Sustainable growth in the AV industry would not be possible without events like Integrated Systems Europe (ISE). Since its inception in 2004, the international trade show has persistently introduced AV professionals to unending technologies and business opportunities.
This year’s ISE, held from 31 January to 2 February at the Amsterdam RAI in Holland, was the biggest in the show’s history, attracting the highest number of participants; 825 exhibitors (up by 15%) and 40 869 visitors (up by 17%).With a total of 825 major brands occupying 11 halls – or 30 000 net square metres – of the Amsterdam RAI, the event’s exhibition floors were logically the first choice for most visitors. Local guys who attended also told me that the pre-show conferences, DiSCO, Dynamic Events and the InfoComm Future Trends Summit, were equally valuable.
Conferences
The forward-looking InfoComm Future Trends Summit once again covered a wide variety of technology trends, from latest technologies in display inventions to network bandwidth challenges and cloud computing.
Speaking at the Cloud Computing and AV seminar, David Snipp, said cloud computing posed serious threats to traditional AV manufacturers, distributor and installers, whom he urged to “adapt quickly and radically”.
DiSCO, the Digital Signage Conference, focused on retail opportunities and featured a suitable line-up of speakers who covered a range of topics that included how digital signage can help small retailers thrive, innovative retail concepts and digital signage in the sports sector. Speaking after the conference, DiSCO chair Florian Rotberg said digital signage had huge potential to help “bricks and mortar retailers” compete with e-tailers like Amazon and Asos by allowing them to reflect the new ways in which consumers are shopping.
Another noteworthy gathering was the Wainhouse Summit where communication professionals heralded mobile smart phones and tablets (particularly the iPad) as the way forward in visual communications.
Display
The display area was busy as anticipated, although most products showcased this year had previously been seen at InfoComm. That said there was a good amount of novel products from the likes of LG Display, Christie, Barco, Sony and Panasonic.
LG showcased its new 165-inch 3D video wall. The gigantic screen consists of nine 55-inch displays in a 3×3 configuration and uses LG’s Film-type Patterned Retarder (FPR) 3D technology.
Each display features a super narrow bezel that leavesa narrow 5.3 mm gap between the individual panels that make up the video wall. The pixel count and brightness of each panel is 1,920 x 1,080 and 800cd/m2, respectively.
LG says the FPR 3D technology used on this screen is an improvement over active shutter 3D because there is no flicker, minimal cross talk. The FPR glasses are made with curved lenses and are much lighter and cheaper than active shutter glasses.
A highlight from Christie was the JumpStart content management solution which allows easy content management for large tiled displays. JumpStart can be used with any digital display with up to four inputs.When used with Christie MicroTiles, JumpStart communicates directly with the master External Control Unit, automatically picking the best resolution for the canvas and showing the location of every tile so that content can be easily snapped into position. “With the addition of the Christie JumpStart content management solution and Christie Interactivity Kit for multi-touch interactivity, we’re broadening our MicroTiles solutions system to help meet the needs of customers across many markets,” says Christie. Also on the Christie stand were the new Christie LHD700 and Christie LX1200 projectors, as well as the Roadie HD+35K and Roadster HD20K-J projectors from the company’s new J Series.
Barco demonstrated its new generation of liquid-cooled LED video walls which offer 33% brightness levels, or 33% less power at conventional brightness levels. The company also showcased its HDX-W18 3-chip WUXGA DLP projector, which features 17 500 lumens brightness, compact design, on-board image processing and control via smartphone and tablets.
Distributed by www.questekadvanced.co.za
Panasonic showed its new PT-DZ21K 20,000-lumen WUXGA projector which was used to beam video content onto a colossal 3.9m x 4.5m wall. The projector series are the company’s smallest and lightest 3-chip DLP models to date and have a lamp replacement cycle of up to 2 000 hours, making them suitable for large venue applications such as auditoriums and museums.
Martin Professional attracted visitors with the EC-10 – a new 10mm pixel pitch LED display panel. Featuring the same lightweight and cable-free design for rapid deployment, the EC-10 is compatible with the EC-20 in terms of colour, setup, curvature, control, processing and even accessories – allowing for seamless, mixed resolution visuals in one system. Also on the Martin stand were the P3-200 and the P3-PC – two new additions to the P3 system controller family for LED screens.
Distributed by www.electrosonic.co.za
Canon presented the XEED WUX4000, its flagship installation projector for home theatre. The projector uses Canon’s LCOS panel technology to deliver “accurate” colours and a resolution of 1920 x 1200. The projector packs in 4 000 lumens of brightness and a contrast ratio of 1000:1. The aspect ratio of the projector is 16:10. Canon offers three lens options for the projector with a standard zoom, long zoom and a fixed focus wide-angle lens. The vertical and horizontal lens shift, zoom and focus are all motorised and the connectivity options include HDMI and DVI.
Sony exhibited a mix of home cinema, digital signage and business projector solutions. A highlight was a demonstration of the 2 000-lumen VPL-VW1000ES, believed to be the world’s first 4K home cinema projector, in combination with the ‘Reality Creation’ upscaler that converts Blu-ray disc images to 4K. The projector uses active 3D glasses. Visitors were also able to see Sony’s digital signage software Ziris in action as it managed content for the entire Sony stand.
Audio
Shure showcased its ULX-D digital wireless system for installed applications. This has a dynamic range of 120dB, a latency of less than 3ms and a 20Hz to 20kHz frequency range. ULX-D uses AES-256 standard encryption and can be integrated in media control systems from the likes of AMX or Crestron. Up to 17 active transmitters can be used on an 8MHz TV channel and over 60 compatible channels in one frequency band, with permanent signal stability claimed over the entire 100m line-of-sight range. Also on the Shure stand were the new MX150 lavalier and MX153 earset microphones, which are said to be ideal for discreet placement and speech applications.
Distributed by www.wildandmarr.co.za
Bosch Security Systems introduced OMNEO – a new media networking solution designed to provide open public standards-based media networking architecture. This architecture has two components: an audio program transport protocol suite that offers low latency, multichannel audio stream exchange and a robust control protocol suite that provides “reliable and secure” system control for pro networks of all sizes. OMNEO’s program transport is based on RTP, a widely adopted IP streaming protocol.
Allen & Heath demonstrated their GLD live digital mixing system, which is based on the digital iLive series. The GLD- 80 mixer provides 48 input channels, eight stereo FX returns, 30 configurable busses, 20 mix processing channels and DSP power. GLD-80 has analogue-style channel processing controls plus a graphical 8.4in touchscreen. Inputs and mixes can be assigned to fader strips through a simple drag-and-drop process. There are 20 fader strips in four layers, each with motorised fader, a channel LCD display which can be named and colour-coded, plus a rotary control for direct access to gain, pan and aux/FX sends. The mixer‘s local I/O comprises four XLR mic/line inputs, four XLR line outs, four RCA inputs, two RCA outputs, and digital outputs in SPDIF and AES3 formats.
Distributed by www.audiosure.co.za
ISE 2013 will be held from 29 to 31 January at the Amsterdam RAI and over 31,000 net square metres have already been booked.
Connectivity and control
AMX showcased new members in its Enova family; the Enova DGX 16 and 32 Digital Media Switchers. According to AMX these offer a future-ready HDMI and HDCP solution that can perfectly scale to any resolution. “With a built-in central controller, the Enova DGX 16 and 32 resolve copy protection issues, centrally manage connected devices and overcome many of the challenges facing integrators today. They manage and distribute analogue plus digital audio and video including HDMI with HDCP (HDMI/HDCP), control and Ethernet without any of the typical problems associated with HDCP authenticated content distribution and switching.”
Crestron showcased latest additions to its DigitalMedia range, including the DigitalMedia 8G+ technologies and the DMPS-3000 AV presentation system. DigitalMedia delivers high-definition audio and video, plus Ethernet, control signals and more, over long distances to multiple rooms, all over a single cable. DigitalMedia 8G+ can be used with standard Cat5e, DigitalMedia 8G or CresFiber 8G cable. The DMPS-3000 is a digital AV presentation system in a box – comprising control system, matrix switcher, audio DSP, mic mixer and amplifier. In addition, HDCP, EDID and CEC are managed, eliminating the need for IR emitters and receivers and many serial cables. The company also announced the expansion of its trade-in scheme for analogue distribution systems to incorporate any brand of device.
Distributed by www.electrosonic.co.za
Products on display at the Blackmagic Design stand included the ATEM family of live production switchers and converters. The ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher and ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Panel, the Teranex VC100 video processing line, the Videohub family of routers and a wide range of Blackmagic Design capture and playback devices were showcased. The Teranex VC-100 was demonstrated converting SD video (a DVD movie) to 3D HD. This model can handle up to 280 different kinds of format conversion, can upscale or downscale video and carry out frame rate conversion.
Barco showcased a sneak preview of the new ClickShare solution to a select audience. ClickShare is Barco’s answer to many technical difficulties with presentation equipment. This solution not only helps the presenter to get the presentation on-screen in a second, but also allows other people in the meeting to participate more actively. This results in enhanced meeting efficiency, and leads to better decision-making.
Distributed by www.questekadvanced.co.za
Industry professionals’ perspectives on ISE 2012
Mike Blackman of ISE: We are most pleased that we were able to pass the 40,000 attendance figure for the first time, and to retain our ability to grow our attendance faster than our growth in exhibit space – a trend that we have maintained for the past four shows. ISE 2012 drew attendance from 130 countries – more than any other audiovisual tradeshow in the world. So although the event will always have a European flavour as you would expect, considering its Amsterdam location, it is now firmly established as a forum for global business in the AV and electronic systems industry. All this was achieved against a backdrop of economic uncertainty in Europe, so overall we are delighted with the show’s performance.
Ivan Potter of iLed: Peter Aylett’s presentation on where the industry is going – he used a key word called dis-intermediation – simply the loss of business as technology becomes more cost effective and readily available through retail or online stores. This progression will always occur in sectors as they mature – how we position our companies to mitigate this threat and how we look at new business opportunities to take advantage are important. New technologies are being developed to allow the use of tablets (iPad and Android) and smart phones as user interfaces to control every aspect of a home or office. By embracing this new technology and applying it into an existing market, opportunities open.
Gavin Olivier of Digital Fabric: Flat panel displays were very impressive. The sheer size of manufacturer-sponsored booths was an indication of the size of this market. Between Samsung, LG and NEC the range of products was astounding with noticeable growth in the range of commercial grade units. Transparent LCD products were also being shown in products that you can actually buy. Somewhat humorous was the fuss being made over Samsung’s square LCD when not that long ago the market was celebrating widescreen formats. Projection technology, while not showing anything really new, has in some respects closed the gap between high and low end units with even the simplest units being shown in warped and blended setups.
Bruce Genricks of Electrosonic: Unlike the past few years, in which 3D was the dominating theme of the show, this year the attention was on multi-media interactive displays. What really caught my eye were Christie’s extremely bright 15k lumen LCD projector and Sharp’s new 80” interactive whiteboards. I was also impressed with Kramer Electronics training titled ‘Putting some sense into the digital formats chaos’. I found it really informative, most interesting was the section on Thunderbolt. This is the new connection for Apple and transmits video, audio and data simultaneously. It is also chainable, with one cable from the PC connected to the monitor and from there it is linked to a printer and then to a hard drive.
George van Gils of Questek: We at Questek regard ISE as one of the premier exhibitions to attend as it covers the complete spectrum of visualisation products. There were twelve halls jam packed with the latest technologies but we found that most of them were much the same. However, we were impressed with new products from some suppliers especially in software applications. The two items that really stood out for us were the new Infocus Mondopad and the new Barco ClickShare.
