Installation February 2014 digital edition

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INTERNATIONAL AUDIO, VIDEO AND LIGHTING INTEGRATION February 2014

Retail – using tech to builld personal engagement p36

ISE 2014 – what to look outfor when the doors open p16

Control the futureOOpportunities for integrators in smart buildings p44

InstallMarket – find out aboutInstallation’s latest event p14

HERE’S AN intriguing idea. When the world was younger, the overallknowledge base – particularly scientific knowledge – was much smaller thanit is today. Certain polymaths could legitimately be said to know everythingthat there was to know. So, who was the last person to whom this applied?Suggestions have included Aristotle (384-322 BC), Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Max Weber (1864-1920). If one strayed into fiction, one mightsuggest Sherlock Holmes’s brother Mycroft, of whom the detective oncesaid: “All other men are specialists, but his specialism is omniscience.”

What’s pretty clear that it’s not possible for one person to know everythingthere is to know in today’s world. And generally speaking there’s no need(unless you’re doing a pub quiz): information on just about any subject can befound more easily than ever, online – if you know where to look.

On a similar tack, the increasing complexity of technology makes it everharder for single companies to ‘know’ everything – that is, hold all theintellectual property – for any given solution. As distributor Ennio Prase saysin his interview in this issue (see page 24), one effect of the internetrevolution is that companies increasingly have to work together to growtogether. Ploughing your own furrow is becoming less and less of an option.

He also bemoans the lack, in Italy, of consultants with a broad overview ofaudio, video and control technology – which, he says, often results in poorproject specifications written by ill-equipped people. Incidentally, I dowonder how consultants anywhere will cope with the ever-increasingamount of technology that they need to be familiar with. Presumablybreadth will have to be gained at the expense of depth.

Of course, systems integration has always been about pulling togetherdifferent technologies and creating something that is greater than the sumof its parts. But as Ennio also says, many of his integrator customers makethe mistake of not knowing enough about the products that they work with.It’s said that knowledge is power – but perhaps it would be more helpful tosay that knowledge brings value.

A COUPLE of parish notices for you: we announced the InstallAwards lastmonth, and entries are now open. You only have a few weeks to enter yourbest work of the past year. Turn to page 28 for details of what we’re lookingfor, and how to apply. (There’s no entry fee, by the way.) The awards will bepresented at a glittering evening event in June.

Also, I’m very pleased to announce another new event in the installationcalendar: InstallMarket. This is a one-day conference and expo that takesplace at the start of September. Full details are on page 14.

FINALLY, IF you’re going to ISE 2014, you might like to know that Installationis holding a drinks reception on Wednesday 5 February at 16:00 on stand 7-E160. The full team will be there, and we’d love to see you. Please drop mean email if you’re planning to come along – just so we can cater accordingly.

Paddy Baker, Editor, Installation – [email protected]

www.installation-international.com February 2014 3

WELCOME & CONTENTS

EDITOR’S COMMENT

What do you know?

‘It’s said thatknowledge is power

– but perhaps itwould be more

helpful to say thatknowledge brings

value’

Cover image Siemens press picture

NEWS & DATA4 News8 Appointments10 Expos and events12 Industry data: Consumer content

consumption trends are changing

SHOW PREVIEWSInstallation marketplace p14ISE 2014 p16

PEOPLE24 Interview: Ennio Prase on 20

years of Prase Engineering

EVENT28 InstallAwards: Entry now open for

this major industry event

FEATURES32 Networking: How far down the road

to media networking are we?36 Smart building: Advances in

technology present opportunities 44 Retail: Stores are ever-more

inventive in their approach to targeting customers

50 Regional voices: France

TECHNOLOGY52 New products56 Showcase: Residential audio

SOLUTIONS60 MUSE, Trento: Embracing

interactivity62 Collider: Science Museum, London:

Step inside the Large Hadron Collider in this new exhibition

64 Palais des Sports, Dijon: Overcoming difficult acoustics

66 Aalen University of Applied Sciences: Audio enhances learning experience

68 AKD Luxury Cars Mall, Shenzhen

4 February 2014 www.installation-international.com

NEWS

NEWPARTNERS

Sahara PresentationSystems is Vivitek’s newdistributor in the UK. Thecompany will have access toVivitek’s Pocket, Ultra-Portable, Education, AV andsingle lamp LV productportfolios. Sahara joinsexisting partners AVM andArmour Home to give Vivitekreach into the systemsintegration, custominstallation and officeequipment markets.www.saharasystems.co.ukwww.vivitek.eu

Flare Audio has appointedOrbital Sound as its exclusiveUK and Ireland distributor.Orbital will be focusing onintroducing Flare Audio’sproduct range to a broadaudience in the comingmonths.www.flareaudio.comwww.orbitalsound.com

Engage Production hasannounced the distribution ofHolo, a state-of-the-artdevelopment of the 400-year-old Pepper’s Ghostillusion. Offering the biggest360° floating opticalexperience on the market,and controlled by simplehand gestures, the 2.4m highdiamond-shaped Holo wasdesigned by Conran anddevised by Beagle Media.www.beaglemedia.co.ukwww.engageproduction.com

Prase Engineering is the newdistributor for Shure/DIS inItaly. A long-time distributorof DIS conferencing productsin the country, PraseEngineering will replaceSisme as Shure’srepresentative.www.prase.itwww.shure.com

CONFERENCING supplierMedia Vision has announcedthe opening of four newoffices and warehousesacross Europe. These willsupply conferencingmicrophones and languageinterpretation solutions inFrance, Switzerland, the UKand Scandinavia.

The company, which hasbeen a long-time partner ofTaiden in North America,boasts high-profile referencessuch as the UN Headquartersin New York. In North America,the company has offices inSan Francisco, New York,Washington, DC and Toronto.

François Bestel, director ofsales in Switzerland, was firstto join the Geneva-basedestablishment in mid-2013. InNovember last year, Media

Vision opened its largestEuropean facility: a 360sqmoffice, showroom andwarehouse near Paris. AntoineHaller has been appointed asdirector of sales for theFrench company.

The Scandinavian office isto open in Copenhagen thismonth, with SandraKellermann as director ofsales. She has 15 years’experience working for arespected Europeanmanufacturer of conferencingsystems. Beyond salesactivities, the company is alsoinvesting in a large rentalinventory that will be availableto partner companies in needof digital microphones andsimultaneous interpretationequipment for all size events.

Media Vision’s fourth

European office, located inBrussels, will be dedicated torentals.

“We are a truly internationalcompany now, combining theexpertise that every regionhas to offer,” said FardadZabetian, CEO of Media Vision.“We are strong thanks to ourChinese manufacturing

partner Taiden, always at theforefront of innovation thanksto our American roots with abusiness and service-orientedmindset, and finally bringinginto this melting pot theEuropean expertise inconferencing andinterpretation systems.”www.media-vision.com

EUROPE

Media Vision opens for business in Europe

FOLLOWING an agreementmade last month, ASPEC(Association of Studio andProduction EquipmentCompanies) members arenow operating under theumbrella of PLASA. ASPECmembers will be fullmembers of the tradeorganisation as well asacting as a special interestgroup that continues tofocus on the needs of thefilm, television andbroadcast community.

ASPEC will work closelywith PLASA's ProductionEquipment Rental Group(PERG), its counterpart groupin North America, discussingand sharing common rentalissues which affect thoseinvolved in the sector.

ASPEC has operated in itspresent format since 1994,comprising many of theUK’s facilities companies inthe film, television andbroadcast industries. It willcontinue to be a centralfigure in the areas oftraining, qualifications,health & safety, securityand legislation.

ASPEC’s chair, JohnRendall, and secretary,Kate Furssedonn, willremain in their currentpositions. Rendallcommented: “We lookforward with enthusiasm toa very positive andconstructive future withinPLASA.”www.aspec-uk.comwww.plasa.org

WORLD

ASPEC merges with PLASA

VDC Trading has announcedearly success for its recentlyintroduced YouSpec facility, aweb-based configurator thatenables customers to designtheir own bespoke VanDamme cabling solutions.

Niall Holden, VDC CEO, said:“Customers can specify theVan Damme cable, colour,exact length, connectors,boots, labelling and so onrequired and VDC willmanufacture their design andship it directly to them.”

Austria’s Prime Studios isone client to have used theservice. Studio founderGerhard Buchbauer said: “TheYouSpec service is more thanhandy to easily choose the

cable type needed. It is greatto have the ability to choosepin wiring and to evencompletely customise thewiring for the cables online.”

At present designs can bebuilt around audio solutions,with video and data optionsavailable imminently. Theapplication will be extended tocater for fibre, mains and hi-fisolutions later in 2014.www.vdctrading.com

EUROPE

VDC YouSpec cableconfigurator success

TELMACO SA has installed thelast ever Cadac R-type consolein the landmark ThessalonikiConcert Hall in Greece.

The R-type was installed bythe Athens-based company inthe main 500-seatAmphitheatron Hall, in thevenue’s new M2 building, aspart of a major turnkeyproject that included soundreinforcement, projection,conference andinterpretation, video andaudio relay, intercom andstage management systems.

The R-type equips theAmphitheatron Hall with a mixcapability for a wide variety ofperformance and non-performance applications,including large-scaleconferencing and eventproduction. The bespokeconsole is configured with 48mono and three stereo inputchannels, 16 dual groups, onemonitor group, 16 DC mastersand one VCA master.

Many of Cadac’s longest-serving engineers worked on

the build of the console,including final test engineerTony Waldren, for whom thiswas the final project beforeretiring after almost 30 yearswith the company.

Commenting on the deliveryof the last R-type, Cadacbrand development managerRichard Ferriday said: “Despitethe market dominance ofdigital technology, andCadac’s adoption of thattechnology, there are stillapplications for large-format

analogue consoles. Theseapplications see limited valuein the logistical advantagesand convenience offered bydigital consoles, and thereforerequire pure analoguesolutions. From the legendary256-input J-type, through themodular S-type to the latestcompact LIVE1, Cadaccontinues to offer a full rangeof mixing solutions employingthe latest in both analogueand digital technology.”www.cadac-sound.com

GREECE

Last Cadac R-Type installed


NEWS

LEAF, a manufacturer of HDaudio/video distribution andswitching solutions, hasopened a new regionaloffice, Leaf Europe, in theUnited Kingdom. The facilitywill play a key role in growingLeaf's presence throughoutEurope, extending the Leafdealer channel, as well asshaping strategic

relationships with areabusinesses.

“This is an exciting time forus and our brand’sexpansion,” said DeanVaughan, chief executiveofficer of Leaf. “Ourheightened presence in theUK, with dedicated localresources, will grow andsupport our network of

specialty dealers.”Hamish Neale has been

named director of sales andmarketing for Leaf Europe.He brings 14 years ofindustry experience,specifically in the realm ofsales, new businessdevelopment and dealerexpansion. Prior to joiningLeaf, Neale served as the

EMEA territory salesmanager for Control4 andserves on the CEDIA Region 1board of directors.

“Hamish will be a criticalpiece in the successfulcultivation of Leaf Europe,helping to increasedistribution across Europeand uncover vital newbusiness opportunities. We

are eager to see what elsethis year has to offer,” addedVaughan.

“Leaf continues to remaina key contender in theresidential and pro-AV spacebecause of our ability to hirethe right people, with theright skill sets, and a strongpassion for what we do.” www.leafeurope.com

UK/EUROPE

European expansion as Leaf blossoms

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

www.installation-international.com/residential

Recent highlights

LOEWE SOLD TO PANTHERAINVESTMENT GROUP The German entertainmenttechnology developer hashad a significant percentageof its business acquired byinvestment companyPanthera.

CORE BRANDS EXPANDSELAN G! FOR ISE 2014 Core Brands will introduceseveral new products to itsELAN g! Home Entertainmentand Control System line atISE 2014, including a newthermostat and HDMIswitchers.

YAMAHA SHINES LIGHT ON HOME AUDIO The wireless- and Bluetooth-compatible Relit – a homeaudio device from Yamaha –can be operated via apps thatcan control music streamingas well as lighting settings.

ISE 2014: BITWISE TOSHOWCASE AUTOMATEDCONTROLLED LINE-UP Products on show will includethe top-end BC1, which iscapable of handling amultitude of automationtasks for residential orcommercial applications.


NEWS

Recent highlights

MK TARGETS ARCHITECTSWITH ELEMENTS RANGEArchitects and designers cannow specify wiring deviceswhich deliver the same highaesthetic as signaturematerials such as fabrics andwall coverings.

ASHLAND UNIVERSITY ANDVADDIO MAKE FASHIONCOURSE HIGH TECHAshland University in Ohiohas added online and hybridcomponents to its FashionMerchandising Program,opening up the course tostudents who can’t attend inperson.

GDS HELPS RESTOREEVENTIM APOLLO TO ITSFORMER ART DECO GLORYIts many guises include TheHammersmith Odeon, Apolloand The Gaumont Palace.Now, restored to its formerArt Deco glory, it will beknown as the Eventim Apollo.

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS –LIGHT TRANSMISSIVECARPETSAs Philips and Dessoannounce a partnership todevelop light transmissivecarpets, TFA looks at thetechnology and what it canoffer architects.

To read these stories and the rest of our coverage forthe architectural and interior design community, go to

www.installation-international.com/tfa

GLOBAL technology leader Google hasentered into an agreement to buyhome automation company Nest Labsfor $3.2 billion in cash.

Nest’s mission is to reinvent“unloved but important” devices inthe home such as thermostats andsmoke alarms. Products including theNest Learning Thermostat, whichlearns users’ schedules, programsitself and can be controlled from aphone, help households save energyand money.

Larry Page, CEO of Google, said:“Nest’s founders, Tony Fadell andMatt Rogers, have built a tremendousteam that we are excited to welcomeinto the Google family. They’re

already delivering amazing productsyou can buy right now – thermostatsthat save energy and smoke/COalarms that can help keep your familysafe. We are excited to bring greatexperiences to more homes in morecountries and fulfill their dreams!”

In a blog on the Nest website,Fadell explained the move: “Googlewill help us fully realise our vision ofthe conscious home and allow us tochange the world faster than we evercould if we continued to go it alone.We’ve had great momentum, but thisis a rocket ship.”

Nest will continue to operate underthe leadership of Fadell and with itsown distinct brand identity. As Fadell

explained: “Nest will continue to beNest, with its own distinct brandidentity. We will continue toreimagine and reinvent theunloved products thatproliferate in our homes, justas we have since westarted. We are simplygoing to get our productsinto the hands of peoplearound the world – faster.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, includingthe receipt of regulatoryapprovals in the US. It is expectedto close in the next few months.www.nest.com

WORLD

Google announces move into smart buildings

ROBE Lighting has opened anew office in Singapore aspart of its planned medium-term expansion strategy.

The location will serve as asales and distribution pointfor all customers anddistributors of Robe andarchitectural lighting brandAnolis LED that are located inthe geographical regionsbetween India and Australia/New Zealand on the IndianOcean side, and China,Taiwan, Japan and Korea inthe western Pacific.

The company says this willenable quicker and morestreamlined communicationsbetween Robe’s sales andsupport network in theregion. It is also intended tostrengthen Anolis’s presencein the architectural segment.

Robe Asia Pacific (RAP) willbe headed by Edwwerth Lai,sales director for Asia, andDesmond Kwan, technical

operations director. Lai willoversee commercialoperations, while Kwan willco-ordinate the service,technical and projectsupport. The office will bemanaged by Dhora Shukor.

“Establishing Robe AsiaPacific is fundamental to ourinfrastructure and forwardplanning,” said Robe’s salesdirector, Harry von denStemmen. “It will be aninvaluable asset insustaining existing businessand boosting new growth inall these territories.”

Josef Valchar, CEO, Robe,stated: “We are fortunate toalready have such a skilledteam onboard already withEdwwerth, Desmond andDhora, whom we welcome tothe Robe family. We are alllooking forward to a busy andpositive 2014.”

Robe will continue to workwith Lighting & SoundDistribution, represented byLouis Teo and Brenda Keungas preferred partners forSingapore. www.anolis.euwww.robe.cz

SINGAPORE

New Asia-Pacific office for Robe


APPOINTMENTSBARIX

New executive management team completedFollowing the appointment of Ronni Guggenheim as CEO, Johannes G Rietschel’s move to CTOand the promotion of Frank Frederiksen to COO, Barix continues to make high-level changesIN A move designed to strengthenBarix’s customer outreach andcommunications focus, long-time headof technical sales Domenico Gambino(pictured) has been promoted to vicepresident, sales, while Barbara Haller-Rietschel becomes vice president,marketing communications. Both reportdirectly to CEO Ronni Guggenheim, andcomplete his new executivemanagement team.

Gambino’s appointment will have animmediate effect on how Barixcommunicates with its customer baseby merging channel sales, technicalsales and technical support into a singleorganisation. This creates a singularstructure for outreach across channelpartners, OEMs and end users that is

intended to enhance communicationbetween Barix and its customers. He willlead a large team with several managersreporting to him across channel, support,pre-sales and training operations.

Gambino will additionally focus onstrengthening and expanding saleschannels. In his previous role at Barix ashead of technical sales, he developed adeep understanding of Barix customerrequirements while working across itsnetwork of resellers and systemsintegrators.

“Barix has a reputable image and astrong presence, along with trustedtechnical competence and well-regarded product reliability,” he said. “It’smy goal to sharpen sales and supportfocus in the short term through our

current product offering, whiledeveloping a long-term roadmap incollaboration with our productmarketing team to fulfil marketexpectations moving forward.”

Haller-Rietschel will make significantcontributions in developing andexecuting the company’s new marketingstrategy, which Barix will publicly unveilat ISE 2014 in Amsterdam, while alsobeing focused on branding and bothinternal and external communications.

“We intend to change the face ofBarix from a box manufacturer to an IPsolutions provider,” said Haller-Rietschel,who previously oversaw marketingoperations in the role of companypresident. “Barix has been in the audioover IP market for 10 years, and themarket has matured significantly. Weare refreshing our strategy to moreeffectively adapt to changing customerneeds across the markets we serve.”www.barix.com

ELECTROSONIC

Gregor Rimell has joinedElectrosonic as accountmanager for the corporatesolutions business inScotland. He will be based atElectrosonic’s Edinburghoffice and will be responsiblefor managing existing keyaccounts in Scotland. Rimellhas nine years of experiencewithin the audiovisualindustry. Prior to joiningElectrosonic, he was UKchannel manager for AMX.www.electrosonic.com

IMAGO

A host of new faces havejoined the sales team atImago. Kate Saville (pictured)has taken on the role of salesteam co-ordinator, and HenryMyers (pictured) is now an

account manager. Lucy Baumis Imago’s new businessdevelopment executive witha remit across the company’sfull product portfolio, whileSam Miller and BradleyJohnson are south-eastaccount managers.www.imagogroupplc.com

INVISION UKDistributor Invision UK hasconfirmed the appointmentof Kelly Smailes to itsproduct management team.Taking the role of sales andmarketing co-ordinator, shewill be involved in productmarketing and will supportthe sales team by developinga range of strategies andinitiatives.www.invisionuk.com

MARTIN PROFESSIONALHarman’s Martin Professionalhas appointed JoachimBogetvedt as sales manger,Nordic. Based in Kristiansand,Norway, he will lead salesand initiatives for MartinProfessional across NorthernEurope, reporting directly toSteen Matthiesen, vicepresident EMEA sales.

Bogetvedt began his careerin private lighting and audiorental and sales; he joinedMartin ProfessionalScandinavia in 2009 as keyaccount manager, Norway.www.martin.com

PSCORichard Bovingdon has joinedPSCo as sales director,heading up both the internaland external sales teams. Hejoins from Micro Peripherals,where he was head ofeducation and AV solutions,and brings over 16 years ofexperience in the AV/ITchannel having worked fordistributors, manufacturersand resellers on the

development of businessgrowth within theirrespective verticals. www.psco.co.uk

RGB SPECTRUMJason Tirado has joined RGBSpectrum as vice presidentof international sales. In thisrole he will be responsible formanaging the company’sinternational sales,overseeing expansion intoglobal markets anddeveloping relationships withstrategic partners. Tirado hasnearly two decades ofexperience in salesmanagement and joins fromCrestron where he held rolesincluding director ofinternational sales and, mostrecently, executive director.www.rgb.com

TRILOGYCOMMUNICATIONSTrilogy, a supplier of intercomsolutions and masterreference generators for thebroadcast industry, hasannounced the appointmentof Keith Norton as chiefoperating officer. Norton wasmost recently CEO ofParadigm Secure

Communications, a subsidiaryof EADS Astrium, and hasmore than 30 years ofexperience at strategic,programme and operationallevels across telecoms andgovernment programmes. www.trilogycomms.com

VADDIOTim Henry has beenappointed director of NorthAmerican sales at Vaddio. He brings over 25 years ofexperience in videotechnology, with the past 15as national sales manager forSony Electronics. Prior to thishe was the eastern regionalsales manager for InterTest,a New Jersey-based rep firmand manufacturer ofspecialised camerassystems.www.vaddio.com


EXPOS & EVENTS

EDITORIALPLANNERMARCHHouses of worshipAV in broadcastLighting controlShowcase: LargeLCD/plasma displaysNews deadline: 17 FebruaryDistribution date: 4 March

APRILConcert venuesUnified communicationsHigh-resolution projectorsShowcase: Cables &connectorsFeatures submissiondeadline: 21 FebruaryNews deadline: 27 MarchDistribution date: 11 April

MAYCommand & controlIntercoms & pagingRoom controlShowcase: Audio consolesFeatures submissiondeadline: 19 MarchNews deadline: 25 AprilDistribution date: 13 May

JUNEStadium audioTheatre solutionsTiled displaysShowcase:VideoconferencingequipmentFeatures submissiondeadline: 16 AprilNews deadline: 19 MayDistribution date: 4 June

SPOTLIGHT12-15 MarchProlight + Sound Frankfurt, Germanywww.prolight-sound.com

For four days, this leading internationaltrade fair becomes the meeting placefor exhibitors, trade visitors,wholesalers, retailers and professionalusers from all over the world.Technologies on display are divided intoproduct groups including audiotechnology, lighting technology,

communications technology, theatreand stage technology, media andsystems integration.

In addition to finding out about thelatest technological developments,visitors can also enjoy a variety ofinformation and training events at theProlight + Sound Conference held inHall 9.1 and the Cosmopolitan Loungeof Hall 9.T. The sessions will besubdivided into three main sections:event technology, media systems andVDT Academy.

EVENTS Your complete events calendar for the months ahead

MARCH 20145ISCExMilton Keynes, UKwww.isce.org.uk

10-14CeBIT Hanover, Germanywww.cebit.de/home

11-13CABSAT 2014 Dubai, UAEwww.cabsat.com

12-15Prolight + Sound Frankfurt, Germanywww.prolight-sound.com

APRIL 20149-11InfoComm China Beijing, Chinawww.infocomm-china.com/en

15-17PALME Middle East Dubai, UAE www.palme-middleeast.com

30-1PLASA Focus Leeds, UKwww.plasafocus.com

MAY 20148-9PLASA FocusNashville, USwww.plasafocus.com

13-14Streaming Media East New York, USwww.streamingmedia.com

18High End Munich, Germanywww.highendsociety.de

18-20The ARC Show London, UKwww.thearcshow.com

20–23European Sign Expo Munich, Germanywww.fespa.com/eurosignexpo

26-29Palm Expo Beijing, Chinawww.palmexpo.net

JUNE 201411ABTT Theatre ShowLondon, UK www.abtttheatreshow.co.uk

16-19CineEuropeBarcelona, Spainwww.cinemaexpo.com

17-19IFSECBirmingham, UKwww.ifsec.co.uk

18-20InfoComm 2014Las Vegas, USwww.infocommshow.org

AUGUST 201426 - 28Integrate Expo 2014Sydney, Australiawww.cedia.com.au

SEPTEMBER 2014

5-10IFABerlin, Germanyb2b.ifa-berlin.com/en/

11-14NAMM Musikmesse RussiaMoscow, Russiawww.musik.messefrankfurt.ru

Installation

EXTRACIRCULATION

330-4 AprilLight + BuildingFrankfurt, Germanylight-building.messefrankfurt.com

12InstallAwardsLondon, UK www.installawards.com

3Installation MarketplaceLondon, UK www.installation-international.com/events

2014 will see Installationlaunching Intent Media’sTechnology Guides, a newseries of publicationsdedicated to individualproduct sectors. The firstone, Projectors, will beavailable in March.

INDUSTRY DATA

RETHINK TECHNOLOGYResearch has approached theanalysis of the future TV anddisplay market by focusingon the ways that consumerbehaviour is changing ratherthan investigating suppliers’understanding of the globalmarketplace. The company’snew report Requiem for theTelevision describes thefuture market shape andpoints to those who will leadit, finding that the traditionalunderstanding of linearmarket progression in thevideo consumption industry isno longer valid.

“With major hurdlesconfronting the videodistribution and consumptionindustry, the best thingaffected players can do is totry to picture the shape ofthe market in the future andposition themselves with theright product lines and coststructure for survival, and toreset the expectations oftheir shareholders around thenew truths that dictate thenew normal,” explains PeterWhite, CEO of RethinkTechnologies.

The way that consumersview TV and video content ischanging radically. By 201975% of TV will be viewed onmobile tablets, PCs orphones. TV viewing will gothe same way as personalconsumption of music,moving reproduction from acentral system to a portabledevice for individual selectionand consumption.

This phenomenon willdecimate sales of traditionalTVs as they are replaced less

frequently and will even leadto a growth in the number ofhouseholds without a mainTV screen; reversing a trendthat was set half a centuryago. TV viewing will no longerbe a shared experience bydint of family membersviewing programmestogether. Increasingly theexperience will be sharedthrough social media.

However, at the sametime, bespoke displays willevolve that will allow large-screen viewing and multi-image display. Rather than asingle screen, the supply ofwhich is fraught with yieldproblems and low resolution,composite display panels,probably of around 50in to60in, will be used to enablesimultaneous display of high-definition images, sometimesat whole-wall sizes inbespoke installations.Viewers will use theirpersonal devices to controland navigate these largedisplays with internet-delivered content.Simultaneous viewing ofalternative camera anglesand action replays oncompanion screens will allowpersonal choice withoutinterrupting the flow on thebig screen which was a majorissue with red-buttoninteractivity in the past.

OLED VERSUS LCDRethink Technology Researchexpects OLED to succeed asthe next major displaytechnology, replacing LCDcompletely across devices ofall sizes. Its quality and cost

Rethinking televisionTablets, delivery of content via the internet, and faster broadband will combine to make the TVunrecognisable in the coming years, writes Steve Montgomery

% change2013-17

TV 226 170 -25%

Portable PC 181 197 9%

Tablet 227 407 79%

Smartphone 1,013 1,734 71%

Unit shipments (millions)2013 2017*

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

2013 2017*

GLOBAL SMART-CONNECTED DEVICE MARKET

Tablet shipments are predicted to increase by 79% between 2013 and 2017

Source: Rethink Technology Research * = forecast

Smartphone Tablet Portable PC TV

Uni

t sh

ipm

ents

(m

)

advantage as a displaymedium for Full HD contenton mid-range screens (sizesbelow 80in) will potentiallynegate the demand for 4KLCD TVs with a relatively

small increase in quality.Consumers will opt for ‘goodenough at cheaper price’offerings.

WiFi will become theubiquitous content delivery

mechanism for live, on-demand and time-shiftedcontent to tablets, phonesand PCs. Some 75% of allvideo destined for personaldevices will travel over WiFifor the last few metres andnever touch the cellularnetwork. Smart TVs will beadversely affected by a rapidexpansion of attacheddevices, such as Google’sAndroid-based Chromecastdongle combined withcontent source libraries likeNetflix, connected to basicdisplays and TVs.

TV viewing is on the vergeof the biggest sea change inits history. There is a big shifttowards mobile viewing,wearable devices will appearand screens will converge tobecome multipurposedevices for a multitude ofapplications. �

www.rethinkresearch.biz


COLLAPSE OF TV INDUSTRY – TIMELINE

2012 2013 2014 20 15 20 16 2017 2018 20 19 2020

US Pay TV operatorsintroduce headless

gateway spec for tablet TV

Demand for largerand larger TVsets in the US

Telco Vectoring makes 4k OTT viable

Tablet piracy rampant, newCPU-based DRMs introduced

eMBMS videodeliverycommon place

TV shipmentsto 170m

Top end supertablets downto $250

75% of TV viewedon tablets, PCs orphones

Smart TV saturationprices fall

First-run movies go OTT

120 million WiFi Homespotspromote OTT video delivery

Tablet shipmentsovertake PC salesincluding laptops

TV shipments fallunder 200m a year

US broadcastersagree to give

spectrum to cellular

Source: RethinkTechnology Research

INSTALLMARKET is a completely newevent for the AV integration industry.Designed to bring the industrytogether, it’s a one-day conferenceand expo event that will educate andinform visitors in equal measure.What’s more, it is free to register, free to attend (both the expo and the conference) and lunch is alsoprovided free.

Held on 4 September 2014,InstallMarket is the only independent,dedicated UK event for AV systemsintegrators, installers and consultants.In-house AV staff, facilities managers,AV end-user company staff andarchitects will also find it a rewardingvisit.

The venue is the Business DesignCentre in Islington, north London –conveniently situated just a couple ofmiles from Kings Cross St Pancrastrain and tube station, and just a shortwalk from Angel tube. On-site carparking is also available.

Exhibitors from across the worlds ofaudio, video, connectivity and controlwill be exhibiting their latest products.There will also be break-out trainingsessions from key manufacturers.

The conference programme willexplore emerging trends in key verticalmarket sectors: entertainment andhospitality, AV/broadcastconvergence, education,transportation and retail. Eachconference panel will be dedicated toa specific vertical and will consist ofpresentations by a moderator andthree specialists. Time will be allowedfor discussion among the panel andquestions from the audience.

The final session will be of wideinterest to a large section of the eventaudience: examining the future of AVnetworking.

“I’m very pleased to be able toannounce the launch of InstallMarket,”said Installation editor Paddy Baker.“This is the type of show that webelieve the industry has been waitingfor. In just a single day out of theoffice, visitors can hear engagingexpert speakers discussing the latesttrends in key verticals and also see atfirst hand the latest offerings from keymanufacturers.

“Many free conference sessionsconsist of sales pitches, but we aretaking care to ensure that theconsultants, integrators and tradeassociation representatives on ourpanels deliver real value to theiraudiences. And for those who want tolearn more about specific products,manufacturers will be providingeducation and training sessions inbreak-out rooms.

“InstallMarket has been created to

enable people from throughout the AVinstallation industry to come togetherand learn from each other. It fills asignificant gap in the UK showcalendar.”

Watch out for updates aboutInstallMarket in Installation magazine,

on our website and our Twitter andFacebook pages.

For information on registering forthe event, [email protected]. �

www.installation-international.com/events

SHOW PREVIEW: INSTALLMARKET

4th September 2014 Business Design Centre - London

Remember September Put 4 September in your diary now – it’s the date of an exciting new event brought to you by Installation

Not Your Father’s Classroom; Not Your Mother’s Campus As much disruption as we experience in technology, eachand every tech wave rolls over into education where newlearning tools are embraced – and rejected. What’s the stateof UK education today, after the onslaught of iPads, mobile,video and audio-over-IP? Our InstallMarket panel will explorehow technologies are changing education, especially theintersection between video and mobile and Cloud. Panelmembers will address lecture capture, BYOD and campusdigital signage.

What Hotels Really WantAs hotels commoditise and competition intensifies, hotelmanagement turns to technology, not just for infrastructurebut improving customer experience. From hotel TV systemsthe hotel market is moving towards BYOD, using displays,wireless, internet and apps to increase guest satisfaction.Let’s not forget the outside of the building, as projectionmapping offers a new opportunity to some.

AV & Broadcast Convergence: A Marriage in IP This panel will explore how IP technologies are bringingtogether broadcast integrators and AV integrators. Whileweb-delivered content services and the second screen pushforward the evolution of the professional broadcast market,it’s ubiquitous video of the YouTube era that's pulling foraffordable broadcasting technology to supply the newneeds of corporates, institutions and individuals. AV and

broadcast come together as broadcasting moves from theexclusive domain of big studios to the desktop and evencountertop.

What Moves Transport Technology In this panel, we'll explore the new customer experience fortransport including car, rail, air and underground. Ofparticular interest are displays, control room technologiesand customer-facing digital signage.

Forces That Drive Retail TechAs an industry in transformation, retailers currently facemajor challenges, making it essential they have the correcttechnology in place to cope with this ever-changingindustry. Retailers want to enhance their in-store customerexperience while boosting data-gathering processes forcustomer buying patterns. This panel will discuss howretailers are harnessing mobile technology, digital signage,projection and display to build the retail stores of thefuture.

Whose Network is IT, Anyway? IP has proven to be the Great Unifier, bringing together manydiverse industries onto the network. Given the ramp-up ofvideo usage and mobile delivery (including iPads, videostreaming, digital signage, unified communications andvideoconferencing), this panel brings together experts todiscuss how AV and IT will share the network.

INSTALLMARKET CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

For sponsorship or exhibitoropportunities, contact Ian Graham [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7354 6000


A NEW 28in 1920 x 358 LEDstretched digital signage displayis being announced by AAdvantechfor use in transportation,elevators and public venues. Thefanless DSD-5028 is pitched as apower-saving alternative to moreconventional LED signagesolutions used in limited spacesin these industries.

The panel – which can bedeployed in both horizontal andvertical installations – includesLCD resizing technology andoffers an aspect ratio of 16:3,brightness of 700 cd/sqm, and acontrast ratio of 3,000:1.

Billed as setting a newstandard in LED screens fordeployment in digital signage,television studios, concert hallsand exhibition halls, the M SeriesLED Display is new from AOTO.

Featuring a modular design,the M Series has dimensions of480mm x 480mm x 77mm, andweighs 10kg/panel. Integralrigging is designed to allow thecreation of an installation up to25 panels high, while a TUV-certified tool-less fast locksystem facilitates quick set-up.

There will be a whole host ofnew DLP projectors on the BenQstand. The MW621ST is claimed tooffer “the highest display flexibility

and uncompromised picturequality” for small-sized businesssettings. Its short-throw projectionrange can give a 55in display at1m, and it can connect to a PC,Mac, iPhone or iPad via WiFi.

The new SW916 has a 1.6xzoom for a range of throwdistances, making it ideal as areplacement for older projectorswithout having to fit a new ceilingmount or projector setting.

For education the MW853USToffers interactive projection withmulti-screen calibration. TwoMW853USTs double the teachingspace and include two PointWritekits to work seamlessly withQWrite. Up to four PointWrite pensare supported, but adding a LaserCurtain module allows writingwith up to four fingers or objects.

BrightSign is unveiling its 4Kdigital signage media player – thefirst to deliver a true end-to-end4K solution that accepts H.265-encoded content and delivers60fps output via HDMI 2.0.

“There’s a great deal ofexcitement and anticipationaround 4K, but unfortunatelymany of the purported 4Ksolutions currently available fallshort and don’t deliver a true 4Kexperience,” says Jeff Hastings,CEO of BrightSign. “However our

BrightSign 4Kplayer complieswith the newstandards topreserve videoquality fromencoding to outputand support thecomplete 4Kecosystem, startto finish.”

Receiving itsfirst major publicshowing since itslaunch in January,Christie’s Q Seriesis claimed toachieve best-in-class 1-chip DLPbrightness. Itcomprises threemodels. TheDWU951 featuresWUXGA resolution withbrightness of 8,500 lumens; theDWX951 delivers the same levelof brightness but with WXGAresolution; and the DXG1051provides 10,000 lumens from anXGA resolution panel.

Following the launch of theFHD551-W 55in LCDweatherproof flatpanel withintegrated waterproof speakers,Christie is also exhibiting themost recent members of itsflatpanel family on the stand.

At 84in, the new 4KTransparent Display panel fromCrystal Display Systems is said tobe the world’s largest. Thescreen’s 3840 x 2160 resolution“means high-end graphics can beshown which were previously notavailable in transparent displays”.

It is based on a Sharp 4Kpanel and has USB, VGA and twoHDMI inputs. A standard multi-touch IR touchscreen isavailable with no developmentor tooling charge.

High-resolution LED moduleswith integrated imageprocessing power are on showat the eyevis stand. The LEDmodules offer high-resolution(2mm pixel pitch and less),professional image processingand robust housing.

For the first time, eyevis isdemonstrating the new displayswith integrated image processingpower. eyeCON Meta Wallenables an uncomplicatednetwork architecture for signaldistribution and content control.

Mitsubishi Electric isdemonstrating its latest LEDbacklit LCD panel pitched at

control roomapplications for the first time inEurope. Configured into two 5 x 2vertical ‘towers’, the new 55insuper narrow bezel L55P1 offersFull HD performance, LEDbacklighting and advancedfeatures such as an Intel OPSslot and compatibility with AMXDevice Discovery and CrestronRoomView systems.

Another European first is thenew LED DLP replacementengine, which allows customersto upgrade legacy lamp-basedMitsubishi Display Wall systemsto the latest high-brightness LEDtechnology without replacingscreens or cabinets. The RPE74Uallows existing customers toextend the working life of theircurrent display wall and toreduce its environmental impactand running costs.

In a departure from thebusiness with which it is mostclosely associated – designingand manufacturing digitalsignage support structures forthe DOOH industry – Mode-AL isshowcasing its own custom-designed LED panels. This fusionenables the company to providesystem integrators with a one-stop shop for the purchase ofdigital signage systems.

Mode-AL is also introducingwhat it claims is the world’s first3mm pitch LED panel with frontaccess. It enables service of anysize LED wall from the front,removing the requirement forlarge service ways or complexmechanisms to allow access tothe rear of the tiles.

Three new digital signageproducts are forming part of amassive presentation from MMD,

the brand licencepartner for Philips SignageSolutions, including Philips Q-Line displays, daisy-chained 55invideowalls and an Ultra HDprototype.

Equipped with SmartControlsoftware, the new Q-Line modelsoffer an HTML5 browser that hasbeen adapted to digital signageuse. Content from all Digital LivingNetwork Alliance-compliantdevices can easily be displayed onthe large screens. An internalmedia player is capable ofhandling a range of video andaudio codecs from USB sources.

Said to feature improvedusability and embeddedfunctionality, BIG PAD is thesecond generation of Sharp’s 70inand 60in LCD interactive displays.Unveiled concurrently are twosmaller interactive displays whichexpand Sharp’s line-up ofcommercial touch monitors.

BIG PAD provides recognitionof up to 10 touch points at onceand simultaneous writing by upto four people. It is claimed to beready to use just five secondsafter it is switched on, andincludes a whiteboard feature,presentation mode and movieplayer without the need toconnect to an external PC.

Vivitek is showing three newlarge-venue projectors: the XGA-resolution DX6831, the WUXGADU6871 and the WXGA DW6851.They are designed for largespaces where a high-brightnessprojector is required, with 8000ANSI lumens for the XGA and7,300 and 7,000 ANSI lumensrespectively for the WUXGA andWXGA models. All models have acontrast ratio of 3,000:1 for deepblacks and rich colours. Sevenlens options are available.

Amsterdam awaitsAs the RAI opens its doors for ISE 2014, we use the next few pages to highlightthe latest product announcements and innovations – starting with displays

SHOW PREVIEW: ISE 2014in Installation

Sony has expanded its S-Series line-up with the launch of nine new3LCD short throw and ultra-short throw projectors. Aimed atbroadening the company’s offering for the education market, thenew models deliver up to 3,000 lumens and lamp life of up to10,000 hours.

The line-up comprises four new short throw models and fiveultra-short throw projectors, and is designed for smallerclassrooms and meeting rooms. They can throw high-resolutionimages up to approximately 2m diagonal from distances as close as44cm (XGA ultra-short throw) and 75cm (XGA short throw).

The VPL-SW630C and VPL-SW620C models come with enhancedinteractivity, including dual pen and auto calibration, as well asadditional rich education tools, making it easier for students andteachers to collaborate effectively in the classroom.

Sony showcases S-Series projector family

TThe weatherproof ChristieFHD551-W featuresintegrated waterproofspeakers


Connectivity and processingSHOW PREVIEW: ISE 2014 in Installation

THE LATEST generation ofTriCaster multi-cameraproduction systems from NewTekis a highlight of 33D Storm’s standat ISE 2014. 3D Storm is theNewTek distributor for EMEA,Turkey, Russia and Pakistan.

The range now includes threenew models – TriCaster 860,TriCaster 460 and TriCaster 410 –as well as major enhancementsto the company’s flagship system,TriCaster 8000. All systems nowoffer four or eight full mix/effects(M/E) channels, therebyexpanding the system’s switchingperformance. Producers can usethese M/Es to generate layeredand composited real-time video,produce sub-mixes in the mainvideo programme, and outputcontent as a secondaryprogramme – all with completeswitcher behaviours, transitions,overlays, multi-source layeringand virtual sets.

Adder is adding to its extenderrange, as well as bringing furthercapabilities to AdderLink Infinity.

The AdderLink DV100 HDMIextender includes Adder’s Proofof Display technology, whichenables the remote monitoring ofall screens within a signagenetwork over an IP link. Thisallows network owners to billadvertisers with the assurancethat their content has beendisplayed.

For command and control use,the AdderLink DV120 DVIextender brings simplifiedoperations to the visualiser orvideowall and allows thecomputer hardware to be storedout of the room.

Also on show is the AdderLinkXD522 dual-head, point-to-pointDisplayPort extender, which cansupport dual screens or dual linkscreens up to 100m away with an

S/FTP CatX cable.Saphyr is a new mixer/

seamless switcher with nativematrix mode from Analog Way.Based on the company’s Midraplatform, it features 10 seamlessinputs and 16 input plugsincluding DVI-D, HDMI and 3G-SDI, as well as two outputsand a video output with digitaland analogue connectivity.

In addition, the switcherprovides a mosaic preview withtwo modes. EDID management isnow standard for all computersources.

Saphyr can be used as a mixeror as a matrix, and allows displayof up to three layers on a framebackground plus two logos peroutput. The quick frame functionplaces a foreground frame overall other layers when necessary.A simple button push allowsreturn to the previous display.

The recently announcedUltraStudio 4K with Thunderbolt2 is on show at the BlackmagicDesign stand. The newUltraStudio 4K model isdescribed as the world’s firstvideo solution to include rapidThunderbolt 2 technology.

It is a rack-mount capture andplayback device featuring amachined aluminium front panelwith an integrated colour LCD aswell as video and audio inputbuttons.

The 20GB/s speed ofThunderbolt 2 allows UltraStudio4K to deliver more bandwidth towork with higher quality videoand frame rates. Customers cancapture and playback Ultra HD 4KYUV video at 60fps and Ultra HD4K RGB video at 30fps via the 6G-SDI video connections.

New from CYP UK is a versatileHDMI HDBaseT Modular Matrixwith PoE range, with the

company making two modelsavailable initially: the 16 HDMIinput x 16 HDBaseT output PU-16HBT and the 8 x 16 PU-8H16HBT.

The units are able to sendHDBaseT signals over lengths ofup to 100m via Cat5e/6/7 cableinfrastructure, and both modelssupport two-way infrared, RS-232 and Power over Ethernet.

Pre-configured to work withthe CYP PU-507RX or PU-507WPRX HDBaseT receivers,which are powered using PoEfrom the matrix, both modelscome with dual removableinternal power supplies, allowingfor easy inspection andmaintenance with zero downtime.

The AViary Video Tools productrange by Green Hippo is makingits debut at ISE 2014 and will beintroduced over the coming yearand beyond. This new range ofvideo playback and controldevices is aimed specifically at

the professional video andinstallation markets. It’s builtaround Green Hippo’s videoprocessing engine and a newcodec, FlexRes.

FlexRes facilitates ultra-highresolution media in non-standardaspect ratios or ‘4K+’, as theLondon-based firm refers to it. Itdelivers flexible colour depthsettings and configurableparameters aimed at thechallenges of real-timemanipulation. It helps to pitchAViary products at installationsrequiring output mapping andunusual screen configurations.

The flagship player, Par4Keet,is a rack-mountable 2U serverfeaturing touchpanel control, jogshuttle, swappable hard diskdrives, four high-resolutionoutputs and an intuitive userinterface.

Security is being tightened forthe ControlCenter-Digital ModularKVM matrix switch from

Guntermann & Drunck (G&D). Thesystem provides a large range offeatures and functions for usersto operate up to 287 computersover a number of simultaneousconsoles.

To protect rights managementand configuration data, theControlCenter-Digital mirrorstheir content on two independent,internal SSD storage media, withredundancy provided by a RAID1array system. If necessary,storage media can be effortlesslyreplaced by IT administrators. Allrights information andconfiguration management arealso encoded by uniquecryptographic keys.

Described as a state-of-the-artlighting console that functions asa highly advanced visual controlsurface, Martin Professional’snew M6 is designed to controleverything from conventional andmoving lights to the mostadvanced media server.

With features like aLiveBlender T-Bar, FastDial rotaryencoders, Paired Playbackbuttons and sunlight readable,multi-touch BriteTouch display,Martin says that the M6 is itsmost advanced console designever. It offers a total of 44playbacks, including dual Main Gosections, 10 motorised fadersand 12 additional faders, as wellas a total of 17 encoders forparameter access.

Other features include twoexternal DisplayPorttouchscreens with up to 1920 x1080 resolution per output, twoFastTouch 3.5in touchscreens,eight FastBlend buttons and 10PlayPairs buttons with LCDdisplays.

The new Linx Prime MatrixSwitchers, which now featureaudio de-embedding, HDBaseTand PoH capabilities, are on show


Martin Professional’sM6 is a powerful newlighting console

Four Sommer Cable DVM 194 control, mixing, amp and routing modules

SHOW PREVIEW: ISE 2014


at the RRGB Spectrum stand.The switchers are pitched at

complex audiovisual installations.Offering users a mix of dual-channel modular input andoutput cards, they support arange of signal types over avariety of transmission media.

Designed to accommodate anymix of copper, fibre or twistedpair connections, Linx switchers

are configured to accept digitaland/or analogue signals anddistribute them for display withinrooms and across facilities andcampuses.

Samsung’s large-formatdisplay product (LFD) line is beingboosted by the introduction of aHDBaseT plug-in module,powered by the Valens chipset.Select models of the line willreceive the enhancement, whichthe company says will mean thatLFD installations become simplerand less costly.

The HDBaseT Receiver onSamsung’s new ME75C Full HDdisplay is being showcased onthe HDBaseT Alliance standthroughout ISE 2014.

A modular, networked mediacontrol system that includesamplifier, mixers and more isbeing introduced by SommerCable. All devices in the CardinalDVM 194 series are fullynetworkable via IP with built-intwo-port 100 Base-T switch, andare based on the same controllerplatform.

The range includes: the DVM-194-CON Media Controller, withfour RS-232 interfaces forbidirectional communication withconnected devices, plus 12momentary switch interfaces and12 programmable LED outputs.The compact DVM-194-AMP MiniHigh-Performance Amplifierdelivers two 100W channels into4 ohms (50W @ 8 ohms) andproduces almost no waste heat.The DVM-194-AMIX AutomaticMix Machine offers “anunprecedented degree ofautomation”, with gain and leveladjustable on all channels. TheDVM-194-HDS Picture SourceSelector can route up to fourHDMI picture sources to twoHDMI outputs and allows for totalautomation via the mediacontroller.

The new CORIOmaster mini all-in-one videowall processor fromTV One is claimed to be theindustry’s first videowallprocessor to fit up to 12 HighDensity Universal DVI or 10

HDBaseT and two High DensityUniversal DVI ports into acompact 1RU frame.

It can control full-scale 3 x 3videowalls with any screenarrangement without requiring arack’s worth of discrete videocomponents. Also debuting at ISE2014 is the CORIOgraphersoftware for controlling theCORIOmaster and CORIOmaster

mini videowall processors. It isclaimed to “revolutionise thespeed and ease with whichcustom videowalls can be set upand deployed”. It managescollections of displays of diversesizes, resolutions and orientation,and “makes the process ofcreating videowalls a creativepursuit with nearly unlimitedfreedom and flexibility.”

The Blackmagic Design UltraStudio 4K pioneers the use of Thunderbolt 2 technology for speed

The NewTek TriCaster8000 benefits from majorenhancements

SHOW PREVIEW: ISE 2014 in Installation

AARTHUR HOLM has developed anew DynamicVision system thatprovides a motorised mechanismwith a customisable protectivescreen, which can be used to hideand/or retract videoconferencing

cameras when they are not in use.

DynamicVision is compatiblewith all existing conferencingcameras on the market, beingoperated by open protocols such

as AH-Net or RS-422. Bothcamera and DynamicVisioncan be controlled by aSound Control Technologiessystem; only two Cat5cables are required tocomplete its installation.

Ashton Bentley has addedto its Connect range ofintegrated audiovisual roomcollaboration products withtablefor7 and tablefor9.

The tablefor7 is on showfor the first time at ISE 2014and comfortably seats up toseven people at a tabledesigned to place occupantsin the perfect position forvideoconferencing andcollaborative meetingapplications.

It uses the same tool-lessconstruction principles asthe rest of the AshtonBentley range so that it canbe shipped anywhere andassembled in minutes.

Christie is highlighting its Briopresentation system. Christie Brionodes can be connected via locallymanaged IP networks to form amulti-site meeting where allparticipants see the same content.In addition to video and audio, allparticipants can use theinteractive whiteboard to shareand draw in real time, regardlessof geographic location. The Briodisplays uncompressed 1080pvideo sources within a meetingroom or streams video betweensites at up to 30fps.

The third generation of TelevicConference’s Confidea WirelessConference solution is launchingat ISE 2014. Confidea Wireless G3has the latest wireless technologyon-board, offering even morefrequency bands in variouscountries. It comes in differentmodels for various applications.

The basic discussion units havea simplified user interface and themore advanced models includevoting functionality. The latter havean integratedRFID card

reader for identification andauthentication.

Confidea G3 is also compatiblewith the new generation of Televicmicrophones, knownfrom the uniCOSMultimediaConferenceSystem. TheWireless ConferenceAccess Point has an upgraded on-boardwebserver, which means abasic set-up does not requireadditional software to controlthe system.

Part of the Vaddio range,GroupSTATION is a meeting roomsolution that enables meetingroom participants to use theirpersonal applications on their owndevices: tablets, laptops andnetwork computers.

Employees can sharePowerPoint or Keynotepresentations, engage in high-definition videoconferencingusing Skype, Microsoft Lync,

WebEx or any other UCapplication. GroupSTATION is saidto allow any application to beshared or collaborated in themeeting room. The standaloneSIP-based speakerphone canalso be used for audioconferencing calls.

GroupSTATION includes thenecessary peripherals to create amulti-use room and groupcollaboration experience: an HDPTZ camera, loudspeakers,microphones and a control dock.

Users simply connect personaldevices to the GroupSTATION

via a USB, VGA or HDMIconnection and begin using

their favouritecollaboration tools.

Unified communications

Arthur Holm’s DynamicVision opens toreveal the videoconference camera

Televic’s ConfideaG3 starts shippingin March

ARTSOUND WILL be showing anew series of water-resistant in-wall loudspeakers. Based on theFinnish word for open/oxygen/outdoors, the Happi range isbased on the Xtended family.Happi includes a filter to ensureadequate suppression ofvibrations – making it ideallysuited, says the company, for usein kitchens. With a framelessdesign and availability in fourmodels – two circular, one squareand one rectangular – it can beinstalled in bathrooms and onexternal walls.

The company is alsoshowcasing a range of installationunits made from high-densityMDF which, it says, addresses theproblem that can be encounteredin a false ceiling, whereby theempty space behind the panelling

might be too big – withconsequent adverse effect on thesound quality. These kits canaccommodate both the basic in-wall speakers as well as the moreexpensive Gold Series.

Control4 is demonstrating theWireless Music Bridge – whichcan instantly and wirelessly sendmusic stored on smartphones,tablets or computers to aControl4 system. CombiningEthernet, WiFi and Bluetoothconnectivity technologies, andproviding full support forstreaming AirPlay, Bluetooth andDLNA, the Wireless Music Bridge,says the company, can alloweveryone in the house to enjoytheir personal music collectionthrough the home’s audiosystem, in any audio zone.

After more than two years in

development, Earthquake Soundhas unveiled the Titan TheiaCentre Channel Speaker. It has acurved cabinet using an AcousticArray System Design andincludes four 4in Kevlar conesand two 1in silk dome tweeterspositioned front and centre toproduce maximum dispersion,advanced image stability andclear detailed audio. The unit hasa frequency response of 20Hz-35kHz, 300W power, nominalimpedance of 8 ohms, sensitivityof 89dB ±3dB, and weighs 10kg.

The Cinema One system isdesigned to make Kaleidescape’shome cinema capabilitiesavailable at a more accessibleprice point and allow custominstallers to reach a muchbroader set of buyers.

As well as being able todownload movies from theKaleidescape Store, Cinema Onestores up to 600 DVD or 100 Blu-ray quality movies and, accordingto the company, goes from zero tothe start of a feature film fasterthan any Blu-ray player in theworld. Kaleidescape says that it isthe only movie system to supportBlu-ray quality movie downloads.

Primare is showing its NP30Network Player, which is said tobe able to adapt any high-qualitymusic system for audiophilestreaming, internet radio andgapless audio playback throughintegration with UPnP devicessuch as PC/Mac/NAS, iPod, iPad,iPhone or USB thumb drive.

According to Primare, it is agenuine 24/192 DAC including 3xoptical, 1x SP/DIF, USB-A, USB-B,WLAN and LAN inputs(incorporating an asynchronousmaster clock for low jitter), andXLR, RCA, digital (192 kHz), IRoutand TRIGout outputs.

RTI is launching a sleek newwireless remote control and anadvanced in-wall controller togive users simpler, more elegantcontrol options. It has also addedto its line of powerful XP controlprocessors.

The T3x wireless remotecombines aflushmount 3.5in LCDtouchscreen andprogrammable hardbuttons withimprovedfunctionality. It isdesigned for simple

integration into any installation,while its dual RF platformprovides one-way control via433MHz RF or bidirectionalcommunication with RTIprocessors using 2.4-GHz ZigBee,the mesh networking standard.

The new KX3 in-wall controllerhas a 3.5in LCD and fivecustomisable hard buttons, andcombines the capabilities of atouchscreen controller with anadvanced control processor inone cost-effective unit.

The latest XP processor is theXP-4, with HDMI video output andtwo inputs for an on-screendisplay control interface andswitching. It allows the TV tobecome an integral part of thecontrol system and providesbidirectional communication withsupported third-party electronicsvia ZigBee and two bidirectionalRS-232 ports.

SHOW PREVIEW: ISE 2014

Residential solutionsRTI’s new T3x and KX3 controllersand XP-4 processor

The Control4 Wireless Music Bridge

AALCONS AUDIO is showing itsCRS8 surround high-fidelity fullrange of loudspeakers. Designedfor the digital cinema market, theCRS8 is a two-way passive-filtered loudspeaker and featuresone proprietary-designed andmultiple-patented RBN401 pro-ribbon driver for MHF and a vented reference-quality 8inmid-bass for LF reproduction.

A new range of poweramplifiers has been introduced byApart Audio. The REVAMP seriescomprises five products includingthe REVAMP2250 – a two-channeldigital power amplifier (Hypex-powered) with 2 x 250W output @4 ohms, that is also bridgeable to1 x 500W @ 8 ohms – and theREVAMP2600, which is also a two-channel amplifier and features 2 x600W output @ 4 ohms.

ISE 2014 is hosting theEuropean launch event for eightnew models in the R-Seriesloudspeaker line from CommunityProfessional. The company saysthat three new compact models,the R.15COAX, R.35COAX and

R.35-3896, offer improved musicplayback, additional coveragepatterns and higher output. Fivenew R-MAX products (the R.5-66MAX, R.5-96MAX, R2-64MAX,R2-66MAX and R2-94MAX)provide the flattest musicalresponse of premiumloudspeakers offered in the R-Series, according to the company.

The DriveRack PA2Loudspeaker ManagementSystem, which is said to enable aloudspeaker system to be quicklyand accurately optimised for thebest possible sound quality, is newfrom Harman’s dbx. TheDriveRack PA2 can be set up andoperated from a compatible tabletor smartphone. A new wizardutility makes set-up easier andfaster, and users have access to ahost of configuration menus ontheir mobile device. The DriveRackPA2 can also be operated via itsfront panel controls and display.

The StingRay 6 HermeticallySealed Speaker is the latest andsmallest addition to StealthAcoustics’ StingRay outdoor

speakers. It has a 6in cone woofercoupled with a neodymium, high-power tweeter to create a two-wayspeaker that is claimed to evenlyradiate hemi-spherically at allfrequencies from 50Hz to 18kHz.

A range of new digital audioand security products from TOA isbeing demonstrated throughoutISE 2014. Among other items,visitors can see the SR-D8 activeline array speaker in action withembedded GUI-operated softwareworking alongside it.

Other products on show with adigital spine include the M-864Dand M-633D digital stereomixers, which are being shownintegrated into live systems.

A multichannel audiostreaming solution that engagesconsumers on mobile devices inretail environments is showingon the Barix stand.

A free smartphone app calledBarix Audio Point, which will beavailable in traditional appstores, prompts consumers toscan a QR Code for streamaccess, which provides relevantaudio content in synchronisationwith on-screen video.

Barix is also demonstrating acomplete audio signage solutionwith screenFOOD, a dynamic in-store merchandising companywhose content managementsystem automates audio andvideo delivery.

The latest version of BiampSystems’ family of digital signalprocessor (DSP)-based mediaofferings is being launched. At the heart of Tesira 2.0 isTesiraFORTÉ, a new series ofaudio processors that extendsAudio-Video Bridging toapplication-specific settings.TesiraFORTÉ consists of eightpreconfigured models (four AVBmodels and four non-AVB models)designed to bring greatersimplicity and more options toconferencing, telephony and VoIPenvironments.

Soundweb London‘s BLU-806and BLU-326 processors with

support for Audinate’s Dantetechnology (now shipping) are onshow. Both devices allow 64incoming and 64 outgoing Dantechannels. They offer configurableinputs and outputs, compatibilitywith all Soundweb London inputand output card options, logicprocessing capability, the 256-channel Soundweb Londondigital audio bus and GPIO.

Incorporating an all-newdesign that is said to deliverextremely wide-angle coverage,the CWT128 loudspeaker fromHarman’s JBL Professionalfeatures JBL’s CWT CrossfiredWaveguide Technology, designedto provide seamless horizontalcoverage across a full 160°.

The CWT128’s relativelycompact size and small footprint(31.94in H x 10.22in W x 11.84inD) take up about a third of thefootprint of two speakersarranged side by side.

Digital Feedback Reduction(DFR) is now available as part ofa free firmware update toShure’s SCM820 Digital IntelliMixAutomatic Mixer. Features in thelatest firmware update, which issupported by version 1.1.X orhigher, include two channels ofpatented DFR that can beassigned to input channels andmix outputs, automatic feedbackdetection and filter deployment,and up to 18dB gain reductionper filter.

Solid State Logic’s SSL Liveconsole is being showcased atISE 2014 as the company makesits first appearance at the show.

Live is a flexible digital audioconsole designed to meet thedemands of all aspects of livesound production. Based onSSL’s new Tempest processingplatform, it has 976 inputs and

outputs and 192 full processingaudio paths at 96kHz.

A range of advanced digitalaudio conferencing and DSPprocessors is being introducedby Xavtel. Part of the PAX ProAVGroup and exhibiting with Ateïsin Hall 7, Xavtel is targeting thehigh-end professional AV andconference sectors.

The Senator system is a fullydigital and networked DSPsolution for conferencing, votingand simultaneous translation,based on Xavtel’s high-speedredundant network technology.Up to 504 delegate units can beindividually processed using oneDSP processor, while stillproviding individual processingfor each microphone.

Yamaha Commercial Audio’sMG series of compact mixingconsoles is making its Europeandebut. The 10-strong line-upfeatures models with six, 10, 12,16 or 20 inputs, all with Yamaha'sdiscrete Class A D-PREmicrophone preamps. As well asthe standard versions, the MG10,MG12, MG16 and MG20 all have acounterpart XU model. Thesefeature an upgraded version ofYamaha’s SPX effects processor,with a suite of 24 different effects(upgraded from 16 in theprevious MG series), as well as aUSB 2.0 audio interface capableof 24-bit/192kHz sound quality. www.iseurope.org

SHOW PREVIEW: ISE 2014 in Installation

Produced by Installation,thedaily is the officialnewspaper of IntegratedSystems Europe. It is puttogether from an office just offthe showfloor and distributedto attendees at hotels, onshuttle buses and on arrival atthe event.

Audio equipmentThe fully networked Xavtel Senator DSP System forconferencing, voting and simultaneous translation

QSC is launching its digital mixer line in Europe at ISE 2014. TheTouchMix Series offers live performance venues, musicians andproduction professionals the power and capability of a large-formatconsole in a portable, fully integrated and easy-to-use product.

TouchMix Series specifications include four-band, fullyparametric EQ with both variable hi- and lo-pass filters, as well ascomprehensive dynamics processing on each input channel. Fourmix busses feed four internal, professional, digital effectsprocessors. Comprehensive dynamics, graphic EQ, hi-pass, lo-passand notch filters and delay are available on both the main and auxoutputs and there are eight DCA groups with mutes as well as eightmute groups. With four (TouchMix-8) or 10 (TouchMix-16) auxiliaryoutput channels, TouchMix also has ample stage monitor mixingcapability. Both models have the ability to drive multiple, wiredstereo in-ear monitors directly.

TouchMix makes European debut

ISE 2014 sees the trade showpremiere of the self-poweredLYON linear sound reinforcementsystem, the newest addition tothe LEO family of linearloudspeaker products fromMeyer Sound.

By incorporating thetechnology of the LEO Family in alighter and more compactpackage, Meyer Sound believesthat the LYON line array systemextends the advantages of highlylinear self-powered systems to abroader range of venues andapplications.

LYON is available in twoversions: the LYON-M mainloudspeaker and the LYON-Wwide-coverage loudspeaker.Complemented by the 1100-LFClow-frequency control elementand the Galileo Callisto

loudspeaker managementsystem, the LYON-M mainloudspeaker is designed toanchor a powerful system forinstallations in arenas and largeauditoriums, as well as tours andfestivals. The LYON-W can serveas downfills to augment a LYON-based system. Both versions canbe used to provide supplementalcoverage in a LEO system.

LYON roars


How has the market changedin Italy since the financialcrisis?I see some similarities withother countries in theMediterranean region – notablySpain. The government marketis getting more difficult everyday because our publicadministration does not pay itssuppliers reliably. Most of theinstitutional market has goneor is temporarily frozen, andmost of our contractors arequite sceptical of supplying itbecause they know that therewill be issues over payment.

There are some projects thatcontractors do buy into whenthe conditions are sufficientlyconvincing – mainly in schoolsand institutions related togovernment ministries. Onearea that is definitelyprogressing a little bit better,

although not as much asbefore the crash, is thetransport market. It isreasonably active, mainly dueto Italy’s expanding high-speedtrain infrastructure. We believethat this will continue togenerate business for the nextfew years.

Last year Prase Engineeringcelebrated its 20thanniversary. What haschanged for the company inrecent years?A couple of things have beenreally crucial. Key customersnow are IT integrators – a newkind of people for us. Theprocedures and the rules thatthey have implemented overmany years were quite new tous, but they were theprocedures that we’d alwaysdreamed about. One example

is giving more value to theirown professionalism. Wealways told conventional AVdealers, ‘Make sure you sellyourself better and qualifyyourself because margins onproduct will shrink; the hugeamount of informationavailable will make it way moredifficult to make money onlyfrom product. You need todifferentiate yourself fromthat with quality service, byproviding your customers witha proper maintenance contractand by selling yourself at aproper value.’ The IT operators’hourly labour cost is at leastdouble what our industry hastypically charged.

Some contractors didreinvent themselves, but wegained a lot more newcustomers coming from the ITindustry with a different

approach. If you want them tocome onsite they start from€80, not €45. They talk about aproper maintenance contractbecause it’s a live system thatrequires inspection andmaintenance. These are thecustomers that we support themost, not because wediscriminate but because theystay alive.

Another thing that camealong was the internetrevolution. It’s buildingcompletely different, morestructured techniques. It’s adifferent approach that tellspeople ‘let’s grow together’.This is encouraging becausewe see new trends andpossibilities. As a productdistributor you might saywhere’s the deal, then, ifmargins on products willshrink? Even if we do sell thoseservices they are a majordifferentiation in front of thecontractors.

This is why Prase is stillinvesting in additional services,and still growing in terms ofspecialists. Out of a team of 30people, we have 11masterclass specialists –technical staff. We are anexpensive operation to run butit pays back because we add

lots of value to the product.

What is the added value?It’s training alongside support.For example, always getting ananswer on our hotline. We dohave a system that meanswithin proper limits we will tryto support and satisfy them.

The hardware piece is onlyone part of the whole picture.At the end of the day we areon a mission for a systemintegration market. On projectsthere are many unknowns andthere must be someoneproviding the answers. I’m notsaying that we are replacingthe consultants – althoughItaly is still way behind the UKand Germany. The audio-video-control consultant is not evencontemplated yet. There is nomore than a handful of fullyqualified people.

So do most consultants notcover the whole of the AVspectrum?Correct. The whole demandhas got way wider than before.For a project like a theatre or amultipurpose venue, it’s quitedifficult to find a fully qualifiedperson who can handle the fullpackage. We would like tohandle it even more granularly.


INTERVIEW: ENNIO PRASE, PRASE ENGINEERING

On a mission for a marketThe Italian audio distributor celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. Paddy Baker spoke to thecompany’s co-founder to discuss recent developments in the Italian installation market, and waysin which the industry is likely to develop in future

Ennio Prase –a brief biographyEnnio Prase founded Prase Engineering in 1993 – along with hiselder brother Alberto, who had a background in hi-fimanufacturing and contracting

The company’s business was originally in reselling and integration,but it moved to distribution in 1997. Its first distributed brand wasCommunity Professional, which it still handles today. The currentdistribution portfolio covers about 25 brands

The company also manufactures niche audio solutions under theInOut brand

1 2 t h J u n e 2 0 1 4 • H i l t o n L o n d o n W e m b l e y

Entry now openDownload the entry form and find out more at www.installawards.com

For sponsorship opportunities contact Ian Graham: [email protected] +44 (0)20 7354 6000

There might be a specialist foreach single market segmentbut I believe the best option isto have someone at the top ofthe pyramid being sufficientlycompetent across all threeverticals.

The sadness is that we don’teven have enough consultantsfor video only or audio only. It’sa cultural thing. We do it wrongfrom the very beginning. I’veseen tenders for publicprojects written by architectsthat don’t make any sense. It’ssupposed to be written by aspecialist, but when you tellthem they look at you in a verystrange way and say ‘What thehell is he saying?’

ISE is coming up – what is yourapproach to the show?It’s a great networkingopportunity. The way weoperate at the show is simplebut efficient. All of our partnersand product manufacturers arethere with their latest models,and Prase has a booth, which isa convergence point. We hostmost of the Italian visitors, agood number of whom are ourcustomers. We have scrollingdisplays giving people thebullet points about what’s newat the show and what they

should be following. Then wetake them to see their specificinterest – technologies, brandsand so on.

For a European distributorISE is even more importantthan InfoComm, because itincorporates CEDIA as wellunder the same roof.

How will Prase Engineering bedifferent in the next five toten years? I believe our strategy willchange a lot. A new Prase willbecome, in addition adistributor of products, aservice company. Technologyis getting more sophisticatedevery day and the mistakethat most of our customershave been making is notcoping with the level ofknowledge that this evolutionrequires. We will definitelyinvest more in training andwhatever is necessary for theproducts or the technology.

We hope that theconsultants will grow innumber. In order for them tobe efficient in the marketthey’ve got to know whatcertain technologies can do.But they also need to playaround with products and getconfident with them so that

there will be an even higherdemand for what we calladded value.

And as everything isconverging so much, Prase willnot stop at the audio vertical.Our plan is to go into video andcontrol as well. If we sell to thesame customer it’s only a lostbusiness opportunity at themoment.

Are the boundaries betweenthe different disciplines thereanymore?They are not. You move blackboxes that could be anything.We’ve got to approach it theother way around, we have tobe mentally wired to see it asa package service accordingto what the market demands.When you approach a projectyou shouldn’t limit yourself toa specific offering of products,brands or model numbers. Youshould do the best job you canto meet the demand exactly.

On the other hand we saidmany times to our customersin the past 20 years, ‘Sorry, wedon’t have it. We havesomething similar, but you’dbetter buy something else.’ Aprofessional should be in aposition to say ‘no’.

What we’ve been doing over

the past 20 years is to build aproper audio portfolio so ourcustomers don’t often have tolook around somewhere else,and that’s what we would liketo do in the future for all of themarket segments.

But you want to be in aposition where you don’t say‘we can’t do it’ very often.That’s the goal – but if youwant to be 300% certain thatyou have an answer for everysingle question, you’d bettergive up at the start becauseyou won’t be able to achieve it.Our philosophy has beenwhenever you’re not sure youcan succeed, you’d better say

no in advance. It’s better thanmaking an easy sale today andthen disappointing thecustomer forever.

Do you have any closingthoughts?The past 20 years have goneby in a flash. Although we alsohave made lots of sacrifices –long days, crazy hours – mybrother and I have acomfortable feeling about thebusiness. It’s so nice to be ableto say that we have a properset-up and many peopletrusting us, just because ofthat very famous ‘no’! �

www.prase.it

INTERVIEW: ENNIO PRASE, PRASE ENGINEERING


Prase Engineering marked its 20th anniversary last year with a lavishparty for customers and friends at a castle in the Prosecco hills

INSTALLAWARDS


1 2 t h J u n e 2 0 1 4 • H i l t o n L o n d o n W e m b l e y

This June sees the first InstallAwards – a major event in the industry calendar, and a chance tocome together and celebrate excellence across a broad range of installation projects

ENTRIES for the InstallAwards arenow open. We’re looking to recognisethe best AV integration projects inthe following categories:� Public display/retail� Education� Sports and performing arts� Corporate and industrial� Residential

To reflect the multifaceted nature of installation projects, we will bemaking three awards in each of these categories.

BEST PROJECT AWARDWe'll be looking for evidence of asmany of the following as possible: � Technical innovation� Elegant design – technical or

aesthetic� Meeting or exceeding the client

brief� Expansion capability/

futureproofing

TEAMWORK AWARDThis award is designed toacknowledge the importance ofcollaboration and teamwork in thedelivery of successful installationprojects. Any size of team, from twopeople upwards, may be nominated,and we will be looking for:� How team inputs shaped one or

more aspects of the project� How one or more team members

went beyond the call of duty to deliver an element of the project

� How the individual skills and specialities of the team members combined to give an exceptional outcome

STAR PRODUCT AWARDThis award focuses in on a single partof an installation – a product thatperforms a key role in the overallsystem design. We’re especiallyinterested in products that provide anew solution for an existing issue.We’ll want to know:� Why this particular product was

chosen, rather than a competitive product

� How the system design, and/or the end-user experience, would have been different if an

alternative product had been used instead.

Any permanent or semi-permanentinstallation may be entered for the InstallAwards, provided it was handed over to the clientbetween 1 March 2013 and 28February 2014.

There is no fee to enter, and anycompany or individual can submit upto three entries – either in the samecategory or across multiplecategories.

To enter, go towww.installawards.com anddownload the entry form. Tostreamline the entry process, eachproject may be entered for BestProject, Teamwork and Star ProductAwards (if desired), and you only needto complete a single form.

You only have a few weeks to getyour entries in – the closing date isFriday 14 March.

The awards will be judged by alarge panel of independent expertsfrom across the industry, drawn fromas wide a range of backgrounds aspossible. If you would like to offeryour services as a judge, please sendan email [email protected].

FIFTEEN-YEAR AWARDSThere will be two further awards,judged by the Installation team. Tocoincide with the brand’s 15thanniversary this year, we will presentthe 15 Years of Excellence Award.This will be won by a company ororganisation that has made a majorcontribution to the AV installationworld – which could be throughtechnology, industry education orleadership.

In addition, we will be awarding the15 Years of Achievement Award.This will be presented to an individualwho, during the lifetime ofInstallation, has built up a major bodyof work that has left a lastingimpression on the industry.

There is no formal nominationprocess for these two awards, but wewelcome suggestions for deservingcompanies or individuals via email orsocial media.

THE EVENINGThe awards will be presented at aceremony at the Hilton LondonWembley on the evening of 12 June 2014.

Tickets for the awards are nowavailable, price £175 (or £1,495 for atable of 10). The ticket price includes:� Pre-dinner drinks reception� Entry to the awards� Three-course meal� Entry to after-party and much

more besides.

“The InstallAwards are an excitingnew event in the AV installationcalendar,” said Installation editorPaddy Baker. “Our unique awardsmethodology provides a means torecognise the different elements thatmake projects successful: systemdesign and integration expertise,teamwork, and of course theselection of the right product to fulfilimportant functions.

“It also enables smaller projects to

compete against larger ones in ameaningful way.

“It may seem like a long time until themiddle of March, but don’t leave it tothe last minute – start thinking aboutyour entries now and get the bestchance of having your work recognisedin front of an audience of your peers.”

SPONSORSHIPA wide variety of sponsorshipopportunities are available, includingsponsorship of award categories andvarious branding opportunities at theInstallAwards and in the run-up to theevent. For details, please contact Ian Graham –[email protected], +44 (0)20 7354 6000.

TICKETSContact Sarah Harris –[email protected] for more details or visitwww.installawards.com

Entry now open

Audinate’s Dante medianetworking technology isamong those to bemarketed as more thanaudio-only

With audio networkingadoption still sporadic,media networkingprobably won’t be adefault for at least threeor four years

[KEY POINTS]

FROM THE proprietaryprinciple of the 1990s to themigration towards universalstandards during the 2000s,the spread of full-blownnetworking has defined asizeable chunk of pro-audiodebate over the past 20years. But with theemergence of AVB(Audio/Video Bridging) and therelated AVnu Alliancemovement in 2009, discussionhas shifted decisively infavour of the practicality ofimplementing so-called medianetworks that also includevideo, control, data and more.

The purpose of this featureis to ascertain how far downthe road we are towardsmedia networking as a dailydefault. As we shall see,opinions differ markedly as tohow much meaningfulprogress has been made,although there is a generalconsensus that legacytechnical issues and ashortfall in end-userknowledge mean we arelooking at a reasonably

extended timescale.But first, an important

disclaimer: throughout thisarticle we are talking aboutreal-time media networking –“not point-to-point copy-and-repeat systems that somelabel as networks”, as Aviompresident and CEO Carl Baderputs it. With that in mind,defined below are six stepsto be taken along the way tothe next stage of thenetworking revolution.

1. CONVEYING ANUNDERSTANDING OF THETERM ‘MEDIA NETWORKING’IS PIVOTALAt this relatively early stageof proceedings, spreadingawareness of the possibilitiesof media networking is in nosmall part a question oflanguage and perception: inother words, finding the rightlanguage to explain the issueclearly and succinctly, andconveying the sense of adevelopment that has thecapacity to solve multipleproblems simultaneously.

Utilised correctly, then,media networking as a term“begins to create a largervision of a solution to ageneral problem rather than aspecific technological

element”, says BoschCommunications Systemsplatform strategist EthanWetzell. “I think the term isbest used when it refers to allof the key elements that gointo a true solution: thedistribution of content is key,of course, but there areadditional elements that needto be addressed, such ascontrol, discovery andconfiguration.”

2. MEDIA NETWORKING – ASOPPOSED TO AUDIO-ONLYNETWORKING – COULDHERALD TREMENDOUS COST SAVINGSFirst and foremost, theseinclude the ability to employone infrastructure and onesingle cable-or-fibre backboneto convey multiple data typesaround a facility: audio, video,command andcommunications. All thesedata types would be “availableon one backbone and a usercan just pick off what isneeded wherever it is neededthroughout the network. […] If

you have access to thenetwork, you have access toeverything; everything iseverywhere,” says Bader.

Drilling down into the morespecific benefits, BiampSystems AV product managerJustin O’Connor remarks:“Economy of scale and sharingof hardware and ancillaryresources are some of thebiggest advantages. If all ofthe structured networkingcable and switches in facilityare media-ready, deploying,expanding and repurposingsystems becomes a simpleand affordable exercise inendpoints. Another advantageis a single point of connectionfor accessing the system,centralising control of thesystem and remotemanagement.”

Cost savings generated byusing only one network alsoafford “the means for furtherredundancy in the network.This makes the network morereliable,” says Richard Zwiebel,vice president systemsstrategy, QSC.

FEATURE: NETWORKING

Media studies

Are the days of the audio-only network numbered as more and moresystem developers cite the benefits of all-encompassing ‘media networks’?As David Davies reports, the multifunction trend is undeniable – but it’sprobably best not to hang out the flags and bunting just yet…

Advantages of medianetworking include theability to implement a one-cable/fibreinfrastructure, therebyreducing costs


AArup chose a Biamp Tesira networkedaudio system for its Chicago SoundLab

‘The benefit ofconvergence isa more flexible,

lower-costsystem toinstall andmaintain’

Lee Ellison, Audinate

FEATURE: NETWORKING


3. PROPERLY DEPLOYED,MEDIA NETWORKS CAN BESCALABLE, FLEXIBLE ANDHIGHLY INTEROPERABLE“Interoperability betweenvideo, signage, audio, lightingand other technologies is ahuge advantage,” saysZwiebel. “For example, in [aninstallation at the SportsAuthority Stadium in Denver,Colorado], when the TVchannel in a private suite isswitched, the audio follows it.If there is an emergencyannouncement, the controlsignal will put the correctmessage on the screen, duckthe audio system, and inputthe correct emergencyannouncement to the correctzones.”

This flexibility of purpose ismirrored by a versatility ofdesign. “One of the largestadvantages is the fact that adesigner or user has extremeflexibility to centralise andintegrate features, functionsand infrastructure – if they sochoose,” says Wetzell.

Lawo’s Wolfgang Huber,meanwhile, highlights a gain inscalability “which is inherentusing IP infrastructure. With IPthe cabling is not anymore apoint-to-point on a physical

level; each device taking partof signal and mediacontribution and distributionsimply needs to be connectedto the ‘IP Cloud’. Once that isdone, ‘virtual cabling’ withsoftware-operated systemsenables the same workflowknown from traditional cablingbut with the huge advantageof quick changes,reproduction via software andmany more.”

“The benefit ofconvergence is a moreflexible, lower-cost system toinstall and maintain,” sums upLee Ellison, CEO of Dantedigital media networkingtechnology developerAudinate. “Ten years ago,there were questions aboutwhether voice and data couldbe used on a commonnetwork, but today 100MBnetworks and Gigabitnetworks are the norm andthis is no longer questioned.”

4. ON THE OTHER HAND, IFSOMETHING GOES WRONG…Delivering all data forms onone backbone is all fine anddandy when every componentis functioning effectively. ButBader isn’t alone in identifyingthe fact that more complexsystems can equal morecomplex problem-solving.

“Troubleshooting a mediasystem can be significantlymore complex, and if you loseyour network you loseeverything,” he says. “Themore you have on yournetwork, the more complexthe troubleshooting and themore debilitating an outage.”

Solving these problems mayalso require members ofdifferent building teams to

work together – not always asstraightforward as it mayseem. “In [facilities of thissize], where full medianetworks will likely first gaintraction – and to some extenteven in smaller, moreeveryday kinds of installationsyou see all over the world –the audio expert is separatefrom the video expert, who isseparate from the IT expert,”says Bader. “These differentareas of expertise arenaturally melded together infull media networkmanagement, and hence so isthe natural workflow,maintenance andtroubleshooting of thesystem.” This collaboration,cautions Bader, “may not be anatural or easy blending untilwe see the next generation ofmedia network engineers”.

5. BIT BY BIT, THE ELEMENTSNEEDED FOR MEDIANETWORKING ARE FALLINGINTO PLACEAudinate’s Dante is marketedunequivocally as a medianetworking technology, while

despite some reservationsabout the current momentumof the AVB project (see boxitem, page 35), its ‘video side’is said to be progressing(AVnu Alliance president andchair Rick Kreifeldt recentlysaid that the organisationexpects certification for “likelypro video devices to open inthe coming year”).Simultaneously, individualaudio manufacturers aregradually moving towardsgreater support of videoacross IP-based networks.

Lawo is among them. Inaddition to its support for theRavenna audio-over-IPtechnology, Lawo is a(relative) newcomer to thevideo market with the V_link4product for video contributionover IP, “which allows thetransport of 3G/HD-SDIsignals compressed oruncompressed over IPnetwork technology. So IP-based infrastructure hasbecome a production reality,”says Huber.

As for Dante, its formidablemarket position shows no

CASESTUDY

An ambitious deployment atthe Muirfield links in EastLothian for the British OpenChampionship yielded apowerful networking solutionfor the transmission of audioand data via a standardEthernet connection basedaround Bosch’s OMNEOtechnology.

Coverage of the event wasproduced by ESPN, working inclose conjunction with IMG andCTV Outside Broadcasts. Forthis year’s Open, CTV deployedaround 10 OB vehicles and, forthe first time, OMNEOnetworking technology.

“We were extremelyimpressed by the RTS +OMNEO combination,” saysCTV director of engineeringHamish Greig. “It provides a

networking technology idealfor events like the OpenChampionship, offering as itdoes not only programmetransport but also systemcontrol at the same time, andit gave us the furtheradvantage of being able tooperate the keypanels in aremote session.”

The nerve centre of the CTVoutside broadcastscommunications system atMuirfield was an ADAM full-sized modular matrix intercomin a 128 configuration.Equipped with redundantpower supplies and controllers,the integrated MCII-e controllerallowed the simultaneousoperation of up to 32 parallelAZEdit clients via Ethernetand/or RS-485. The keypanels

from RTS were linked usingOMNEO network technology.Communication between thematrix and the keypanels wasimplemented using an RTS OMIcard in the ADAM matrix aswell as six RTS OKI cards in thekeypanels.

The integration of anadditional ADAM matrix via aTBX card allowed the creationof a unified but elaboratesystem with many and variedtechnical options. Two Cronusmatrices onboard OB1 werealso integrated into the ADAMnetwork using an analogueconnection.

“The added flexibility andconfiguration options thatOMNEO contributed were ofdecisive importance during thisevent,” adds Greig.

OMNEO AT THE ‘FORE’-FRONT OF NETWORKING FOR BROADCAST

A master card brings Ravenna to Lawo’smc² consoles and Nova73 HD routers

‘Many of thestandards andtechnologies

that allow us toprovide audio

networking areready for

video – whenvideo is ready

for them’Ethan Wetzell, Bosch

FEATURE: NETWORKING


signs of dimming. In excess of125 manufacturers hadadopted Dante by the end of2013, with EAW, Solid StateLogic and several Harmanbrands among those recentlylaunching Dante-supportingproducts. Ellison remarks:“Dante provides the mostinteroperable network signaldistribution solution on themarket today with the mostproducts from the largestgroup of manufacturers.”

6. BUT… WE ARE STILL SOMEYEARS AWAY FROM FULL-MEDIA NETWORKING AS ACOMMON CHOICEThe ultimate inevitability ofmedia networking isn’t reallycontested. But for now, thisarea of the market is fluidand uncertain – not leastbecause different aspects ofthe technology will surelydevelop at contrastingspeeds.

“It’s important tounderstand that differentareas of the market do notalways evolve in the sameway,” confirms Wetzell. “Thequestion of how video andaudio are evolving is aninteresting one because Ithink it highlights sometechnology, application andhistorical differencesbetween the two worlds. Forexample, there are a lot ofdifferent flavours of audioand video. VoIP andbroadcast-qualityapplications both have audiocomponents, but theapplications andtechnological demands arevery different.”

But Wetzell is resolutelyupbeat, observing: “Many of

the standards andtechnologies that allow us toprovide audio networking areready for video – when videois ready for them.”

The sense that, in thegrand scheme of things, weare still at a fairly early stageof the networking revolutioncan be difficult to dispel.Consecutive surveys byInstallation sister title

PSNEurope’s annual liveindustry supplement PSNLivehave highlighted a surprisingreluctance towards audionetworking in some quarters.So to add video and otherelements to the mix at thisstage, well…

“I don’t think real-time fullmedia networking will be adaily default in three years,”says Bader. “I think audionetworking with trueinteroperability between acritical-mass number ofmanufacturers could be thedaily default in three years.There are audio networkingsolutions available today, butnetworking is still not thedefault and the optionsavailable have some practicallimitations. We’re gettingthere on the audio side, butwe’re not there yet.”

The smart money, then,suggests that while this isundoubtedly a trend to keepan eye on, the change ofmindset involved is soprofound that transferring tofull media networking will bethe work not of months, butof several years. �

www.audinate.comwww.aviom.comwww.biamp.comwww.boschcommunications.comwww.lawo.dewww.qscaudio.comwww.rhconsulting.eu

“In terms of media networking replacing audio-only networking,we are not there yet,” states Roland Hemming of RH Consulting.“There is simply too much divergence [in the market] and wehave yet to reach the stage where we can put video elegantlythrough an IT network at the ever-increasing quality people aredemanding with a realistic delay… especially with conversationnow turning towards [new Ultra-HD format] 4K. Making the shiftin favour of 10Gb networks will be a great help, but that requiresa huge change in infrastructure.”

More imminently, Hemming has very real concerns about thelong-term viability of AVB, which is still regarded in somequarters as the networking panacea. “Where is the product?” heenquires, rhetorically. “As things stand, there are only 11 [AVB-compliant] switches available. Also, AVB is Layer 2 when peoplethese days are generally expecting Layer 3 technology, such asRavenna.”

Ravenna is embodied in the newly ratified AES 67, and it isthis standard that Hemming expects to be the most powerfulrallying cry for networking over the next few years. As for AVB,he remains “astonished that [companies who support it] havenot engaged more fully with the market, especially when youconsider how many of them are experts at marketing! Buteverything about the process seems to be taking an age, andthe reality is that the numbers just don’t stack up.”

NOT THERE YET – AND HOW WILL WE GET THERE?ONE CONSULTANT’S VIEWPOINT

The Center for the Arts at Cuyahoga Community Collegeadopted Aviom's A-Net digital audio networkingplatform to help ease installation and setup whileminimising cable runs

THE HISTORY of inducingconsumers to buy a productcan be summarised as aprogression from broadcastingto narrowcasting – and,increasingly, towardsunicasting. Companies oncehad little alternative but totarget the masses.Progressively, they movedtowards targeting specificdemographics, based on thegrowing availability of personaldata. Now, they’re able totarget the individual. Loyaltycards, for example, mean thatyour supermarket knowsexactly what you buy –enabling it to make a highlyinformed guess about whatyou are likely to buy, given theright offer. Ask any directmarketing expert, and he orshe will almost certainly tell

you that the secret to successis “the offer”. Make the rightoffer to the right person at theright time, and the chances ofsuccess are significantlyhigher.

And when could be a bettertime to make an offer thanwhen that consumer isactually in-store, almostcertainly in a purchasing frameof mind? The challenge is totry to deliver a unique,personal experience thatengages the consumer andthat enhances brandperception, becoming thebasis of a relationship – andAV technology has a role toplay in facilitating that.

IT STARTS WITH A SCREENAt the heart of thatengagement is, inevitably, a

screen – or screens. “To helpcombat the rise of onlineshopping, retailers have had toup their game,” says JoeGraziano, market developmentmanager, MicroTiles, EMEA atChristie. “They have started todeploy engaging visual

technology, fit for purpose inits longevity and reliability,that offers the all-importantwow factor such as vibrantand creative displays thatengage and speak directly tothe audience that they aremarketing to.”

FEATURE: RETAIL

It’s getting personalIt’s estimated that, in the UK alone, online Christmas shopping last year totalled some €13 billion –up 15% from 2012. But despite the burgeoning significance of web-based retailing, major storesand brands continue to invest heavily in the ‘real world’. Ian McMurray uncovers the increasinglyinventive ways in which they’re trying to persuade us to buy more

Brands and retailers areno longer content to talkat consumers – they wantto engage with them

Smart brands and retailerssee their high streetpresence as an extensionand reinforcement of their digital presence –and vice versa

[KEY POINTS] Key technologies used inengaging consumersinclude QR codes, NFC,RFID, Bluetooth, motionsensors, facial recognition,touch and gesture,contact closure

The quest to deliver highlytargeted messaging israising (as of today,largely unfounded)concerns about potentialinvasion of privacy

‘To help combatthe rise of online

shopping,retailers havehad to up their

game’ Joe Graziano, Christie

Holovis designed a videowall with a bespoke control system forCoca-Cola’s installation at Madison Square Garden in NewYork, combining live sports action with brand engagement

� RFID at Burberry’s London store enables a selected garment to initiate a video giving more information about it(‘showrooming’)

� At the American Eagle store in New York, shoppers are encouraged to have their picture taken. This then appears on a massive billboard in Times Square for ‘five minutes of fame’

� Tesco has rolled out eye-scanning technology at its 450 UK petrol stations to deliver gender-based advertising

� At Santa’s Grotto in London’s Westfield shopping centre, pictures of visitors taken on the way in are integrated into a 3D video that is shown once they are inside

INTERACTION IN ACTION


4th September 2014

one-dayfree-to-attend

A new one-day conference and expo Education Entertainment and hospitality

Transportation

For further information and sponsorship opportunities contact:

All Im

ages courtesy of the Business D

esign Centre

Only pro-AV event to be led by the mainstakeholders within the key verticals

Business Design Centre - London

Only dedicated UK event for systems integrators/pro-AV installer /AV consultants and end users

Only UK pro-AV conference to be supported by atechnical exhibition and training breakout sessions

brought to you byAV/broadcast convergence Retail

AV/IT Networking

Ian Graham - Sales [email protected] or Tel: +44 (0)207 354 6000

FEATURE: RETAIL


But, increasingly, screensthemselves are no longerenough. The challenge lies increating a personal, engaging,interactive experience. Thereare numerous technologies outthere to allow this: QR codes,NFC, RFID, Bluetooth, motionsensors, facial recognition,touch and gesture, contactclosure – in which picking up anitem causes information aboutit to be displayed – are justsome of them.

“These technologies are notyet widely implemented, butthe most modern and eye-catching installs certainlymake use of them,” notes Basvan Heek, product manager atBarco LiveDots. “The power ofthis technology is enormous.For advertisers, they are afantastic way to get betterreturn on investment – and forthe audience, it is a greatadvantage to get relevantinformation at the right timeand place and in the rightformat. The shopper doesn’tsee the advertisement as athreat, but as a benefit thathelps them to make theirchoices easier, without thembeing annoyed by irrelevant‘spam-like’ advertising.”

NFC is regularly mentionedas a technology with a brightfuture, with importantadvantages over Bluetooth: itdoes not, for example, requirethe user to identify himself/herself, something whichmakes potential usersreticent. Making userscomfortable with interaction iskey to success.

“CBS, which launched theNFC pods at the Westfieldshopping Centre in London, isdoing a great job of this,”believes Nick Dew, managingdirector of production agencyReally Creative Media, “withsignage on each station tellingpeople how to activate. Oncethey have accessed thesystem, the ‘Tap To Play’, ‘TapTo Win’ and ‘Tap to Cook’campaigns easily show brandshow they can get involved andshare content that peoplewant to see.”

However, as long as Applerefuses to acknowledge itsexistence, the ability of NFC tobecome the dominantinteractive technology in retailwill remain limited.

LINKING DIFFERENT WORLDSQR codes are, it seems, wellunderstood by consumers. “Atthe moment, I think QR codesare the most widelyimplemented of all customerengagement technologies,”claims Laila Hede Jensen,director of sales for Europe,Russia and Africa at Prysm.“They’re a way of furtheringthe shopping experience bycombining the online spacewith the physical.”

Others, however, believethat their time may be almostpast, claiming that theyrepresent a temporary bridgebetween print and digital. Theimportance of linking thebricks-and-mortar space tothe online space – not just tothe corporate website, butalso to social media – is,however, a recurring themewhen it comes to looking atwhat brands and retailers aretrying to achieve with AVtechnology.

Another recurring theme isretailers looking at what’sgoing on elsewhere. “Theretail industry is learninglessons from the corporateenvironment and a new trendthat we are seeing is thedesire for displays that arecollaborative,” continues HedeJensen. “A screen must beable to be used for more thanone purpose to maximise theinvestment. We are seeing amove from displays that aresimply digital signageplatforms to ones that canincorporate gesture andtouch, visualisation andstreaming live feeds.”

And then there’s the worldof visitor centres and theme

parks. “RFID trackingtechnologies are a systemthat we have been exploringfor our virtual CAVE and domeenvironments and one thatwe think could workeffectively in retail,” saysStuart Hetherington, CEO ofHolovis, “creating virtualscenarios for customers thatare compelling, interactiveand intuitive.”

“Natural human interfacethrough gesture recognitionand sensor systems are keyapplications that we workwith through our immersiveand interactive solutions,” hecontinues. “These have seensignificant development in thelast few years in terms oftheir accuracy and arebecoming more accessibleand affordable for deliveringscalable impact. As a businesswe have already identified theneed to bring together all theelements of pop-up,immersive, experientialsolutions to enhance in-storemedia and connect dataseamlessly online. Theexperience needs to belooked at as one process.”

STAYING LONGER, SPENDING MOREThe importance of audio increating an environmentconducive to purchasing – theultimate aim of any AVtechnology in retail – shouldnot be underestimated, either,a point made by BenceGalambos, businessdevelopment manager atDension In-store DigitalSystems. “In-store music isproven to be a means ofcustomer engagement,” he

says. “Good music makesshoppers stay longer andspend more money.”

Dension also uses ourinherent vanity with its SmartMirror technology, whichtransforms a mirror into adigital signage screen. “Weuse different triggeringmethods such as closingelevator doors, pulling awaycurtains and so on,” hecontinues. “What’s common toall those methods is that theyare all initiated by the targetaudience themselves.”

Galambos implicitly raises akey point: interaction is, withmany technologies, activelyinitiated by the shopper. Butwhat about when apersonalised experience isdelivered as a result ofpassive initiation?

CASESTUDY

How can shopping malls compete with the growing presence of online shopping? Unibail-Rodamco,a leading European commercial property group, wanted to reinvent the customer experience anddevelop exceptional places where brands can connect with consumers.

Les Quatre Temps mall in Paris, which welcomes 46 million visitors each year, reflects thisambition with 1,527 Barco C7 LED tiles in a three-storey high, 250sqm curved videowall controlledby Barco’s DX-700 image processor. The display is said to be the largest indoor high-resolution LEDdisplay in Europe to date. Unibail-Rodamco plans to implement a similar digital strategy in its otherretail properties over time.

PARIS MALL REINVENTS CONSUMER EXPERIENCE

CASESTUDY

Trinity Leeds is a 120-outlet retail centre said to be thelargest project of its type in Europe. Brands and retailers inthe mall include Apple, Hollister, Mango, Superdry, Marks &Spencer, Next, River Island and Topshop.

In order to lure customers from their homes, it was createdas a digital destination that would offer ‘special moments’ anda ‘fun factor’.

Seven NEC videowalls, located in key areas across the mall,display information about events, live travel updates, centre-branded messages, movie trailers, special offers, news andcity guides. Crucially for the retailers, a percentage of the airtime is dedicated to advertising and promotions specific tothe neighbouring store owner. With cameras located above anumber of the videowalls collecting spatial information aboutits environment, passers-by can interact with the screenwithout having to touch it. Through an interactive application,visitors are engaging with the content to enjoy a personalisedexperience.

At Trinity Leeds, the digital dimension enhances thecustomer experience and provides retailers with the tools toreach their audience with the right message at the righttime – drawing consumers back again and again.

RETAIL COMPLEX IS A DIGITAL DESTINATION

‘Integrators arethe key to any

successfulproject’

Craig McQueen,

NEC Display

Solutions

FEATURE: RETAIL


“NEC has recently releasedField Analyst, an analyticalsoftware tool whichdetermines the age, genderand dwell time of theconsumer, and a middlewaresoftware tool, Leaf Engine,which takes that data andtriggers appropriate contenton the digital signageplatform,” says CraigMcQueen, corporate accountmanager at NEC DisplaySolutions. “These tools help toincrease user engagementthrough personalisation, andto achieve audiencemeasurement for auditableproof of the impact of a digitalsignage installation.”

That’s music to the ears ofadvertisers: in a relativelyfledgling industry like digitalsignage, measuringeffectiveness and ROIcontinues to be a focus ofattention and a challenge. But

is it not also, potentially, aninvasion of privacy – in effect,capturing consumer datawithout consent?

MAKING A DISTINCTIONMcQueen is well aware of thepotential issue. “It’s importantto make a clear distinction.Our Field Analyst solutioncould be mistaken for facialrecognition software thatcould be capable of identifyingan individual – but, in fact, it isno more than a tool thatidentifies age, gender anddwell time – data which canbe used to improve theconsumer experience bytailoring advertising.”

Bas van Heek agrees.“There is a big differencebetween identifying ananonymous individual, andidentifying someone as anindividual with a name andother personal information,”

he says. “This is a step-by-step process – but it isdefinitely the future.”

And even where personaldata is willingly shared, careneeds to be taken. “When wehave completed installationsthat use tablet technology, weimplement a strict cachingpolicy, making sure every 30seconds that people areautomatically logged offapplications such as Facebookand that all surface data aboutthem has been removed, toensure an extra level ofprotection,” notes Dew.

Unsurprisingly, given thatengaging consumers sees thebringing together of multipletechnologies, the role of theintegrator is seen as vital.

“Integrators and solutionproviders can play an essentialrole in getting the rightbalance between technologiesto help brands and retailerswhile also enhancing theshopper experience,” notesHetherington. “They also havea responsibility to know whatis coming around the cornerwith regard to userexperience, influenced byconsumer electronics, themeparks, films and technologyinnovations that will keep thestores up to date for futureyears.”

“Integrators are the key toany successful project,”echoes McQueen. “They cansupport the client in gettingthe best out of the solution.”

“Companies like Barco canprovide a wide range ofenabling technologies,” addsBas van Heek. “But what’srequired is to take thosetechnologies and turn theminto solutions. That’s whereintegrators come in – not justat the point of installation, buton a continuing basis.”

TECHNOLOGY-SAVVY,TECHNOLOGY-WEARYTechnology-savvy consumersare no longer impressed bythe simple presence of largescreens delivering eye candy.At the same time, brands andretailers are looking to createcloser relationships withthose technology-wearyconsumers. Deliveringengaging retail experiencesthat create not just brandawareness, but also brandpreference – and, ultimately,purchasing decisions – is theway forward.

There is, inevitably, disquietabout how we, as consumers,are being targeted inincreasingly specific,increasingly personal ways.On the other hand, if thattargeting delivers us onlyretail experiences and offersthat are relevant and ofinterest – and, just asimportantly, eliminates orminimises offers that aren’t(think junk mail) – and if itdoes not overstep theboundary between consciousengagement and unknowingintrusion, it can easily be seen as a positivedevelopment. Indeed, it ishelping to reduce theinformation overload thatAlvin Toffler saw as the rootof many of society’s problemsin Future Shock – back in1970. From that point of view, the role AV technologyis playing in the retail market is to be verymuch welcomed. �

www.barco.comwww.christiedigital.com/emeawww.dension.comwww.holovis.comwww.nec-display-solutions.comwww.prysm.comwww.reallycreativemedia.co.uk

NNew store openings, such as this one by David's Bridalat Westfield, provide opportunities for AVtechnology – here, provided by Really Creative Media

Applied science,technology and innovationare about to have aprofound effect on morepeople than ever before

AV system integratorswith IP networking skillsare in a strong position toseize opportunities andmust become involved inbuilding managementtechnology

[KEY POINTS]

WE HAVE seen the way thataudiovisual technology hasevolved rapidly over the pastfew years as discreteanalogue content storage andplayback devices have beenreplaced by their digitalequivalents. These have, inturn, begun to be displaced bynetwork-connected andremotely managed devices.Along with each newtechnology has comeenhanced usability, access toever-expanding amounts ofdata, and features that werenot realistically possible withprevious systems.

The latest round ofadvances is no exception andis potentially the mostprofound metamorphosis wehave ever encountered. “Weare at a period of history whenapplied science, technologyand innovation will have aprofound effect on more of uson the planet than ever

before,” points out JamesManyika, director at globalmanagement consulting firmMcKinsey Global Institute.“Breakthrough technologiesthat will touch the largestnumber of people, companiesand economies are thosethat show rapidadvancement in cost andperformance. Chief amongthese is IT and how we use it;which encompasses mobileinternet, Cloud technologyand the Internet of Things.”

These are precisely theelements that are affectingthe way that buildingservices are monitored,managed and controlled.Systems are available thatautomatically handle all theenvironmental, lighting andinternal services for acomplete building and can beaccessed remotely as part ofa managed global estate.

These advances present

significant opportunity to theAV industry. Formanufacturers there is thepotential to develop controlproducts that reach deeperinto the building automationworld. For integrators, who arealready generally conversantwith IP-enabled systems, newareas of application areopening up. It is critical thatboth parties embrace andmaster smart buildingautomation technology andits application for fear of beingousted by eager competitorsfrom other fields.

Bob Snyder, moderator ofthe Smart BuildingConference, held in London inOctober and returning to ISEthis month, warns: “A massivetransformation is taking placein the smart building controlindustry which has risen fromnothing to several billiondollars in value over a handfulof years. In addition to the

traditional energymanagement and controlmanufacturers, such asHoneywell, Siemens, JohnsonControls and General Electric,the largest computingcorporations in the world arebecoming active: companieslike IBM, Cisco and HP, whichcan add their own valuethrough data managementand analytics. As with any seachange, those who embrace itwill flourish, others will perish.Every pro-AV organisationshould study the technologyand put a plan in place toaddress it.”

SKILL SETThe division between theactivities of AV integratorsand electrical trades issomething that GuySimmonds, sales director atLutron, is also keenly awareof: “Lutron controllers areoften installed by AV

integrators in the boardroomand conference rooms of abuilding and at the same timeby general electricalcontractors for the mainlighting systems. It doesn’tneed to be that way. There isample opportunity for AVspecialists to provideprofessional services for thewhole building – systemdesign, project management,programming, integration withBMS, HVAC andmaintenance – if they taketime to acquire the skillsthemselves.”

Many of the main AVsystem manufacturers arealready extending the scopeof AV control equipment toreach into these areas. “Thebuilding automation andcontrols system market isgrowing at a CAGR of 11.2%and is projected to reach$49.5 billion by 2018,”explains Phillip Pini of

FEATURE: SMART BUILDING

Taking control As advancements in technology show no signs of slowing, AV integrators can use their knowledgeof control systems to dig deeper into the world of building automation, writes Steve Montgomery

Smart buildingmanagement systems areevolving rapidly


All intelligent devices willbe connected to theinternet and data will beshared widely

Building managementemploys a mixture ofcentralised and localcontrollers on a network

Cloud-based ‘Big Dataanalytics’ will generatesignificant energyefficiencies and costsavings in the futureSSavant offers a suite of hardware and software solutions that address control, automation, telephony, digital display, lighting and more



Crestron. “Crestron providesboth the technology and theknow-how to help integratorscapitalise on this hugeopportunity. AV controltechnology is moving fromindividual meeting roomstowards total buildingintegration and beyond, tomanage several buildingswithin an enterprise.

“A complete EnterpriseBuilding Management solutioncombines control of AV, roomscheduling, BMS, voice anddata, HVAC, security, lightingand energy management.Crestron 3-Series network-grade appliances integratethese technologies andsystems on the sameplatform to work together asa single system. It is the onlyway to centrally control theenterprise and relies oncomplete visibility andcollection of data. CrestronFusion software addsintelligence and transformsthe integrated building into asmart building. It provides adashboard to monitor,manage and controltechnology in all rooms and inall buildings across a campusor global enterprise. Detailedusage data is collected andreported, enabling more

informed decision makingabout staffing, scheduling,purchasing and workspacedesign.”

Automated systems enablebuildings to be managedaccording to predeterminedrules that are followed duringpeak consumption to cutdown energy usage byautomatically adjustingheating and cooling setpoints, detecting and limitingthe maximum brightness oflighting levels. Rooms can bereadied for use just beforemeetings are scheduled tostart. If a meeting is cancelled,its unoccupied state isdetected and the roomreturned to the vacated state.

Other features ensure thatclimate control is maintainedin real time and according toambient and seasonaltemperatures. As locationhistory is established, theinformation can be used as abasis for environmentaladjustments, enabling fine-tuning and greater efficienciesin energy management. Theseare features that are widelyincorporated into the latestgenerations of AV controllers.

Kevin Morrison, managingdirector and vice president,AMX Europe, says: “While

CASESTUDY

Republic Bank is one of the largest financialinstitutions in the Eastern Caribbean, whereenergy costs can be up to four times higherthan in the US. The organisation soughtenergy-saving solutions to drastically reduceoperating costs and improve lighting levels toenhance comfort.

Custom AV Designs (CAVD) designed andimplemented Lutron Quantum Total LightManagement systems in 11 bank branches.Placing a Quantum server in each branch officewas cost prohibitive. Instead, CAVD designed avirtual local area network to run on the client’sexisting multinational network, withoutcompromising security or performance.

The whole network required just three

country-based Quantum servers. As eachbranch was commissioned it was connected tothe appropriate Quantum server.

“Quantum offered scalability, the capacity tocombine multiple lighting control strategiesunder a single protocol and the flexibility tomeet budget constraints,” says RudolphMcClean, business security officer, RepublicBank, Barbados. “Taking advantage of naturaldaylight to reduce dependence on electriclighting and sensor-controlled switching oflights achieved savings of between 60% and90%. Thanks to the installation of the LutronQuantum systems we can see the lights comeon when needed and go off when there is nomovement in a room.”

REPUBLIC BANK HARVESTS DAYLIGHT TO SAVE ENERGY



control technology may haveoriginated from the desire tocontrol audiovisual devices,the latest generation ofsystems controls much more,integrating widely with MEP[mechanical, electrical andplumbing] systems and BMSsystems to offerunprecedented levels of full-facility management. Controlcan be achieved on amultitude of levels: by device,by room, by floor or bybuilding, either by taking adirect approach, or byproviding over-archingmanagement through theintegration of disparatesystems and subsystems. Abuilding with automationfeatures may be deemed an‘intelligent’ building but it isonly when these standalone,disparate systems becomefully integrated as a cohesiveand unified whole that truebuilding intelligence is realised;where intelligence,connectivity and automationconverge.

“It used to be the case thateach system would have itsown proprietary reportingprocedures. Nowadays, withunifying managementsystems such as ResourceManagement Suite (RMS),

reporting can be consolidated,greatly simplifying the processby which useful informationand data from all subsets of asystem can be extracted andanalysed for a holisticoverview. RMS’s detailedreporting capabilities facilitateweb-based analysis of a widerange of data, including helprequests and room, systemand device usage. This affordsan unrivalled understanding of

equipment, resource andenergy usage, right down todevice level. IT and AVmanagers can centralise themonitoring and managementof AV devices and buildingsystems across a building, acampus or global facilities.RMS gives our integrators theability to offer an outsourced,remote monitoring andmaintenance service to theirclients.”

COMPLEX STANDARDSOne of the complexitiesinherent in integratingsystems is the range ofinternal communicationstandards. “Many subsystemsare now either IP based or atleast have an option to becontrolled via IP. The mostcommon examples areprobably lighting control andHVAC systems,” says DavidWebster, chief technology

officer, RGB Communications.“However, not allmanufacturers have realisedthe importance of externalcontrol but concentrate on theinternal performance of theirown products rather thansupport externalcommunication protocols.Consequently there arenumerous third-party interfaceproducts appearing that talknatively to HVAC or BMSsystems. From the controllerpoint of view, it is unlikely thatheating or lighting systems willhave the necessaryprocessing power orinterfacing capability to talk toother subsystems, so it iseither the AV system, or acentral control system, that isbetter suited to global control.As with all AV control systemsthe secret of success is tochoose components that youknow can be controlled.Savant combines a powerfulnative, scalable IP controlsystem and revolutionaryBlueprint software platform.This allows users to rapidlyconfigure installations withoutlow-level programmingrequirements, to address thecontrol, automation, audio/video, telephony, digitaldisplay, energy management

Control4 buildingautomation solutionsfacilitate control of lighting,HVAC, security systems etcthat are both centralisedand distributed



and media integration needsof today’s complexenvironments.”

While totally centralisedmanagement is an attractivegoal, it is not currently thepreferred method of systemimplementation. There are somany technologies andoperating platforms in the

corporate space that trulycentralised control cansometimes be difficult toachieve. Systems are oftenbuilt around a central point ofcontrol but with distributeddecision making. Control4provides elements for bothvariants.

Paul Williams, VP ofcommunications and securityproducts at the company,says: “Our building automationsolutions facilitate control oflighting, HVAC, audiovisualequipment, IP cameras andsecurity systems that are bothcentralised and distributed.Our primary controllers aretypically centralised whilesecondary controllers aredistributed around thelocations close to the devicesthey are controlling.”

Interoperability betweencomponents and localisedcontrol are characteristic ofthe KNX standard. “KNXemploys a decentralisedapproach, but allows devicesthat centralise certainbuilding functions, forexample user touchpanelsand displays on a PC or smartdevice,” explains JoostDemarest, CTO of the KNXAssociation. “It allowsintegration of devices fromdifferent manufacturers in asystem while enablingintercommunication and co-operation based on dataflow. This will enhance andpromote the increased use ofwireless devices withincontrol systems.”

The Cloud is alreadyaffecting smart buildingcontrol systems; not just in

the sense of simply providingsoftware as a service (SaaS),but more in the way that datacan be shared andamalgamated for off-siteprocessing. As the Internet ofThings becomes moreprevalent it will createsolutions and opportunitiesthat we are only justbeginning to consider. TheInternet of Things refers tothe use of sensors, actuatorsand data communicationstechnology built into physicalobjects, anything from roadsand bridges to pacemakersand products undergoingmanufacture, that enablethose objects to be tracked,co-ordinated or controlledacross a data network or theinternet. Intel has released anintelligent gateway that willoperate on new devices, aswell as the countless legacysystems, to capture and sharetheir data in the Cloud.

“Using this gateway, DaikinApplied has demonstratedhow real-time data from smartequipment in commercial roof-top HVAC equipment can becaptured. It is thentransmitted directly to theCloud using 3G networks backto base for ‘Big Data analytics’that matches actualequipment operation tobuilding owners’ operationalcriteria and interacts with thebuilding to control theequipment accordingly,”explains Kevin Facinelli, DaikinApplied executive VP. “DaikinApplied can then focus onrapidly deployingdifferentiated value-addedservices such as real-time

HVAC unit performance,remote diagnostics,monitoring and control,advanced energymanagement, and third-partycontent integration servicesto its customers.”

According to the researchcarried out by McKinseyGlobal Institute and featuredin the report Disruptivetechnologies: Advances thatwill transform life, business,and the global economy:“More than nine billion devicesaround the world arecurrently connected to theinternet, including computersand smartphones. Thatnumber is expected toincrease dramatically withinthe next decade, with

estimates ranging fromquintupling to 50 billiondevices to reaching onetrillion and with the potentialto create economic impact of$2.7 trillion to $6.2 trillionannually by 2025. It will havea profound impact andeconomic consequences onbusiness models that are yetto be invented.” �

www.amx.comwww.control4.comwww.crestron.comwww.daikinapplied.comwww.intel.comwww.knx.orgwww.lutron.comwww.mckinsey.comwww.rgbcomms.co.ukwww.savantsystems.com

The New York Times installed the Lutron Quantum Total LightManagement system in its 52-storey headquarters

‘AV controltechnology ismoving from

individualmeeting roomstowards total

buildingintegration and

beyond, tomanage severalbuildings withinan enterprise’

Phillip Pini,

Crestron

FranceFEATURE: REGIONAL VOICES

Our survey of the Frenchinstallation world revealsa fragmented picture, witha few areas of activityenlivening a generally flat market

EXTERNAL FACTORS

HOW INFLUENTIAL (EITHER POSITIVELYOR NEGATIVELY) ARE THE FOLLOWING

FACTORS ON YOUR BUSINESS?

0.2%Annual GDP growth, Q3 2013Source: tradingeconomics.com 4.1% (approx)

Budget deficit, 2013 (as share of GDP)Source: France24.com


The majority of French integratorsspecialise in a single sector, suchas corporate, education or sportfacilities

There are no significant skillsgaps in the French installationsector

In general, French installers arecomfortable with the increasingamount of IT networking in AVinstallations

DO YOU AGREE WITH THESE STATEMENTS ABOUT THE INDUSTRY?

STATE OF THEMARKET

Do you think general levelsof confidence in the French

installation sector arehigher or lower than six

months ago?

DESIRED CHANGESIF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT

THE FRENCH INSTALLATION MARKET,WHAT WOULD IT BE?

‘We need more training in particular aspects of AVconvergence and IP’

‘The formation of more complete integrators’

‘Too few professional enthusiasts in the audiovisual world’

‘It is a very complicated market, with many variations.Only the known and recognised “haute couture”

companies retain a reputation. Making dreams a realityrequires a lot of listening to the desires of customers’

Strongly Agree

Neither

Disagree

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Agree

MOSTINFLUENTIAL

National economic situation

More affordable technology

Legislation/regulations

Competitor activity

Energy efficiency/

green technologies

LEAST INFLUENTIAL

‘Only the large populationcentres – Paris, Lyon, Monaco,Toulouse, Bordeaux – arefunctioning normally.Elsewhere, projects come caseby case, and randomly’

‘It is a highly fragmentedsector: few large companieswith large multi-domainexpertise and a multitude ofsmall ones!’

‘There are some really goodintegrators specialising in newtechnologies, who arepassionate about their craft.But many others have workedwith the same products for 20years and are unable to godigital or use the mostinteresting products’

‘We work with an affluentclientele not touched by thecrisis; many of our clients haveleft France’

Higher – 28%

Lower – 19%

The same – 53%

Strongly Disagree

TECHNOLOGY: NEW PRODUCTS

Our selection of the latest productsfor the installation market

InstallationPRODUCTOF THE MONTH

What’s new


IT’S… ‘The world’s brightest single chip DLP projector.’

DETAILS: With a contrast ratio of up to 5,000:1 andfully active 3D with up to 144Hz refresh rate, the M-Vision 930 is said to offer features normallyassociated with high-end three-chip systems at asingle-chip price point.

The 0.96in DarkChip DMD, six-segment colour wheeland dual 465W high-intensity discharge lamps producea high level of image quality and brightness – 12,000ANSI lumens. Meanwhile dual HDMI 1.4, DVI and 3G-SDIinputs provide high-speed video delivery. Tocomplement this, HDBaseT connectivity allows for thetransmission of uncompressed high-definition videoover a Cat5e/6 LAN cable.

For versatility, Edge Blend and Geometric Correctionare standard features of the M-Vision 930 WUXGA,including the ability to blend stereoscopic images.

A complete suite of professional lenses offer throw ratios from 0.84:1 to 4.00:1 and all projector modelsfeature motorised shift and zoom.

AND ALSO: The M-Vision 930 will have its first public

showing at ISE 2014 alongside the HIGHLite Laser 12klaser projector.

AVAILABLE: Now

www.digitalprojection.co.uk

DIGITAL PROJECTIONM-VISION 930

IT’S… The first column loudspeakerfrom d&b and the latest addition tothe White range.

DETAILS: The xC-Series comprisesthree loudspeakers, the 16C, 24C and24C-E, all designed for integration intodifficult acoustic and aestheticenvironments, from houses of worshipto conference halls, auditoriums andpublic spaces.

The xC-Series utilises high verticaldirectivity control to focus output onlisteners and reduce energy radiatinginto the reverberant field.

The passive bandpass design alsoachieves pattern control in thehorizontal plane down to lowfrequencies, increasing gain beforefeedback and minimising unwantedreflections from behind theloudspeaker. The HF array in the two-way passive 24C has a nominalvertical dispersion of 20°; the mainaxis can be mechanically adjustedcontinuously between 0° and -14°.

This is combined withan LF sectioncomprising six 4indrivers producing abeam with a fixeddownward tilt of 5° anda 90° horizontaldispersion maintaineddown to 370Hz. The24C-E extension, with afurther six 4in drivers,can be attacheddirectly to the 24C,increasing patterncontrol down to 190Hz,without any additional

amplification or processing. Thesmaller 16C houses four 4in driversand a 0.75in compression drivermounted on a CD horn, producing anominal dispersion of 90° x 40° (h x v).

AND ALSO: All xC-Series loudspeakers andavailable accessoriescan be colour matchedto interior requirements.

AVAILABLE:Nowwww.dbaudio.com

D&B AUDIOTECHNIKXC-SERIES

IT’S… A new wireless extender forHDMI 60GHz.

DETAILS: Designed for any in-roomtransmission of high-quality, 1080pFull HD video up to 33ft (10m), theextender delivers 3DTV, is plug-and-play and supports all audio formatsincluding the new lossless High BitRate (HBR) 7.1-channel Dolby TrueHDand DTS-HD Master Audio.

This extender uses the latesttechnology for a high-quality methodof wireless extension that takesadvantage of the WirelessHDspecification, which is based on the60GHz EHF (Extremely HighFrequency) radio band.

This method of extension eliminatesthe need to run cables, making it agreat solution for retrofits or anyenvironment that wants to

streamline cabling.Due to its in-room transmission

and use of the uncluttered 60GHz frequency band, it can perform seamlessly alongside otherwireless devices in adjacent roomswith zero interference. It is said to beeasy to install, requiring a connectionof the video source to the sender andof the display or projector to thereceiver. Content is transportedwirelessly at 4Gbps from source to display.

AND ALSO: The device boasts a small footprint and comes with a risk-free warranty.

AVAILABLE: Nowwww.gefen.eu

GEFENWIRELESS FOR HDMI 60 GHZ



IT’S… A modular pro-ribbonpoint source array.

DETAILS: The RR12 hasbeen developed as a‘building block’ to createtightly packed arrays forcontrolled sound coveragein a wide variety of audienceareas.

It combines a linear, non-compressed, clear responsefrom the lowest to thehighest SPLs with a widedynamic power output ratio.The distortion is on averageonly one-tenth of that oftraditional compression-based systems.

The system featuresAlcons’ proprietaryRBN602rsr 6in pro-ribbondriver and a custom-designed 12in woofer with4in voice coil and dual-spider suspension withforced venting. Bothtransducers haveneodymium motorstructures, and the RR12has a high performance-to-weight ratio.

AND ALSO: The trapezoidalcabinet is fitted withintegrated mountinghardware, enabling arrayassembly with just a singleoperation from the rear ofthe cabinet.

AVAILABLE: Nowwww.alconsaudio.com

IT’S… A mid-span power supply.

DETAILS: Designed to power PoCc-compatible HDBaseT transmitters and/orreceivers without requiring the relatedAtlona power source device, the AT-PS-POCC can send power to a compatibletransmitter, receiver, or both using thesame category cable as the HDBaseT signal.

The AT-PS-POCC is a 24V DC bidirectionalpower supply ideal for any AV environmentin which neither the transmitters norreceivers can receive power from apowered transmitter or switch. The systemis also useful in installations that would beunduly cluttered with additional powersupply wiring. A switch allows the AT-PS-POCC to provide power between the

transmitter and receiver, ineither direction or bothdirections simultaneously, and asingle power supply can powermultiple AT-PS-POCC devices.The solution can be used toenable and disable PoCc devicesfor easy power routing, and itscaptive screw design ensures asecure and reliable connection.

AND ALSO: The AT-PS-POCCfully supports pass-through ofresolutions up to 4K x 2K or 1920 x 1200as well as full 3D pass-through. SupportingPoCc-powered transmitters or receivers aswell as non-PoCc power source equipment,the device also supports lossy and lossless

multichannel audio formats including DolbyTrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

AVAILABLE: Nowwww.atlona.com

ATLONAAT-PS-POCCALCONS

AUDIORR12



IT’S… A compact H.264streaming media decoder usedwith Extron SME 100 encodersto provide complete end-to-endAV streaming systems.

DETAILS: The SMD 101 isdesigned for use in professional AV applicationsto decode live streamed content from SME 100encoders or play back AV media files accessiblefrom network shares. It accepts streamingresolutions up to 1080p/60 and outputs avariety of resolutions, from 640 x 480 up to 1920 x 1200.

Fill/Follow/Fit aspect ratio controls managedisparities between the streaming video anddisplay format. This compact, energy-efficientdecoder is an ideal counterpart to the SME 100encoder to deploy in simple overflow andmonitoring applications or multichannel

streaming systems and high-resolution signageset-ups.

AND ALSO: The SMD 101 supports use of bothpush and pull streaming configurations, making itadaptable to a variety of network conditions andstreaming requirements. Stereo analogue audioand HDMI-embedded audio signals are bothsupported, providing compatibility with embeddeddisplay speakers or existing audio systems.

AVAILABLE: Nowwww.extron.com

EXTRONSMD 101

IT’S… Spot and beam versions of the XR 1000moving head.

DETAILS: Housed in an IP20, high temperatureengineered plastic chassis, the fixture isbrighter than a conventional 1,200W dischargelamp; however it boasts a weight of just 31kg.

Highlights of the XR 1000 include sevenrotating gobos and seven fixed gobos; a three-fact prism, soft frost and fire effect wheel, anda linear zoom with range of 9°-47°.

Other features include: 2800K-6500K linearlyadjustable colour temperature; smooth CYMcolour mixing system, plus CTO with macro;and colour wheel with seven colours (pluswhite) and vari-speed bidirectional rainboweffect. Also of note is step/linear colourchanging; DMX linear focusing and zooming;and 0-100% linearly adjustable dimming and 5-100% linearly adjustable iris (with macro).

AND ALSO: The adjustable head movementitself offers 540° of pan and 270° of tilt.

AVAILABLE: March 2014www.pr-lighting.com

PR LIGHTINGXR 1000

IT’S… A combination of a ClickShare wirelesspresentation system and Present projector.

DETAILS: As part of Barco’s ‘Intelligence Inside’concept, ClickShare Inside is the first in a line ofoptional modules to integrate future-proof andsimple collaboration technology.

After integrating the ClickShare Inside optionunder the hood of a Present projector, userscan wirelessly share their content on-screen.ClickShare Inside consists of a CSM Base Unitand an integration kit containing a bracket andthree cables – HDMI, USB to RS-232, and apower cable – and can be integrated and neatlyhidden under the hood of the projector.Featuring a fully wireless connection, theClickShare functionality is automaticallyactivated once the projector is switched on.Meeting participants can then share theircontent on-screen by means of a ClickShareButton, or by installing the ClickShare

Presenter app on their Android or iOSsmartphone or tablet.

AND ALSO: Users can also download anupdate to the Button Manager software to pairtheir ClickShare Buttons via their laptop as wellas via the Base Unit’s USB port.

AVAILABLE: Q2 2014www.barco.com

BARCOCLICKSHARE INSIDE


IT’S… A solution for installing HD TVs andother displays with the potential tostream Full HD 1080p 60Hz video and 5.1channel digital audio anywhere in thehome or office, as well as in commercialsettings and public areas.

DETAILS: The HD Flow WirelessMultimedia Kit (HDS200) effectivelynegates the need for long and expensivecable runs and the potential channellinginto walls for a neat appearance. Itallows AV equipment to be quicklymoved between locations, withoutrestriction to cable connection points. It alsofunctions in corporate and commercial settingsas a BYOD hub for meetings and presentations.

Featuring simple plug-and-play setup, HD Flowhas five inputs for multiple devices. Full HDcontent can be instantly multicasted in real-time to up to four receivers, including HDTVs,digital TVs, projectors and monitors.

Operating in the open 5GHz band, HD Flowcreates an interference-resistant privatenetwork over a 40m (131ft) range, with the

ability to penetrate walls, ceilings and floors.

AND ALSO: Other features include the ability toconnect up to four distinct source devices,easily switch between sources using the remotecontrol unit, and transfer to a second WiFichannel in the unlikely event of interference orto run two HD Flow systems simultaneously.

AVAILABLE: Nowwww.peerless-av.com

IT’S… The newest Corio2 scaler from TV One.

DETAILS: The C2-2855 is the first in a newgeneration of high-performance scalersproviding best-in-class video scaling andformat conversion along with intuitive userinterface tools.

The device is said to have more input/outputflexibility than any other TV One scaler. It canbe set up and managed using a new front panelor via a computer-based control panel thatallows set-up in less than one-third of the timeof the previous generation.

The front panel helps with set-up timethrough colour modulated soft-buttons;

intuitive, categorised menus; and recall of up to12 presets with two button-presses.

The C2-2855 provides high-qualitybidirectional conversion between a variety ofanalogue and digital video formats. Inputs andoutputs can be SD/HD/3G-SDI, HDMI, DVI,Composite Video, YC, YUV, YPbPr or RGB. Anincluded key feature allows an image to bekeyed over another and faded in and out dueto the 4:4:4 sampling format for RGB sources,which means precise keying at the pixel level can be achieved. Five full-frame stillimages can be stored and switched along with five logos.

AND ALSO: Control software is available forthe C2-2855 on severalWindows PC OS platformsand interfaces directly withthe C2-2855.

AVAILABLE: Nowwww.tvone.com

PLANARCLARITY MARTIX WITH G2 ARCHITECTURE

PEERLESS-AVHDS200

TV ONEC2-2855

IT’S… The next-generation Clarity Matrix LCDvideowall system.

DETAILS: The Clarity Matrix with G2Architecture is said to combine the industry’sthinnest profile ultra-narrow bezel LED LCDvideowall with improvements in design,installation and service. In addition, a new 55inClarity Matrix model features a tiled bezelwidth as small as 3.7mm (0.15in), simplifiedinstallation and maintenance, and 24x7mission-critical reliability.

The Clarity Matrix with G2 Architecturecomes with Planar’s EasyAxis mountingsystem, which provides an installed depth ofjust 3.6in for ‘perfect panel-to-panel alignment’.

AND ALSO: The Clarity Matrix with G2Architecture offers 4K ultra-high-definition(UHD) input capability and 10-bit colourprocessing. Planar’s Big Picture Plus processingis built into the system, allowing content to bescaled across the entire videowall or sectionsof the videowall.

AVAILABLE: Q1 2014www.planar.com


Residential audio When installing audio technology into homes, installers must be conscious of boththe usability of the system and its aesthetic value, writes James McGrath


TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE

Belgium-based Audac has alwaysmaintained a cost-consciousapproach to the design of its mediumto large commercial speaker rangesby ensuring cost-effectivecomponents are chosen and thespeakers are simple to install.

But when the company gave itselffree rein to design a speaker forsmaller residential applications, itopted to create a range with a high-end feel by using the bestquality components available ratherthan constraining itself to a certainbudget.

The CELO range of in-ceilingloudspeakers, which was designedusing the company’s prior knowledgeof in-ceiling devices for largercommercial installs, offers three

variants in the range: the CELO 5,CELO 6 and CELO 8. Each numberrepresents the size of the model ininches and each of the devices offers50W RMS power with a maximumpower of 100W.

The company says the speakersuse the highest-quality materials andincorporate Audac’s aluminiummembranes, which is why the deviceshave been recommended for high-endapplications.

They feature a slim grille with a1mm thin border that will onlyprotrude 3.2mm from the surface ofthe ceiling once installed, providing aslick option for installs. The grilleitself is held in place by powerfulneodymium magnets to easeassembly and disassembly and offer

a secure attachment with the shell ofthe speaker.

A 1in aluminium cone tweeter is heldin place by an acoustically optimisedarm in front of a 5in aluminium conewoofer. Together with the crossovernetwork, this is said to produce true tonature sound reproduction for a warmand detailed sound.

Ceiling mounting the loudspeakercan be done by a quick-fixingmechanism, which involves tighteningfour screws and then applying thefront grille. The company says thisdesign enables the loudspeakers to beinstalled almost anywhere, and that the sound quality produced postinstallation is similar to that of a veryexpensive hi-fi system.www.audac.be

{ }Audac’s CELO adds finishing touch

Amina Technologies hasupgraded its flagship plaster-over two-way AIW750E invisibleloudspeaker with the first useof the new Excelsior exciterclass vibrational soundexcitation device.

The Excelsior is a very high-power neodymium magneticengine featuring innovativemagnetic flux control andpower handling. Theefficient technology isthe first in a newgeneration of proprietarydesigns from Amina thatcreate vibrational driveengines that are tailoredto excite specificfrequency ranges inflatpanel audio solutions.The exciter is designedspecifically for high-frequency operation.

Amina used advancedcomputer modelling tocreate a focusedconcentration of fluxdensity in the 25mmmagnetic coil. Thisenables more acousticoutput from a givenamount of neodymiummagnet material.

The technology comesinto its own with Amina’s

Evolution Series of invisibleloudspeakers, which areinstalled into walls thenrendered invisible by a finalskim of plaster or equivalent.The speakers use vibrationalpanel technology (VPT) andhave been tuned to work bestbehind 2mm of plaster orsimilar.www.amina.co.uk

Waterfall Audio has a heritageof producing glassloudspeakers that can providea centrepiece to a room aswell as offer quality audio –and its new Elora rangecontinues this tradition.

The loudspeakers arehandmade at the company’sfacility in France using acombination of two thick glassplates and two pieces of solidaluminium layered on top ofone another to produce astacked effect. The metal –supplied from the samefactory that Porsche uses forits car components – createsa high-end airy look and feel tothe 8cm-thick loudspeakers.

Aside from the visualbenefits these speakers offer,one innovative feature is theirpatented Heatstreamtechnology: the aluminium

body acts as a heat sink tocool the devices and enhancepower handling. The speakerscan create 400W peak power(without clipping).

The Elora can be used as acentre speaker whenhorizontally positioned, orleft/right when placedvertically, making it suitablefor 5.1 or 7.1 home cinemasystems.

For mounting, two optionsare available to installers – onshelf or on wall. For shelf mounting, the loudspeakers

are supplied with shelf stands,while a VESA mountingbracket allows the speakersto be fixed to the wallhorizontally or vertically. Inaddition, there are optionalmagnetic grilles in white and black. www.waterfallaudio.com

{ }Elora’s Porscheconnection { }Amina excites

its invisible speaker range



More and more homeowners areseeking the next level ofentertainment experience by takingtheir lifestyle outdoors – and seekingthe same quality around their patiosand pools as in the distributed audiosystems or home theatres inside theirhomes. This is precisely why StealthAcoustics has created the StingRay 8outdoor loudspeaker range.

Each speaker in the range ishermetically sealed for outdoor useswith a certified Ingress Protectionrating of IP68. The weatherised design– which doesn’t incorporate the

vulnerability of a grille – has beentested to withstand temperaturesfrom -18 to +65ºC, with 170º coverageacross all frequencies.

Stealth Acoustics has designed theseries with flexible mounting in mind:because sound coverage issymmetrical in the horizontal andvertical planes, either orientation isfeasible without affecting thecoverage pattern.

During installation, the speakers areattached via pre-drilled aluminium wallplates – secured using stainless steelscrews (supplied with the

loudspeakers). They can bepositioned flush to the wall or at a 30ºangle. The wall mount plate alsoserves as a kickstand for placing thespeaker on the floor.

Optional extras include a ‘groundstake’ mount that can be embeddedinto the ground and then easilyattached to the speaker; a full-articulating gimbal for aimingflexibility; and a range of fixedmounting brackets built from non-corrosive materials to attach thespeaker to yacht ceilings, bulkheadsor boat superstructures.

StingRay is offered in both lowimpedance and constant voltageversions to match an integrator’spreferred amplification system. Thedevice is said to be very warm andnatural sounding for foreground musicand home theatres out of doors.www.stealthacoustics.com

{ }Al fresco listening from StingRay

Multi-room audio expert NuVoTechnologies has developed its IP-based Wireless Audio System tooffer residential installers a modularway of filling a home with zonalaudio. The networked system isextendable to up to 16 zones.

With four NuVo player options – thewireless P100 and P200 and theprofessional-grade P3100 and P3500– the system offers a limitless varietyof audio distributed in high quality

from numerous sources, including theinternet, a personal iTunes library, or aBluetooth-enabled smartphone.

The new P3500 can deliver threedifferent audio sources to threeindependent zones (200W per zone),while the P3100 offers three zonesat 40W each. The P100 and P200, onthe other hand, each control singlezones at 40W and 120Wrespectively. All feature an energy-efficient Class D amplifier.

When expanding systems, theunits can be connected over IP by aGateway device, which enablesdifferent playlists and sources to beplayed in different zones orsynchronised when in party mode.

The system can be controlled viaa free NuVo app for Apple andAndroid mobile devices or theintegrated controller from NuVo’shome automation system.www.nuvotechnologies.com

{ }NuVo offers wireless multi-room audio



{ } { }Apart addresses resi market with VINCI

Relatively young Belgiancompany Basalte is betterknown for developing designswitchers and room controlsolutions based on advancedtouch technology. Morerecent times, however, haveseen the company delve intothe multi-room residentialaudio product category withthe release of Asano – anadvanced multi-room audiosystem designed toseamlessly integrate withKNX control solutions.

The CobraNet-basednetworked system allowsusers to freely locate sourcesand amplifiers anywhere inthe building. CobraNettransports uncompressed 24-bit, 48kHz digital audio in realtime over a dedicatedEthernet network using astandard Ethernet switch.Any input can be dynamicallyrouted to any amplifier,providing flexibility andcreating a decentralisedmusic system: there is nomaster unit to which allsources have to be

connected. This meanssources and amplifiers can befreely located anywhere inthe house, reducing cableruns to speakers and sources.

Each system is made up ofa mixture of four maincomponents: the P1 Zoneamplifier, P4 Zone amplifier,N1 networking node and theMMS link.

The system integratesneatly with KNX systems – somuch so that none of thedevices are equipped with ameans of configuring thesystem, such as controls orkeypads located on panels.Instead the different devicesare programmed directly intoKNX’s ETS software. Thisallows control of the systemwith all KNX commandsthrough the Sentido touchkey or Deseo room controller,for instance.

The system is poweredwith Bang & Olufsen ICEpower Class D amplifiers.With internal advanced DSPcontrol, Asano also offers theopportunity to fine-tune the

sound in every room. Integrated scene

functionality allows users toset music zones to specificsources at specific volume bythe use of scene commands.An override function will alsoensure that the systemswitches to more urgentsources such as alarms orintercom messages, fadingback to the previous audioafterwards.

In addition, automatic inputsignal sensing allows thetriggering of KNX commandswhen a source starts playing.For example, when an input isconnected to a network audioplayer like the Apple AirportExpress, the amplifier startsplaying when music is sent tothe device. Signal sensing canalso trigger other commandsvia KNX, like calling up aspecific scene.

What’s more, integratedparty mode allows for allselected rooms to play inperfect sync, as it if was onelarge single system.www.basalte.be

Basalte’s Asanois KNX ready For over 20 years Apart Audio

has manufactured andsupplied audio solutions forthe commercial installationmarket. Before starting thetransition into the realms ofresidential audio, thecompany saw a higherproportion of its commercialproducts going intoresidential installs, such wasthe crossover of technology.This prompted Apart to take amore head-on approach to themarket with the VINCI range.

A further driving factor wasthat the company was seeinga higher number ofcommercial applicationsrequiring residential audioproducts for hi-fi quality.

The VINCI Series consists ofthree hi-fi loudspeakers,VINCI4, VINCI5 and VINCI7, anda high-class integratedamplifier, the VINCI2125.

The loudspeakers, whichare made from high-qualitycomponents, have beendesigned for a wide rangeof installation applications:from classrooms andboardrooms to high-endrestaurants and residentialprojects.

The brains behind thesystem is the slimVINCI2125 high-fidelitymusic control centre. Theunit works in tandem withthe VINCI5 and/or VINCI7loudspeakers through aminimalistic design: it

functions with two buttons,enabling the user to switchthe unit on or off, choose thesound source and control thevolume.

The set-up integrates ahigh-class amplifier with fourdigital stereo inputs, threeanalogue stereo inputs andone high-class phono(cartridge) input. The ratedoutput power per channel is80W at 8 ohms or 125W at 4 ohms.

A notable feature of thedevice is the ‘fade-in afterrestart’ function. This slowlyincreases the volume rangeafter it is switched on, limitingthe volume to +20dB, or tothe previous level, whicheveris lower. The system alsocomes with an aluminiuminfrared control.www.apart-audio.com

FRESH FROM the success of The Shardin London, architect Renzo Pianofollowed up with the MUSE (Museumof Science) in his native Italy. Themuseum, which sits at the heart of anew urban park complete withresidential and entertainment zones inthe northern Italian city of Trento, hasjagged, futuristic forms, seen as atribute to the surrounding mountains.

Opened in July 2013, MUSE featuresmany ways of interacting with thepublic: multimedia exhibits, interactivegames and hands-on experiments.

The seven-storey building has sixfloors of permanent exhibition spaceoverlooking a huge ‘Big Void’ at thecentre of the building, populated bymodels of animals floating in mid-air.Piano designed the artistic layout ofMUSE with a ‘zero gravity’ leitmotif, sotables, shelves, displays and exhibitsare also apparently suspended in the air.

The tender for the realisation andequipment of the museum’s 3,700sqmof exhibition space (for a value of over€4.6 million) was won by a groupformed by Turin AV expert andsystem integrator Acuson, exhibitioncase manufacturer Goppion andAsteria Multimedia for video content.

The floors are organised accordingto altitude, as are the animals floatingin the Big Void. After the rooftopterrace, with its breath-taking viewsof the surrounding mountains, thefourth floor – the Glacial Experience –

begins with a walk alongside amountainside complete with a glacierfront. The ice is real, but the rock faceis an extremely realistic resinreconstruction by Plastikart Studio ofCesena, which applied techniquesnormally used on cinema projects,making moulds on-site of threedifferent types of rocks with siliconerubber suitably modified for use at lowtemperatures.

HIGH ALTITUDEThe adventure on the high peaks thenbegins, with a multivision tunnelwhere visitors have an extremelyrealistic impression of flying over theAlps, are able to take breath-takingruns down extreme-grade slopes andexperience the drama of anavalanche. The experience, created bya series of eight Mitsubishi WD390Uhigh-resolution DLP video projectors, isincreased by mist, DMX controllednozzles blowing cold wind on visitorsand sound effects played backthrough four three-way Audac LX503active loudspeaker enclosures.Loudspeakers elsewhere in MUSE arePanphonics 60 x 20 flatpanel models.

On Floor 3, the BiodiversityLabyrinth is a trip along a windingmountain trail through 26 seamlesslyblended environments combiningstuffed animals and audiovisualcontent screened on numerousmonitors (a combination of LG modelsand Sharp LL-S201A multitouch LCD

units), triggered by a series ofsensors. Audio content is played outthrough Mini Boxes by BrightSignAU320 players, video is via XD230sand AV content via XD1030 units.

On Floor 1, the Time Machine is atrip through time, from Neanderthalhunters to the shaman of the nearbyRiparo Dalmeri archaeological site. Thewinding entrance and exit and themachine itself were built by Goppionwith over 12 tons of glass (coveredinside with projection fabric). Fivemore Mitsubishi projectors projectscenes around the walls and a CasioXJ-A141 with a BrightSign XD230player projects on a floor-installedscreen. When visitors leave the TimeMachine, they are met by an incrediblyrealistic primitive family recreated byDutch twin brothers Alfons and AdrieKennis and French paleoartistÉlisabeth Daynès.

This floor also hosts the first‘Science on a Sphere’ in Italy – a hugeglobe featuring video projections (viafour Panasonic DLP PT-DZ570)depicting atmospheric and oceanicdynamics. This is part of the NationalOceanic and AtmosphericAdministration network, whoseresearchers have designed softwareto illustrate Earth system science withanimated images.

Extensive use is made throughoutof LG WS5OMS Full HD widescreen LEDmonitors (in 42in format), some ofwhich, used as visitor information

points, are combined with SpinetiXHMP200 digital signage players.Others are interactive 42in dualtouchscreen LCD HD models, eachinstalled with an Intel NUC-DC3217iyemini (4in x 4in) PC with solid state

SOLUTIONS: MUSE, TRENTO

Floating animals, glacial walks and a trip through time are all madepossible thanks to the latest in AV technology, writes Mike Clark


MUSE news

ITALY Installation

OF THE MONTH

[INSTALLED]

VVIDEO� HoloPro glass projection screens� Visual Planet SIV16 multitouch

foils� Elotouch ET2244L LCD monitors� LG 32WL30 (LCD), 42WS50MS and

55WS10 (LED) monitors� LG 47WV30MS seamless LED

monitors� LG M4214T multitouch LCD

monitors� Panasonic TH-80LF50 LCD

monitors � Samsung SM-DE40A LED monitors � Sharp LL-S201A multitouch LCD

monitors � Mitsubishi WD390U video

projectors � Panasonic PT-DZ680, PT-DZ570

and PT-VX500EJ video projectors � Panasonic PT-RW330 laser video

projectors � Casio XJ-A141 video projector� Sanyo PLC-XK3010 video projector � BrightSign XD1030, XD230 players� Spinetix HMP200 HD video players� Dataton Watchpax DAT-3360

media players � Axis M3014 IP video cameras � Calibre HQVIEW 320 scaler/warp

processor� PTN MTX matrix switcher� Intel i3 PCs� Intel I7 media servers� Arduino processors

AUDIO� Audac LX503MKII/W loudspeakers� Panphonics 60 x 20 loudspeakers � Electro-Voice EVIS 6.2

loudspeaker enclosures� Electro-Voice EVID 12.1

subwoofers � FBT GS 20/T outdoor

loudspeakers� BrightSign AU320 players� Proel AMIX9 preamp � IMG StageLine STA-500 amp

LIGHTING� iGuzzini fixtures� Helvar DIGIM DALI controller

Four Panasonic DLP PT-DZ570 projectorscreate the first Science on a Sphere in Italy

memory (about 80 of these smallcomputers are used).

In the MUSE FabLab, which is indirect contact with other Labs in Italyand abroad, visitors can design andprint their 3D inventions, as well astrying their hand with laser cutters,vinyl plotters and an array of Arduinoprocessors.

Floor 1’s Tropical MountainGreenhouse recreates theenvironment in which the museum’sresearchers work in Tanzania andfeatures sensors that triggerrainforest sounds (frogs, insects,birds, etc), played back through aseries of FBT GS 20/T IP55 outdoorloudspeakers.

Manens-Tifs of Verona designedthe general electrical system,Siemens fire detection, gas detectionand anti-intrusion alarm systems, a62-camera Zucchetti Axess TVCCvideo surveillance system and thelighting set-up (with 1,830 iGuzzinifixtures, 1,700m of electrified lightingtrack and a Helvar Digim DALIcontroller, also used to control theblackout curtains on the largeamount of glazing). The company alsohandled the Paso EVAC system,which features 340 recessed, columnand horn speakers installedthroughout the venue, and the MUSEconference room’s AV set-up. Thisfeatures six Electro-Voice EVIS 6.2speakers, four EVID 12.1 subwoofers,a Proel AMIX9 preamp, an IMGStageLine STA-500 amp, PTN MTXmatrix switcher and a Sanyo PLC-XK3010 video projector. All thismaterial was installed byElettromeccanica Galli Italo, whichwas also responsible for the electricalsystem installation.

GOLD IN GREENRenzo Piano’s special attention toenvironmental impact and energysaving enabled the museum toachieve prestigious Gold LEED(Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design) certification forsustainable design and construction,issued by the Green Building Institute.

Acuson company director AngeloNicolosi, who was in charge of thefirm’s MUSE work, states: “From atechnical point of view, the aspectsthat distinguish this installation fromother similar projects we have done inthe past are definitely the LED/laservideo projectors, HoloPro Amiran glass16:9 rigid transparent projectionscreens, numerous multitouchmonitors and Dataton Watchpaxmedia players.”

MUSE IT manager Vittorio Cozzioadds: “Our control systems weredesigned for utmost flexibility. Acusondeveloped a software enabling us toschedule and control all the exhibits’PCs, video projectors and multimediaplayers from the main control room.This enables us, for example, to mutethe audio in a particular area ifnecessary. Remote monitoring,diagnostics and software updatefacilities are available from any PCwith appropriate access and, as far asupdating multimedia content is

concerned, with the BrightSignplayers, this is done via the units’BrightAuthor software. Siemens’Desigo building automation systemautomatically controls the slats andsunshades on the museum’s roof andfaçade glazing according to exposureto the sun and, in the event ofexcessive wind, retracts them.”

Roberto Cena of Asteria Multimediaexplains that the content producedwas of various types: “We produced ascenographic installation with theprojection of computer graphics films,a combination of 360º video footageand photos creating an immersiveprojection, a Full HD video productionwith cinema-quality shooting andediting, three interactive virtualtorrents, video footage shot in a cave,a video reconstruction in computergraphics of the formation of the earthand a video game in computergraphics for youngsters.”

Cozzio concludes: “We are currentlytesting a prototype of eXplora, amultimedia guide app for iPads andsimilar devices, which will featurehigh-resolution photo galleries, in-depth video and interactive 360°images, enabling visitors to viewexhibits from angles that would notbe physically possible.” �

www.acuson.itwww.arduino.ccwww.asteria.itwww.audac.bewww.axesstmc.comwww.axis.comwww.brightsign.bizwww.calibreuk.comwww.casio-projectors.euwww.dataton.comwww.daynes.comwww.elettromeccanicagalli.itwww.electrovoice.comwww.elotouch.comwww.fbt.itwww.goppion.comwww.helvar.comwww.holopro.comwww.iguzzini.com

www.imgstageline.comwww.intel.euwww.kenniskennis.comwww.lg.comwww.manens-tifs.itwww.mitsubishielectric.comwww.muse.itwww.panasonic.netwww.panphonics.comwww.paso.it

www.plastikart.itwww.proel.comwww.ptn-electronics.comwww.rpbw.comwww.panasonic.net/sanyowww.samsung.comwww.sharp-world.comwww.siemens.comwww.spinetix.comwww.visualplanet.biz

SOLUTIONS: MUSE, TRENTO[ABOUT THE INSTALLER]

� Based in Turin, Acuson has worked in the pro-AV and event management sector since 1978

� It specialises in the design, realisation, supply and installation of integrated AV communication and advanced multimedia systems

� The company has lengthy experience in the museum, exhibition, conference and exhibition fields, and offers complete turnkey solutions withlong-term after-sales facilities

� Recent projects include Turin Museum of Natural Science, Barolo Wine and National Cinema Museums, Turin and Genoa chambers of commerce, and theatres in Turin and Bologna; corporate clients include Telecom Italia, L’Oreal Italia and Armando Testa

AA multivision tunnel gives visitors arealistic impression of being in the AlpsPicture: Claudia Corrent


THE ANNOUNCEMENT of thedetection of the Higgs bosonin March last year was one ofthe proudest achievementsmade by scientists at CERN,the European Organization forNuclear Research.

Experiments to study thebasic constituents of matterare being conducted using theworld’s largest particleaccelerator, the Large HadronCollider (LHC).

It was an opportune momentfor a new exhibition, depictingscientific history in the making,to be mounted at the ScienceMuseum in London. ‘Collider’ is ajourney inside the LHC, blendingtheatre, video and sound artwith real artefacts from CERN;including part of one of the15m magnets that steer theparticle beam and elementsfrom each of the LHC’s fourgiant detectors. It dramaticallytells the story of the scientistswho work there, of theirendeavours, emotions andthoughts on the moment ofdiscovery.

This immersive exhibitiontakes visitors on a virtualjourney to explore the world’sgreatest scientific experiment,and provides a behind-the-scenes look at how scientistshave uncovered and proven theexistence of the mysteriousHiggs boson: one of nature’s

most elusive particles.“The Large Hadron Collider is

a challenging subject for amuseum exhibition,” saysAlison Boyle, curator at theScience Museum. “The particleaccelerator is a massive 27kmcircular tunnel buried deepunder the border betweenSwitzerland and France. Someof the detector caverns withinthe LHC are larger than theScience Museum itself, whilethe particles they are trying todetect are invisible. It took agreat deal of creativity fromthe exhibition team to givevisitors a sense of theseextremes of scale in anexhibition setting.

“It’s not quite an exhibition,but it’s not quite a piece oftheatre. It is something thatblends both. To create thevisual sequences we workedwith theatrical designers;people who transport you toother worlds, and were guidedby the scientists from CERN.”

To deliver a sense of realityin a confined space within theScience Museum, theexhibition relies heavily on theeffective use of immersiveaudiovisual technology. “Thereis a tremendous amount ofinterest in society about theuniverse and how everythingstarted, which we are trying tosatisfy by tours of CERN and

exhibitions like Collider,” saidCERN DG Rolf Heuer. “Iparticularly like the fresh,theatrical approach themuseum is taking to bringingthe drama and excitement ofcutting-edge science to thepublic.”

MAKING A BREAKTHROUGHThe scene is set on entry tothe exhibition by a 180ºdisplay that combines staticimages of scientists withanimated ‘talking heads’ setwithin the backdrop of thelecture theatre in which theoriginal announcement of thediscovery was made. Aprojected life-size presenterrelays the discovery and is co-ordinated with projectedand spoken audiencequestions. While the imagesare of actors, the context isaccurate and serves to explainthe background of theexperiment and just howmonumental the discovery is.

The visitor carries on to acircular tunnel depicting theinside of the collider tunnel,illustrated by rear-projectedimages of scientists explainingits internal structure andglimpses of the acceleratortubes and technology thatoperate it. Again life-size rear-projected images areencountered as visitors

wander through the maze ofcables, tubes and magnets.The effect is as though onehas just engaged a scientist in conversation. Exhibits ofitems from CERN and theScience Museum’s own stockare reinforced by explanatoryaudio soundtracks, in somecases played through modified vintage radios anddesktop PCs.

Branching from the side ofthe tunnel visitors passthrough a simulated corridor,complete with populatednoticeboards and enter a full-size reconstruction of thelaboratory offices of thescientist who finally made thediscovery. The office is kittedout with artefacts from CERNand one full wall is formed by arear-projected image, whichshows the scientist herselfworking, sleeping and pacingthe floors as actuallyhappened during the weeksleading up to the discovery.

The next stage of the

exhibition is its centrepoint: a360º fully immersive projectiondisplay that explains andvisually depicts the path ofparticles as they accelerate inopposing directions around thering before being steered intocollision and annihilation,resulting in the creation of amultitude of new and diverseparticles according to the rigidlaws of physics. It vividlyexplains what the LHC isdesigned to do.

Immersive projection is bymeans of four 6,000-lumenprojectors, precisely mountedand aligned to create a singleimage that flows around theexhibit, encompassing thevisitor and delivering an awe-inspiring theatricalpresentation that goes someway to explain the mind-boggling complexity of thetechnology employed at CERN.Multichannel sound focusesviewers’ attention on the pathof particles as they flasharound the ring and illustrates

SOLUTIONS: COLLIDER, SCIENCE MUSEUM, LONDON

A new exhibition at London’s Science Museum is takingvisitors on an immersive journey inside the LargeHadron Collider, writes James Christopher


UNITED KINGDOM AA 360º fully immersive projectiondisplay is a highlight of the exhibition

All pictures:N

ick Rochowski for Science M

useum

[INSTALLED]

VIDEO� AG Neovo LW-27 LCD monitor � Panasonic PT-DZ690 6,000-lumen projectors� Panasonic ET-DLE080 4,000-lumen projectors� Optoma EH505 5,000-lumen short-throw projectors� Dataton Watchout Pro System

AUDIO� Audica Microdot, Micropoint loudspeakers� Adastra 952 237 loudspeaker� EM Acoustics EMS 51, 61, 112, 118 loudspeakers� Lab.gruppen C20:8X amplifiers� Apple Mac mini� Echo AudioFire 12 FireWire audio interfaces

CONTROL AND DISTRIBUTION� Medialon Showmaster ST show controller� Wyrestorm EX-1UTP-IR-100 HDBaseT CatX Extenders

The world’s greatestexperiment

the objectives of the experiment. The exhibition is further backed up

by an audiovisual display blendingwith wall-mounted graphics to depictthe discovery timeline, reaching backto the original experiments on sub-atomic particles by British physicist JJThomson. Again projected images co-ordinate with audio.

Design, configuration andinstallation of the AV equipment inthe exhibition was undertaken bySysco, which worked closely withScience Museum curators, exhibitionarchitects Nissen Richards Studio,graphic designer Northover & Brown,lighting designer studioZNA andseveral independent video, sound andcostume designers and producers.

“As AV technology provider our rolewas to advise on the ‘art of thepossible’ and allow the creative teamsto produce their audiovisual effectsas freely as they could,” explainsHugo Roche, MD of Sysco. “Thecollaboration between all parties andthe contribution made by each hascontributed greatly to the overallimpact of the show and theeffectiveness of delivering anunderstanding of an extremelycomplex issue to a wide range ofaudience ages and backgrounds.”

All the media storage, playback,audio generation and controlequipment is housed in three 20U,19in flight cases within a control roominside the exhibition space. These,along with the displays and five tonsof artefacts and exhibits, will bepacked up and transported to thenext museum venue as it embarks ona global museum tour later this year.

Roche adds: “The AV equipmenthas been integrated with a view toeasy shipping and reinstallation atinternational venues. It was essentialto provide a simple solution with fulldocumentation that will allow localAV teams to rebuild the exhibitionwith as little set-up and specialisedsupport as possible.”

It is hard not to be amazed by whatis being done at CERN and depictedby this exhibition, and initial reviewsof the exhibition certainly seem tosupport this. The Independentnewspaper described Collider as:"One of the most ambitiousexhibitions in the Science Museum’s

150-year history... a perfectlypocket-sized introduction to theworld of big science”.

The LHC was built to answer a lotof fundamental questions and willcarry on making exciting discoveriesfor another 20 years; the Higgsboson is just the beginning, onemajor milestone in our knowledgeabout the universe, but 95% is stillunknown. Whether this is the mostimportant discovery to come fromthe greatest experimentalendeavour in science is still to be seen. �

www.adastra.avsl.comuk.agneovo.comwww.apple.comwww.audica.co.ukwww.dataton.comwww.echoaudio.comwww.emacoustics.co.ukwww.labgruppen.comwww.medialon.comwww.nissenrichardsstudio.comwww.northoverbrown.comwww.optoma.co.ukwww.panasonic.comwww.syscoav.co.ukwww.studiozna.comwww.wyrestorm.com

SOLUTIONS: SCIENCE MUSEUM, LONDON


[ABOUT THEINSTALLER]

� Sysco was formed in 1998, to provide creative, leading-edge audiovisual solutions to museums, cultural and entertainment facilities

� The company is dedicated to enhancing the visitor experience and attendance, through appealing displays and superior support

� It specialises in multimedia design and installation services to major permanent and temporary exhibitions including:the O2, V&A Museum, Historic Royal Palaces and the British Museum

� Multi-skilled and multi-disciplinary in-house teams include audio and video specialists and museum experts

TThe collider ring with rear-projection of scientist at work

THE PALAIS des Sports in theFrench city of Dijon enjoys areputation for hosting a widerange of sporting activities inits 4,628-capacity arena.Named after localinternational handball starJean-Michel Geoffroy, thevenue is home to the Jeanned’Arc Dijon Bourgognebasketball team, which is itsprimary function.

However, the ageing publicaddress system left a lot tobe desired, lacking in soundpressure level, and as aresult, a lack of speechintelligibility, so the Palaisdes Sports launched a tenderoffer to refurbish the soundsystem.

Based in Châtenoy-le-Royal, IRELEM respondedsuccessfully to the tender foran upgrade, prepared byconsultant and acousticianAcoustique France, and soondesigned and specified anultra-efficient system inconjunction with Powersoft’sFrench distributor Axente.The new set-up is basedaround four of the Italianmanufacturer’s new eight-channel Ottocanali amplifiers.

With limited capacityavailable in the production/control room, situated in thetop tiers, the new PowersoftOttocanali 12K4 and 4K4 metthe criteria for highefficiency with an excellentpower-to-space ratio, andwere specified for the first

time in France since theirintroduction.

Occupying just 2RU each,these products offer a widerange of system control andmonitoring functions as wellas sound-shaping options.

The 12K4 offers a total ofup to 12,000W output powerover eight channels for lo-Zor distributed line systems,while the 4K4 delivers a totalof 4,000W output over eightchannels.

Both Ottocanali modelsalso offer low powerconsumption and heat

dissipation, dramaticallyreducing costs from the ACmains supply and airconditioning/coolingsystems – not to mentionthe environmental benefits.Moreover, the dual powersupply ensures that themaximum output is availableacross all channels, as wellas providing redundancy.

With three 12K4s (for midand low) and one 4K4 (for thehighs) driving 4 ohms into anew EAW loudspeakersystem (12 QX300 series),the system is fully optimised

across the entire playingarea, main public stands andVIP enclosures. In the wordsof Axente’s Alain Hercman:“There has been a greatimprovement in intelligibilityand a gain of 12dB in soundpressure level.”

Powersoft had beenchosen for its reputation inproducing highly reliableamplifiers – backed by a four-year warranty whichAxente say was veryreassuring to the customer.In fact, says Hercman, theclient has already reported asignificant intelligibilityimprovement – and thisdespite the difficult roomacoustics.

The PA system is fed fromtypical mic and line sourceson match days via a Yamahamixer and EAW processors.

The new installation willhelp maintain the versatilityof a venue that also hostshandball and a variety ofsports, and includesgymnasiums among itsfacilities. �

www.acoustique-france.frwww.axente.frwww.eaw.comwww.irelem.comwww.yamahaproaudio.com

SOLUTIONS: PALAIS DES SPORTS, DIJON

A difficult acoustic space is tamed thanks to an innovative audio installation, writes Tom Bradbury

Cutting the mustard


� IRELEM was formed in 1973 and has a technical team of 10 people

� The company offers videoconferencing, audio, digital signage and IPTV solutions for meeting or council chambers, amphitheatres, auditoriums, theatres and receptions

� Customers include corporates, universities,schools, churches and places of worship

� The company has offices in Châtenoy-le-Royal, Dijon, Fleurieu-sur-Saône and Besançon

FRANCE

[INSTALLED]

AAUDIO� Powersoft Ottocanali

12K4 and 4K4 amplifiers� EAW QX300 series

loudspeakers� Yamaha mixer


TThe venue is home to the Jeanne d’Arc DijonBourgogne basketball team

Twelve EAW QX300 seriesspeakers cover the playing area,main public stands and VIPenclosures

The system is based around four eight-channelPowersoft Ottocanali amplifiers

IN THE world of education, thebenefit of high-quality soundreinforcement or mediatechnology is often stillneglected, be it due to budgetshortages or a lack of goodadvice.

The Aalen University ofApplied Sciences in Germanyknows better. The clearer thesound of a presentation or alecture, the easier the mind willfollow. So, unhamperedunderstanding and pleasurablesound quality are vital factorsfor conceiving and memorisingcontent. Thus, investing in agood sound system wouldinstantly benefit students.

In 2013, when some of theuniversity’s auditoriums neededaudio systems, Klartext-Gruppeinstalled a technicallyadvanced system design, wellwithin budget, that utilisedLab.gruppen’s new LUCIA ampsto great effect.

The two-channel LUCIA(Localized Utility CompactIntelligent Amplification) is acompact and versatile EnergyStar-compliant Class Dplatform, designed for low-cost, low-hassle installations.

The LUCIA M model variantsinclude ADLC (AutomaticDynamic Loudness Contouring),which is said to provide a ‘fuller’and more comfortable listeningexperience – especially at low

perceived levels. Dynamicprocessing automatically easesoff at higher SPL so that thesystem maintains a consistentfull bandwidth sound with fullimpact at all levels. M modelsalso benefit from additionalDSP functionality and 4 x 4 mix matrix.

Jörg Mitschele, manager ofKlartext, says: “LUCIA waschosen for a number of reasons.It’s compact, but doesn’tcompromise in sound quality,and the built-in DSP feature is awonderful tool to have duringset-up. Since we didn’t need alot of power, the LUCIA 120/2Mwas ideal as it offers a robust 2× 60W out of a small unit, itsDSP possibilities providingequalisation as well. The smallunit is mounted behind a blindcover so the user cannot reachits controls (and does not needto).”

EASE OF USEBut, of course, the quality of amedia system is measured bythe willingness to use it, andfor lecturers and teachers atAalen University, thingscouldn’t be simpler. Their micsand audio sources are hookedto the system by bespokemodular units called m-connect-s. These small piecesof hardware allow installers totailor to the needs of the

application, adding mic inputs(phantom powered), RCA andjack connectors for laptops,MP3 players or smartphonesas they wish. Finally each lineneeds a master module(volume and bass/treblecontrols) providing input signalfor LUCIA, which can then bemounted out of sight andrange of inexperienced users.

The sound is provided bytwo Tannoy VX 5.2loudspeakers which aremounted at the top of thefront wall. Since Lab.gruppenand Tannoy are part of the TCGroup, LUCIA offers optimisedperformance for all Tannoyloudspeakers, meaning the

system delivers quality soundfrom first to last row.

The Klartext team was ableto replicate the system in theother classrooms andauditoriums. With seven roomsall featuring the samecombination of kit, it’s a job thatMitschele is able to reflectupon with a certain pride.

“The combination of LUCIAamplifiers and Tannoyloudspeakers is great, but inmy opinion, the kind offoolproof operation demandedby the customer would nothave been possible without m-connect-s audio input andmixing systems,” he says. “It’sgood LUCIA is not designed as

a multi-input unit butconcentrates on deliveringoutstanding sound quality. Onthe other hand, m-connect-slinks the utmost comfortable,flexible, expandable and easy-to-use input interface toLUCIA – a more ‘professional’mixing system would becomehard to use for non-technicians. That’s why I thinkLucia and m-connect-s notonly get on well together butmake a perfect team for avast field of soundreinforcement applications.” �

www.klartextgruppe.dewww.labgruppen.comwww.tannoypro.com

SOLUTIONS: AALEN UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

An investment in audio is benefitting both students and lecturers, writes James Christopher


Hard science

GERMANY

[INSTALLED]

AAUDIO� Lab.gruppen LUCIA

120/2M amplifiers� Tannoy VX 5.2

loudspeakers� m-connect-s modular

audio input system


� Klartext installs professional AV solutions in facilities such as churches, conference centres, schools and corporate environments

� Along with trade partners it also offers digital signage solutions

� The company, which hasoperated as a GmbH & Co. KG since 1 April 2009, now has nine employees

The system was replicated in classroomsand auditoriums throughout the facility

EEase of use for teachers and lecturers wasa key consideration during the project

SOLUTIONS: AKD LUXURY CARS MALL, SHENZHEN


CHINA

MotoringaheadThe largest car showroom in China isinvesting in a video solution assophisticated as the vehicles it sells

OPENED IN 2013, the120,000sqm AKD Luxury CarsMall accommodates 3,000luxury vehicles and is amagnet for car enthusiastsamong China’s fast growingaffluent professionalcommunity. It specialises inhigh-end used cars, includingexclusive marques likeBentley and Lamborghini aswell as luxury brands such asMercedes-Benz, BMW,Porsche, Lexus, Land Roverand Audi.

William Ng of AKD LuxuryCars Mall says: “Our clientsare highly fashion consciousand AKD caters for them byproviding a first-class carbuying environment that

compares favourably with anexclusive shopping mall. Forour new premises, wespecified 700 display screensdelivering synchronised videoacross each of five floors. Asone of the world’s best knownindependent dealers in high-end used cars, we welcomevisits and inspections fromvehicle manufacturersincluding BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen andToyota. They expect to seetheir vehicles presented in anenvironment that does fulljustice to their high-qualityengineering.”

AKD Luxury Carsapproached the CAS Group, aleading Chinese digital

signage specialist, for supportin implementing this vision.Anson Ng, managing directorof the CAS Group, says: “AKDwanted to create a realimpression with the screensin its showroom, so it wasabsolutely essential thatevery screen works perfectlyall day every day. With over100 screens on each floor, asingle screen that is blank orisn’t perfectly synchronisedwith the neighbouringdisplays looks really bad. Werecommended BrightSignHD220 players because theyare totally reliable. It wasstraightforward to set up thesynchronisation through thefile networking provided by

the supporting BrightAuthorcontent managementsoftware. Content is storedon an SD card on the playerand regularly refreshed fromthe central server via theshowroom’s intranet. AKDsources content from themanufacturers of the vehiclesit sells, and also creates itsown content.”

The 700 42in displays havebeen fitted to the front andback of each pillar on everyfloor of the showroom. Thescreens are powered by 350BrightSign players, eachdriving two screens via a 1 x 2HDMI splitter. Each floor playsits own content, which isidentical on each screen on

that floor. Every screenshows the same video atexactly the same time, and iscontrolled and synchronisedthrough the showroomintranet and BrightAuthorsoftware. The CAS Groupprovided the players,programmed the players andtested the installation toensure that it was workingflawlessly. �

www.brightsign.bizwww.the-casgroup.com

[INSTALLED]

DDISPLAY� BrightSign HD220

networked player� BrightAuthor content

management software

Seven hundred 42in displays have been fitted throughout the showroom

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GOOGLE Glass certainlyseems to be capturingthe popular imaginationat the moment.Something like it evenfeatured in the mostrecent episode ofSherlock (we’d better

not say more if you haven’t seen the episode in question…).However, a recent survey has suggested that Google Glass will have

some acceptance issues to overcome when it launches – reportedly in acouple of months’ time. Shopping website lovemyvouchers.co.uk foundthat 53% of people surveyed thought the reported price ($600) was toohigh; 61% thought they wouldn’t have a use for the technology; 64%wouldn’t feel comfortable talking to someone wearing it; and 68% saidthey wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing it themselves. (The survey sizewas well into four figures, although it wasn’t revealed how the samplewas chosen.) These are quite high numbers, but they do still potentiallyleave a substantial minority who are well disposed to the technology.

And, of course, attitudes can change quickly – in either direction. Twopieces of news appeared after these survey results were announced,both with the potential to affect these figures dramatically. In one, a manwearing Google Glass was hauled out of a cinema in Columbus, Ohio byUS Homeland Security staff, who thought he was recording the film topirate it. In the other, it was reported that some software developershave developed an app to, and we quote, “make sex more awesome withGoogle Glass”. We can’t help thinking that Glass will be making a lot moreheadlines in the weeks to come…

RECENTLY, the presenters of BBC Radio 5 Live’s film show invited theirlisteners to think of examples of film directors whose names rhyme withtheir movies: this was suggested by American Hustle, directed by David ORussell. A few real-life examples were suggested – such as John Woo withMission: Impossible II, but the contributions soon turned to fantasy pairingsinstead – such as Martin Scorsese’s Driving Miss Daisy, or Ben Stiller’s Driller Killer.

Why do we mention this here? Only because we were reminded of it whenwe heard about a professional video equipment manufacturer by the nameof Blonder Tongue, which has appointed a new business developmentmanager by the name of Donald Young. Is this an isolated incident, or arethere other examples in the AV world of people whose names rhyme withtheir companies’? Do let us know if you come across any.

WHAT do you think this is? A bizarrehealth and safety demonstration? A crueland unusual punishment? A protest aboutpolice brutality?

It’s actually a scene from an outdoorproduction of The Great World Theatre, areligious allegorical play by Spanish poetand playwright Pedro Calderón de laBarca. Staged by 300 of the localpopulace in the Swiss monastery town ofEinsiedeln, it featured Timax vocallocalisation technology from Out Board.

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