivered to consumers through a compact VuMax PoD, which is about the size of a deck of playing cards. In addition, through agreements with third party content providers, consumers can subscribe to premium live and ondemand video content delivered directly to their TV sets through the Internet. At the time of launch, the VuMax offering includes pay TV content services

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from YuppTV, Global Take Off New York, and Big Flix, a Bollywood movie ondemand service offered by Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Reliance Group. Arabic content such as movies, TV dramas and Live TV will be made available soon. Verismo Networksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Executive Vice President Dhaval Ajmera said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Middle East and North Africa regions are important markets for the delivery and consumption of Internet media. Techstorm is well-positioned to lead the Internet TV revolution and we are extremely pleased to be their technology partner of choice.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;After a long search for a viable Internet TV technology, we found the depth of features available on Verismo Networksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; VuNow platform ideally suited to our business,â&#x20AC;? Techstormâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Executive Vice President Nadeem Viqar said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Verismo has developed a feature-rich, open and complete Internet TV platform that has no equivalent anywhere in the world. This revolutionary platform allows us to expand our service offering and stay current with the latest technology.â&#x20AC;? 37

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Informed management reduces AV costs in public service Visual communications are becoming a core part of the public sector workplace. Using qualified personnel to design, install and maintain the technology is the best way to keep costs down, says InfoComm’s Dan Goldstein

t is almost everywhere you look. From the digital signage that welcomes visitors in the reception area of a council chamber or courtroom, to the interactive whiteboards in schools, the video archiving of x-ray and operation data in hospitals, and the projection systems and audio guides of modern museums. Audiovisual or AV technology was once the sole preserve of the meeting room or auditorium, where overhead projectors or 35mm slide carousels enhanced the presentation experience, before being supplanted by the now ubiquitous PowerPoint. Today, many public-sector facilities use audio and video in ways that could not have been imagined even a decade ago – to improve communication, raise productivity levels, and much more. Yet few areas of the public sector have developed a clear strategy for ensuring that they adopt best practice when buying and using AV technologies. Many purchasing decisions have been made on a piecemeal basis, with little thought being given to system performance, its future upgradability, or its maintenance over time.

Pitfalls of owning AV Because so many AV products are

now networkable, there has been a trend in some circles to place these devices under the ownership of an in-house IT department. On paper this makes sense: there is almost always more IT in

Because so many of today’s AV products are networkable there’s been a trend to lump AV technology under the management of the IT department – while it may make sense from a financial perspective, the reality is that AV requires a specialist skillset that’s generally missing from the IT department.

a public-sector facility than there is AV, so IT already has the manpower and a recognised position of authority within the organisation. What it lacks is the right expertise. The world of IT is essentially binary. Either a device is on the network, or it isn’t. Either you have access to that file, or you don’t. Either your iPod will work on your lunchtime jog through the park, or it won’t. The world of AV involves many more shades of grey (or, perhaps more appropriately, colour) between the extremes of ‘off’ and ‘on’. Whether a surgeon in a remote location can correctly advise on a procedure taking place hundreds of miles away will depend on whether the operating theatre has the right quality and colour temperature of light for videoconferencing. Whether all the delegates in a training session can hear every word spoken by their instructor will depend on whether the acoustics of the lecture theatre have been properly compensated for in the design of the PA system. And whether users of a videowall at a museum can interact properly with the exhibit will depend on whether the projector lenses have been accurately specified for the distances and ambient light characteristics of the space. Ensuring that a properly qualified

AV supplier is involved in specifying such products is the best way to ensure that costly mistakes are not made – and the sooner such a supplier is involved, the better. And this is not just a question of specifying. These days, the various items of AV technology – projectors, screens, loudspeakers, microphones, controllers and so forth – work at their best when they are designed to be integrated together as a system.

Should I earn a University degree or an industry certificate?

Controlling costs over time While the appropriate design and installation of a facility’s AV system will ensure that costs are controlled at the purchase stage, what many public sector managers need to know is how to budget for their system to be properly maintained over time. In the education

sector, for example, tales abound of schools and colleges installing projectors but then having no budget to buy replacement lamps for them. Many qualified AV installers now offer maintenance contracts as part of their service, and indeed the surest way of accurately budgeting for total cost of ownership is to assign the job of maintenance to the supplier that originally specified the system. Not only will the technology have been specified with minimal maintenance in mind, but the supplier will be more intimately familiar with all the individual products involved. In fact, what many public sector facility managers are now realising is that the competencies of AV specialists now extend far beyond merely managing the costs of the AV system. The same skills that allow lights to be dimmed automatically when a presentation begins can also be leveraged to provide automated lighting control for an entire building, thereby further reducing costs and contributing to a lower-carbon building. And it doesn’t stop at the lights – heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and more can all be brought under centralised control and management, slashing operating costs and increasing

I remember when I was leaving school my parents encouraged me to attend University and earn a degree. “It’ll last forever and ensure you’re always able to get a good job,” advised my mother. Thirty years later and almost everything I learned at University has changed. My graduation certificate may be valid but it reflects a state of knowledge that’s completely out of sync with today’s modern business practice. In order to keep up with the changing demands of the audio visual industry I’ve had to continue the process of learning by reading books and industry magazines, attending conferences and trade shows, and participating in training initiatives such as those delivered by SACIA and InfoComm. I’ve also relied heavily on training provided by specialist manufacturers who make a concerted effort to keep their customers up to date operational efficiency still further.

How to find the right AV supplier? Over the past few years, as the cost of AV equipment has come down, many companies have begun to paint

on their latest products. It’s this ongoing programme of learning that allows me to work effectively in the marketplace. Industry certification programmes recognize that the market changes on an ongoing basis and require individuals to participate in a structured programme of continuous professional development (CPD). According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, CPD “can be defined as the conscious updating of professional knowledge and the improvement of professional competence throughout a person's working life. It is a commitment to being professional, keeping up to date and continuously seeking to improve. It is the key to optimizing a person's career opportunities, both today and for the future.” While many employers have previously defined a University degree as a requirement for employment, there’s a growing recognition that industry certification provides a more current reflection of an individuals worth. Many professional Associations require their members (doctors, lawyers, architects) to participate in an industry CPD programme and in a specialist industry sector like the audiovisual market, where there is no clearly defined qualification; InfoComm’s CTS certificate is fast becoming a must-have requirement for every work seeker. themselves as specialists in the field despite having relatively little expertise. In the end, there is only one way to be sure of a correctly delivered project and a high quality of service, and that is to use the services of suppliers that are members of a professional trade association, and whose have earned recognised certification. A not-for-profit organisation, InfoComm International is the world’s largest professional body representing the AV community. Through its CTS certification programme, it seeks to ensure that those who buy AV products receive a system that meets their needs, that is properly accounted for and that is correctly maintained over time. Across Africa and the Middle East, InfoComm activities are supported by both MECIA and SACIA, local trade associations whose members have committed to truth, honesty and the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of the audiovisual profession.

www.christiecontrol.com/entero

How many bulbs does it take to change your mind?

Until Christie’s Entero™ LED powered displays, every video wall used lamps. And we do mean used. For over its life a wall could consume hundreds – an expense that could outstrip the initial cost. And then of course there was the downtime, the consumables, the maintenance charges. But where conventional lamps might last 10,000 hours, our LED light source lasts 60,000. That’s almost seven years running twenty-four hours a day. It could outlive the wall itself. So, with Christie Entero™ LED powered rear screen displays, when you buy a video wall, you buy a video wall. Not a lifetime’s commitment to never-ending expense. Isn’t it time you changed technology – not lamps?

The eNTeRO led SeRieS rear Projection modules

when it matters.

InfoComm has offered its CTS (Certified Technology Specialist) programme for more than 30 years, and every year certifies more qualified AV professionals than anyone else. InfoComm’s certifications are the only AV credentials to achieve accreditation through the International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) ISO/IEC 17024 certification of personnel. Their CTS training programmes are delivered under license by MECIA and SACIA with all testing carried out by independent Pearson Vue testing centres. InfoComm’s CTS programme assesses individuals against peer-developed standards of competencies; provides an assessment (exam) that is independent of any specific course or curriculum; enhances continued competency through ongoing renewal requirements; and requires adherence to a code of ethics. For end customers, CTS certification provides evidence that the holder is a practising AV professional with proven competencies in designing, specifying, installing and maintaining audiovisual systems to the highest standards.

SA Parliament commits to professional standards

In South Africa the audio visual department within Parliament is responsible for providing AV facilities in support of all parliamentary activities. “In our quest to ensure transparency and good governance it’s critical that we facilitate effective communication between all stakeholders,” explains AV technical specialist Aubrey Ngcobozi. “We have a large team of AV technicians who come from a broad range of backgrounds – some with experience in IT, some from an electrical background and others from the live events industry. In order to

ensure we all work effectively together we’ve committed to work according to clearly identified standards and industry best practice. InfoComm has clearly defined these for the AV industry and their training programmes delivered in South Africa through SACIA have provided a fast-track learning experience for our staff.” Over the last 12 months, about a dozen AV technicians from Parliament have attended SACIA training courses and many are now preparing to write the InfoComm CTS examination. “Audio visual technology is developing at a rapid pace and one of the things we really like about these SACIA courses is that they evolve to reflect current technology trends,” says Aubrey. “Likewise, the CTS certificate needs to be renewed every three years. Any AV professional with a current CTS certificate is able to demonstrate he’s up to date with the science and technology behind today’s modern AV systems.”

Witness the latest in Pro Audio, Lighting, AV, Systems Integration, Music & Entertainment Industry

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Projection Studio designs Cairo Arab Media festival opener UK based projection specialists The Projection Studio were commissioned by Cairo production company PromoSign to create a large format projection show for the Opening of the 16th Cairo Arab Media Awards staged at Media City in Cairo.

he Awards were aired live across 18 countries. The 13 minute piece was part of a visual spectacular including fireworks, that was projected onto a full size scenic replica of the old Cairo Stock Exchange building (also known as the ‘Bourse’) which is part of one of the current film sets being utilised at the

studio. Creative Director Ross Ashton became involved in the project via Egyptian producer Ashraf Haridy, who was aware of The Projection Studio’s previous work and recommended him to the show producers, who wanted to up the production values at this year’s Awards. Once everything was confirmed, they had just 2 weeks to create and compile the artwork for the show, which celebrated the history of Egypt and the development of the Arab media – covering print, radio, TV, digital media and the internet. There was also a section for each of the 18 countries involved in the Awards event. PromoSign already had some definite ideas about elements of the projection show, which Ashton adapted to produce the specific effects they required, and also added his own input. PromoSign supplied about a third of the original material and the rest was created from scratch or taken from archives to their brief. Ashton and Paul Chatfield created the PIGI effects from this material. The creative process included 3D mapping of the building so the projections and artwork could be fitted precisely to the architecture, allowing it to be used as a true 3D surface rather than just having flat

The Projection Studio was asked to create the opening spectacular for the 16th Arab Media Awards in Cairo, December 2010. The event was held at the Cairo Media City Film Studios. The 13 minute “son et lumière” covered the history of Egypt and images representing digital media: video, radio, internet film and television. The storyline was developed with the client, Promo Sign and they provided around 50% of the original images. The Projection Studio sourced the rest and transformed them all into PIGI effects. The awards were broadcast to 18 countries.

projections applied. Effects included moving images within the windows, rotating columns and mask-contra-mask effects. Karen Monid edited a special soundtrack for the projected visuals using material sourced from the De Wolfe music library, and provided a bespoke 2-minute intro and outro composed for the show. Ashton also designed the projection system, which consisted of 4 x 6K PIGI projectors with double rotating scrollers, two of which were used to fill the surface and the other two to achieve the cross fading and contra-masking. The throw distance was 60 metres, and the images covered the entirety of the 32 metre wide ‘building’ The show was programmed and run by Karen Monid using an OnlyCue system. The projectionists were Simon Schofield and Phil Supple. Ashton comments, “It was an interesting show and involved some real pressure due to the short lead-time and intense schedule for preparation, so I am really proud of what we managed to achieve”. 43

A Note on the Old Bourse An initial international design competition for the Cairo Bourse was won by French architect Raoul Brandon in 1907, but this never materialized. Eighteen months later the Corporation of Agents de Change commissioned the Cairo firm of Edward Matasek and Maurice J. Cattaui with the participation of Ernest Jaspar, to design and erect an Exchange Building. Adorned with Matasek's trademark Hermes masonic busts and ornate stucco, the resultant edifice was the most beautiful building on the block. Trading started in 1909, and continued there until 1928, the year of the Wall Street Crash, when the Cairo Bourse relocated to its current building. The Old Bourse building (opposite the French consulate) has been subsequently occupied by Lloyds Bank, the British Chamber of Commerce, the National Bank of Egypt and currently by the Watany Development Bank.

Vinten supplies pedestals and robotics for Saudi Television As part of its programme to increase its offering from five channels to nine, Saudi Television is expanding its production base in Riyadh with three new studios. Two of these, including a new large production studio, will be fitted with pedestals and heads from Vinten, and the third will have two robotic cameras from Vinten Radamec.

wo of the studios will share a fleet of 12 Quartz Two pedestals with Vector 450 pan and tilt heads. The Quartz Two is a studio pedestal with a two-stage column, giving an on-shot height adjustment of 770mm. It is capable of balancing up to 80kg, more than enough for a modern camera, lens and prompter configuration. The Vector 450 pan and tilt head offers Perfect Balance throughout its ±90? of tilt, giving full flexibility to the studio operators. The third studio is located across the street from Saudi Television’s headquarters, and the decision was taken to equip it with robotic cameras from Vinten Radamec, operated from the master control suite in the main building. The installation includes two Fusion FH-

100 robotic heads, which can also be used in manual mode if required, and two Radamec 431 pan and tilt heads, which are designed to give highperformance robotic operation in confined spaces where the camera needs to be as unobtrusive as possible.

System integrator for the project is First Gulf Company. Broadcast systems manager, Orlando Castro, said: “Our client Saudi TV specified Vinten for their new studios, because they are the industry standard. The quality of the product is excellent, and we have complete confidence in this part of the installation.” “We are delighted to be involved in this major expansion project at Saudi TV,” said Ahmad Nana, Regional Sales Manager. “This mix of operator control and robotics to meet the various needs of different production styles is becoming increasingly common worldwide, and from Vinten and Vinten Radamec we can offer a one-stop shop for a complete and highly flexible solution.”

Radio training in East Africa Given the important role of the mass media, and its potential for information dissemination in the community, Livelihood Development International has established a radio station that will broadcast a series of information, cultural and educational programs in an FM short wave transmission frequency. The station broadcasts to western Kenya, Northern Tanzania, and Rwanda.

he radio station, Heart FM will be situated in the Livelihood Development International complex and will be a community-participatory, free service, alternative educational radio station, with emphasis on local issues, health and HIV/AIDS concerns. It will integrate music, folklore and story telling that will primarily target rural audience and communities that are isolated and hard to reach.

Non-profit radio station Heart FM is a non-profit entity within LDI, and is operated by the Board of Directors. The purpose of the programmes are to foster the participation of citizens and defend their interests, to reflect the taste of the population using good humour and to inform rural and urban communities. The radio station will serve as a forum to

discuss and debate issues, respecting all opinions, thus engendering a medium as the voice of the voiceless. “Operating as a community radio is not about doing something for the community, but about the community

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doing something for itself; that is owning and controlling its own means of communication,” says Richard Byznsky, director and founder of the International Council AIDS Services Organization. “The purpose is different from mainstream media. It is to ensure that the population’s best efforts are put at the disposal of civil society. This will be done by influencing public opinion, creating consensus, broadening democracy - thus promoting peace and development within the rural and urban communities. The training of local producers will create programs using local voices. The community will actively participate in the management of the station, and will have a say in the scheduling and content of the programs. Local artists will use the station to record and promote their work on air.”

An AITEC Africa event www.aitecafrica.com

6-7 July 2011, Nairobi Africa’s broadcast and film industries are entering the new decade full of dynamism and potential as a result of liberalisation in broadcasting and unprecedented entrepreneurial drive in film-making over the past decade. The 3rd African Broadcast and Film Conference will provide a stock-taking opportunity for players in both industries, and empower them with the knowledge and business contacts they need to build effectively on the gains so far.

Conference topics include:

• Pay TV – How to extend services to the bottom of the pyramid • Local Content Development – Success stories and hurdles • The Digital Transition – Assessing progress and challenges across the continent • Innovative Radio Broadcasting • The Changing African TV and Radio Audiences • Building an African Film Industry – building synergies, collaboration and partnerships • Sports Broadcasting – carving out Africa’s stake in the run-up to London 2012 Olympics • Technological Innovation – improving services, driving down costs and extending coverage • The Impact of Social Media – developing multi-media platforms

Contact us now to participate in this key event for Africa's rapidly expanding ELECTRONIC MEDIA industry! In East Africa tel: +254 (0) 20 815 5638; +254 (0) 719 627 898 International tel: +44 (0) 1480 880774 Email: info@aitecafrica.com 45

Eve shoots ruins in Mauritius Troumaron, a run-down quarter in the suburbs of Port-Louis, the capital city of Mauritius: The life of four young people in an area of the city marked by sadness and unemployment becomes a fight for survival. The escape to another country fails and ends in a catastrophe. In the novel, "Eve de ses décombres" ("Eve from her ruins"), the Mauritian author Ananda Devi paints a sad picture of the tourist paradise. In Mauritius, the Swiss-Polish cinematographer Piotr Jaxa made a motion picture based on this story. Shooting was done with a Sony EX3 accompanied by the SOOM tripod sys-tem and the FSB 8 fluid head from Sachtler.

ilming on the small island in the Indian Ocean was a rare event. Since a motion picture industry does not exist on Mauritius. “The available equipment and personnel were limited and required a certain amount of improvisation talent on the part of the team," explained Piotr Jaxa. The inhabitants always made the crew feel welcome and weren't bothered by the presence of the camera. Thus, the actors were able to easily blend in "among the natives" during much of the filming.

Versatile and dependable For professional cinematic realization, Piotr Jaxa chose to shoot the movie with a Sony EX3 camera mounted on Sachtler’s multifunctional SOOM tripod system and the FSB 8 fluid head. "Since 1982, I have repeatedly worked with Sachtler equipment and have always had good experiences with it,” said Jaxa. “No other tripod offers as many different positioning possibilities as the SOOM does. In addition, it is very stable and offers light handling." Combined with the SOOM Tube, the Piotr Jaxa using the Sony EX3: The filming of author Ananda Devi's novel "Eve de ses décombres" took place in different places in Mauritius. © Piotr Jaxa 2009

Born in Mauritius in 1957, Ananda Devi began to make her mark in Mauritian literature when she won, aged 15, a prize in a short-story competition organised by Radio France Internationale, the French national broadcasting corporation. Devi's story was subsequently broadcast on French radio and published in an anthology. This marked the beginning of a long literary career, spanning over thirty years and nine novels, which has seen her become one of the major Francophone writers from Mauritius and the Indian Ocean.

SOOM XL system was ideal for high camera positions – up to 250 cm –, especially when filming in tight places. With a payload range of 1 to 9 kg, the 75 mm FSB 8 fluid head was just right for the cinematic requirements. Mounted on the FSB 8 and equipped with the follow focus, matte box and an HD monitor, the Sony EX3 was able to perform pans smoothly and precisely at all times.

Tropical climate The equipment was in use every day. Rough transport conditions, salt water, high humidity, and plenty of dust and sand took its toll on much of the filming equipment. "The robust Sachtler Equipment was just the right material for such conditions," said Piotr Jaxa. The 46

SOOM tripod system proved itself convincingly during use, always quick to set up in the right position and working very dependably. The "all-in-one" concept of the system was also advantageous. Since all the parts of the SOOM system are stowed in a bag and can be easily transported, it saves space and shipping costs. The crew also appreciated the SOOM’s ease of reconfiguration from one function to another. If the SOOM Tube is not needed for a particular scene, it can still be conveniently left in the SOOM TriPod and is immediately ready for use as a SOOM XL system. The system’s simple operability also makes it possible for less experienced crew members to quickly and comfortably use it.

TECOM Media Cluster launches ‘Thought Incubator’ workshop Dubai’s Media Cluster has launched a series of “Thought Incubator” workshops that will address issues from social media, online/digital media and public relations to advertising and marketing, media content and industry initiatives.

ohammad Abdullah, Managing Director of TECOM Investments’ Media Cluster, said: “The Thought Incubator initiative will be an important platform for the media and marketing community to gain insight into trends, best practices and the tools driving the industry. “It is also a unique opportunity for all media professionals within the Media Cluster community as well as external stakeholders to meet and network with peers and leading experts and take the best decisions that are critical to the success of their organisation.” The first session on ‘Marketing to Online Communities’ will be conducted by Magnus Nystedt, Group Editor Consumer Technology at CPI Publishing in Dubai. With a background in teaching and technology journalism, as well as a

unique combination of skills and interest, Nystedt is a trustworthy source for audiences around the region. "As a publishing company based in TECOM Investments Media Cluster, we think it is important to participate in similar community activities, says Nystedt. “We

are ready to share our experience with others in the hope of helping and giving ideas. Personally, I believe this is just the beginning of a productive series of workshops, presentations and other activities that will have the power to educate and inspire." The workshop comes at a time when the conversation in any market and for any business is increasingly being dominated by online platforms and largely taking place through the different types of social networking tools and services. A thriving media community of over 1,800 companies/business partners at Dubai Media City plays a crucial role in contributing to the online and digital platforms that make up the TECOM Investments’ Media Cluster that also comprises Dubai Studio City and the International Media Production Zone.

Gary Kayye predicts:

Products & Technologies shaping our future

simply cannot believe that I’ve been writing this for 12 straight years! I spent more than five weeks on this particular version of my annual Kayye’s Krystal Ball feature article due to the fact that the continued economic issues that have plagued our market, the growth of emerging markets (each discussed below) and the advancements of new networking technologies that have finally made it possible to have completely network-based AV systems. So, welcome to the 12th Annual Kayye’s Krystal Ball, including my personal predictions for the

upcoming year for commercial AV, and even some HomeAV technology, trends and products. If you’re a regular reader of this column, then you know that each year I actually start by reviewing my own predictions from last year’s column. Why do I do it this way? Well, when I was a kid I loved TV and always loved watching those TV psychics sell their predictions to viewers who were willing to pay for such services – all the while I was the ultimate skeptic. Every year, they would reappear on TV selling the next year’s predictions. But I could never remember what they

predicted the previous year so that I could truly evaluate their accuracy. I always wanted them to remind us of their predictions from the previous year so I could see if it was worth the price – in case I ever needed to know what my future held. However, in this case, I’m free. You didn’t pay to read this, so keep this in perspective. But, if I may say so myself, over the past eleven years, I’ve actually done a pretty good job – or at least I’ve been really, really lucky. So, on to the review of the 2010 predictions and then I will jump into my predictions for 2011.

My results for 2010: 7.5 out of 9 – not bad, I’ll take that!

My first prediction for 2010 was that money would be flowing again – but only in limited applications. Specifically, I predicted three areas that would spark the AV economy in 2010: the government spending, GreenAV and videoconferencing. Well, well, well, what do you know, I pegged this nearly 100 percent. Although the government spending was on target, they didn’t upgrade existing AV systems — but, they did do a lot of new ones. GreenAV finally took off and was a central theme around both the InfoComm and CEDIA shows this year – with over 30 manufacturers showing or pushing GreenAV product solutions. And FINALLY!!! Videoconferencing is HOT! The top two VTC manufacturers both reported record sales of HD and even telepresence-based VTC systems. The only problem is that we, the ProAV market, are still not their drivers into the market – IT is. We’re going to fight that, however — read on and you’ll see why.

2nd Generation LED-based Projectors:

The IT Factor: I predicted that we’d see networkedenabled AV systems hit 20 percent of the market in 2010. Well, call me two for two so far. In 2010, the ProAV market finally started to see the value of network-centric AV systems for remote management, monitoring and maintenance. In addition, our share of the digital signage systems market grew (and that’s a market that’s nearly 100 percent network-based). So, we’re at about 25 percent – but that’s well below the IT market’s share leading 80+ percent of the network-based AV installs.

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I predicted that although LED-lit projectors were underwhelming in 2009 with the first generation of dimly lit portable projectors that the second generation would have a bigger impact on our market. No question! Not only have we surpassed the 1000 ANSI lumens market with nearly every LED-lit DLP projector on the market, we’re pushing 2000 lumens. We won’t see the entire lamp market switch to LED in LCD and DLP projectors in 2011, but you will see at least 40 percent of the installs in 2011 switch to LED-based projectors – so if you’re making a mint selling replacement lamps, work to find a new market niche by 2013 – hurry!

Speaking of LED-based LCD: Back in 2009 when I wrote my 2010 predictions, two MAJOR manufacturers told me that they were merging consumer and pro LCD monitor production in 2010 but to not push that one too hard. Why? Well, if your clients knew that the 50” LCD commercial monitor they purchased was actually the exact same TV (other than cabinet design) as its consumer sibling over in Best Buy, they wouldn’t pay for it. So, although this one wasn’t much of a prediction — it was more of a gimme — a freebie, compliments of the #2 and #4 LCD manufacturers at the time. Well, 2011 is the switch over year — all but two manufacturers’ consumer LCDs and pro LCDs will be IDENTICAL. I see this as a good thing as it will simplify distribution but, more importantly, will force AV integrators to focus on the services they sell rather than the gear.

Cat 5/UTP Domination: I predicted that both Crestron and Extron would roll out Cat5-based networkcentered AV systems – not just routing video via Cat5 — networked AV. Well, both did — Extron in the form of its acquisition of Electrosonic and Crestron with its launch of their DigitalMedia system at InfoComm. Although IP-based videoconferencing was the first network-based AV stuff, both the Crestron and Extron systems marked the AV industry’s foray into marrying legacy systems (analog stuff) with new technology content (network-based audio, video and presentation content). No question 2011 will be a big year for AV over the net — as you will see below in my 2011 predictions.

Plasma Will Continue Its Imminent Death: In 2008, I predicted that plasma production would all but cease by the end of 2011 and in my predictions for 2010, I stood by that. Well, 3D technology has actually helped plasmas hang around longer than I originally thought (especially in the consumer market), but since I think 3D is a fad that won’t last (at least in the consumer market), this has just delayed the inevitable a little longer. Sure, you’ll see giant 100” and above plasma have a market niche beyond 2011, but, by the end of 2011, plasma will be impossible to find in sizes 60” or below.

Speaking of Shifting to a Service-based Sales Model: Last year I pleaded with readers to take a look at a new service from NEC called VUKUNET. It let ProAV integration companies take advantage of the other 80 percent of the digital signage network business we’ve never captured: advertising. Well, NEC used 2010 to sign up ad agencies and commercial AV integrators to the VUKUNET and ADVUKU platform and they told me, just last month, that they will roll it all out in 2011. So, if you’re interested in learning how to take a chunk of the profitable services segment of the digital signage market, check it out. And, best part about it, you can keep buying displays from Sony, Sharp, LG, Samsung, Mitsubishi, etc. — VUKUNET doesn’t require you to be an NEC dealer, and also doesn’t require an NEC-branded display or media player.

Social Media Marketing Goes Mainstream: Acquisition Fever: Last year, I predicted that because so many companies were under-valued and in financial trouble, there would be dozens of “mergers” in the dealer channel in 2010 and even some manufacturer consolidation in 2010. Well, I got this half right. Logitech bought LifeSize, Cisco bought Tandberg and Panasonic bought Sanyo. But, the dealer consolidation was minimal – in fact, many of those struggling integrators went out of business rather than consolidating. Missed that one.

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I predicted that we’d all be using social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube) by year’s end. Well, if you’re still not playing in the Social Media Marketing space, you NEED to be. Manufacturers like NEC and Crestron and integrators like AVISPL, CCS and Ford AV have DEMONSTRATED success in social media world with all of them even claiming to win over customers and projects via social media marketing. Don’t believe me? Go read their Tweets. Don’t know what that is? Well, that explains why you aren’t successful in social media.

Here are my top 10 predictions for 2011. What do you think?

iPad Control:

3D in Our AV: Everyone knows about 3D in movies and in the home, right? Well, guess what? They’re MISSING THE BOAT! 3D WILL NOT make it in the HomeAV market (remember I said that). It will be a passing fad and will not catch on in America’s living rooms. Sure, you’ll see people with dedicated entertainment spaces (e.g., home theaters) buy 3D capable projectors, but most of us (yes, even us in the ProAV market) won’t actually want or buy 3D unless we’re a big time gamer or a movie buff. Losing the remote control is one thing, but losing the 3D glasses, or worse yet, sitting on them makes for a bummerladen 3D experience, with one person watching a 3D movie in blurry 2D while the rest of the family sits there with their amazingly uncomfortable $200 3D glasses. By the way, most studies say at least 12 percent of the population cannot even see 3D at all — with some studies saying that number could be as high as 20 percent. That said, there’s a huge opportunity for the ProAV market in 3D and that will become clearer (pardon the pun) in 2011. Everything from 3D science for highschoolers to 3D graphics design for art majors will require 3D players, 3D displays and 3D systems to be integrated. If you focus on the higher education market, you NEED to become a 3D expert so you can sell this gear as 2011 will be the launching pad for commercial 3D applications.

Networked Systems:

IP-enabled AV will move beyond videoconferencing systems and digital signage installs and into meeting rooms, class rooms and lecture halls. In fact, the biggest reason you should get in to the digital signage is, interestingly, not the reason you think (market growth). Yes, the digital signage market has, in fact, been the fastest-growing segment of AV for at least three years running, but the reason you NEED to get into the DS market is so you’ll understand how AV systems content routing will work in the future. As I mentioned above, Extron and Crestron already have networked video and audio solutions, but you’ll see even more from them and a handful of other companies in 2011 who will help you move content via the network while still allowing legacy AV to be routed and distributed around as well. Technically, the bandwidth we have now on networks is more than enough to do what we traditionally put into meetings rooms totally via the network (with the exception of power). We have enough bandwidth – even with our wireless networks – to route the video, audio, control and presentations content via the network already. But, the real limiting factor is DRM — digital rights management — who owns the content and how can it be stored, played and copied. This slowed down the adoption of HD in the home (e.g., HDMI’s HDCP encryption issues) and is now doing the same in the pro world. But, with more and more laptops, tablets and even phones giving you the ability to send content out their digital-signal based DisplayPorts as well as a file via the network, all we need is media players to play it – and that will come. There are already a dozen of so media players manufacturers for digital signage networks that can play PowerPoint presentations, HD video, MPEG4, H.264 content and hundreds of other file formats. It’s just a matter of time before we see media players for the meeting room. Oh, by the way, you might want to keep reading as I’ll explain how Apple’s getting into the networked-AV market in a bit.

I was blown away with the sheer number of iPad-based home control options on the show floor at CEDIA this past September. This is coming to the ProAV market in 2011. In fact, I predict that we’ll see more iPad-based touch screen control systems integrated by November of 2011 than ones done with traditional Crestron or AMX touch-screens. Sure, they might not replace Extron’s MediaLink or Crestron’s MediaManager touch screens, but they’ll quickly swallow the $2500 touch screen market. Don’t kid yourself.

Amazingly Bright LED-lit Projectors: 2011 will wow us with LED-lit projectors that will blow by the 2K lumens barrier and into the 3K lumens range; and we may even see a few 4K’ers by year’s end. Lesson: Get out of the projector lamp replacement business as fast as possible. Or, join the association that all those CRT replacement suppliers (and VCR tape providers, pager retailers and fanny pack resellers) belong to so you’ll have an annual trade show to attend, assuming there is still one out there. LED is not only getting brighter, but it’s got the entire green (i.e., sustainable energy resources) market behind it. Those same people who are forcing auto companies to build high-mileage cars and hybrid vehicles (and who got the incandescent light bulb all but banned in California) have embraced LED lighting as the wave of our green-tinted future. Thus, it’s not just a few specialized projector lamp manufacturers that are out there perfecting LED illumination – it’s the entire light-bulb industry! Still, don’t think LED-lit projectors are the wave of our LCD and DLP future? Well, consider this: over 80 percent of flat panel monitor manufacturing will be LED backlit by the end of 2012. You think they’re gonna skip us? Wrong.

Speaking of Projectors: We’ll see two major developments on the projector front in 2011: bright picoprojectors and projectors integrated into smart phones. Right now, they top out at 200 lumens, but watch for 500 lumen handheld projectors to make their way into Best Buy in 2011. Don’t care? Well, you should care — the low end of the market’s already dead for ProAV integrators and they’re gunning for the mid-range too. And, top that off with projectors being integrated into smart phones in 2011, you may have an industry-killing formula. OK, it’s exaggerating to say it’ll happen in 2011, but you will, too, be wowed by these tiny wonders. It’s prompted a major software manufacturer to buy some 5000 picoprojectors just last month for its traveling sales force. But, don’t laugh it off totally — could you have imaging using the camera in your iPhone or Droid as much as you do now? Well, college kids can — and the entire Augmented Reality Market will — more on that in my 2012 predictions article.

the network. So, if you’re a computer manufacturer (like Apple) you can integrate AirPlay into your network to allow for content (presentations, movies, songs, etc.) to be played to an AirPlay compatible display (e.g., any TV or projector with a $99 AppleTV connected). Don’t think Sony, LG, Samsung or even Dell would integrate Airplay? Think again. Apple invented FireWire — nearly every digital camera and computer had a FireWire port for fast date connectivity for more than a dozen years (until USB 3.0 got faster). Imagine if all the projector manufacturers integrated AirPlay into their displays. Every HDTV manufacturer. Or, every speaker manufacturer integrated AirPlay receivers for content (heck, Jeremy Burkhardt, the president of SpeakerCraft, told me at CEDIA he was). And, what about computer manufacturers? Blu-ray player companies? Look, I am not saying AirPlay is the industry’s answer to streaming content wirelessly (Oh, did I forget to mention it’s wireless? Well, it is.) across a network, but it’s the industry’s first standardized system from a major manufacturer that’s being offered to anyone and everyone to integrate into sources and displays.

GreenAV:

HD Videoconferencing Market Explosion:

AirPlay: Apple barely mentioned a tiny but powerful add-on to iTunes during its iOS4 launch this past Fall. But, the mention didn’t fall on deaf ears here. I did some research. Basically, simply put, AirPlay is Apple’s protocol for streaming audio, video and control via the network. And, AirPlay is being integrated into everything Apple makes. But, that’s not the interesting thing. What’s interesting is that the company is licensing AirPlay for others to integrate. So, now we have a potentially industrystandard protocol for pushing content via

they’re bringing HD conferencing systems to the home,” or maybe a few of you out there thought, “I’m not sure I want to get into HD conferencing as it’s so hard to manage.” Duh! That’s the point. Those clients who have this in their home will WANT it in their office and a home-based system isn’t the same as a professional VTC system. Does your IT department use a home network router at the office? (If so, let me know so I can come hack your network and steal your ID.) And, to those of you who think that HD conferencing is too hard to integrate as it’s too network-centric and complex: GET OUT OF OUR MARKET – we love making complex systems simple to interface with!

2011 is the year you want to be selling HD conferencing. Whether it’s desktop-based or telepresence-driven, HD conferencing is going to EXPLODE in 2011. It will easily see 100 percent to 120 percent growth next year. If you’re not already selling HD conferencing gear, you’d better take the time to set yourself up as a dealer for Polycom, Cisco/Tandberg, Logitech/Lifesize or someone out there who’ll sell it to you as businesses will find a way to pay for this. Oh, and as with everything I’ve mentioned for the past three or four years, STOP focusing so much on the gear. I know there’s a bunch of you out there who just read that last section and thought to yourself, “hey, why should I do this if

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I’ve already mentioned GreenAV above with my ode to LED-based lighting. But, it’s worth mentioning that the green movement in AV is just barely getting started. We have green lighting control, some green displays and a few green audio amps, but you should take the time to imagine an industry where everything we have with a power connector will have some sort of green version — and many of them will debut in 2011. This isn’t “greenwashing,” by the way. We’re moving towards real power savings, cost cutting energy standards and sustainability initiatives that will stimulate our market’s growth in 2011. The government has all but backed itself into a corner and, if you bid green vs. non-green solutions, you can likely guilt them into taking the high-priced GreenAV solution — if it’s not already a law like it is in California and a handful over other states by years end! And, if you want to make someone feel politically incorrect, start spec’ing all systems with a green-version and a nongreen version and see how many corporations, schools and houses of worship can walk away feeling good about buying the discounted non-green solution? Trust me, it’ll work and 2011 is the year to start this.

The $75 billion audiovisual industry provides critical support to large corporations, small businesses, retail outlets, education and healthcare institutions, entertainment venues, the government and more. AV helps us communicate better, protects critical infrastructure, assists with life-saving diagnoses, educates students around the world and keeps society informed and entertained. To learn more about the audio visual industry in Middle East visit www.mecia.org

www.sacia.org.za

Integration of Social Media in DSNs: This is a predictions article so I don’t have time or space to delve into the how digital signage networks work — I promise that I will write a couple of columns on how to get into the DSN market as features this year. In the meantime, understand that there are three specific opportunities for the ProAV market in digital signage networks: the gear, the ad revenue opportunity and the creative content production. Most of you are simply selling the gear and that’s definitely profitable, but the emerging market opportunity for DSNs is the ad revenue — or recurring revenue piece. In 2011, there will be at least two and maybe three ad networks allowing

commercial AV integrators to partner with to get a piece of the ad revenue. I’ve already told you about one, VUKUNET, but you’ll see a couple others emerge in 2011. But, the coolest opportunity for ProAV integrators is integrating the content – the creative content. But, to do this, that means you need to actually hire creative people that can create creative content – not just PowerPoint presentation. What I am talking about is the stuff you actually see on digital signage networks — so, hire someone who actually knows Adobe Creative Suite 5 (CS5). And, by the way, make sure you offer the integration of social media in your DSN installs.

InfoComm couldn’t be in a better position than they are right now. It’s clear that we’re starting to finally climb back towards the end of this four-year recession (yes, it’s been four years) and by the time their show rolls around in mid-June, just about every integrator in ProAV will be seeing positive sales. And, for those who’ve gone into the digital signage NETWORK or HD conferencing markets, I’ll guarantee you that you’ll be on a path towards double-digit growth by the time you board your flight to Orlando to attend the ultimate AV tradeshow known as InfoComm. Again, I GUARANTEE you this!

About Gary Kayye

InfoComm Will Dominate a ProAV Comeback:

Gary Kayye, founder of Kayye Consulting, is one of the most prominent personalities in the audiovisual industry. He is best known as an accurate and candid visionary, and is often called upon to deliver seminars and speeches and to write feature articles and editorials that help AV manufacturers and systems integrators understand the future of their businesses, as well as how to prepare for that future.

Big intercom in a sm mall package

Zeus III Innovations in 1 Rack Unit Connect to your existing party line system Zeus III is the first intercom matrix with two built-in party line interface channels.

Manage the system from anywhere Use the intuitive AZedit software to remotely configure your intercom system from anywhere in the world.

Toggle other devices with relays Zeus III features two relay connections, for easy linking to other devices such as lighting and paging amps.

www.rtsintercoms. com/zeus3

Bosch Communications Systems

Innovating the future of global communications

Headquarters Europe, Africa & Middle-East: EVI Audio GmbH, Sachsenring 60, 94315 Straubing, Germany UAE: Robert Bosch Middle East FZE, Phone: +971 42123-363

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21.01.11 10:52

Hitachi debuts CPX9 portable projector

SMART introduce entry-level interactive whiteboard

Hitachi has announced the introduction of its CPX9 portable LCD projector, ideal for use in classrooms, conference rooms, on the road or anywhere a lightweight, high-quality; high-value projector is needed. Weighing less than five pounds and measuring just 12 x 8.7 x 3 inches, the CPX9 can project images up to 300 inches (diagonal measurement) with XGA resolution, 3,200 lumens brightness and 16.7 million colours. It features an exclusive Whiteboard Mode that adjusts the projector’s brightness when used with a whiteboard, to reduce glare and eye strain. Another feature unique to Hitachi projectors is its Template function that displays lines, circles or a world map, making it easier to write on an interactive whiteboard. The CPX9 provides HDMI, S-Video and composite video inputs, an RGB computer video input and monitor output, two RCA audio inputs, and an audio output.

SMART Technologies have announced their entry-level SMART Board 400 series interactive whiteboard systems designed to better meet the needs of educators. The systems include the SMART Board 480iv interactive whiteboard system with a short-throw SMART V25 projector and the SMART Board 480iv-A interactive whiteboard system with a SMART V25 projector and integrated speakers. They round out a comprehensive interactive whiteboard offering that includes the SMART Board 600 series interactive whiteboard line and the recently announced SMART Board 800 series interactive whiteboard line. Using SMART’s patented DVIT (Digital Vision Touch) technology, the 400 series systems provide a fully integrated, low-cost interactive whiteboard option that recognizes both pen and finger inputs and supports Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems. The 400 series systems also ship with award-winning SMART Notebook 10.7 collaborative learning software, used by educators in more than 175 countries to create and deliver interactive lessons.

New Line of AV Rack Systems

New software for WolfVision visualisers ISE visitors will see the first demonstrations of WolfVision’s Connectivity 2 software for their range of desktop and ceiling visualizers. Loaded onto a PC or laptop this powerful tool increases the functionality, flexibility and usability of the systems by allowing the capture of live and moving images as well as automatically streaming these over a network. It is able to record, from a microphone feed, the audio content of a presentation as well as the visual. This means complete presentations, lectures, and training courses can be streamed to computers in a lecture theatre, classrooms, seminar rooms and conference halls. Lecturers, presenters and trainers can now give presentations interactively via the web with the audiences located virtually anywhere. As the presentations are recorded and stored they can be accessed at anytime, a feature especially valuable in education and training.

Chief is now shipping its E1 and S1 Series racks. “Similar to our infield research when launching the Fusion Mount Line, this new innovative line is the result of listening to what our customers said would make their installs easier and more efficient,” said Carl Breczinski, Product Manager for the new 54

Chief Raxxess Series. “We believe that our customers will see the benefits that these new racks can bring to their next job. From extra space gained in the bottom of each rack for mounting small components to offering consistent ventilation options, the new Raxxess Series boasts advanced features and quality engineering that installers love to see.” Two new rack configurations have started shipping. The E1 Raxxess Series Rack is an enclosed rack with solid steel construction; laser cut knockouts and integrated cable tie points with an included rear rack rail. The S1 Raxxess Series is a knockdown rack with solid steel construction and is easy to assemble, requiring only five minutes of one person’s time.

Da-Lite introduces Pico screen Extron multi-port power supply now shipping

Da-Lite has announced the expansion of its portable line of screens to include a new table top Pico screen. The new Pico screen was designed with Pico projectors in mind and creates the perfect lightweight portable projection system for business meetings, training, gaming and many other applications. Setup is a breeze and is as simple as removing the screen from the carrying case, pulling the two halves of the case apart and placing the screen on a table or stand. There are no latches or feet to deal with. Fully expanded, the viewing area of the screen is a 30” diagonal HDTV format. Since the screen maintains a constant height and is infinitely adjustable, a variety of screen ratios can be achieved. The Da-Lite Pico screen is standard with Video Spectra 1.5 gain screen material. In the closed position, the screen case is only 19” long and weighs 5 pounds.

Extron Electronics is pleased to announce that the new PS 1230, an energy-efficient replacement power supply, is now shipping. This newest member of the PS Series of Desktop Power Supplies has three 12 Volt 2-pole captive screw ports and offers a total of 3.0 amps across all outputs with no per-port current limitations. The PS 1230 is designed to conserve energy and reduce costs. The power supply snaps into the included ZipClip 200 mounting bracket for secure mounting to rack rails, tables, or lecterns. The PS 1230 also features a quarter-rack width, 1U enclosure with threaded inserts to mount the power supply directly on Extron rack shelves. The power supply is designed and engineered by Extron for increased durability and reliability with a calculated MTBF – Mean Time Between Failures – of over 400 thousand hours to prevent power supply-related failures and disruption to system operation. "These durable and reliable, energy-efficient power supplies were manufactured by Extron to support high current demands," says Casey Hall, Vice President Sales and Marketing for Extron. "They also save space and increase system efficiency since they eliminate the need to daisy chain power connections."

Tannoy & Lab.gruppen launching new product at ISE 2011 New touch-screen slim bezel LCD Mitsubishi Electric will introduce a new range of Assist touch-screen accessories for its professional slim bezel LCD panels that will be on display at ISE in February. Available during the first quarter of 2011 the new interface adds touchscreen functionality to Mitsubishi’s MDT range of LCD displays, allowing them to be used in interactive, high-usage applications such as education, digital signage, retail displays and meeting room facilities. The Mitsubishi Assist Touch system consists of a bezel frame supporting a hardened glass screen, which is designed to fit over the LCD front panel. Once secured in place, the system acts as an optical touch-screen interface, whilst at the same time providing tough and durable protection for the LCD display. The system is available for Mitsubishi’s slim bezel 42”, 52” and 65” LCD displays and is compatible with all major touch-screen software packages currently available. The touch screen offers full HD resolution with a 10 millisecond response time, and can be operated equally well by finger, stylus or other pointing device.

Tannoy and Lab.gruppen enjoyed exhibiting alongside each other at the recent Integrated Systems Europe 2011 in Amsterdam, having attended the show separately in previous years. They used the opportunity to unveil a major new product range involving both of the renowned professional audio brands. The brand new 55

Tannoy loudspeaker range, in the form of VX Series, was given its international debut at the show, with the full lineup of new cabinets on display including examples of the self-powered variant VXP Series, boasting newly developed integrated Lab.gruppen amplification. The new range heralds a number of advances in Tannoy’s core offering to the pro sound reinforcement market as well as marking the dawn of a groundbreaking collaboration with Lab.gruppen on the selfpowered line – the first product of its type to feature both Tannoy and Lab.gruppen technologies.

Long distance extenders for Gefen matrixes Connectivity solutions provider Gefen has announced the availability of two new companion products for matrix switching systems using HDMI. Both CAT-6 cable-based extenders support 3DTV for an instant delivery of 1080p full HD and multichannel audio. This single rack-mounted extender can be combined with any Gefen 4x4 matrix product. It extends all four connected outputs over CAT-6 cable up to 200 feet (60m) to the remote HDTV displays, streamlining any installation that requires HDTV displays in different locations. One CAT-6 cable placed between the sender and receiver unit(s) delivers 1080p full HD with 3DTV, multi-channel audio, Gefen’s FST (Fast Switching Technology), IR remote, RS-232 and IP control. The sender includes four sender units in a one rack-mount solution that can fit next to any mounted 4x4 matrix system. Four individual receiver units connect the displays to the sender.

JVC Professional show innovative 3D systems JVC Professional was in Amsterdam at this year’s Integrated Systems Europe show, demonstrating its range of new Digital Signage and 3D solutions. In a special 3D cinema, called the ‘Projection Info Cube’, JVC demonstrated its new DLA-F110 3D projector. This third generation projector features a DLA driver and optical engine, which delivers perfect colour grading and a quick adaptation response. It provides an ultra high native contrast ratio, brilliant brightness and extensive colour range, which guarantees to improve image quality, whether using the projector in 2D or 3D mode. JVC also demonstrated its other 3D technology and applications, including the 46" full HD GD-463D10 display, the new 24" 3D DT-3D24G1 monitor and the versatile IF-2D3D1 2D-to-3D image processor. Digital signage was also prominent as JVC demonstrated the new version (9.0) of its digital signage software, TV-TOOLS.

Analog Way completes Smart Series

Analog Way has unveiled Smart Quad, a new High Resolution Seamless Switcher dedicated to Quadravision. This new release completes Analog Way's Smart Series with a total of 6 products well adapted to the integration market (Smart Quad, Smart Edge, Smart MatriX / Smart MatriX LE, SmartVu / SmartVu LE). This comprehensive range of solutions was

CoolSign Digital Signage Technology

designed to offer A/V integrators the best of a given functionality with the optimal price-performance ratio. Franck Facon, Marketing & Communications Director at Analog Way explains: "The Pro A/V integration market is characterized by well-focused needs, and research of performing and durable products. We designed the Smart Family to satisfy those demanding market and projects requiring matrixing, edge blending, quadravision or mixing features. With these 6 products, we offer a collection of powerful and straight to the point solutions to meet the needs of any type of installation."

Haivision, the leading provider of end-to-end H.264 IP video solutions, used the recent ISE exhibition to showcase its newly acquired CoolSign digital signage technology. CoolSign technology has led the digital signage market for more than a decade, providing comprehensive software solutions for mission-critical, enterprise-ready signage deployments. At ISE 2011, Haivision demonstrated how its existing line of IP video systems combine with CoolSign technology to deliver intelligent video, graphics, and data easily and securely to any desktop, display, digital frame, and mobile device. "Until now there has been a dividing line between video streaming and the world of digital signage, forcing integrators and their customers to jump between platforms and products for different visual communication applications," said Peter Maag, executive vice president at Haivision Network Video. "At ISE 2011, we showed how the addition of CoolSign digital signage technology to our portfolio positions Haivision as the only company capable of delivering end-to-end technology solutions for enterprise communications across all media delivery platforms and networks. This represents a major step forward in terms of simplifying integration challenges and managing what is displayed on screens everywhere and anywhere." 56

NEC announce 55” video wall public display

Cisco TelePresence EX60 Cisco has announced the launch of its all-new face-toface virtual meeting solution, Cisco TelePresence EX60. This system represents the latest addition to the Cisco TelePresence EX Series, which also includes the Cisco TelePresence EX90. Designed for desktops at work or at home, Cisco’s all-in-one EX60 is stylish and simple to use, offering an interactive touch screen and true, lifelike full HD video in a large-screen format. The Cisco TelePresence EX60 combines work, communication and collaboration – all on the desktop – with just the touch of a finger. It works anytime, anywhere and supports full HD video, natural collaboration and a simple touch-screen interface for a complete solution that keeps conversations natural and productive. The solution streamlines the desktop so knowledge workers can move easily from individual work on laptops to a quick video call with colleagues. The Cisco TelePresence EX60 provides immediate access to joint project meetings or larger team telepresence meetings from the comfort of a work desk.

NEC Display Solutions pioneers a new standard in the field of video wall installations by launching the first Full HD LCD public display in the successful NEC MultiSync X-series. With the MultiSync X551UN the company will, for the first time, introduce a direct LED backlight solution for video wall applications. The bezel of the 55-inch will be even narrower than any video wall product in the current NEC range with planned image transitions of just 5.7 mm. This, together with the unique high resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels guarantees an unmatched image quality. Customers in the retail signage, control room and rental market will greatly appreciate the latest improvements to the new video wall public displays from NEC, the benefits will help to meet the growing needs of these demanding environments. “We responded to the customer’s needs and reduced the bezel width even further while increasing the resolution of the screens compared to the very successful X462UN. Combined with some new additional features, NEC will set the standard again in this demanding and growing market,” explains Ian Gobey, regional manager for NEC Display Solutions.

Lighthouse shows new LED screen products

Lighthouse Technologies showed off its latest panels for the installation and rental markets, at the recent ISE exhibition. These panels continue to push back the boundaries of LED display technology. Designed for the permanent installation market, the Impact 12 and Impact 16 panels have an exceptionally high 6000 nits of brightness, making them

ideal for any situation with high intensity ambient light. They offer excellent colour reproduction and 16 bit processing technology to a wider range of permanent locations where access might otherwise be extremely difficult. Both panels feature larger panel size for quick installation – a huge benefit for applications such as roadside advertising where installation time is limited. Both offer front and rear access and an easy release IM structure for ease of maintenance – intelligent IM design allows superior flatness – and the use of the first outdoor SMD LED chip. In addition, Impact 12 and Impact 16 are M5 ready to allow remote diagnostics with the added benefit of LED level error detection.

Vogel’s introduce modular video wall solution Creating a video wall solution can be a difficult process. It is important that displays are placed as close to each other as possible and in perfect alignment. To achieve this, you want as little variables as possible because each extra adjustment option or component means more installation time. With the new Vogel’s video wall solution installers now have a simple 2 part solution. A minimum amount of measuring and adjustment is needed to create a seamless installed video wall. Reducing the total installation time to a minimum. The video wall is set up with interface wall plates (PFW 58xx) and one set of interface strips (PFW 5905) per display. Vogel’s offers 4 different lengths of interface wall plates from 1800 to 3300 mm and one length of interface strips of 500 mm. With the Vogel’s modular concept you can create a mounting solution for every video wall setup required. 57

SACIA promote skills development in KwaZulu-Natal During January the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Audiovisual Centre hosted SACIA as we delivered the GEN112 CTS Prep class under license from InfoComm International. The course was well attended by about 20 AV professionals with a robust mix of dealers, integrators and professional end-users. Most of the province’s AV community was represented in the class, with an additional 4 AV technicians attending from the SA Parliament in Cape Town. Jasper Cecil, director of the University’s Audiovisual Centre has been an active supporter of SACIA since it was established and has encouraged his staff to embrace professional

Advanced audiovisual design courses During 2011 MECIA and SACIA will both be hosting the InfoComm advanced Design School series. Starting in March, the series is made up of three 3-day classes each focusing on a specific element of audiovisual design. “These classes are aimed at industry professionals who are specifically involved in the design of advanced AV systems,” explains Kevan Jones, executive director of MECIA. “It’s not a requirement for participants to have their CTS certificate but they should have an indepth understanding of the science and technology behind today’s modern audio, video, display and

standards and work toward earning their CTS certificate. “All of our technicians who attended last year’s GEN111 AV Essentials course have now earned the InfoComm recognized AV Technologist certificate and our objective is to help them progress to full CTS certification over the coming months,” he said. “When deadlines are tight you need a skilled crew who can handle the pressure and do the job right; first time out. By investing in these training programmes we’re providing our staff with the skills they need to match (and surpass) the requirements of the University’s academic programme. ” The course was presented by Academy instructor Hassan Ghoul.

IP technologies.” The first class: DES212 will be delivered in Dubai from 29-31 March and will be repeated in Johannesburg from 4-6 April. “Delivering audiovisual designs based on a client’s needs is an art and a science,” says Jones. “It can be challenging to professionals new to the field as well as those with many years of experience. In all instances, proper design requires adherence to certain principles. This three-day classroom course explores elements that affect the planning and design of the environments with sound reinforcement, display, projection needs, etc.”

PALME awards recognize excellence hundreds of new ground-breaking projects are completed for the hotel, leisure, infrastructure and live events industry, the demand on ever more imaginative and creative design to stand out is of huge importance, adding further significance to such an event catering to the entire region,” says Mustafa Iqbal, marketing manager at IIR. The organisers proclaim their awards to be “the region’s most prestigious ceremony for recognising and rewarding innovation and technical excellence covering over 10 categories for AV, Audio and lighting products and installations”. The awards are open to manufactures, distributors, installation companies, lighting designers, rental firms, PR & marketing companies as well as venues.

Organisers of the annual PALME exhibition in Dubai are inviting nominations for the 2011 PALME Awards. “As 58

ISE Survivors breakfast

On 16 February MECIA are hosting an ISE Survivors Breakfast at the Fairmont hotel in Dubai. “This is an opportunity for AV professionals who are attending the show to compare notes on the products and technologies that are shaping the future of our industry,” says George Puthenkulam CTS, chairman of MECIA. “It’s also a great opportunity for industry professionals who made their way to Amsterdam to share their experience with colleagues who have not been fortunate enough to attend.” This year’s ISE show is set to be their biggest ever, with a dynamic conference programme (see Monday Madness on page 23) and

Pearson Vue add testing centres in Cape Town and Durban In January 2011 InfoComm switched from Prometric to Pearson Vue testing centres for their CTS certification programme. At switchover it was only possible to write the CTS examination at the Pearson Vue testing centre in Sandton but after holding discussions with SACIA, additional testing centres have been appointed in Durban and Cape Town. According to Bobby Stanley, InfoComm’s director of certification,

there are more than 9,500 AV professionals around the world who’ve earned their CTS certificate. “Over the last year there’s been a tremendous increase in the number of people who’ve earned their CTS certificate and it’s truly recognized as the global standard for the AV industry. SACIA’s doing a great job in providing InfoComm licensed training and the new testing centres will make it even easier for people in South Africa to earn their certificate.”

extended opening hours. On the last day of the show – Thursday, 3 February – the doors of the Amsterdam RAI will remain open until 6pm. In previous years, ISE’s last day has closed for business at 4pm. The new opening hours reflect the enlarged footprint of ISE 2011. With two new halls and an estimated net floor area that is 20% larger, this year’s ISE will present a broader range of new systems integration technologies than ever. “ISE has always been busy right up until its final minutes,” comments Mike Blackman, Managing Director, Integrated Systems Events. “By adding an extra two hours at the end of the day, we hope to give attendees the chance to see all the products – and all the people – they want to see. ISE 2011 really does have ‘all the connections you need’. With the extra opening hours now available, our visitors have the time they need to make those connections as well.”

end of 2013. This latest announcement brings the number of countries that have adopted DVB-T2 to 21, with numerous other countries undergoing trials. Phil Laven, DVB’s Chairman, who was closely involved in the campaign to promote DVB over the competing Brazilian version of the Japanese ISDB-T standard commented, “The announcement of the decision by South Africa ends the uncertainty over which digital standard the country would implement. The move will allow the country to progress without delay with its migration to digital which will benefit the people of South Africa. I firmly believe they have made the right choice which is also evidenced by the rapid take-up of DVB-T2 by other nations and which far exceeds anything achieved by competing standards over many years of effort”. DVB-T2 is the world’s most advanced digital terrestrial transmission system offering higher efficiency, robustness and flexibility. It introduces the latest modulation and coding techniques to enable the highly efficient use of valuable terrestrial spectrum for the delivery of audio, video and data services to fixed, portable and mobile devices. These new techniques give DVB-T2 a 50% increase in efficiency over any other DTT system in the world.

South Africa commits to DVB-T2 standard. Following the recommendation by the South African Development Community (SADC) for the region to adopt DVB-T2, South Africa has confirmed its intention to implement the standard. The announcement was made at a press conference by the Communications Minister Radhakrishna Padayachie in Midrand, South Africa on Friday, 14 January. The minister also stated that the government was committed to analogue switch-off by the 59

Video conferencing - it's becoming mainstream and its green Video conferencing, despite its numerous benefits, has been prohibitively expensive in South Africa and generally not a viable proposition due to the limited availability and expense associated with bandwidth.

ow, however, bandwidth is becoming less costly and more readily available, and companies are considering it a useful alternative to face-to-face meetings. Besides cutting down on travel time and costs and enhancing productivity, video conferencing can help reduce a company's carbon footprint. According to Paul Fick, MD of Spescom DataFusion, "There are different types of video conferencing which can be used in different environments and which will suit different situations. Many of us are already familiar with the Skype-type IP chat application where a webcam (often built into the laptop or mounted on the VDU) gives people a view of each other while they communicate. More sophisticated solutions allow a group of people at their desks to link into a single hub or virtual

meeting place. "Here, images from each location allow participants to see one another, perhaps in the form of a bank of images on a PC or wall mounted display device,â&#x20AC;? says Fick, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and more expensive setups may be found in the boardrooms of larger corporates, making important meetings with regional or even in-country

executives around the globe a reality." These solutions may be simple, with images on monitors or screens, or may enter the realms of science fiction, allowing a group of people in one location to look at a life-size screen showing people 'opposite' them - as though they were literally on the other side of the table. The total cost of ownership of a video conferencing solution is significantly lower when considering the costs of travel and the associated lost productivity. In addition, video conferencing lessens the impact on the environment which is on almost every corporate agenda today. "As bandwidth availability and reliability have increased, so video conferencing has become more viable. As long as you have enough reliable bandwidth, you can do all the voice, video and data sharing you need to," says Fick.