AV News July 2021

The direct channel to the industry

July 2021 www.avnews.co.uk Page13

Page 8

Workplace innovation

Hybrid working - meeting the needs of the enterprise

GoBright Commercial Director, Chris Wiegeraad, explores the three key trends leading office transformation and explains the role technology will play, while Kevin Morrison, CEO of Utelogy Corporation considers increasing engagement in video meetings.

Generic collaboration tools including Zoom and Microsoft Teams have enjoyed spectacular growth in usage throughout the pandemic, but Fuze argue that enterprise-scale businesses have special requirements

Multi-sensory VR experience Fuze study reveals gaps in trust in flexible work for new cities OTHERWORLD is expanding its VR content across the UK and internationally after raising £2.9M from leading venture capital funds. The OTHERWORLD team has signed deals to open two prime locations in London Victoria and Birmingham this summer, with plans to expand to a further three locations in Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow over the next 12 months. Internationally, OTHERWORLD is recruiting fran-

“We’ve seen overwhelming demand, despite the pandemic,” said Chris Adams, CEO and Co-Founder of OTHERWORLD. “People are seeking ever-greater levels of immersion, but through social experiences they can enjoy with friends and family. We can’t wait to take the OTHERWORLD experience to new markets around the world.” OTHERWORLD is also using the investment to enrich its virtual reality experiences, which

mersion with scanned avatars, richly atmospheric themed zones, and virtual content designed exclusively for our venues.” OTHERWORLD is a virtual island paradise in the cloud, home to VR’s best experiences across entertainment, arts, education and wellness, reached through unique, multi-sensory ‘immersion pods’ in its growing network of city centre venues. Since opening its first site in

Fuze has announced the results of a new global study of 8,800 workers, which reveals that as flexible work is increasingly viewed as an expectation for the working world, but attitudes continue to vary widely across industries, roles and geographies. The Fuze report, “FLEX Study: Global Findings on the Future of Flexible Work”, reinforces that organisations and business leaders should not consider flexible work as a ‘one-size-fitsall’ benefit, but a personalised experience that should be tailored to an individual’s unique work preferences, role within their team, industry practices, aligned to goals and expected outcomes, and established through a foundation of trust.

See page 8: News analysis for a full report.

The Fuze report, “FLEX Study: Global Findings on the Future of Flexible Work”, reinforces that organisations and business leaders should not consider flexible work as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ benefit, but a personalised experience.

Exertis expands footprint in France chise partners in Germany and the United States. The new investment comes as many brick-and-mortar businesses emerge from what has been a challenging time. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, OTHERWORLD is thriving, booking out weeks in advance with market-leading footfall and revenues. The VR experience has played host to celebrity guests, including Adele and Skepta in September 2020.

Since opening its first site in Shoreditch, East London in 2019, over 50,000 people have experienced OTHERWORLD, including celebrities Adele, Skepta, Jonathan Ross, KSI and Fnatic. already integrate 360-degree heat, wind and rumble effects. “The first version of OTHERWORLD’s virtual resort has been a huge hit with guests and critics alike," said Ed Wardle, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer. "OTHERWORLD 2.0 will transport interdimensional travellers to new heights of im-

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Shoreditch, East London in 2019, over 50,000 people have experienced OTHERWORLD, including celebrities Adele, Skepta, Jonathan Ross, KSI and Fnatic. The team have won plaudits at the FRAME Awards 2020 and a nomination for the VR Awards 2020.

Exertis has announced it has now completed the acquisition of Azenn Holding Development (‘Azenn’) after receiving regulatory approval earlier this month. Azenn is a leading distributor of structured cabling solutions and network devices to the French installation market. It also provides logistics, refurbishment and staging services for network devices to some of the largest Telecoms operators in France. Headquartered in Montauban de Bretagne, Brittany, the business employs approximately 200 people across five locations throughout France, including a large distribution centre in Satolas-et-Bonce,

Lyon. Azenn delivered revenues of €60 million in the last financial year. Azenn is led by Philippe Betherlot, President, who will remain with the business and continue to drive Azenn’s future growth. Philippe Betherlot, says, “This acquisition is a great opportunity for Azenn, our people and our customers. We’re really looking forward to being part of the ever-expanding DCC Technology business.” The acquisition of Azenn will complement, enhance and extend the service offerings of Exertis Connect, Exertis’ existing commercial business in France. Exertis Connect, led by Eric Bousquet, will facilitate

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Tim Griffin, Managing Director of DCC Technology (Exertis parent) says: “As a company that we have admired for a number of years, we are delighted to add Azenn to the Exertis family.”

continued on page 3

Headline news continued from page 1 the expansion of Azenn’s cabling and network device offerings to new customers. This acquisition continues the European expansion of Exertis, following the acquisitions of Amacom, Comm-Tec and Keren in the last two years. Clive Fitzharris, Managing Director, Exertis International, says, “Azenn is a great fit with our existing commercial business in France and will allow us to offer a broader range of network devices and cabling solutions

to customers, both inside and outside the building.” Tim Griffin, Managing Director of DCC Technology (Exertis parent) says: “As a company that we have admired for a number of years, we are delighted to add Azenn to the Exertis family. I look forward to working with Philippe and the Azenn team to drive further growth in the business and add even more value to our customer and vendor partners.”

PMA Research (PMA), the worldwide market information experts on large displays, have published their latest sell-through tracking report on large-format (32-inch and larger) flat panel displays being sold by leading U.S. AV, PC and IT Distributors who typically serve commercial markets. Large-format display sales through U.S. distribution grew in May, rising 11% in volume and 17% in revenues when compared with April. Yearover-year showed the expected growth over pandemic-suppressed May 2020 with units and revenues up more than 30% and 40% respectively, when compared to last year. In fact, May 2021 display sales exceeded May 2019 sales by

last year. Average prices for this specific product segment have dipped significantly in the last six months with some sizes dropping over 25% compared with prices just one year ago. This is counter to the trend for consumer televisions where prices have increased for LCD TVs in practically every size segment below 80-inches. However, this is likely to change as some manufacturers have announced price increases on their professional TV lines as recently as this week. There were significant shifts in screen size mix in May too. Most notably, a four-point drop in the +70” segment. That is the largest drop in market share for this segment in the past 24 months. These shifts were

ISE London achieves networking objective Last month’s educed scale ISE event provided a much needed, and therefore welcomed in-

person event. While in no way comparable to the regular ISE event – with the next full-scale

show due from the 1st to the 4th February 2022 – the London event provided an in-per-

son supplement to the ISE Digital service (described in detail on P28).

May flat panel unit sales exceed May 2019

Large-format display sales through U.S. distribution grew in May, rising 11% in volume and 17% in revenues when compared with April. Year-over-year showed the expected growth over pandemic-suppressed May 2020 with units and revenues up more than 30% and 40% respectively, when compared to last year. 5%, a positive sign that segments of the market are returning. Delayed purchases from pent-up demand are closing and shipping, despite continued product component shortages and challenging shipping and logistics issues. There were some notable product and pricing trends in May. In the consumer television segment unit sales were down 5% from last year. This decline was likely caused by a combination of rising prices for many types of televisions, paired with a shift in consumer spending to vacations and other entertainment, which have grown as vaccination rates rise and restrictions ease in the United States. Unlike consumer televisions, professional televisions with cheaper consumer LCD glass continued to sell briskly in distribution, doubling in sales volume in May compared with

more likely the result of supply constraints rather than an indication of shifts in demand. There was limited availability for some LCD glass sizes. Also shipping and logistics problems affected every size segment somewhat randomly. Next month could show an entirely different trend as logistics problems continue.

While definitely as rich in terns of exbibits as a regular ISE, ISE London provided an opportunity for in person networking.

LG QNED mini-LED TVs set new quality standard LG Electronics (LG) will begin rolling out its newest and most premium LCD TV lineup in markets worldwide starting this month. Thanks to LG’s state-ofthe-art Quantum Dot NanoCell colour and Mini LED backlight technologies, the 2021 TVs are said to deliver a stunning viewing experience with deeper blacks, more accurate colour reproduction with greater contrast and brightness. 1 The lineup consists of 8K QNED99 and QNED95 series models along with 4K QNED90 series models in screen sizes ranging from a spacious 65 inches to a colossal 86 inches. 2 Featuring the company’s Quantum Dot NanoCell colour technology, LG QNED Mini LED ushers in a whole new era in LCD TV picture quality with rich and accurate colours for immersive viewing. Certified by international product testing agency Intertek for providing 100% colour volume and colour consistency, LG QNED Mini LED TVs also eliminate colour distortion across a wide viewing angle, ensuring everyone in the room can enjoy the ultimate in LCD picture quality. The bigger the screen, the smaller the details need to be. LG QNED Mini LED TV packs

smaller LEDs into the backlight images seem more realistic. forward, leveraging LG’s unique compared to other similarly LG’s commitment to a bet- colour reproduction technology sized TV screens, increasing ter tomorrow is evident in its and mini LED backlighting to brightness and dimming zones. newest TV products. LG QNED achieve the pinnacle of LCD For example, LG’s 86-inch 8K Mini LED TVs have received picture quality,” said Park HyTV (model 86QNED99UPA) Eco-Product certification from oung-sei, president of the LG is backlit by approximately SGS Société Générale de Sur- Home Entertainment Compa30,000 LED lights arranged veillance SA of Switzerland. ny. “Our newest lineup is testo create about 2,500 local This certification is only award- tament to LG’s technological dimming zones to deliver 10 ed to products that fulfil SGS leadership in the premium TV times better contrast ratio than requirements to standards that market made possible by conconventional LCD TVs. Deeper include low environmental im- tinuously improving and refinblacks and greater details with- pact or recyclability. ing our innovative OLED and in dark areas create a height- “LG QNED Mini LED TV rep- QNED Mini LED TVs.” ened sense of depth that makes resents an evolutionary leap LG Electronics (LG) will begin rolling out its newest and most premium LCD TV lineup in markets worldwide starting this month.

Leading integrator and technology specialist IDNS, has promoted longstanding members of staff to create a newly formed Board of Directors. Led by Managing Directors David Shuttleworth and Darren Clayman, who completed a buyout of IDNS in 2018, the newly appointed directors are made up of staff with a combined experience of over 50 years in the AV and IT industry. Ash Irlam, who is the new Sales Director, has been with IDNS for nearly 20 years and has seen the company develop from a toner telesales company into the technology specialist it is today. Speaking about his experience with IDNS Ash said: “I never imagined back when

I started at IDNS selling toner cartridges that the company would grow into the innovative solutions provider it is today. I couldn’t be prouder of IDNS for the journey we’ve all been on, especially in the last 3 years, and foresee great growth in the immediate future.” Dawn Smith, who has been at IDNS since they first launched their AV division, is the new Commercial Director and will be responsible for all vendor and supplier relationships across all categories. Bids & Technical Director, Peter Coulthard, has a wealth of experience in the audio visual market and is responsible for the plethora of frameworks and contracts IDNS now hold.

IDNS appoints new Board of Directors Darren Clayman said: “After just launching our new brand identity we’re very excited to announce our new board of directors. All of the new directors know the AV and IT industry very well and bring a

new dimension to the very top of IDNS. Both myself and Dave know that with these people brought in to lead the company forward, we have yet another exciting period of growth ahead of us.”

Ash Irlam, who is the new IDNS Sales Director; Dawn Smith, who has been at IDNS since they first launched their AV division, is the new Commercial Director; and Bids & Technical Director, Peter Coulthard, has a wealth of experience in the audio-visual market.

P3 AV News July 2021

Business news

Biamp acquires Neets A/S Biamp has announced the acquisition of Neets A/S, based in Horsens, Denmark. Neets is a respected independent manufacturer of AV control systems. The company offers a mature, comprehensive family of device controllers, control interfaces, and control software that are distinctive for their ease of use and elegant design. Neets' products and expertise enhance Biamp's current control offerings and place it among the leaders of full-line professional AV suppliers. In addition to control, Neets recently added to its portfolio several other innovative products that target conferencing applications, including media bars, cameras, device hubs, and in-table connectivity systems. “Neets is a company I've been impressed by and have been following for many years. Their products are notable for their extraordinary ease of use and careful consideration of everyone that encounters them in the product life cycle — from designer, to programmer, to installer, to end user,” said Rashid Skaf, Biamp president, CEO, and co-chairman. “I'm extremely pleased to welcome Neets into the Biamp family. Their products directly complement our solutions and will allow us to target an even wider range of venue types, sizes, and use cases and offer even more complete systems. This acquisition makes it easier than ever for our customers to stay within the Biamp solutions family for

all applications.” “I am excited to combine forces with Biamp and deliver the benefits of Neets' solutions to a global audience. The Neets team has spent over two decades building and refining the best control solutions in the industry,” said Michael Jarl Christensen, CEO of Neets A/S. “As part of Biamp, with its broad product portfolio and worldwide distribution system, Neets will be able to deliver its products to a far larger customer community. Together, Biamp will offer one of the broadest, most capable family of AV solutions available from any vendor anywhere in the world.” Biamp is a leader in professional audio systems for business, education, and government facilities. Under Skaf's direction, Biamp has charted an aggressive growth strategy that blends organic product line and distribution expansion with entry into new markets via acquisition. Biamp currently offers a wide range of audio-visual solutions that facilitate communication and collaboration in conference rooms, lecture halls, auditoria, arenas, stadia, and hospitality and retail spaces, as well as paging and notification and sound masking for open areas such as offices, concourses, stadia, retail centres, and casinos. Neets will join Biamp as a new product family within the company's portfolio, with business functions gradually being blended to form a single Biamp business.

Trust Distribution on ‘Conferencing Crusade’ Comms supply specialist Trust Distribution has launched a conferencing crusade - supported by manufacturer Konftel – urging resellers to grab a bigger slice of the lucrative endpoint market. The two parties have developed enhanced levels of support, to encourage more resellers to ‘be braver’ and not leave any sales opportunities on the table for rivals to ‘steal’ further down the line. “With Britain set to bounce back from the Covid pandemic, now is the perfect time for conferencing,” says Simon Hughes, Konftel Brand Manager at Trust. “We want to encourage more resellers to capitalise on additional revenue opportunities. I think there’s a danger some can be stuck too much in their comfort zone.” He emphasised: “Clearly creating an attractive price point is crucial when resellers are putting deals together, but if they don’t offer the complete solution it can be

P4 AV News July 2021

counterproductive. They should always look at the bigger picture.” High performance endpoints play a crucial role is delivering an optimum experience, as Hughes highlighted. “Historically conferencing and end points have been viewed as a bit of an afterthought to be added to a sale as and when further down the line. But in a rapidly changing, more agile world, hardware is now being recognised more by resellers. Those neglecting it are definitely missing out. Don’t get left behind.” He added: “Cloud-based applications such as Teams and Zoom have grown massively over the last 12 months and high-quality video cameras and audio are essential. Don’t cut corners. Offer all the ingredients and sell the full solution.

Continued on page 6

iiyama chooses nsign.tv signage software iiyama has signed an exclusive agreement with Catalan start-up nsign.tv to incorporate the nsign.tv software into its displays. Thanks to this international homologation, all the nsign.tv platform features will

initiative through Big Data, IoT, and AI systems, allowing integrators to implement large audio-visual projects while managing them from a centralized platform. iiyama’s displays profession-

model fruit of the revolutionary vision of wanting to offer complete and cost-effective solutions to all business, regardless of their size or investment capabilities”, adds Viñals. From the moment it is connected to a power source, this AllIn-One solution is ready to use and guarantees the automated and centralized control of information of small, medium, and large companies, allowing its users to create, program and reproduce multimedia content on all its display network in real-time and supervising the status of the displays. All of it done remotely from anywhere and any device. At the same time, users have unlimited access to the nsign. Academy, a complete online academy in 12 languages where to find information, tutorials and webinars to become a certified “nsigner”, the job of the digitalized future. According to Jeffry Pettinga, European Sales Director for ii-

ship with all the iiyama digital signage displays sizes ranging from 43 to 86 inches. The post-pandemic era is accelerating digitalization processes, among them communication in physical spaces, that is seeing a swift move from paper to digital. This alliance answers both companies desire to offer a differential value proposition in the digitalization of physical spaces, a fast-growing market

that is expected to see further growth in the coming years. According to the latest study, by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the digital signage market is expected to grow by 10%, reaching a 34.670 million USD market value by 2022. The new integrated solution, apart from getting rid of the need to use external players, allows, amongst its many benefits, the segmentation of the screen in different areas to improve display productivity, connecting two or more displays to create video walls, menu boards or mega banners to display WOW effects, synchronizing content without the need of cables or installations, thereby reducing installation costs, and accelerating project implementation. nsign.tv is a complete Communication Platform (CPaaS) that permits brands to leverage their physical spaces to create communication channels and engage with their audiences in a personalized and segmented way. This disruptive software platform can integrate seamlessly with any digitalization

al users will now benefit from nsign.tv in an integrated way in all their digital signage displays. A perfect solution for the retail, restaurant, education, entertainment, transport, health and corporate industries, among many other markets. “iiyama displays are famous worldwide for their quality, reliability and durability”, explains Toni Viñals, CEO of nsign.tv “They are great products to communicate with and now, with the nsign.tv platform, users will be able to reap maximum performance with minimum effort. We are thrilled that iiyama displays now ship with our software and help with the democratisation of the digital signage market. Furthermore, this alliance opens the door for nsign.tv to all the markets where iiyama is present: Europe, Middle East and Japan”, he adds. “Disruption isn’t just a matter of innovating with a product or a service, but to change the business model. This All-InOne proposition by iiyama and nsign.tv is a disruptive business

“The speed of implementation, the robustness and power of the platform, its ease of use and the support granted by the nsign.Academy are differential value propositions that we are convinced will make this integration very productive both for our distributors as well as the final client”. According to Lewis Clifford, Sales and Marketing manager, iiyama Professional Displays, for UK and Ireland, “we are betting on providing solutions that add value to our displays, and nsign.tv is a differential platform for its usability, connectivity and broadcast control. This model simplifies digital signage for clients, making it more accessible to companies of all sizes. In the UK it has generated a lot of interest and we are already rolling out projects and working on some fantastic opportunities.” iiyama has established itself as one of the brands with the largest portfolio of touch screens and digital signage displays for all applications, both commercial and professional alike. The 42, 52 and 70 series, that ship with nsign.tv, are a complete range of signage displays with a 4K UHD resolution, ultrathin bezel, and 24/7 display capabilities, and designed both for a vertical and horizontal setup and available in sizes ranging from 43 to 86 inches. These models guarantee bright

The new integrated solution, apart from getting rid of the need to use external players, allows, amongst its many benefits, the segmentation of the screen in different areas to improve display productivity, connecting two or more displays to create video walls, menu boards or mega banners. yama, “the new series of iiyama All-In-One displays tackles the necessities of the Digital Signage market with a robust, reliable, easy to use and scalable solution that requires no technical support to install and maintain”. Pettinga adds:

and realistic colours that afford crystal clear and detailed images, even in larger formats. They are ideal for companies that are looking for high-quality displays at affordable prices to communicate with their audiences.

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Business news Continued from page 4 We are aware of resellers losing their customers to a rival who come in at a later stage, providing additional endpoints and services. They shouldn’t let people steal their lunch!” Hughes concluded: “It’s hard to offer everything upfront but they need to be thinking about

Trust is developing three key market solutions - dedicated home working kits, huddle rooms and traditional board room packages. “For the past year our industry has pretty much just been furnishing people’s needs. Now is the time to analyse their requirements for

disguise rx II hardware for real-time content rendering In its mission to revolutionise real-time content rendering, disguise has unveiled its new rx II hardware release, with the fastest and most powerful professional GPU available on the market. The new rendering node unlocks 40% more

the processing power needed to drive the most detailed images means it can still be a struggle to keep frame rates high. The new rx II enhances disguise’s existing cluster rendering solution, which has been engineered to split the

leading render engines and key hardware like LED panels and camera tracking systems without any requirement for manual calibration. “At disguise, we want to stay at the cutting edge of graphics processing - our custom-

disguise’s latest r18 software release, ensuring smooth real-time streams from the powerful rx render node to the state-of-the-art vx media servers. The disguise rx II further enhances real-time rendering without compromise via 10-

processing power of highly detailed or large-scale real-time scenes across multiple rx render nodes. By splitting up content processing power, each individual machine is only given what its GPU can control. Each render node operates as part of a bigger cluster, allowing for a unified image that is, in reality, the product of multiple machines. The rx II is disguise’s new and improved dedicated rendering node, enabling users to demand far higher quality from their content than previously possible. The rx II also makes integration more easily achievable - working flawlessly with

disguise has unveiled its new rx II hardware release, with the fastest and most powerful professional GPU available on the market. ers constantly require more performance with engines like Unreal to achieve even more life-like results,” says disguise CTO Ed Plowman. “With the rx II, we wanted to make scalable rendering available to productions of any size and create a rendering node that perfectly complements the disguise ecosystem.” The rx II currently sits together with disguise’s vx as a hardware bundle. Connecting the two hardware units is disguise’s proprietary RenderStream protocol, available through

bit HDR processing for highest-quality output. Users can scale their production while using any render engine, create photorealistic backgrounds and assets and leave it to rx II to deliver pixel-perfect graphics to the screen with minimal latency.

Maverick AV Solutions has announced an agreement with modern workplace manufacturer Crestron Electronics to distribute its range of platform focused Unified Communication solutions globally. The move is designed to meet an ever-growing demand into the enterprise and corporate markets, for collaboration solutions in every kind of business environment. This is the only global distribution partnership for the business and will be available, via Maverick AV Solutions, in 16 European territories as well as the US and Canada. Joel Chimoindes, vice president, Maverick Europe said:

“Crestron is one of the most well-established brands in the AV market. Their product ranges for UC and platform-led communications are second to none and they are quickly emerging as leader in hybrid workspaces, with an ecosystem of products for all meeting environments. This collaboration will enable us to make them more accessible to our partners. We take a platform first approach alongside our integrators and Crestron’s accredited devices will be a great fit for our diverse community of partners.” The agreement covers the Crestron Flex Enterprise UC

products, including Microsoft Teams certified devices. The range includes video and audio room solutions, audio conferencing, personal communication devices, room booking panels, IoT sensors and wireless content sharing solutions. Each device can be connected and monitored via its management platform XiO cloud. Crucially, it includes its best-selling Crestron Mercury Microsoft Teams Room ranges, which are enabling rapid deployment of collaboration spaces globally. As the Crestron Electronics Enterprise UC portfolio evolves and expands, all these future

Simon Hughes, Konftel Brand Manager at Trust. “We want to encourage more resellers to capitalise on additional revenue opportunities. I think there’s a danger some can be stuck too much in their comfort zone.” endpoints more than ever because in an increasingly cloudbased world it’s easy to see on a call who is using a good quality camera compared to inferior options. A poor experience undermines the whole customer investment. Be braver and more forward thinking.” “Audio is equally as important as video. If people can’t be heard clearly, then the meeting is effectively over. With the huge transition to hybrid working, the return to offices as well as remote working, there are huge reseller opportunities to clinch more sales. People need to be connected wherever they are working.”

the long term, rather than a quick fix.” Jeff May, Konftel’s UK Sales Director, says the company makes it easy for resellers to come on board - without the need for lengthy certification and licences. “One-to-one free reseller support, discounted demo kits and direct technical support are some of the many ways Konftel and Trust help resellers grow their businesses. Konftel has a solution for every scenario and all our products are Climate Neutral certified, meaning companies can conference with a clear climate conscience as well as stay connected.”

graphics processing power than its rx predecessor to reliably render larger and higher quality scenes in real-time engines such as Unreal Engine, on any display canvas and across any industry application. When working on any type of creative project, whether it be fixed installations, virtual production, broadcast or even live shows, the disguise workflow enables users to update their content in real-time, delivering astonishingly detailed scenes on the fly whilst also saving time and money on post-production. Although GPUs are getting dramatically more powerful,

Optoma has announced the rebrand of its ProDesign technical consultancy services. They promise that “Whether you’re an AV newcomer or a technology veteran, Optoma’s in-house technical team will guide and assist you, every step of the way, to ensure that your visual project reaches its maximum pixel potential”. Optoma first launched the services in 2017. Ross Noonan, Optoma’s technical product specialist, explains: “We’re proud of the consultancy services we offer. It’s something that sets us apart from other manufacturers, and we’ve seen the success it’s brought our AV installers time and time again. “By providing free training, attending client meetings and providing support and advice when and where it

is needed, we remain assured that clients are well versed in selecting, installing and servicing Optoma solutions.” Optoma’s consultancy services consist of a simple three-step process: consultation, design and support. The first step, consultancy, includes: •An initial engagement to learn about your unique challenge and goals •A site survey to take measurements and look at any limitations to provide solutions •A consultation with Optoma’s creative team, who create engaging and shareable content to ensure your story and project get the attention it deserves. The design step includes: •Determining the content resolution and quality guarantees that the install reaches its max-

imum pixel potential •Technical drawings for replicating the environment in 3D CAD software •Project support pricing with flexible payment terms. The final step, support, includes: •On-site commissioning to ensure content is running precisely and technology is working to its full potential •Free online and in-person training •Logistics support - with prechecked solutions both factory side and within the EMEA logistics hub •A direct line help desk for remote support •Warranties tailored to you with field emergency service.

Optoma announces ProDesign re-brand

P6 AV News July 2021

Maverick / Crestron distribution agreement

Continued on page 7

Business news

IMEX to distribute Novo FACEIT and Panasonic partner on esports Ecosystem in Ireland tournament n response to growing demand for its Novo Ecosystem solutions in the Republic of Ireland, Vivitek has announced that it has appointed IMEX Instruments as an additional distributor in the country. Vivitek already has a strong partnership with sister company IMEX Systems in Northern Ireland, which remains Vivitek’s only approved reseller in the region. Founded in 1970, IMEX is a long established and thriving business. A diverse and dynamic company with specialist knowledge in Testing leading edge electronics, IMEX branched into the Audio Visual and Interactive training solutions business in 1998. Today, it gives impartial advice on Audio Visual products and only distributes and supplies industry leading ranges! IMEX is particularly engaged with the Vivitek NovoTouch range of Interactive touch panels to design and supply each customer’s individual requirements. IMEX Systems and IMEX Instruments Ltd are both wholly owned by the same board of directors, trading in Ireland and the UK. Both companies are run by the same team of people who are professionally qualified and who bring a wealth of industry experience, while being highly dedicated to providing the best solutions to customers. Vivitek’s Novo Ecosystem offers wireless collaboration and

digital signage functionalities, and it has a full range of Novo Ecosystem Add-On models as well as All-in-One solutions with its NovoDisplay and NovoTouch flat panels. They offer combined wireless presentation and digital signage functionality. The Novo Ecosystem provides one of the most comprehensive product lines designed to enhance any type of visual communication, whether it is for a meeting, digital signage or both - at the same time. Holger Graeff, General Manager, Vivitek EMEA, stated: “After a challenging year for all, it’s reassuring to see the AV sector start to recover and see a rise in demand for solutions that boost productivity and collaboration. That’s why appointing IMEX Instruments is a timely move. Its expertise and knowledge of the AV sector and its market’s needs, means it’s set to complement the outstanding work already conducted by our existing channel partners.” Commenting on its appointment, Peter Niblock, managing director, IMEX Instruments, said: “Naturally, we’re thrilled to be able to offer our customers solutions from Vivitek’s Novo Ecosystem. We are confident that Vivitek’s heritage and its combination of performance, quality and value for money are exactly what customers are looking for as they start to plan their future AV needs in the post pandemic world.”

Vivitek’s Novo Ecosystem offers wireless collaboration and digital signage functionalities, and it has a full range of Novo Ecosystem AddOn models as well as All-in-One solutions with its NovoDisplay and NovoTouch flat panels. Continued from page 6 products will become available to Maverick AV Solutions, including the forthcoming Android based meeting room solutions for Microsoft Teams. “We’re delighted to partner with Maverick AV Solutions to expand our reach to a new market of customers,” said Charlie James, Director Sales WW UC

Device Partners at Crestron. “This engagement is a step forward in creating additional channels for enterprises to purchase solutions, and we look forward to offering our enterprise portfolio of select Microsoft Teams certified devices to a wider audience globally.”

When the pandemic prevented the FACEIT production team travelling to the United States to stage its Flashpoint Season 2 tournament for Counter-Strike:Global Offensive, the company decided to switch the production venue to Twickenham Stadium in the UK and use Panasonic’s PTZ camera and robotics solutions. FACEIT is the leading inde-

and produce the show from its studio in LA but as things changed it meant that players, talent and crew were struggling to travel. FACEIT decided to go ahead with the event but with all the players competing remotely and creating a studio at Twickenham Stadium and hotel. The organisers drew up plans to reduce all virus transmission risks within a studio

ly increased – especially when you add a jib or a Steadicam.” As a result, the team used a PTZ camera-based system featuring the Panasonic AWUE150 camera, for three purposes. The first was to reduce the number of people located in the studio. The second was to have high quality, programmable preset and recall movements that could be rehearsed

in the environment because they didn’t require proprietary cables and could be controlled from a simple IP network. The wider production system was very Blackmagic-based and included an ATEM Constellation mixer and RIEDEL comms. The team also used an infinity green screen and Augmented Reality effects on the live show and behind the

Photo Credit: Andrew Lane For Flashpoint 2, the team had originally planned to have all the players for its $1m prize money tournament on-site and produce the show from its studio in LA but as things changed it meant that players, talent and crew were struggling to travel. FACEIT decided to go ahead with the event but with all the players competing remotely and creating a studio at Twickenham Stadium and hotel. pendent competitive gaming platform for online multiplayer PvP gamers with more than 20 million users, and a total of 40 million hours spent on the platform each month. In addition, the organisation has its own TV and Media production unit that provides professional gaming coverage of some of the largest esports events in the world. For Flashpoint 2, the team had originally planned to have all the players for its $1m prize money tournament on-site

space. This included reducing the amount of people coming into contact with the show’s presenter talent. “We wanted to give the talent space and the option to not have to wear a facemask, allowing them to be on camera and do their jobs properly,” explained Andrew Lane, Director of Broadcast & Production at FACEIT. “Having operated cameras wasn’t really an option because our footprint in the studio would have significant-

and used throughout the show. The third was to enable the system to be controlled over a network, so that the team could operate in isolation, from their hotel rooms, in the worst-case scenario. The production team’s system included six Panasonic UE150 cameras, an AW-RP150 controller, and a Tuning rail system with an elevated column – all supplied via ES Broadcast. The Panasonic UE150 cameras and Tuning system fitted perfectly

scenes, in use with the Panasonic UE150 cameras, thanks to their compatibility with the FreeD protocol. “The Panasonic PTZ camera solution is ideal for this type of esports coverage and it’s fantastic that we could help to keep the players playing and give the fans the high quality viewing experience they demand,” said Oliver Newland, Field Marketing Manager at the Panasonic Media and Entertainment Division.

Yamaha UC chooses HuddleCamHD to support collaboration Yamaha Unified Communications has teamed-up with HuddleCamHD to further enhance Yamaha's portfolio of scalable, high-quality collaboration solutions with easy-to-deploy audio and video product bundles perfectly suited for meeting and learning spaces. Adapted for today's evolving video conferencing and hybrid learning requirements, the bundles are designed to fit a variety of small, medium, and large meeting and teaching environments and budgets, incorporating Yamaha's portable YVC-330 USB & Bluetooth speakerphone, YVC-1000 USB & Bluetooth conference phone, or Yamaha's HD Single and HD Dual wire-

less microphone systems. “Great meetings and learning sessions are a result of bestin-class audio and video solutions that enable clear, distraction-free conversation,” said Michelle Baeza, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Yamaha Unified Communications. “By partnering with HuddleCamHD, we are providing our customers with more interoperable options that are easy to deploy and incredibly simple to use to ensure flawless collaboration in any room.” Yamaha's rich history of delivering audio hardware and HuddleCamHD's innovations in video conferencing will provide customers with scalable solu-

tions for video conferencing, hybrid learning, and other communications from the home, office, or event space. For small rooms, the portable YVC-330 USB & Bluetooth speakerphone with SoundCap ensures the best-quality audio, no matter where a meeting happens. The YVC-1000 conference phone is an intuitive communications system featuring separate microphone and speaker units for flexibility during audio, web, and video conferencing in medium to large spaces. For large rooms such as boardrooms, lecture halls, or auditoriums, the HD Single and HD Dual wireless microphone system features a

portable plug-and-play design with simple setup and produces superior HD sound quality. “We've made it our focus to design the highest quality, plugand-play camera solutions for meeting rooms of all sizes,” said Matt Davis, Director of Technology and Information Systems at HuddleCamHD and PTZOptics. “We're thrilled to have such synergy with Yamaha, which will undoubtedly serve our customers well.”

P7 AV News July 2021

News analysis Technology News

Hybrid working - meeting the needs of the enterprise Generic collaboration tools including Zoom and Microsoft Teams have enjoyed spectacular growth in usage throughout the pandemic, but Fuze argue that enterprise-scale businesses have special requirements These include: balancing the interests of management and staff; providing access to the business for customers and suppliers AV News reports on a new market research study commissioned by Fuze designed to answer these questions.

The ‘FLEX Study: Global Findings on the Future of Flexible Work’, reinforces the view that organisations and business leaders should not consider flexible work as a ‘one-size-fitsall’ benefit, but a personalised experience that should be tailored to an individual’s unique work preferences, role within their team, industry practices, aligned to goals and expected outcomes, and established through a foundation of trust. A global study of 8,800 workers, which reveals that as flexible work is increasingly viewed as an expectation for the working world AV News was given the opportunity to discuss the results of the Survey with Clément Wehrung, Director of Product Management at Fuze. Clement has been involved with the questions posed by remote working for more than five years and has some deeply considered views on the subject. When planning the Survey. it was important to Fuze that it had a broad geographical base. As well as a good range of industries and roles. This inevitably involved a large sample size – 8,800 individ-

Percentage of workers who felt more productive working remotely than in the office or on site Senior Leaders: 74% Office Workers: 59% Frontline Workers: 50%

P8 AV News July 2021

uals across the United States, United Kingdom, France and Australia. In terms of industry sectors, respondents were drawn from manufacturing, retail, professional services, financial services, and software and technology. The overall objective was to demonstrate that organisations and business leaders should not consider flexible work as a ‘one-size-fitsall’ benefit, but a personalised experience that should be tailored to an individual’s unique work preferences, role within their team, industry practices, aligned to goals and expected outcomes, and established through a foundation of trust. The results of the survey point to the fact that flexible work is increasingly viewed as a lasting expectation for the working world, but attitudes continue to vary widely. Some 75% of respondents reported that flexible work should be an essential part of how people work going forward.

Divergent opinions One of the most interesting dichotomies to emerge in the data is the extent to which the opinions of enterprise management vary as to the trust they

place in their workers. 42 per cent of frontline workers believe management is trustworthy of remote work, compared to 62 per cent of office workers. 78 per cent of frontline workers also report that their organisation requires them to be in their current working location versus only 60 per cent of office workers. However, six in 10 (63 per cent) of frontline workers say they would be willing to change jobs for more flexibility.

In fact, in most regions, a full-time return to the office or worksite mandate would result in destabilising job churn. In the UK, US, and Australia, approximately two-thirds of employees (67 per cent) would consider finding a new job for

greater flexibility in when and how they work. In France, more than half of employees (57 per cent) would consider finding a new job with greater flexibility.

A matter of trust Trust in flexible work varies widely across job roles. Across all regions, about half (54per cent of workers think management is more trusting of re-

mote work, while 70 per cent of senior leaders believe management is more trusting, highlighting a gap between management's new-found trust in remote work and employee perception of that trust. A possible cause here is that support for flexible working is very much ‘on trend’ in management circles. The gap in trust toward remote work is also reflected by role, with office workers (73 per cent) more likely to say they are more trusting of remote work compared to frontline workers (50 per cent). This may be credited to the lack of flexible work options traditionally offered to frontline workers versus office workers. As ‘remote-first work persisted for many workers during 2020, a gap in the perception of trust across roles surfaced. While a majority of senior leaders increased their confidence in flexible work, employees who are further away from those leadership roles are not as aligned. Less than half of frontline workers (42per cent trusting of remote work, while 70per cent of senior leaders believe that management is more trusting of remote work. This divide between the roles can set up conflict — if employees feel their leaders don’t back the policy, they’ll feel less comfortable taking advantage of it, or

worse, employees could move on to other companies that fully embrace flexible working models.

Productivity Productivity is often cited as the principal benefit of hybrid working. For those working remotely full-time, 60 per cent say they are more productive at home than they were in the office. However, this feeling of productivity varies across regions with 70 per cent of Australian respondents saying that they felt more productive versus only 52 per cent of UK respondents. Employees are both more productive and more engaged than companies might think. But the risk of burnout is still a threat. Only 66per cent of respondents said they are ensuring they take a break every day. In addition, a quarter of respondents report that they find themselves working longer hours since they started working remotely. Less effective tools and too many meetings exacerbate that risk. Burnout also stems from the inability to disconnect. 60per cent of UK respondents were unable to disconnect compared to almost the same amount in the US who said they were able to disconnect and recharge (58per cent). Of those workers who have trouble disconnect-

News analysis

ing, workers in the UK (23per cent feel the most anxious about getting caught up, while workers in France are most distracted by looking at their phones (23per cent). Although 60 per cent of respondents working remotely 100per cent of the time said they felt more productive than they did in the office, senior leaders — who spend more of their days in meetings and on strategic tasks, rather than doing tactical, hands-on work — drove some of that response. Also, senior leaders are further in their career, and are able to leverage that experience to be more comfortable and confident in remote-first environments.

Principles of flexibility There are some key principles to follow to ensure a flexible, healthy work culture: 1.Flexible work is the new operating model. Companies must keep this in mind if they want to attract, win, and retain employees going forward. Flexible work is now either a recruitment tool or a churn risk. 2.It’s the responsibility of organisations to provide the blueprint, tools, and trust for employees to succeed in this new flexible work model. It’s critical that frontline workers are not left behind. 3.Ongoing innovation is key. There is a wave of technology and experiential innovation coming to meet the demands of flexible work. To succeed, companies must continue to invest as they move forward.

People matter Many years before the pandemic and hybrid working were at the forefront of attention, certain industries and job roles were notorious for their almost infinite flexibility and unstructured work patterns. The media and creative sectors were prime examples and noted for the propensity for key workers to experience burn out. Remote working can extend the ability of home and mobile to ‘over work’.And increasing cause for concern among enterprise managers. Companies must establish a structure for the workday to prevent burnout. Only 66per cent of respondents say they are ensuring they take a break every day. In addition, a quarter of respondents report that they find themselves working longer hours since they started working remotely. Video meetings are a particular cause for concern because they are not subject to the usual regulation of office hours. An example quoted in the report described: “The ability for our Account Managers to stay in touch with customers they could no longer see face-toface was HUGE,” said David Houchins, Telecom Administrator at NB Handy. “And workfrom-home options for office employees gave us flexibility we never had in the past.” There are lots of workers who report being happier working at home or another chosen location, but if their time is completely jammed with meetings, they will quickly become less effective and engaged. In fact, 59per centof our respondents said the ideal time in meetings each day is less than 2 hours. Senior leaders, whose roles often demand more time in meetings, are the exception. Conclusion Though the advent of COVID-19

in 2020 demanded companies to immediately pivot to flexible work models — whether they had allowed flexibility in the past or not — the fact is that the pandemic allowed companies and their employees alike to discover the benefits of this approach at all levels. “Over the last year, the pandemic forced many organizations to digitally transform and embrace flexible work,” said Brian Day, CEO, Fuze. “While office workers have been at the forefront of the flexible work conversation for years, other segments of the workforce are playing a critical role in the movement’s evolution. This study provides organisations with the foundational data required to inform their approach to flexible work and empower employees to be more engaged and productive.” In most organisations flexible work used to be a negotiated benefit — something addressed on a case-by-case basis, often directly with managers. But now, three in four workers (75per cent) demand flexible work. Even frontline workers, who are less likely to get as much flexibility as office workers, are on board — 68per cent think flexible work should be a standard practice. Workers at all levels want flexibility without taking a pay cut, demotion, or loss of benefits to get it. 64per cent of respondents say the right tools allow them to work more productively outside a company office or worksite. But those tools need to be secure, useful, flexible, and the appropriate ones for the situation. They also need to evolve to meet the needs of workers who traditionally have not relied as heavily on meeting-focused collaboration tools. There are still sizable employee

audiences not using these tools to accomplish their work. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the evolution of flexible work faster than anyone could have imagined. As we have begun to emerge from the disruption caused by global lockdowns, many companies have decided to shift their policies and practices permanently. Companies in industries where flexible work was not the norm have had the opportunity to flex new muscles around hybrid ways of working and can measure where these practices are working for them, and where they may still need to adjust further. When organizations adjust their policies and practices to optimize for flexible work, people thrive. Companies that use this unique moment in history to pivot toward the future of flexible work and innovate and invest in a hybrid work model will see ongoing employee productivity, engagement, and satisfaction. “As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the companies that embrace flexible work will be the ones most likely to retain stable workforces, accomplish ambitious goals with the help of engaged employees, and thrive in their respective industries.” - Brian Day, CEO, Fuze

Companies that use this unique moment in history to pivot toward the future of flexible work and innovate and invest in a hybrid work model will see ongoing employee productivity, engagement, and satisfaction.

Definitions Roles • Frontline workers are defined as anyone working in a location other than an office. • Office workers is an imperfect, evolving term for employees who would traditionally be expected to work from a primary office location. • Senior leadership is defined as people working at or above director level.

Types of work • Flexible work describes both where and how employees work. • Hybrid work describes just the location of that work (in or out of a primary worksite or office). • Remote work describes working 100 percent away from a primary worksite or office.

P9 AV News July 2021

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Application news

La Couple - the world’s 1st real10K 3D planetarium The La Coupole Planetarium, the History and Remembrance Centre located in the North of France, has announced that the planetarium can now offer visitors unforgettable journeys through the Universe in an ultra-modern 360° environment powered by Sony’s VPLGTZ380 native 4K projectors. The 15m digital viewing dome is powered by 12 of the 4K VPL-GTZ380 Sony projectors, to offer ultra-realistic and stunning images in real time and in 3D with the highest levels of brightness, and contrasts. The VPL-GTZ380 projectors reach 10,000 lumens through a laser light source, with the SXRD 4K panels achieving the necessary high levels of contrast to create a truly immersive experience for visitors. Working with RSA Cosmos, the planetarium has installed the

latest version of their astronomical software SkyExplorer 2021 and combining RSA Cosmos’s and Sony’s leading technologies means that the highest resolution, image quality and rendering has been achieved throughout the dome. The 3D Planetarium of La Coupole now achieves a total brightness of 120,000 lumens and displays the most complex content with the finest rendering. “The goal of this modernisation project was to achieve an image quality we no longer had. Thanks to the Sony projectors, we obtain a magnificent sky, splendid colours and great contrasts”, says Nicolas Fiolet, Planetarium Manager at the 3D Planetarium of La Coupole. To offer visitors an always greater visual and interactive experience, RSA Cosmos also installed new seats integrating

their unequalled Audience Response system. Each armrest is equipped with one control panel allowing the audience to participate to quiz, select scenarios, and take direct control of the movement of the camera in the simulation, offering highly dynamic planetarium sessions and bringing great interaction between users & the audience. “We have had very positive feedback from visitors”, says Amélie Fivey, animator of the 3D Planetarium of La Coupole.

Volkswagen UK took over Stage A at Millennium Studios in Thurleigh for its much-anticipated annual conference. Traditionally hosted as an in-person event, Volkswagen opted for a virtual setting built around a live, complex agenda that included keynotes, videos, presentation slides, and more. Volkswagen’s team delivered an immersive presentation in front of an LED screen backdrop supplied by technical production and LED screen hire company, iMAG displays, with iMAG’s sister company Graymatter delivering the control infrastructure for a headache-free Virtual Production event. IMAG’s involvement stems from an initial conversation between its Technical Sales and Relationship Manager, Jonathan Dyson, and Simon Garrett, who was working with event producer Second Sight

hand experience of delivering a full ecosystem for all types of immersive events,” says Dyson. “When Simon got in touch to ask if iMAG wanted to be involved with the tender Volkswagen, I was very excited.” IMAG supplied high-quality ROE Diamond 2.6mm LED panels for the centre wall with ROE CB5 LED panels for the side screens, creating a large, U-shaped LED backdrop for the set. iMAG’s Creative Production Manager, Daniel Acland notes that a key challenge for the project overall was complying with safety regulations because of the sheer amount of people involved. “IMAG was delivering the video element, Second Sight the custom floor and clips for the cars to sit on, and then there was a camera crew and audio team. With all of us sharing the same facility, we had to be extra careful,” he says.

within a project,” he continues. “But this attitude lacks collaboration and creates disparity in the overall workflow. We made sure there was full transparency between everyone involved, along with a global schedule with specific timeslots for each team and a bit of contingency in case any team needed extra time.” “Considering the scale of the project and how the screen had been designed, we chose to deploy disguise gx2c media servers,” says Tom Dziedziejko, Graymatter’s Video Design Technician. “Thanks to their high quality and power, we could provide high-resolution content for the three custom backdrops.” During the pre-production process, Dziedziejko prepared a real-time 3D scene simulator, modelled using software 3D blender 2.9 to reflect the size of the production. “After

The La Coupole Planetarium, the History and Remembrance Centre located in the North of France, has announced that the planetarium can now offer visitors unforgettable journeys through the Universe.

iMAG supports Volkswagen virtual annual conference screens. The disguise media servers meant we could facilitate a much better workflow,” he says.

The feedback to the event was highly positive, with both Second Sight and Volkswagen complimenting everyone involved.

backbone of what we do,” concludes Acland. “With so many teams involved and a very tight schedule, there was no room for

Volkswagen UK took over Stage A at Millennium Studios in Thurleigh for its much-anticipated annual conference. Traditionally hosted as an in-person event, Volkswagen opted for a virtual setting built around a live, complex agenda that included keynotes, videos, presentation slides, and more.

to source a reliable company to supply the screens for Volkswagen’s virtual event. “Having developed our own mobile LED virtual production facility, which is currently being used by companies such as Netflix and Amazon, we have first-

Acland also notes the key to the successful execution of the project was for each team to have a macro view of the job and cooperate fully with all other departments. “It is very easy to fall into a ‘silo mentality’ and just focus on your own role

importing the 3D model and content, the disguise servers allowed me to timeline different conference scenarios. It was also helpful to have a content producer on site who could quickly advise what his vision should look like on the

A Barco E2 event switcher was also used to control various elements of the signal including keynote, scaled disguise output and cameras. “E2 also controlled several speaker relay monitors, comfort monitors for the client area, and signals into disguise. With this setup, we were able to do any corrections needed on the presentations and video material in real-time,” Dziedziejko adds. With iMAG’s entire fleet of ROE Visual LED panels dynamically calibrated with Brompton Hydra measurement system, iMAG’s team was able to deliver the true-to-life colour accuracy and image bit depth of Brompton High Dynamic Range (HDR). By using Brompton Tessera SX40 processors, they could also utilise features such as Chroma Tune and OnScreen Colour Adjustment to make precise adjustments and corrections to the colours in the incoming video signal.

“I would like to thank everyone for their hard work and effort on this project. The set looked amazing, and the entire team did a cracking job in bringing the whole thing to life for us,” says Guy Shayler, Director at Second Sight. “They were a pleasure to work with.” “Having the right equipment to support our projects is the

error. The combination of ROE Visual LED and Brompton’s unfailing Tessera LED processing power, along with Graymatter’s control expertise and disguise servers’ creative show design and powerful content playback capacity means we can always be confident in the reliability of our equipment and the high quality of our service.”

P11 AV News July 2021

Application news

Lasting impression with projected video art exhibition It is often said that a picture paints a thousand words, but what about a video wall? Making its debut at the Pabellón de la Navegación (Navigation Pavilion) in Seville, the touring media exhibition ‘Impressionists’ left viewers speechless as the works of Renoir, Van Gogh, and others illuminated a stunning floor-to-ceiling digital masterpiece. With Matrox QuadHead2Go multi-monitor controllers’ ability to deliver flawless image quality across a sprawling canvas, Ukrainian multimedia company Front Pictures was able to provide a mesmerizing, twenty-first century take on the works of Europe’s most renowned Impressionist masters. For Front Pictures, bringing some of the most distinguished modern paintings to life required a flexible and reliable video wall solution. What the company had in mind was a plug-and-play, standalone appliance that would be capable of driving multiple pristine-quality Full HD displays, as well as be compact enough to be quickly disassembled and reassembled to meet the travel needs of the digital exhibition. Having had years’ worth of successful experience with Matrox video wall products, Front Pictures’ choice to acquire

QuadHead2Go devices was easy. “Matrox has provided our go-to video wall technologies for some time now,” said Yuri Kostenko, Front Pictures CEO. “We have used the Matrox TripleHead2Go triple-display appliance for many years now, and when Matrox released the QuadHead2Go, it was perfect timing. We had been looking for a higher-density-output device to support more displays from a small footprint, and we knew that Matrox’s multi-screen technology would perfectly suit our demanding installations.” The Matrox PowerWall software included with QuadHead2Go allows Front Pictures to easily install and customize configurations, making deployment simple. The installation behind the Impressionists exhibition comprises 14 screens – each being 4.4 meters in height – spanning 116 meters in total. Content for the exhibition created by Front Pictures is hosted on the company’s Screenberry media server. From there, the content is routed to six QuadHead2Go Q155 appliances – each capturing an HDMI video signal from the media server for display across four HDMI-equipped projectors. QuadHead2Go

devices connect to a total of 21 BenQ TH671ST projectors that cast the ultra-high-quality video onto the screens across 40,320 x 1080 pixels for a total resolution of 43.5 megapixels. The result is a monumental display of Van Gogh’s flower still life

collections with petals that appear to float gently across the screens, among many other revitalized versions of Impressionist masterworks. When set to music, the moving paintings delivered by the QuadHead2Go video controllers and Screen-

Making its debut at the Pabellón de la Navegación (Navigation Pavilion) in Seville, the touring media exhibition ‘Impressionists’ left viewers speechless as the works of Renoir, Van Gogh, and others illuminated a stunning floor-to-ceiling digital masterpiece

Wilmington plc invests in digital classroom tech Following significant investment as part of a digital transformation program, Wilmington plc, global provider of information, education and networking services, has officially launched a state-of-the-art Digital Classroom. This provides a highly engaging, broadcast-quality remote teaching experience for its thousands of worldwide customers, students and members.

to utilize the platform is the International Compliance Association (ICA), which delivers expert training and qualifications to financial regulatory and compliance professionals. Driven by Barco weConnect virtual classroom technology, the hardware was implemented by technology partner Vanti. Barco weConnect offers a powerful learning environment,

Enabled by Barco and its virtual classroom solution, weConnect, the Digital Classroom is designed to provide an immersive experience that is comparable to that of a physical classroom. Enabled by Barco and its virtual classroom solution, weConnect, the Digital Classroom is designed to provide an immersive experience that is comparable to that of a physical classroom. It will benefit Wilmington’s businesses that provide industry-leading training and qualifications to the risk and compliance, healthcare and professional industries from around the world. The first Wilmington business

P12 AV News July

delivers content-rich, interactive and engaging learning experiences that enable meaningful collaboration and bright learning outcomes. It allows students to engage in real-time with both their lecturer and other participants in a way that traditional models do not support, going far beyond standard online communications or video conferencing platforms. Thomas Mount, Chief Tech-

berry media server transport viewers to the imaginations of Impressionist virtuosos.

nology Officer, Wilmington plc said: “Each year, Wilmington’s businesses enrol more than 20,000 new students from around the world for training, courses and qualifications. We have integrated the Barco weConnect studio with our learning management system to provide a seamless, single sign-in. The early student feedback we have received is positive, with praise for the two-way interaction with the teacher and attendees, akin to traditional classrooms.” Tamara Kahn, Wilmington’s Compliance Divisional Director and Executive Director of the International Compliance Association, added: “This is a key part of ICA’s cutting-edge learning approach. We are investing heavily into our training programmes to make sure they are engaging, effective and relevant to our learners. This includes learning science, design methodologies and the use of multiple blended learning formats. We realised that to deliver truly impactful experiences online we needed to do something different. We started planning for our new digital classroom before the pandemic because we wanted to deliver truly impactful experiences. The last year has only strengthened that vision and resolve and we are delighted by the response from our students and trainers so far.” Jan van Houtte, VP Learning Experience at Barco: “Coronavirus accelerated the gathering momentum of distance learning but maintaining engagement and delivering its promises requires fully emulating the classroom

experience. With weConnect, every student is visualized in a similar way. Imagine a big video wall where all participants are displayed in real time. The size of their heads, if you put six students on the display, is close to what you get in the physical world. As a trainer, you’re in that room, you have all your students in front of you like in a normal room, you can address them, look around, see who’s paying attention, walk up to the whiteboard to further explain something. In summary, you can teach like you’re used to. This is driving real engagement. We are delighted that Wilmington PLC have adopted our virtual classroom and have had a smooth ride during the pandemic.” :

Imperial College choses Peerless-AV video wall mounts Imperial College London has completed a new installation for its Business School. Imperial’s integration partner Reflex managed the project, which consists of two new areas: a Harvard style teaching room/lecture theatre and a multi-modal collaborative space. In the latter, Reflex designed an area that can be used as a single large room or two

functionality, users can articulate the display from the wall for servicing and maintenance by gently pressing on the front of the display. The displays are driven by a collaborative learning system that gives groups the ability to work on a display each, while the lecturer can share content between groups or to the whole room. Zoom calls can

Imperial College London has completed a new installation for its Business School. Imperial’s integration partner Reflex managed the project, which consists of two new areas: a Harvard style teaching room/lecture theatre and a multi-modal collaborative space. smaller teaching spaces via a folding partition. On each side, a curved LCD wall has been installed with 16 ultra-narrow bezel 55-inch panels (NEC UN552VS) configured as four 4K UHD displays. Peerless-AV’s SmartMount Full Service Video Wall Mounts with Quick Release (DSVW765-LQR) were chosen as the mounting solution for the 32 panels for their time-saving features such as easy installation and precise adjustability. The video walls are recessed in wooden frames and so, using the mount’s quick-release

also be fed into the system for multi-modal teaching, enabling remote participants to see the collaborative work being done in the space. “Reflex uses Peerless-AV mounts as standard for LCD videowalls. They’re straightforward to specify, stock availability is good, and there are detailed, accurate CAD drawings showing the full range of articulation. We are always confident they will work for the project.”- Andi Allan, Head of Design at Reflex.

Workplace innovation

Increasing engagement in video meetings It’s become an all-too common scenario: a video meeting starts with global participants sharing content and presentations. Then, someone’s ring light is too dim, and another’s screen is angled too far. The host’s microphone has poor quality and the lead presenter’s room has too much ambient noise. Kevin Morrison, CEO of Utelogy Corporation considers increasing engagement in video meetings. After more than 18 months of collaborating, mainly through Zoom or Teams, even the most tech-savvy workers often have trouble getting online video meetings right. That inability to create an immersive user experience – whether on the part of an organisation or individual participants – is a leading contributor to video meeting fatigue and decreased meeting engagement.

ing. COVID simply accelerated the process. Now organisations are bringing employees back to offices, while also trying to accommodate the needs of workers planning to remain remote. Those returning will likely have new expectations for collaboration and meetings. Those staying off-site have grown accustomed to logging in for meetings and will want an experience that

now just want to connect from any location, and the seamless transition from handheld devices to the meeting room is critical. In the past several years, traditional – and complex to manage – corporate conference rooms have been gradually replaced by huddle rooms and more informal meeting areas, and that trend is certainly continuing. Now with the increased ubiqui-

engagement have improved dramatically. Within the Utelogy platform, we’ve developed several tools including the U-Manage remote management and monitoring solution and U-Automate Utelogy’s room readiness product. With U-Automate, AV and IT managers can optimise their meeting spaces by conducting automated room and device testing during off-hours to ensure compare the acoustics of an organisation’s rooms in New York versus those in Singapore. The system can determine if problems are related to a network or a microphone issue, or maybe someone’s touched a button they shouldn’t have, or changed an HDMI input. Individual room settings can be saved and programmatically restored each time a room is used. Users also need the ability to monitor which AV/UC devices are most commonly used, which rooms are reserved least often, and which devices elicit the most errors and alerts. With a platform like Utelogy, users can gather and store all these meaningful insights.

Then, when it’s time to expand or build a new facility they can incorporate this data from day one. The platform’s open nature also supports seamless integration with third-party solutions allowing users to customise a management and control solution according to their specific needs. Not everyone likes meetings, but they are a reality and online video meetings will remain permanent fixtures of everyday business life. Working together as an industry, the future of video and online collaboration will continually improve year after year with more features, affordable prices, quality video and audio streaming, and above all, a dynamic user experience.

With U-Automate, AV and IT managers can optimise their meeting spaces by conducting automated room and device testing during offhours to ensure a room is ready for its next scheduled meeting.

From the enterprise side, the tools necessary for enhanced engagement have improved dramatically. “Within the Utelogy platform, we’ve developed several tools including the U-Manage remote management and monitoring solution and U-Automate Utelogy’s room readiness product” According to the Future Source 2021 AV conferencing and end user survey, “flexibility, technology and collaboration” are the primary features participants cite as the basic requirements for a satisfactory online meeting. On average, 29% of all conference sessions start with some delay – an increase from 25% in 2020 – and 77% of users face problems when joining remote conferencing sessions from a meeting room. To elevate the experience, the AV industry collectively, has to do more than just give people a license and expect them to meet. That work is happening. Companies are educating employees on basic online techniques, supplying WFH teams with A/V kits and exploring new online collaboration and management tools, like those available from Utelogy.

More than just COVID Certainly, the pandemic has driven the volume of video meeting participants. When COVID hit, everyone was forced online with no preparation, no set-up and no support. Overnight, living rooms and dining areas became conference rooms and huddle spaces. However, the trend toward online meetings was already grow-

rivals or even exceeds that of their on-site colleagues. It’s a complicated and delicate balance to strike.

Maintaining the user experience A customer recently noted their goal was to have everybody be a “first-class participant” when it comes to video meetings. An admirable goal, but that also put the onus on organisations, holding them duty-bound to carrying out that statement. That means helping their employees understand lighting, minimum acoustic levels, how to position themselves for the best camera angle, and even how to conduct yourself in an online meeting environment. Microsoft and Zoom have done a great job of enhancing engagement, particularly with their user interfaces. Both have also expanded their technology ecosystems with Microsoft developing its Office 365 suite and the Zoom H.323 protocol-based Room Connector solution allowing integrated cloud-based meeting control for larger audiences and across multiple devices. Advancements like these will be key drivers for merging the in-office and hybrid/remote collaboration experiences. People

ty of Zoom and Teams, as well as Google Meet and WebEx, we're seeing the build-out of more places where employees can hang out and hold ad-hoc meetings with remote attendees. These unconventional meeting spaces aren’t necessarily huddle or collaboration rooms but more “on-the-fly” areas for people to connect. Because unconventional meeting spaces and virtual meetings have become so prominent, companies are starting to take a harder look at their real estate and are redesigning their office layouts to accommodate. Utelogy has a customer that stated their plans to increase the number of non-traditional meeting spaces by approximately 40%; spaces that will look nothing like the type they would have considered building a year ago. Hybrid workspaces with larger collaboration areas will be the new norm. AV/IT managers will need to replace outdated hardware and equip these newly designed spaces with collaboration systems that are cost-effective, user friendly and easy to control.

a room is ready for its next scheduled meeting. By eliminating the need for people to be on-site physically, and executing sweeps from room to room, U-Automate makes sure a company’s valuable and expensive resources are allocated only to the rooms that have errors and alerts. These capabilities, combined with built-in analytics, enable the growth of “clever” room systems that can measure and

Now with the increased ubiquity of Zoom and Teams, as well as Google Meet and WebEx, we're seeing the build-out of more places where employees can hang out and hold ad-hoc meetings with remote attendees.

Utelogy platform From the enterprise side, the tools necessary for enhanced

P13 AV News July 2021

Advertorial

Free education software to help schools return from Covid It is now more important than ever for teachers and students to receive support to help students catch up. COVID-19 has impacted education like never before and left gaps in students learning. The additional pressures the teachers face, with high differences in student knowledge levels within the same class, only adds to these problems. With uncertainty around when things return to “normal”, it is now essential for students to receive as much support and resources that is possible.

Genee has been supporting teachers and students with its own very own Catch-Up Programme. The Programme gives teachers and students access to Genee’s Learn Hub, Project Flow and Spark II software - all for free! The software includes premade content on a range of different subjects. Learn Hub is a well-used web-based application which allows teachers to create themed activities on touchscreens and interactive tables, simply and in minutes. It works on any browser and allows up to four users to simultaneously interact and collaborate. It has been proved that collaborative activities increase learning and attention spans of pupils. It is also a fun way to learn. Children can enjoy a range of Mathematical and English based activities, including quizzes, draw and paint, spellings, number grids, matching games, word search, addition, subtraction, multiplication and more in a variety of game-based, colourful environments. Learn Hub doesn’t require any installation and allows students to use it on and off site. Project Flow is a cloudbased lesson delivery tool like no other, allowing presentations, activities, questions and work to be sent directly to student devices. It offers automated differentiation for students working at different levels within a class and instant feedback on student performance to the teacher. Teachers need to ensure that all students are performing to the best of their abilities and that lesson content is targeted to students’ individual needs and learning styles. Not only that but ensuring that students have understood all the concepts before moving onto the next is crucial to embed the learning. If the class contains individuals who have not fully grasped a particular concept, teachers need to be able to dedicate time to assisting and helping these students. These Genee software packages will be available until September 2021 so please contact Genee if you would like to receive any of the software for your school contact: Sales@ genee-group.com Genee have seen a large increase in sales over the last few months as schools have taken the opportunity to add new G-Touch interactive touchscreens whilst fewer students have been onsite. “The timing for schools to install interactive touchscreens has been critical as it has caused so much less disruption”, said John Adams, Sales and Business development Manager. “Not only in secondary schools but also in primary and nurseries where we have seen a large increase in touch table sales” he added. Message from Ranjit Singh, CEO of Genee Group “Not only has COVID-19 impacted education, it has also impacted the AV industry” said Ranjit Singh, CEO of Genee Group. “Despite the many challenges that all of us have faced

over the last year, it is great to see that many of our partners have adapted and have been flexible enough to offer products and services which help customers to work much more productively, due to having to work from home or in a restricted school environment. Here at Genee, we have not stood still.” “We have developed a range of Wireless Document Camera’s and Visualisers which can be linked together utilising wireless technology, enabling meetings or teaching to happen whilst taking into account social distancing rules. All of our technology is designed to work seamlessly with packages such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.” “We have also been busy developing a brand-new range of G Touch Screens utilising Optical and PCAP Technology released this year. Many of our new models have unique features which enhance the experience for the customer.” “I was able to take time over the last few months to talk to many of you via Zoom and Teams to discuss what many of you had plans for in 2021 and 2022. It was great to see that the majority of our partners, like us, are very optimistic about the future and we know that we will continue to see rapid growth in the LED Touch Screen market both in the corporate and educational environment.” “We have continued to invest heavily in software development and in the Autumn, plan to bring out a new range of Touch Screen Application Software and Tools designed to meet the needs of customers going into next year.” “With the help of our partners, we have also been very successful in getting onto a number of key frameworks with unique offerings. Our strategy is to continue to keep much

“Thank you all for your continued support and trust in our brand and we look forward to getting back to some normality and working with you which may include a few drinks face to face in a social setting.”

of our key services inhouse including Technical Support and Installations. We believe this gives us the best opportunity to provide the greatest support to you, our partners, and ensure that you can be competitive within our market.” “We are very much proud of the fact that we are one of the few remaining British Manufacturers with our head office here in the UK. We believe this give us a number of advantages including our ability to react quickly to market changes.” “Finally, thank you all for your continued support and trust in our brand and we look forward to getting back to some normality and working with you, which may include a few drinks face to face in a social setting. Something which we have all missed!” Genee have seen a large increase in sales over the last few months as schools have taken the opportunity to add new G-Touch interactive touchscreens whilst fewer students have been onsite.

Installation news

1,000 Philips MediaSuite TVs for Abba Hotels The group, which has 22 boutique hotel sites across 14 different locations, including Madrid, Barcelona and Berlin, has been operating for more than 18 years and is a popular choice for both tourists and the global business community. With advancements in technology redefining and influencing

order to the meet the needs and demands of guests both today and for the future. To achieve its ambitious European rollout strategy, the hotel chain partnered with Madrid-based company IpmasD – a specialist in the supply of equipment, solutions and services for the hotel and hospi-

and better connectivity. Creating a home-from-home experience with MediaSuite, guests also have access to thousands of popular apps via the Play Store, plus the ability to stream and view their own content from their personal devices, whether it be photos, videos, movies or even work

or updating by staff and ensuring a consistent experience in each room. What’s more, built on an Android TVTM OS and as part of PPDS’ extended lifetime guarantee, MediaSuite TVs are eligible for full software upgrades whenever available – bringing all the latest features found on newer models and reducing the need, cost and frequency for replacements. Cesar Sans, Sales Director Iberia at PPDS, commented: “We were delighted to be able to play such a key part in helping Abba Hotels bring even more great value to their customers, equipping them with all their needs, be it for work or pleasure. Our Philips MediaSuite pro TVs bring a premium feel to any room – ensuring guests always receive a five-star entertainment experience.” Damian Melero – CIO, Abba Hotels, commented: “We trusted PPDS with the migration of our Digital Television System, and they responded accordingly to our requirements.”

Fast Facts •Client: Abba Hoteles S.A •Location: Spain, Germany, United Kingdom, and Andorra •Project: Complete upgrade of entertainment and display suite •Partners: IpmasD Hospitality Solutions •Products: Philips Studio and Mediasuite 32” to 55” (1070 units in total)

TVs can be controlled and managed entirely remotely allowing, if hoteliers choose, for bespoke marketing and personalised messaging on each display, either individually or en-masse. the way people choose their short stay bookings, particularly for business travellers, Abba Hotels has undergone a major modernisation programme in

tal sector – fitting the latest Philips Pro TVs – ranging from 32” to 55” Studio and MediaSuite models, inside 1,070 rooms. Moving entertainment from the superseded analogue variety to the latest digital suite means guests can now enjoy high definition displays with more channels, more options

presentations, all using the Chromecast built-in feature. TVs can be controlled and managed entirely remotely allowing, if hoteliers choose, for bespoke marketing and personalised messaging on each display, either individually or enmasse. Eliminating the need for lengthy manual retuning

Vivitek NovoTouch displays installed at EOTAS Vivitek has announced that 62 of its interactive NovoTouch displays have been selected by Education Other Than at School (EOTAS) Centres in Northern Ireland. The consultation and installation of the panels was conducted by IMEX, Vivitek’s reseller partner in Northern Ireland. EOTAS Educational Centres were introduced to cater for children who find the mainstream education system challenging and require additional care and support to help them address and overcome social behaviour and emotional wel-

P16 AV News July

fare issues in a nurturing environment. The centres work with over 600 schools throughout Northern Ireland, assisting over 1,000 pupils a month to help them unlock their potential. The Vivitek panels are being used in classrooms, technology rooms and catering rooms among others. Although they are being utilised in multiple ways, the primary use for the displays is for EOTAS’ educational applications, as well as for streaming and mirroring videos. Outside of education, the panels are also being used to play games which, in turn,

builds a sense of community and relationships between the students and the EOTAS staff. There are other benefits, too. Since installation, the centres have seen student attendance increase. This could be due to the allure of digital content ranging from games and apps – as well as educational content - that resonates with them. The interactivity this encourages is in direct contrast to the dry whiteboards that were there previously, while the stylish Continued on page 17

Installation news

iiyama chooses nsign.tv for its digital signage displays

Continued from page 16

panels also helps to improve the aesthetics of the rooms they’re located in. Furthermore, for the many students who come from deprived backgrounds, the new displays demonstrate that EOTAS is a community that’s investing in their future, which is a further motivation for attending classes. Combined, this all helps students to become more curious about learning and further fuels their interest in education. Commenting on the success of the project, Martin Gormley, Head of EOTAS Northern Ire-

any device to the NovoDisplay, which is well suited for hybrid teaching with many video conferencing apps pre-installed. During any idle time in between lessons, NovoDisplay can switch to Digital Signage mode and show relevant announcements or important information. The EOTAS has one NovoTouch 75in 4K UHD Interactive Flat Panel. Its anti-glare surface improves the screen visibility in high ambient light environments, while a 4mm thick toughened glass provides added protection, which means

lessons create a much more memorable educational experience for students, especially those who are not in mainstream education and who would benefit from different ways of learning. We’re thrilled to learn that Vivitek’s panels are playing a positive role in the education of the children attending the EOTAS centres in Northern Ireland, and we hope that their presence will create an inclusive learning environment that enables children who may have struggled in mainstream schools to thrive not just in education, but later on

The 23 EOTAS Centres have 61 Vivitek NovoTouch EK863i 86" 4K UHD Interactive LCD Displays. This is an all-in-one collaborative 4K-UHD panel featuring wireless collaboration, digital signage and video conferencing functions. land, said: “The whole process has been seamless and exemplary. Between them, Vivitek and IMEX have excelled on this project. Other companies should strive to provide this amount of care. Even though the installations took place in over 20 centres across the whole of Northern Ireland, they were conducted on time and without hiccups. Not only was the installation quick and efficient, but the follow up training and aftercare support has been excellent. We’d recommend Vivitek and IMEX without a doubt. They made it feel like we were their only customers thanks to the support we received. It is apparent that they do care. This is especially significant when dealing with an area of education where there has been a feeling of neglect. IMEX made us feel special.” The 23 EOTAS Centres have 61 Vivitek NovoTouch EK863i 86" 4K UHD Interactive LCD Displays. This is an all-in-one collaborative 4K-UHD panel featuring wireless collaboration, digital signage and video conferencing functions. This full featured collaborative panel has been designed for teaching spaces, huddle rooms, meeting areas, reception areas and hospitality zones. Teacher and pupils are able to mirror or wirelessly share content from

it’s unlikely to be damaged by or cause harm to pupils playing near the screen unattended. The 4K resolution ensures perfect image detail, which creates a much more attention-grabbing and immersive experience for pupils. Something else that will keep them focused on the content, is the 20-point touch interactivity and annotation which enables multiple students to participate. They even have the option to work from their own device, which provides more flexibility given some Covid restrictions limit movement in the classroom. Meanwhile, the displays are durable and long lasting, giving budget-conscious education establishments long term peace of mind in their investment. It also offers Ultra HD 4K (3,840 x 2,160) resolution for outstanding details and stunning visuals and 75-inch display size. Users are able to manipulate content with up to 20-points of touch, common gesture interactivity and on-screen annotation. It also boasts LED backlit technology for a brighter picture, a longer life (minimum of 30,000 hours) and lower energy cost. Commenting on the deployment of the panels at EOTAS, Greg Mack, UK sales manager, Vivitek, stated: “It’s a wellknown fact that visual support

in their private lives and professional careers.”

iiyama has signed an exclusive agreement with Catalan start-up nsign.tv to incorporate the nsign.tv software into its displays. Thanks to this international homologation, all the nsign.tv platform features will ship with all the iiyama digital signage displays sizes ranging from 43 to 86 inches. The post-pandemic era is accelerating digitalisation processes, among them communication in physical spaces, that is seeing a swift move from paper to digital. This alliance answers both companies desire to offer a differential value proposition in the digitalisation of physical spaces, a fast-growing market that is expected to see further growth in the coming years. According to the latest study by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the digital signage market is expected to grow by 10%, reaching a 34.670 million USD market value by 2022. The new integrated solution, apart from getting rid of the need to use external players, allows, amongst its many benefits, the segmentation of the screen in different areas to improve display productivity, connecting two or more displays to create video walls, menu boards or mega banners to display WOW effects, synchronizing content without the need of cables or installations, thereby reducing installation costs, and accelerating project implementation. nsign.tv is a complete Communication Platform (CPaaS) that permits brands to leverage their physical spaces to create communication channels and engage with their audiences in a personalized and segmented way. This disruptive software platform can integrate seamlessly with any digitalisation initiative through Big Data, IoT, and AI systems, allowing integrators to implement large audio-visual projects while managing them from a centralized platform. iiyama’s displays professional users will now benefit from nsign.tv in an integrated way in all their digital signage displays. A perfect solution for

the retail, restaurant, education, entertainment, transport, health and corporate industries, among many other markets. “iiyama displays are famous worldwide for their quality, reliability and durability”, explains Toni Viñals, CEO of nsign.tv “They are great

and any device. At the same time, users have unlimited access to the nsign. Academy, a complete online academy in 12 languages where to find information, tutorials and webinars to become a certified “nsigner”, the job of the digitalized future.

iiyama has signed an exclusive agreement with Catalan start-up nsign. tv to incorporate the nsign.tv software into its displays. products to communicate with and now, with the nsign.tv platform, users will be able to reap maximum performance with minimum effort. We are thrilled that iiyama displays now ship with our software and help with the democratization of the digital signage market. Furthermore, this alliance opens the door for nsign.tv to all the markets where iiyama is present: Europe, Middle East and Japan”, he adds. “Disruption isn’t just a matter of innovating with a product or a service, but to change the business model. This All-InOne proposition by iiyama and nsign.tv is a disruptive business model fruit of the revolutionary vision of wanting to offer complete and cost-effective solutions to all business, regardless of their size or investment capabilities”, adds Viñals. From the moment it is connected to a power source, this AllIn-One solution is ready to use and guarantees the automated and centralized control of information of small, medium, and large companies, allowing its users to create, program and reproduce multimedia content on all its display network in real-time and supervising the status of the displays. All of it done remotely from anywhere

According to Jeffry Pettinga, European Sales Director for iiyama, “the new series of iiyama All-In-One displays tackles the necessities of the Digital Signage market with a robust, reliable, easy to use and scalable solution that requires no technical support to install and maintain”. Pettinga adds: “The speed of implementation, the robustness and power of the platform, its ease of use and the support granted by the nsign. Academy are differential value propositions that we are convinced will make this integration very productive both for our distributors as well as the final client”. “Thanks to the integration with nsign.tv, our displays now boast a powerful SoC media player based on Android integrated directly in the display, allowing for their use as individual displays or as part of a bigger video wall or mega banner and giving the users a very easy tool to create unique experiences”, says Paolo Calzetti Product Manager of iiyama Professional Displays, who overseen this integration. “We have been working hand in hand with the nsign.tv team to bring this complete solution that was being demanded by our distributors and clients”, he adds.

PPDS overtakes rivals in professional TV PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips professional TV and digital signage solutions, has been named the market leader in the Nordics for the first time, as a result of sustained growth and record sales in the region. According to the latest official industry figures from respected research firm, DMR AS, PPDS has seen its market share surpass that of its nearest (and longer serving) competitors, reaching a commanding 36% at the end of Q1. The figures, which cover sales in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, cover a range of product categories within the

commercial TV market, including 4K UHD, FHD and HD. The figures show PPDS’ market share during this period was almost four times higher than that of Sony and nearly double that of Samsung. Confirmation of PPDS’ Nordic standing comes after the manufacturer announced sales of its highly acclaimed, future proof, Philips MediaSuite pro Android hospitality TVs recently surpassed 110,000, since first going on sale in 2019. Numbers in 2020, despite the challenges, continued to rise significantly, with hotels all over Europe recognising the

quality and long-term benefits – both for RoI, sustainability and guest experience – of the range. Philips MediaSuite, which is now the preferred choice for thousands of hotels across Europe, is widely credited for ‘raising the bar’ for hospitality TVs, with a number of ‘world first’ features and benefits. These include full remote management and personalisation, Chromecast built-in™ for seamless content streaming from a personal device, thousands of apps (including YouTube, Spotify, weather, news), extensive TV, radio and premi-

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um entertainment choice and capabilities including Netflix ready streaming functionality, voice control and many others. Built on an Android TVTM OS, these Philips-branded hospitality TVs also carry PPDS’ unique ‘Extended Lifetime’ promise, ensuring all Philips MediaSuites, whether purchased today, last week or even last year, are able to offer a consistent experience, keeping pace with guest expectations, including how they would prefer to consume content – via casting, streaming or traditional linear viewing.

P17 AV News July 2021

Opinion

How to get ready for the modern office evolution GoBright Commercial Director, Chris Wiegeraad, explores the three key trends leading office transformation and explains the role technology will play

The move to new ways of working started long before Covid-19. At the start of the millennium, people became aware of the hazards of spending too much time sitting at desks. We began to see a shift in the design of office furniture, with the introduction of ‘sit-standing’ desks to promote employee wellbeing. Better ICT capability also changed the nature of workspaces and people equipped with a laptop and access to Wi-Fi could work from any location. No longer dependant on a desk in an office, people could now work at home, in a café or hotel or in an office breakout area. They could work anywhere at any time. This led some organisations to start to change the purpose of the office. They became meeting places to support flexible or activity-based working (ABW). Increasingly people would go to the office to meet colleagues, customers or partners. This led to an increase in the demand for meeting rooms. Suddenly paper-based systems for controlling and managing meeting space just wasn’t good enough and the battle between work colleagues for meeting space was an everyday occurrence. That’s why we developed a room booking solution, that's where we started at GoBright. You could see that technology was needed to help drive the changes in the office environment. Then COVID came along, and it just accelerated this trend.

and evolve very quickly to manage a new landscape. Teams with responsibility for developing and managing the return to office strategy need a lot of information to support their decisions. Ensuring that real time data is available requires investment in the right technology.

Planning the space Planning the space needed is difficult and there could be significant cost implications if you get it wrong. If your organisation has 1,000 employees that want to work flexibly, how many desks do you need? 1,000? 750? 500? It would be great if you could measure usage from the outset and adjust capacity as you go. Deploying workplace management technology like GoBright is a good place to start. Our solutions are all about supporting new ways of working. Room booking has existed for a while but, a total platform including room booking, desk

sation of space. If we open up 500 desks, for example, we are measuring what the occupancy rate of those 500 desks is over a given period. If it’s 90%, we should probably deploy more desks. If it’s 30% we can make reductions. If you have 1,000 employees and you only have an occupancy rate of 30%, where are all those people? What days are they coming in and what spaces do they use the most? There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’, every organisation has different needs. Collecting data on employee behaviour is a key step to helping businesses to design the workplace that best meets their needs now and in the future.

Providing the best environment Workplace solutions also offer employees a number of benefits. They can see where teammates and colleagues are located and book a convenient space close to them. They can also choose to signal when they

becomes old fashioned. Younger employees may be fresh out of college or university. These locations are likely to be well equipped with breakout areas, room efficient booking solutions, comfy furniture and a

are available and when they don’t want to be disturbed. Offices also need to reflect the identity of the brand and having a modern environment can help to attract the best talent. If an office stays the same for 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, it

range of flexible working areas so they’re used to high standards in working environments. So, if their first job is in an office that has had the same interior for 30 years, they may question if this is the right fit for them. Organisations have to

do something to create an environment in which young talent feels comfortable, relaxed and can thrive.

Managing the hybrid workforce Initially, when offices everywhere closed, the focus was on survival, and this meant supporting remote working. But the pandemic has become a catalyst for a complete rethink in office space needs and the way space can be optimised. Companies are considering the long-term implications of managing a hybrid workforce and creating a safe and productive and healthy working environment. We were inventing and building safe working solutions, like desk hygiene systems, last year, now they are the norm. Now organisations must adapt

booking, locker booking, visitor management, An all in one solution means that you have one digital platform delivering all the data in one place. In our own office we implemented solutions to enable us to collect data to measure utili-

P18 AV News July 2021

Talk to the experts We recommend that customers reach out to the experts. Talk to your trusted integrator, talk to us at GoBright. Take advantage of the knowledge already avail-

able. We're all there to help you start developing your future workplace. Integrators can work with teams leading the return to office strategy to understand their challenges and share knowledge and best practice thinking. Customers will have a range of requirements and priorities and it’s up to integrators to work in partnership with them to find the solution that best meets their needs.

Opinion

So, if their first job is in an office that has had the same interior for 30 years, they may question if this is the right fit for them. Organisations have to do something to create an environment in which young talent feels comfortable, relaxed and can thrive. Workplace solutions also offer employees a number of benefits. They can see where teammates and colleagues are located and book a convenient space close to them. They can also choose to signal when they are available and when they don’t want to be disturbed.

Solving video fatigue in the era of virtual meetings Steve Franklin, Executive Director of Cinos. shares best practice and advice around preventing video fatigue and ensuring all participants are fully engaged in virtual meetings, as well as the benefits of utilising the latest technology in the workplace. Since the shift to virtual and hybrid working, we’ve all experienced some form of video fatigue. Whether it be back-toback video meetings discussing different topics or enduring a meeting that has lasted well over an hour, the era of virtual meetings can be challenging and as a result can lead to unengaged attendees. While these challenges may be hard to overcome and are a common problem for all, there are a number of different tools and technologies that organisations can implement to have a positive impact on productivity and engagement during video meetings.

Interoperability for seamless attendance The first area to look at is how attendees join the meeting in the first place. In a world where remote working and an uptake of video collaboration platforms is on the rise, the challenge of connecting devices and systems remains. With so many video conferencing platforms on the market, and both internal and external meetings taking place, there can often be calls taking place across a number of different platforms. Having the ability to smoothly connect from one call to another is key to productivity and collaborating effectively. Some vendors are already working together around this and many video conferencing plat-

forms now offer a degree of interoperability. Vendors such as Zoom and Cisco enabled integration for Microsoft Teams, meaning that with the click of a button, Microsoft Teams and Zoom users can join each other’s meetings as guests all while keeping the essential meeting functionality from their individual room systems. Microsoft customers can also enable one-click Zoom meetings from a Microsoft Teams Room and there is also an agreement in place between Microsoft and Cisco to drive open and seamless collaboration.

Leveraging UC technology Video conferencing solutions come packed with a number of features that help participants remain engaged in meetings and allow discussions to flow productively. Voting systems allows attendees to provide thoughts and insights regarding a topic of conversation and to let the organiser know they’re actively engaging in the meeting. Using the “raise hand” gesture, participants can announce that they’d like to talk next. This prevents unwanted interruptions and ensures that all participants get an opportunity to speak during the meeting. Breakout rooms allow users to split into smaller groups away from the main meeting to interact and dis-

cuss specific areas of the business, reconvening with the rest of the meeting when discussions have concluded. This is beneficial as it helps connect the relevant areas of the business and prevents meeting fatigue as the user can focus on a select number of people rather than the full cohort. Other display features, such as

vents any potential distractions that may negatively impact the meeting. Having the ability to customise how the user wants to view other attendees on the screen helps improve the user experience, therefore helping to boost engagement in the meeting. More advanced features include live captions, which not

from disabilities such as deafness. These features are likely to become even more advanced over time and have capability to translate different languages in real time. This will be a real game changer and enable global businesses to seamlessly communicate with other regions and nationalities.

collaborate and share documents with attendees. Features such as screen sharing allow participants to share a real time view of their computer, giving them the control to share documents and presentation slides. This makes the meeting more engaging for the viewer and also allows teams to collaborate and work together on a specific document simultaneously all while working in different locations. Other collaboration technology offers integrated whiteboard features which enable users to annotate and interact with any content that is shared, from PowerPoint presentations and PDF documents to videos, images and specific web pages. This is more productive as multiple participants can join a video meeting to discuss a document and perform live edits collaboratively. While attendees and participants are ultimately in charge of how they engage in video meetings and ensuring they are focussing on the topic in head, video conferencing offers a whole host of features to increase engagement for all. As organisations continue to adopt hybrid working among their Collaboration technology offers integrated whiteboard features which enable users to annotate and interact workforces, video conferencing with any content that is shared, from PowerPoint presentations and PDF documents to videos, images and will become more important than ever, both in bridging the specific web pages. gap between remote and office having the ability the blur the only boost engagement and Collaboration is key working and evolving over time background and spotlighting the clarity, but it also increases to meet the needs of modcurrent speaker, allow for a more accessibility and inclusivity for Video conferencing platforms ern-day workers. engaging experience and pre- participants that may suffer give participants the ability to

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P19 AV News July 2021

Technology news

New generation high-bright Barco UniSee Barco has introduced the next generation of its high-brightness Barco UniSee LCD video wall. This is the last step in the full LCD video wall portfolio renewal, after the introduction of the new Barco UniSee 500, OverView KVD-5521C and OverView LVD-5521C. This new generation builds on the unique strengths of Barco UniSee and further optimizes the state-of-the-art image quality for use in a broader range of applications. Barco UniSee was launched in 2017 and was met with great market enthusiasm and a number of important awards, including the renowned ‘Best of the Best’ Red Dot Design award. Improvements in terms of image quality, installation precision, ease-of-servicing and reliability in critical environments, further boosted the success of the Barco UniSee platform. Today, more than 2,500 Barco UniSee video walls have been deployed for a wide variety of applications, in all regions in the world and from small size 2x2 installations to 40m/131 feet wide video walls. Updating the high brightness Barco UniSee to the next generation means another stepup in image quality. With an improved colour performance under wide viewing angles and proprietary local dimming technology enhancing local contrast (improving contrast with dark backgrounds and reducing power consumption), Barco UniSee is suited for use in even more applications (including control rooms, corporate lobbies, television studios, boardrooms and experience centres). Barco’s Sense X automatic calibration technology is further enhanced, perfecting the intra tile and full wall uniformity. The patented UniSee Mount solution keeps ensuring precise and uniform seams whatever the size and the age of the wall.

Barco has introduced the next generation of its high-brightness Barco UniSee LCD video wall. sellers alike to experience the best possible protection and to offer the full range of visualBarco also further evolved the optimal uptime. deployment and serviceability ization solutions – being LCD, Eco design has grown into an LED or rear-projection cube of the platform, making it easimportant strategic focus point (RPC)”, says Gerrit Vermeire, ier for partners to get the wall for Barco striving towards more director product management up and running and keeping it sustainable solutions. The next at Barco. “This demonstrates operational with minimum ingeneration of our Barco Uni- our pioneering role and innoterrupts. Introducing the Video See series, succeeded in ob- vation in our key markets. The wall Management Suite allows taining the Barco Eco Product new high-brightness Barco resellers and managed service label, following our stringent UniSee platform continues the providers to monitor and manISO14021 compliant eco-scor- path our customers value so age the complete installed base ing methodology. from a central location. This much, adding several addition“The introduction of the al benefits to the package while solution comes free of charge high-brightness Barco UniSee sustaining our established during the warranty period and concludes our LCD portfolio eco-system.” can be extended with a service update and prepares us for the contract or subscription offer. years to come with the latest Also Barco’s service portfolio LCD technology. It also shows has been renewed, offering our full commitment to cuscomprehensive packages for tomer outcomes by continuing the complete product lifecycle. This allows customers and re-

Avaya Cloud Office new features for hybrid work Avaya and RingCentral Inc have announced a wide range of new capabilities for the Avaya Cloud Office by RingCentral Unified Communications as a Service(UCaaS) solution. These include many Avaya device-specific enhancements providing easy migration, additional video and global expansion features extending the ability for customers to connect across any device and work environment. The past year has seen significant growth in the adoption of cloud-based unified communications applications, and research shows that 55% of organisations will adopt UCaaS solutions by the end of 2021. Additionally, over 87% of these organisations will continue to support remote work in 2021 and beyond, so it is critical that their communications solutions are capable of supporting work across multiple locations and devices. Avaya Cloud Office is now available in 13 countries, enabling organizations of all kinds to digitally transform their workforce communications. The new Avaya Cloud Office features announced today fall into three key customer benefit areas: •Easy Migration to Cloud Communications Visual Voicemail - For voicemail as it was meant to be. Navigate voice messages on your desk phone screen, view transcripts or listen to messages, and perform a number of operations like delete, forward, and call back, by using the desk phone buttons. Bridged Call Appearance – Enables a primary number to appear on multiple phones, so delegates can act on behalf of

Christie Ultra Series performance-driven video walls Christie has announced the launch of the Christie FHD554-X 55-inch LCD display. Part of the Ultra Series, a line of performance-driven, reliable, and budget-friendly LCD displays for tiled video walls, it’s designed for a range of spaces including military and government control rooms, security and surveillance centres, briefing centres and critical viewing environments such as oil and gas exploration. Impressive video walls start with an ultra-narrow bezel. With a combined 3.5mm bezel width for near-seamless viewing, and an ultra-thin profile, the FHD554-X keeps the focus on the content. A high-perfor-

mance electronic features set that includes high-bandwidth, HDCP 2.2-compliant HDMI 2.0 and Display Port 1.2 inputs supports streaming of 4K content and 4K UHD signals at 60Hz to deliver content to video walls with less flicker, and subsequently reduced eyestrain in critical viewing environments. Creating large video walls is easy with Display Port 1.2 outputs, which allow users to daisy-chain 4K, 60Hz sources to up to 25 panels, and an OPS slot further simplifies set-up by allowing sources like PCs and media players to be directly integrated into the display. For secure facilities and U.S.

P20 AV News July 2021

government applications, the Christie FHD554-X is non-RF and TAA compliant. “For users looking for a commercial-grade display that offers value and performance, Ultra Series FHD554-X fits the bill,” says John Dixon, senior product manager, Christie. “Each panel is factory calibrated and matched to ensure image uniformity across video walls, and is backed by Christie’s trusted warranty, service and support.”

The Christie FHD554-X is available in the third quarter of 2021.

the phone number owner to: call on behalf, hold, pickup within the group, share a line, or join calls. Delegates can act as the owner of the line – not only answering calls, but initiating the calls on behalf of the owner. This is especially convenient in the manager/admin assistant scenario. Park & Page – Initiated with the press of a button, which invokes a page to a defined group, and enables an “Answer” soft key for anyone in the group. Group Call Pickup – Allows any member of a designated group to be notified when a group member receives an incoming call, and they can answer if the intended recipient is unavailable, by simply pressing the pickup key on their phone. •New Ways to Connect Over Video Avaya Cloud Office Rooms – Combined with an Avaya Collaboration Unit, Avaya Cloud Office turns any workspace into a conference room. For a wide range of rooms, from home to office, huddle spaces or large boardrooms, and using one or two displays, this feature is the perfect solution for getting everyone together, wherever they are. Avaya Vantage – The Avaya Vantage portfolio of smart devices offers a new always-on high quality audio and video option for Avaya Cloud Office as well as one-touch access to

Continued on page 21

Technology news Continued from page 20

favourite cloud-based apps and productivity-boosting AI tools such as Amazon Alexa. Plug and Play USB devices – Avaya offers additional USB cameras and audio-conferencing devices, and a docking station to help users connect everything, including your display and laptop, while running Avaya Cloud Office. •Global Expansion Capabilities EU Essentials package now available – Avaya Cloud Office is available in four license tiers including Essential, Standard, Premium, and Ultimate. The Essential tier has now been added to the following EU countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. New default data residency – To facilitate data residency requirements in certain markets, Avaya Cloud Office customer data is now stored in-country by default, without the need for Opt-In, in the following markets: U.S., Canada, Germany and the U.K. More Global Office markets added – Customers can extend their global reach even further, with Global Office licenses now expanding to over forty countries including Greece, Slovenia, Estonia and South Africa. Global Office licenses extend the ability of organizations in the thirteen Avaya Cloud Office markets to include staff from additional countries that can be billed through the home office license. “Instead of going back to work, employees will be going ‘forward to work’ in a new way – using cloud-based communications as part of a digital workplace and hybrid work model, and we are further en-

hancing Avaya Cloud Office to address their needs,” said Dennis Kozak, Avaya SVP, Global Channel Sales. “We are making it easier for organizations to migrate to cloud, and providing more ways to connect and communicate across home and office locations and multiple devices, providing the flexibility and agility that enables successful hybrid work environments.” “As both a master agent and value-added distributor for Avaya, we are excited about the new features added to Avaya Cloud Office,” said Patrick Howard, Vice President of Vendor Management and Marketing:. “By incorporating these Avaya-specific features on Avaya devices exclusively with the Avaya Cloud Office UCaaS offering, Avaya and RingCentral are delivering a best-in-class solution that allows enterprises of all sizes to migrate to the cloud while still communicating efficiently and in the manner in which they are accustomed – all accomplished with world class collaboration tools for our agents and resellers.” “UCaaS adoption continues to rapidly grow, with more than 47 percent of companies using it now, and almost 40 percent of those still operating on-premise phone systems evaluating or planning to adopt UCaaS by the end of 2021,” says Irwin Lazar, President and Principal Analyst, Metrigy. “These new Avaya Cloud Office features will make it easier for companies to obtain the benefits of cloudbased communications by enabling support for required call management capabilities, as well as by adding new capabilities to streamline voice messaging.”

Sony enhances BRAVIA Professional Display portfolio pressive 4K HDR X1 Processor provides the new displays with the best in colour, contrast and clarity, resulting in spectacular imagery that accommodates a

With the introduction of the BZ35J and BZ30J series of 4K HDR BRAVIA Professional Displays, Sony continues to expand its display lineup. Building on the previously announced 32-inch FW-32BZ30J and 100-inch FW-100BZ40J model, the new options range in size from 43-inches to 75-inches to accommodate corporate and education environments of varying sizes, from large conference rooms and lecture halls to small meeting rooms and huddle spaces, as well as diverse digital signage applications. The new BRAVIA Professional Displays incorporate Pro Mode, which enables users to easily customise settings to suit different behaviours, based on applications and environments, while One Step Setting allows for quick optimisation at the touch of a button. IP control allows for easy installation and integration through support from key partners. Additionally, the latest displays’ mirroring capabilities provide exceptional connectivity through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and both Chromecast built-in and Apple AirPlay 2, allowing for a quick and easy connection from a user’s device, enabling them to simply control, stream and share content. “After numerous conversations with installers and users, we’ve designed our latest professional displays to combine all of their most requested features, including Pro Mode, One Step Settings, IP control and mirroring abilities,” said Damien Weissenburger, Head of Professional Displays and Solutions, Sony Europe. “Additionally, the implementation of our im-

Building on the previously announced 32-inch FW-32BZ30J and 100-inch FW-100BZ40J model, the new options range in size from 43-inches to 75-inches to accommodate corporate and education environments of varying sizes. 50BZ35J are expected to be range of B2B applications and as well as TRILUMINOS PRO shipping in the summer, while users and further establishes technology to produce realistic the FW-43BZ35J is planned for the strengths associated with imagery with a wide range of the fall. the BRAVIA name.” vivid colours. Both new BRAVIA professionSony’s portfolio of BRAVIA 4K es, which accurately reproduce al series boast a powerful new HDR Professional Displays, in- a wide range of colours and System on Chip (SoC) platform, cluding the BZ35J and BZ30J provide high-contrast imagery. with a built-in Android OS sysmodels are ideal for use in cor- The full lineup of BRAVIA Protem, that offers an upgraded porations and education insti- fessional Displays are available interface for efficient ease of tutions of all sizes and excel at in sizes ranging from 32-inchuse, fast boot-up and seamless precisely and clearly displaying es, up to 100-inches. application integration. The content – whether it’s small The high-end BZ35J series, new displays are thoughtfully letters, diagrams and charts or which achieves a high brightdesigned with a side logo and dynamic and detailed rich me- ness of 560-570 nits with a reinstallation-friendly terminals dia. BRAVIA Professional Dis- fresh rate of 120Hz, includes: to provide flexibility and meet plays can enhance the quality The BZ30J series and FWthe demands of the B2B marof presentation materials, com-

first suite for hybrid work to combine meetings, calling, messaging, polling and events in one offering for up to 40 percent less than a-la-carte. The new Webex identity and logo unveiled today were reinvented to reflect the powerful purpose and value Webex brings to the market, its customers and people’s lives. End-to-end events: A complete events execution and management platform necessary in the next era of hybrid events. Full capabilities of the industry’s first end-to-end event experience at scale will become available upon completion of Cisco’s Socio acquisition. Audience interaction tools: Polling, quizzes, Q&A and more powered by Slido, is the industry’s first audience engagement solution to be integrated across all collaboration experiences. Polling is available now in Meetings and will be coming soon to Events. Audio intelligence: building

upon Webex’s market-leading noise removal and speech enhancement capabilities, users will have the new ability of speech optimization for remote and shared workspaces through My Voice Only to eliminate background noise, including speech from people in the background, and solely focus on the main speaker’s speech. My Voice Only will be available worldwide in August 2021. Camera intelligence: People Focus, announced earlier this year, is coming to Webex in 2021. People Focus uses machine learning and AI technology to individually re-frame meeting participants who are spread across a meeting room allowing remote participants to feel more connected and everyone in the meeting to benefit from seeing body language, facial expressions and more. Next-level devices: The Webex Desk provides a powerful all-in-one collaboration device designed for the desk at work

ket. They also feature the latest 4K HDR processor X1, which enhances colour, contrast, clarity and motion to produce unrivalled pictures,

munications, photos and videos by conveying textures and amplifying expression through the clarity of 4K resolution and more realistic HDR colour spac-

Cisco unveils Webex innovation As the world transitions to hybrid, organisations require solutions that are flexible, supportive and inclusive. Cisco has unveiled an all-new Webex Suite with innovations to serve as the foundation for inclusive hybrid work and events, delivering unmatched levels of flexibility and personalization for everyone. With 98 percent of future meetings expected to include at least one remote participant, this mixed mode of working (blending remote and in-person interactions) is fuelling long-lasting implications on work culture, event engagement and technology. This requires investing more broadly – beyond the traditional conference room – to fundamentally reimagine the new requirements of hybrid events and a hybrid workforce. The way organizations worked pre-pandemic and during the pandemic will be starkly different in this next wave of work – where good enough is simply

not enough. “Cisco’s collaboration business is incredibly essential to our customers,” said Chuck Robbins, CEO, Cisco. “With all the integrations the team has added – 800 new features and devices since September – we truly have the most comprehensive meetings, calling, messaging, and event management solution on the market powering the future of hybrid work.” “To be successful in the era of hybrid work, organisations need to make sure their solutions are flexible, inclusive, supportive, secure, and easily managed on the backend by IT,” said Jeetu Patel, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco Security and Collaboration. “The all-new Webex Suite ensures everyone in a hybrid workforce has equal opportunity and voice." New Webex advancements include: Increased value: The all-new Webex Suite is the industry’s

or home. Immersive collaboration experiences will also be available with modern touch interactions via RoomOS that connects workflows with less context switching, as well as Webex Assistant Skills platform that opens up a universe of voice-powered extensions to seamlessly and easily integrate more controls, content and applications for Webex Devices. Secure experiences: Real-time data loss prevention for Webex, which automatically blocks and removes confidential information, will be available in Messaging. With this real-time data loss prevention, users are prohibited from posting classified content rather than redacting or deleting content after it is posted. Additionally, European Webex customers will be able to host and process their content within the EU. Webex users will also benefit from our strengthened end-to-end encryption options, including augmenting our end-to-end encryption with

4

end-to-end verified identity. In other words, customers will not have to choose between usability and security, they get both. Pricing and availability: Webex Suite is available today and will be priced at 40 percent lower than a-la-carte. Webex Desk will be available to order later this month at the Cisco suggested resale price of $1249 for customers and a standard price of $2495

P21 AV News July 2021

Technology news

New innovations unveiled by Konftel Two new video conferencing solutions have been launched by industry powerhouse Konftel – featuring a dynamic and Red Dot award-winning audio innovation. The new Konftel 70 is a versatile high-performance speakerphone that blends exceptional audio quality with a stylish accolade-winning design. It’s an ideal video meeting companion or can be used as a standalone or even portable solution, for huddle rooms and small/medium locations. It forms the audio centrepiece of two new video kits – the C2070 and C5070 – which are part of Konftel’s entire Climate Neutral certified portfolio. The Konftel C2070 is a video package for huddle to medium meeting rooms, uniting the Konftel Cam20 4K conference camera with the Konftel 70 speakerphone and its OmniSound audio quality. The Konftel C5070 is a powerful video collaboration solution for medium sized meeting rooms, combining the Konftel Cam50 PTZ conference camera with the Konftel 70. Konftel’s OCC Hub brings everything together into one convenient kit, so a single USB cable is all users need to connect the camera, the sound unit and the room’s screen to the video collaboration app on their laptop. The new product developments are being hailed as a major step forward by UK Sales Director Jeff May. “The new video packages meet a host of user demands for different environments. They are a welcome addition to our constantly expanding product portfolio, with crystal clear audio delivered by the new Konftel 70.” OmniSound lifelike audio with beamforming microphones, USB and Bluetooth connectivity and a battery of up to nine hours talk time, are some of the Konftel 70’s many features. May explained: “The award-winning Konftel 70 looks as good as it performs, with a clear user interface and sweeping dynamic design. An optimized set of touch buttons reflects a focus on usability, that’s earned a coveted Red Dot design award. The Konftel 70 is simple, flexible, affordable and appealing.” Combined with the Konftel Cam20 USB conference camera, a clear and balanced image is assured. Wide Dynamic Range technology automatically adjusts to optimise picture quality in different light conditions, even challenging ones such as low light, direct

the lenses to the image sensor. Even in low light, the image is crisp and clear.” May concluded: “These latest products demonstrate how Konftel continues to innovate and provide customers with maximum choice and flexibility. Equally it’s also important to protect the planet which is why Konftel is a Climate Neutral certified company. This means we have offset all our greenhouse gas emissions and are taking action to further reduce those emissions. When choosing a Konftel product, customers keep a clear climate conscience while supporting their organization’s growing need for video collaboration.” The Konftel 70 has a list price of £279. C2070 is £589 and C5070 £979.

performance speakerphone that blends exceptional audio quality with a stylish accolade-winning design. It’s an ideal video meeting companion or can be used as a standalone or even portable solution, for huddle rooms and small/medium locations. sunlight and high contrast. May added: “4K video resolution also allows for a superb digital zoom. Even at the max-

P22 AV News June 2021

imum 8x zoom, the camera is still perfectly capable of producing a detailed image. Users choose the framing they want

to show and let the camera do the rest.” Turning to the C5070, he emphasised: “Featuring a 12x op-

tical zoom the Konftel Cam50 delivers outstanding image quality thanks to premium class optics – all the way from

Technology news

Otrum Mirage SaaS platform on MediaSuite hotel TVs PPDS has announced that Otrum’s cloud-based hotel TV platform and interface, Mirage, is now fully compatible with Philips MediaSuite TVs. Founded in 1985, SaaS (software as a service) provider, Otrum, is a recognised leader in the hospitality world, specialising in creating innovative low latency and guest centric control and management TV software solutions, with its products featured in all leading hotel chains across the planet. Part of its ongoing partnership with PPDS, Otrum has developed its new, highly cost-effective Mirage platform to be fully compatible and to integrate seamlessly with both new and existing Philips MediaSuite hospitality TVs (5014, 6014, 5114U, 6114U). Combined with Philips MediaSuite’s already extensive, market-leading and customer-centric features and capabilities – including Chromecast builtin and user data analysis – Mirage, powered by Amazon Cloud Services and the Amazon CloudFront CDN, brings unparalleled levels of customisation, branding and personalisation to hoteliers. This important partnership allows hoteliers to take full control of their TVs in order to meet their exact needs and requirements, both on a presentation and performance level, for the ultimate guest experience. Designed to be API centric at its core, Mirage makes

the process of adding external third-party sources such as Netflix (embedded on MediaSuite) and other streaming platforms (including premium content) and services to TV screens, a simple one. Jeroen Verhaeghe, International Business Manager at PPDS,

commented: “Otrum’s Mirage for Philips MediaSuite takes the control and management of guest room TVs to new levels, bringing a truly advanced, customised experience to hotels. “When we started developing MediaSuite back in 2014, we wanted to bring a product

to market that removed limitations to overcome many of the frustrations our partners and their customers (end users) have historically faced with their hotel TVs. We don’t believe in compromise, so it’s important to provide the market with a choice of solutions,

allowing them to choose what works for them. Chromecast built-in is one of those solutions that brings added functionality to the range and Otrum’s Mirage offers yet another way to integrate that directly over the hotel network without the need for a Wi-Fi hotspot in each

room. “Our key strategic partnership with Otrum is another great example of our commitment to developing products and solutions with the best interests of the customer at their core.”

Otrum Mirage features and benefits •100% cloud-based convenience

for

•Simple login and administration via web •Fully customisable 1080P menus, no rigid limits •TV channel line-up management •Bespoke template library ensuring a smooth start •Cloud based PMS integrations •Highly adaptable open APIs to show live data (eg. content, flights, weather, news, IoT) •No expensive hardware investment or staff time needed •No server hardware costs or maintenance

New enterprise sound bar from Yamaha Yamaha Unified Communications today announced a new model to its Enterprise Sound Bar lineup, the ESB-1090. The ESB-1090 solves common challenges and limitations in sound output to create a rich, premium audio experience for remote conferencing, classrooms, and hotel guest rooms, lobbies, or meeting rooms. Optimizing the audio for each of these environments, the ESB1090 features three modes, allowing users to opt between Conference, Education, and Hotel. "Flatscreen displays are often not suited to deliver the volume or clarity for students and meeting participants — once again highlighting the incredible importance of high-quality audio," said Meghan Kennelly, director of global marketing and communications at Yamaha Unified Communications. "With the ESB-1090, they don't have to gather close to the screen in order to clearly hear a video, presentation, or conference call. In addition, it can connect to the in-room TV, PC, laptop, or mobile device,

rooms, meeting rooms, and hospitality spaces, it connects to any sound source — display, PC, or mobile device — via HDMI, Bluetooth, or even optical cable and analogue audio. The unit simplifies setup through the three application modes to achieve the suitable sound quality and configuration. Users simply swap between Conference Mode for remote conference purposes, Education Mode for classroom settings, and Hotel Mode for lobby or room playback with the included remote. There is also an operation restriction preset to prevent unwanted tampering or changes. It can also be configured for Ethernet operation. Like the ESB-1080, the ESB1090's simple, slim design naturally blends into any environment and offers installation versatility. Installers can either wall mount the unit or place it flat on a table or school AV cart. The Yamaha ESB-1090 creates premium audio for remote conferencing, classrooms, and hotel rooms. answering the variety of audio requirements that are present

in a single environment." Delivering an immersive audio

experience, Yamaha's ESB1090 features two subwoofers,

two mid-range speakers, and two tweeters. Perfect for class-

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P23 AV News July 2021

Review

ViewSonic PX701-4K home entertainment projector Reviewing a projector designed and built for home entertainment, with more than a token nod towards gaming should, we felt, only really be handled by a genuine gamer. Fortunately, AV News has just such a man, so it’s over to you Adam Broderick. “I was very excited to try out ViewSonic’s latest performance-focused projector. I’ve been hearing great things about the impressive 300” throw size that still maintains 4k picture quality, and I was eager to put that claim to the test. This projector definitely delivers on ViewSonic’s video quality promises, but there are a couple of drawbacks too.”

Simple set up “For a non-portable projector, set up was fairly quick. I would describe it as a streamlined and simple process, involving a few easy steps. Manually altering the keystone was made easier by the dedicated keystone adjustment buttons on the top of the projector. These adjustment buttons are very precise, allowing for projection from any angle with relative ease.” “There are a few colour range presets for cinematic use and videogaming, but these don’t appear to vary massively. Swapping between them is quite simple with the use of the fairly basic remote. A handy addition, the backup input buttons on top of the projector are useful for redundancy or if you really can’t be bothered to grab the remote that you left halfway across the room. We’ve all been there.”

Picture quality “Here we come to this projector’s selling point. I mean, the whole purpose of a projector is the image, right? And the PX701 is very good at projecting. Boasting 4K resolution for a screen of up to 300”, this bit of kit is the best display quality and size I’ve ever seen.” “I put ViewSonic’s rather extravagant claims to the test, forced to use the side of my house as a suitably sized backdrop. I can honestly say I’ve never prepared for testing a screen this big, and, boy, did it deliver. Forget about a home theatre, the PX701 could be used at a small commercial cinema.” “The colours are vivid and sharp, reinforcing some amazing scenes in a wide variety of light conditions. The PX701’s 3,200 lumens are put to full use, creating a tapestry of colour in any living room, office or garden. From broad daylight to midnight, the difference in colour is negligible.” “Equally as important is the refresh rate. The PX701 boasts an impressive 240Hz, meaning there is zero output lag from source to display. When used for gaming this is arguably the most important

feature for a display, the PX701 created a seamless virtual experience. Many a Mario Kart race was played in my garden this week, I’m happy to admit. This is the feature in which many projectors disappoint, and I’m glad to report that ViewSonic have filled the gap in the market.”

“There isn’t a standard carry case included in the package, but the product itself seems sturdy. Personally, I’d invest in a protective bag if I were to travel with it, but you could get away without one in a pinch.”

Sound quality “I would describe the built-in speaker as adequate, but not amazing. Across larger areas, the audio quality suffers but in smaller rooms the speaker is sufficient. Thankfully, audio can be outsourced via an aux cable so it’s not a deal-breaker.” “This internal speaker is more of a decent backup than a reliable option, as most stationary setups would generally have their own dedicated audio system to support the projector’s internal facility.”

Ease of use “Once set up, the User Interface is simple and gets the job done, allowing you to appreciate its key feature: the stunning visuals.” “The only input option is HDMI, which could be considered limiting to those wishing to Bluetooth or stream from their phones. But, HDMI provides the most stable connection so is a justifiably standard default input.” “I did notice this projector kicks out a fair amount of heat, and the fan noise was definitely noticeable in a smaller room.”

Portability “For a stationary projector, this model is above average in size. You’ve got to fit the 4K optics in somehow!” “The PX701 weighs in at 4kg and is a 12” wide, 4” tall and 9” long. Whilst definitely not a pocket-projector, it’s still of a reasonable enough size to travel with if need be. “ “If you’re looking for the best quality video output above all else, and can outsource your audio to a different system, the PX701 is without a doubt the projector to buy.”

“When using this projector at its max screen size, to my knowledge, it is the best-value 4K video output product on the market.”

Value “When using this projector at its max screen size, to my knowledge, it is the best-value 4K video output product on the market. As stated above, the picture quality is top-of-the-range, combined with a sufficient refresh rate to ensure an uninterrupted gaming experience.” “Its’ video resolution is without question. However, it does lack slightly in other areas; the built-in audio is somewhat underwhelming and it’s a bit bulkier than its competitors. In my eyes, this is worth the trade-off, as I would rarely move it from my desk or need to adjust the setup.” It does bear mentioning that I’m holding it up to the standards of the ViewSonic M2e Portable Smart Projector, which excelled in all categories. The only area the PX701-4K exceeds the M2e is picture quality, in which it is hugely outperforms all other projectors in resolution, refresh rate and screen size.” “If you’re looking for the best quality video output above all else, and can outsource your audio to a different system, the PX701 is without a doubt the projector to buy. It would be ideal for a home theatre, presentation room or a dedicated gaming setup. However, if you were looking for a portable alternative with a good integrated sound system and near-instant setup at the cost of picture quality, I would stick with the M2e.”

Key facts: ViewSonic PX701-4K 3,200 ANSI Lumens 4K Home Projector True 4K HDR visual experience 4.2ms Ultra-fast input & 240Hz high refresh rate Warping, auto V keystone and H/V keystone for flexible installation 3,200 ANSI Lumens offering bright images in any environment Energy-efficient 20,000 hours lamp life Contrast: 12,000 Technology: DLP Light Source: Lamp Throw Ratio 1.5-1.65 Street price: (lowest we found): £540

P24 AV News July 2021

Peoplewatch

Peoplewatch Epson has two reasons to celebrate this month. The company marks 20 years as the global leader in projector sales. Epson EMEAR has also appointed Massimo Pizzocri as new VP Professional Displays Epson celebrates 20 years as the world’s leading projector manufacturer. In the space of eight years, Epson has also become the market leader in Pro Displays Projection in EMEA The announcement comes as Epson appoints Massimo Pizzocri as it new VP for Professional Displays, replacing Neil Colquhoun who now heads up Epson’s operations in CISMEA. Massimo Pizzocri has spent over 20 years with Epson where he has been instrumental in consolidating Epson’s success in in several areas. Massimo began his career with the company at Epson Italy in 1999, where he rose to become Italian managing director and then strategic marketing director for the entire EMEA region, later vice president for the consumer division and recently vice president for the CEE region. Epson’s journey to becoming a global leader in Pro Displays includes several major milestones. In 1989, Epson developed the technology for the world's first compact, full-colour liquid crystal video projector, the VPJ-700. The projector used liquid crystal panels instead of the traditional cathode-ray tube to present a picture, thus showing the world a new application for liquid crystal displays. In 2005, the company entered the home-theatre market with the EMP-TWD1, its DVD player-projector. In 2006, Epson launched its EMP-6100, a dust-proof projector that keeps particulate matter at bay. The EB-450Wi, launched in 2010, was Epson's first wall-mounted, ultra-short throw lens projector with interactive functionality. In the Pro Displays Projection market in EMEA, Epson has grown from virtually no market share to market leader in the space of just eight years. It now commands over a third share (37%) of the market in EMEA - a 1199% rise in volume and 1228% revenue growth in eight years[4]. Epson was also the first to provide the same range of lenses for 5.5k to 20k lumens projectors and less than half the number of lenses required compared with any other competitor. Epson’s success has been down to its pioneering 3LCD projection technology. Initially the industry favoured legacy DLP technology which was considered a more reliable projection technology. Despite the industry's scepticism, Epson was confident in the colour vibrancy and high brightness of 3LCD as it offered superior projection qualities. After spending years refining this technology, Epson's 3LCD technology is now the technology of choice for the Pro Displays Projection industry.

“Our longevity and lasting success in the Pro Displays Projection is down to the fact we listened to our customers and studied the industry and its needs at every step of our journey,” says Neil Colquhoun, former Vice President, Pro Displays, Epson

Massimo Pizzocri has spent over 20 years with Epson where he has been instrumental in consolidating Epson’s success in in several areas. Europe. “Ten years ago, we had no presence in Pro Displays Projection market in EMEA, but now we are market leaders. This is not accidental. We were fully confident in our 3LCD technologies despite the industry favouring DLP technology. Our persistence and perseverance paid off. And we cannot forget that we wouldn’t be in this position without the support of our customers. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers for believing in us and delivering some amazing projects throughout our region.” “Now with the appointment of Massimo Pizzocri as our new VP Professional Displays, I know our business is in safe hands. We will continue to listen to our customers, adapt quickly to changes, and respond to market needs.” “The pandemic has impacted many of our key segments in the Pro Display market such as entertainment, hospitality and events,” says Massimo Pizzocri, VP for Professional Displays. “Many of the privileges that have been restricted from us, such as visiting museums, concerts and theatres, are now starting to make a return in many of the countries, as they start easing out of the lockdown. This provides an opportunity for us to bring immersive experiences back to attractions but also support effective communication for those returning to work. Our projectors will help bring back a sense of normality to our customers’ lives.” Ben Whitaker joins BenQ as an Education Technology Consultant. He will be working with educators and decision makers to share BenQ’s latest collaboration hardware and software solutions for the classroom and feed their user experience requirements back to into the future devel-

4P26 AV News July 2021

opment of BenQ products. Ben is providing insight from the ground up, having begun his career as a teacher in 2007 and subsequently becoming Assistant Principle: Head of Sixth Form. During his 12 years of teaching, Ben saw first-hand the advancement of online resources such as YouTube and the changing role of educators and classroom contact time. Recognizing early on that the education sector needed to embrace digital innovation, Ben became a Google for Education Certified Educator, Trainer and Innovator before joining award-winning #1 in the UK's performance tables, Burnley College as a Curriculum Manager and Digital Transformation Lead, where he took on responsibility for apprenticeships, adult education, as well as business and digital courses. Passionate about improving the student experience using interactive and immersive technologies, Ben proactively assisted colleagues in identifying, defining and overcoming the digital hurdles they faced and led the transition to Google Classroom by implementing BenQ Interactive Displays. In 2020 Ben was shortlisted for Digital Innovator of the Year Award at the Pearson National Teaching Awards. Royce Lye, Managing Director at BenQ UK and Ireland comments: “Ben has a passion for education technology and

a proven track record of being at the cutting edge of innovation. We are very pleased to have him as part of our team to bring together forward-thinking educators and our solutions for creating engaging learning experiences. “Initially, Ben will be taking to the road with the BenQ Bus visiting schools, academies, colleges and universities and running training courses on-board that demonstrate how our integrated hardware and software solutions bring dynamism and engagement into learning environments, whilst connecting to wider digital ecosystems to streamline teaching.” Ben is a host of the popular Edufuturists podcast, where educators and thought leaders from around the globe share their experiences and ideas about best practice and the future of education. Ben Whitaker, Ed Tech Consultant at BenQ UK and Ireland explains: “I can’t wait to get out on the BenQ Bus to talk about the future of education technology. Covid started a digital revolution in teaching with everyone needing to become technologists and masters of blended learning overnight. We want to look at these developments, capture these new ways of thinking and working and share how BenQ’s solutions are driving collaboration forwards.”

perience and know-how to the Australian office. I look forward to him building a successful team and playing a key role in our ambitious plans to scale-up the business and increase our global headcount to 140 by the end of 2021.” Optiseller is an e-commerce data platform that provides over 50,000 online retailers in more than 120 countries with the tools they need to control, manage and monitor their per-

formance. The system produces rich data which can be analysed to grow sales and improve performance across multiple e-commerce channels, such as eBay, as well as proprietary and own brand. Optiseller can also provide clients with bespoke data tools and solutions, and the platform is fully scalable with users ranging from niche sellers to global enterprise clients.

The new Australian MD, Jit Gondalia, joins Optiseller from Mastercard where he was Director of Digital Product Management for Europe. Christie has announced the appointments of Francois Godfrey and Maz Zaeefjou to the Professional Services team as directors of sales and business development. Christie Professional Services helps partners across the globe to prolong the life of their AV systems and get the most from their investment

be expanding to encompass a broader range of vertical markets, including largescale attractions, government and more. “We’re excited to have both Francois and Maz join our Professional Services team,” says Josh Kolbeck, senior director, NOC and business operations,

Ben Whitaker joins BenQ as an Education Technology Consultant. He will be working with educators and decision makers to share BenQ’s latest collaboration hardware and software solutions for the classroom. Optiseller has announced the appointment of a new managing director for Australia. The new Australian MD, Jit Gondalia, joins Optiseller from Mastercard where he was Director of Digital Product Management for Europe. Jit, who officially begins his role this month and will relocate from London to Sydney later this year, will oversee the continued expansion of the company across Australasian markets. Gondalia explains: “Optiseller have the aim of becoming the global ‘go-to' e-commerce data experts for all marketplaces and channels. We are now ex-

panding our footprint beyond Europe and building a team in Australia in order to offer our services to marketplaces and sellers in the Australasian markets. I am looking forward to moving to Sydney from London in the near future and leading the Optiseller family out there as it continues to grow.” Richard Falconer, Optiseller's COO, comments: “This is another key hire for the company as we look to grow the business across new markets on a global scale. With his more than 20 years in digital commerce, including 3 years at eBay, Jit will bring a vast amount of ex-

Christie is pleased to announce the appointments of Francois Godfrey and Maz Zaeefjou to the Professional Services team as directors of sales and business development. by proactively maintaining, troubleshooting, and resolving critical system issues. Francois and Maz will be responsible for new business development opportunities and partnerships across the Professional Services portfolio, which will

Professional Services, Christie. “Both are seasoned sales and business professionals with years of experience, and they will be a great asset to the growing Professional Services team. There is no ‘one-size-fitsall’ solution for maintaining an

Peoplewatch

Peoplewatch

Peoplewatch organization’s AV system, and their varied expertise gained in prior roles will prove invaluable as we seek to tailor our services to each customer’s unique needs and budget – whether our partner has a new Christie display solution or one that’s been serving them for years.” Francois is new to Christie, with previous experience as director of projection and technical services at a cinema exhibitor, as well as in a variety of sales and marketing roles with AV manufacturers. Maz has been with Christie for five years – having served as a senior manager in its Enterprise division – and possesses 25 years of experience managing sales and engineering projects across multiple industries. Christie Professional Services is one of the industry’s most trusted service providers, supporting integrators and their end-users globally. At a time when capital to invest in new equipment is hard to find, Christie is here to

help its partners extend support coverage to maximize the life of deployed systems. Professional Services has expanded beyond the cinema market to support giant screens and planetariums, theme parks and attractions, museums, science centers and government applications. With strategic locations worldwide and a comprehensive network of customer service engineers, project managers, and training and service technicians, Christie can dispatch the expertise, parts, and replacements to keep systems working, whether it is immediate technical support, reliable on-site services, or extended parts coverage required. Professional Services can help to increase system life, safeguard investment, minimize system downtime, simplify business operations, and lessen the burden on customers’ and partners’ existing support staff.

Kyocera Document Solutions UK has appointed Martin Fairman as the company’s new Group Sales & Marketing Director. Fairman was previously UK & Ireland Managing Director and Channel Director at Lexmark and brings over 20 years of senior leadership experience in technology organisations to his new position. His appointment will help drive Kyocera’s sales and marketing strategy throughout 2021 and beyond, as the company further expands its customer and channel partner relationships. Fairman spent over 12 years at Lexmark, occupying a number of sales and channel roles during his tenure. Prior to this, he held leadership positions at Samsung and Konica Minolta, gaining a wealth of experience that makes him ideally suited to Kyocera. Commenting on his appointment, Fairman said: “I’m delighted to be joining Kyocera at a fascinating time in the organisation’s growth. The last year has thrown up a number of challenges for businesses operating in the print and document management space, but Kyocera has continued to deliver despite these pressures.” “The company now has ambitious plans to further expand its product and service portfolio, offering a range of holistic

solutions that cover areas such as cloud, disaster recovery, automated workflow software and full managed ICT services.” “Alongside all of this, I’m looking forward to helping nurture and grow Kyocera’s relationships with its channel partners, using all my experience in this area to make a positive impact. Partners are, after all, integral to the success of an organisation like Kyocera, so giving them the guidance they need to succeed will be one of my key aims in this position.” Rod Tonna-Barthet, CEO at Kyocera Document Solutions UK, added: “The technology industry has always been fastpaced, and we always focus on evolving to suit the changing needs of our customers. The pace of change has been accelerated even further by the pandemic, so our core priority as a business is to continue giving our customers and partners the tools they need to build effective, digitally focused workplaces in the long term.” “Martin brings all the experience and knowledge we need to make this happen, so we’re extremely pleased to have him join the team. His experience, leadership skills and knowledge of technology are second to none, and we’re very much looking forward to him getting started.”

Technological Innovations Group (TIG) is pleased to welcome Dewald Adendorff into the role of Technical Support Engineer for Crestron in South Africa. Dewald will be responsible for providing technical advice to Crestron customers, ensuring their exact needs are firmly met, as well as assisting the regional sales team. Rupert Denoon, TIG's Regional Sales Director for Crestron in Southern Africa, comments: “Congratulations and welcome to the team, Dewald! We're excited

to benefit from Dewald's experience, technical mindset and results-driven approach, and to pass this on to our valued customers here in South Africa.” Dewald adds: “I am extremely excited to join such a worldclass brand. No matter where I've been, Crestron has always been part of conversations, and now I am ready to start the journey here and contribute to the success story in South Africa!”

Technological Innovations Group (TIG) has also announced that Xavier Egea has joined the company as commercial Business Development Manager for France. Technological Innovations Group (TIG) has also announced that Xavier Egea has joined the company as commercial Business Development Manager for France. Reporting to Alain Solomon, Xavier will support the French sales team in creating new business opportunities across the region. He will focusing on end users, consultants and new partnerships. Brice Niger, UC Regional Sales Manager France & South West comments: "We're thrilled to welcome Xavier, who will be a great asset to our team in France. He has great expertise

in digital workspace projects and has an excellent track record in this field." Xavier added: "I feel so happy and proud to join such a great team serving a brand with so much potential. Crestron is, for me, the solution to so many issues related to audio-visual and unified communication. This is why I am eager to bring my skills to develop new projects with our partners and end users I am really looking forward to meeting my colleagues and customers, and I am ready to provide an excellent service to all our main partners!"

Steve White has joined Collabtech Group as VP of Services to lead the development and execution of a dedicated virtual support solution to maximise the value

of AV adoption in collaborative spaces. Steve has over 20 years of experience in establishing large scale enterprise call centres

Steve White has joined Collabtech Group as VP of Services to lead the development and execution of a dedicated virtual support solution to maximise the value of AV adoption in collaborative spaces.

globally and is applying this knowledge to the world of unified collaboration to provide support for hybrid workspaces. In response to the scale and volume of new technologies being deployed in meeting rooms to create hybrid workspaces and connected ecosystems, Collabtech will provide professional, multilingual support globally to take customer service to the next level. Steve White, VP of Services at Collabtech Group. explains: “We will provide best-in-class technology support utilising our unique depth of specialist knowledge and virtual collaboration technicians, so that users know there is someone to call who can quickly get systems back up and running. We can provide this on a company level or on behalf of manufac-

turers for first, second and third line response.” This virtual 24/7 support will complement the great work of Collabtech’s Collaboration Specialists, who will still be on the ground providing additional support where needed and, most crucially, training to ensure solutions are deployed, adopted and maintained effectively. Jon Sidwick, President of Collabtech Group comments: “Success in modern meeting rooms is being able to use the technology efficiently, otherwise you’ll quickly see low levels of adoption that makes the investments obsolete. It’s great to have Steve on-board to grow and develop more skill sets and resource around virtual support globally as these spaces mature.”

Visualization has announced it has hired seasoned senior sales figure James Belso to spearhead its end user and consultant activity. Strictly operating under Visualization’s “trade only” ethos, Belso will be charged in developing Visualization’s business and grow its Partner network. Boasting an impressive pedigree – having worked for Christie Digital Systems for over a

from. Working closely with our business development director Chris Brittan who manages our Partner network, James and Chris will offer a unique combination within the market.” Commenting on his new appointment, Belso said: “Visualization has an impressive long-standing industry record for its engineering excellence. With the company’s new focus on technical solutions distribu-

Visualization has announced it has hired seasoned senior sales figure James Belso to spearhead its end user and consultant activity. decade – Belso has recently been focusing on the Consultant community and key end users. With both a deep technical expertise and strong commercial focus, Belso was instrumental in some major wins including the iconic London Stock Exchange digital transformation. Prior to Christie, Belso has worked with Panasonic and Cabletime (now MediaStar Systems) in sales focused roles. Visualization managing director, Nick Pidgeon, commented: “James’ pedigree and experience precedes him. His relationships and industry experience will further help Visualization expand its offering to our channel Partners. James’ role is non manufactured funded so our customers can truly expect the best of breed in solutions. He will be purely focused on developing business for our Channel to benefit

tion and the energy that Nick and his team bring, I feel this is an excellent opportunity to be part of business that approaches the market differently. Like myself, Nick and the Visualization team are people focused and that is critical in how I operate with my client base”. In line with its growth strategy, Visualization also recently appointed James Hull as technical sales support engineer. Hull, who is also coming from Christie, brings over 15 years of experience on video processing, as well as LED displays and projection. He commented: “It is an exciting time to be joining the vibrant and forward-thinking team at Visualization UK, who pride themselves on offering brilliant solutions and excellent service.”

P27 AV News July 2021

Diary and Events

InfoComm 2021 registration open for live show The long-awaited in-person InfoComm show, produced by AVIXA, will take place October 23-29, 2021, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Registration is open at www.infocommshow.org. “We’re extremely excited to gather the pro AV industry together for InfoComm 2021. There isn’t anything quite like the in-person experience of learning about new technology, making new business connections, and meeting up with long time industry peers,” said David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, CEO of AVIXA. “Like countless other industries, pro AV has been affected in a multitude of ways by the pandemic – some negative, like the pause of live events, others positive, such as the dramatic adoption of video communications. At the show, we’ll explore the trends that emerged, and which will be long-lasting.” InfoComm 2021 will spotlight the largest, fastest-growing, and most critical solutions and technologies in the world of AV. Throughout the show floor at exhibitor booths and in education sessions, attendees can explore conferencing and collaboration; content, production, and streaming; digital signage, learning, live events, audio, and much more. One of the most prominent

solutions talked about during the pandemic was conferencing and collaboration – which is forecast to generate $43.5 billion in 2021 globally and reach $49.9 in 2026, according to AVIXA. InfoComm sessions will explore topics like designing flexible collaboration spaces, clear audio for conferencing, hybrid workspaces done right, and Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) systems. Digital signage is another AV solution that has been top of mind during the pandemic. This solution has enabled businesses to maintain up-to-date messaging to their customers about health and safety procedures and traffic flow. To explore the digital signage world, the show will host the D=SIGN conference, in collaboration with the Digital Signage Federation (DSF), as two, half-day programs on Tues., Oct. 26., and Wed., Oct. 27. Sessions will explore trends in interactivity and touch screens in a post-pandemic world, overcoming connectivity barriers using 4G/5G connectivity, using AI and machine learning to trigger content changes, and more. InfoComm 2021 will also dive into content, production, and streaming – a solution forecast to generate $30 billion globally in 2021 and reach

David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, CEO of AVIXA. “Like countless other industries, pro AV has been affected in a multitude of ways by the pandemic – some negative, like the pause of live events, others positive, such as the dramatic adoption of video communications. At the show, we’ll explore the trends that emerged, and which will be long-lasting.” $38.5 in 2026. Content, production, and streaming media is the least impacted AV solution by COVID-19. This is due to organisations building out their digital content – such as producing videos to keep customers engaged and streaming virtual events. InfoComm sessions will examine topics such as adding remote guests to live streams and automatic speech recognition and caption delivery. InfoComm will also explore AV solutions for learning – K-12,

Peerless-AV to host exhibition and networking event Peerless-AV is excited to announce that it will be hosting an AV exhibition and networking event on 16th September at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, an iconic venue where

Matrox. The AV User Group and AVIXA Women’s Council UK will also be involved, with more details to follow. “After a long-time planning and deliberating, closely fol-

tunity to showcase their latest innovations and technology at a convenient, central location, to an audience keen to find out what’s new in the world of AV and Digital Signage.”

Peerless-AV hosts AV exhibition & networking event at Lord’s, 16 September (© Wilkinson Eyre) England won the World Cup in 2019. The in-person event concept received a hugely positive response among Peerless-AV partners after over a year of virtual meetings and collaboration. The exhibition is anticipated to attract a mix of consultant, end user and reseller visitors from across the UK. All the major AV and Digital Signage brands have signed up to take space at the exhibition, including Absen, Philips, Samsung, NEC, Kramer, Sony UK, Iiyama, Datapath, Hypervsn, Signagelive, Tripleplay and

lowing the latest government announcements, we’re very pleased that we can finally push ahead with our exhibition and networking event,” said Keith Dutch, Managing Director – EMEA, Peerless-AV. “For many AV professionals, ISE 2020 will have been the last time they had face-to-face interaction of this scale. I think I can speak for the majority in that, as restrictions ease, we’re all eager to get back to live meetings, training sessions and presentations. This event will give partners the oppor-

4P28 AV News July 2021

Lord’s Cricket Ground, the Home of Cricket, was chosen for its close proximity to the centre of London and convenient transport links. Register now to be part of this AV exhibition and networking event: https://peerless-av-sept-event. eventbrite.co.uk and watch the launch video with Keith Dutch here https://vimeo. com/565660555.

higher education, and corporate learning environments for remote learning or on campus. It's no secret that the way people learn has changed rapidly in the last year and a half, and the AV industry has played a huge role in allowing educators and learners to adapt. InfoComm sessions will cover developing flexible institutional AV standards, automatic camera tracking for classrooms, and case studies such as New Jersey Institute of Technology turning 100 classrooms into hybrid learning environments. Live events were also significantly impacted by the pandemic – case in point, InfoComm. In-person events were forced to adapt to virtual experiences. Fortunately, in-person events are starting to rebound, and a lot has been learned from producing virtual events that will enhance future events. At InfoComm, education sessions will explore topics like creating events with virtual production

and extended reality, content creation with generative media and gaming engines, and immersive audio for multi-sensory experiences. There will be a multitude of ways to learn about the latest products and trends in audio at InfoComm – the show floor, audio demo rooms, and in sessions. From beamforming microphone solutions to licensed wireless microphone operations and new white space device rules, sessions will uncover the must-knows for delivering great audio experiences. InfoComm attendees can stop by the Technology Innovation Stage for bite-sized insights into the latest technology advancements and applications on Wednesday through Friday on the trade show floor at booth 1961. These free sessions will feature product announcements and demonstrations, New Technology Lightning Rounds highlighting the most exciting new products at In-

foComm 2021, a state of the industry presentation from AVIXA’s market intelligence team, and more. InfoComm 2021 will have many opportunities for networking at events like the Tech Managers Forum, the Independent Technical Services, Systems Integrators, and Consultants Councils Reception, Young AV Reception, Women's Council Breakfast, Live Events Forum and Reception, and the Diversity Council Networking event. “It’s been two years since InfoComm held and in-person show. The absence of that one week to gather to learn, network, and celebrate the world of AV has been felt across the industry,” said Rochelle Richardson, CEM, Senior Vice President of Expositions and Events, AVIXA. “The AVIXA team cannot wait to arrive at the Orange County Convention Center in October and welcome back the AV industry to InfoComm!”

ISE Digital offers hours of brand new, engaging content ISE went online for the first time to give a global audience access to top-quality news and content, now available on-demand. Powered by Cisco technology, ISE Digital is an online platform featuring live interviews, keynote presentations, panel discussions, technology demonstrations and new product introductions. It is the place to go to find out about the important trends, technologies and solutions in the professional AV systems integration industry as we emerge from the pandemic. A selection of video episodes appear on the platform in carefully curated playlists: • Thought Leadership including ‘Shaking Out the Trends in Next Tech…’ with Ventura Barba, Executive Director of Sónar festival, and ‘Sustainability Accelerated’ with Tom Raftery, Global Vice President, Futurist & Innovation Evangelist at SAP. • The Future of Workspace & Collaboration • Live Events & Audio • Digital Signage • Most Watched – a selection of the most popular episodes on ISE Digital. Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, said: “ISE Digital provides a fantastic platform for viewers to learn more and really engage with some of the greatest brands in the market. It has highlighted to us a strong appetite for industry news and innovations – we hope viewers

use this platform as a valuable source of knowledge and inspiration to come back to time and time again. Along with our faceto-face events in Barcelona and London and DSS Europe this September, ISE Digital provides an opportunity to reignite and reconnect the AV community and set us on a strong path forward towards ISE 2022.” Powered by Cisco technology, ISE Digital highlights leading brand innovations that we can expect to experience in the post-pandemic era. In addition to browsing the playlists, there are many other ways to explore the platform: • Under the Channels tab, you can take your pick of channels covering a range of technologies and sectors. The Product Innovation Channels alone host over 120 hours of new product information. • You can visit more than 70 brands in the Partner Hub section. This contains dedicated brand hubs from leading companies and ISE partners including headline sponsors KNX, Bosch, LANG, Panasonic and Shure, and channel sponsors Lenovo, MA Lighting, Sennheiser and Vivitek. Here you’ll discover a wide range of product launches and innovations, virtual demonstrations and insights into the future of AV –with the opportunity to directly contact any company that piques your interest. • You are in control of when, where and what you view, with

all content available to watch on-demand until the end of 2021. More content and playlists will be added soon. Much of the content for the Product Innovation channels was recorded in ISE’s Virtual Studio, which was designed by Die Filmographen in Munich, to provide a visually exciting viewing experience with ‘live TV’ style links and introductions between episodes. The unique feature of this virtual studio technology is that it has been built using gaming software to create an ultra-realistic illusion of space and depth around each speaker. Many speakers utilised the virtual studio for their episodes in the Main Stage, Technology and Product channels, taking advantage of this specialised software. Daniel Silber, Managing Director at Die Filmographen, explained: “We utilised 3D technologies that come from the gaming sector, and mixed in our experience in broadcast television – it allowed us to create a space which seems like it’s 50 metres big, but in reality, it’s only five metres.” Head to ISE Digital to view and experience the technologies that will shape our lives over the next year and beyond. There’s still time to catch the exciting content on ISE Digital – the platform is live until the end of 2021: https://digital.iseurope.org

CCCME is the new co-organiser of CE China CE China - a global IFA event is proud to build a new alliance with a further strong partner, China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME). Organised by Berlin Exhibition Guangzhou Co., Ltd., the international innovation show for digital, smart, and connected products and appliances won CCCME as its co-organizer for the upcoming event 16-18 Sep-

tember 2021 in Guangzhou. “CE China brings leading brands of the industry together and enables them to showcase their latest technologies and products at a vibrant platform. We are very much looking forward to co-organize this innovative and international event”, states Mr. Guiqing Wang, Vice President, CCCME. Top brands like Changhong, Galanz, Konka, Whirlpool as well as participants of the German

Pavilion like Faytech, Hansecontrol, Miji, OTTO and Severin already confirmed to bring their cutting-edge consumer electronics and home appliances products and services to the grounds of this year’s edition of CE China. CE China will take place 16-18 September 2021 in Guangzhou. Want to be part of CE China? For more information visit the website.