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June 2022 www.avnewsonline.com ISE 2022 – new products and solutions announced in Barcelona

INFOCOMM 2022 Highlights Page 20

Page 13 InfoComm 2022 (exhibits June 8-10) at the Las Vegas Convention Center will explore the conferencing and collaboration solutions that power remote and hybrid work styles,

ISE 2022 came just in time for an AV industry starved of an opportunity to showcase thousands of new products and solutions.

ISE 2022: the verdict! ISE 2022 has closed its doors: the visitor numbers have been announced: and the conclusion is that the move to May, the change of venue and the ongoing battle with Covid resulted in a remarkably smooth transition to Barcelona. With a total 43,691 unique attendees from 151 countries, making 90,372 visits to the show floor, exhibitors reported busier than expected booths and many fruitful business connections. We tasked two video crews with the task of capturing feedback from exhibitors: the reactions were uniformly positive for video highlights of the show and exhibitors video reactions see the AV News’ web This was the first full ISE show since February 2020, when ISE said farewell to its previous home in Amsterdam and naturally there were suggestions for improvements from both visitors and exhibitors. With 834 exhibitors in 48,000 square metres of show floor across six Technology Zones, with visitors suggesting improvements to booth numbering and integration with the show app. ISE 2022 set a new benchmark with a host of opportunities to explore new solutions and drive new business. Transport to the venue was generally good, with subsidised public transport. but something of a shortage of taxis when leaving Fire de Barcelona. Exhibitors were unconvinced about the value of late evening opening. Highlights of the event included seven ISE Conferences with more than 1,000 attend-

Mike Blackman, Managing Director of ISE, commented that ISE 2022 is an event to be proud of: ees, two keynote addresses, Refik Anadol and Alan Greenberg, presented to a packed audience, and two stunning projection mapping projects within the city of Barcelona. The Panasonic virtual art exhibition was also an undeniable success. In conclusion, Mike Blackman, Managing Director of ISE, commented that ISE 2022 is an event to be proud of: “We are so pleased to have provided a successful platform for our exhibitors and partners to showcase their innovation and technology solutions. As we all recover from the impact of the pandemic, it is wonderful to be here in Barcelona with what feels like a ‘normal’ ISE in its new home,” he continued. “We look forward to building on this success to return on 31 January next year for another, energising, exciting and inspiring ISE, here at the Gran Vía.”

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BenQ leads in 4K and Full HD projector market shares BenQ has seized the No.1 market share for 4K projectors in Q1 2022, and also for Full HD. According to Futuresource Consulting Quarterly Market Track Reports, BenQ reached the leading position as a vendor by sales volume in Europe. Also, it achieved a market share of 23.42% for 4K, and of 24.5% for Full HD. Royce Lye, Managing Director for BenQ UK commented, “Over the last few years, we’ve seen a real shift in the way people utilise home entertainment and integrate visual and display technologies into their home set-ups to; watch movies, sports and play games. In turn, we’ve seen an exponential increase in demand for home entertainment products with superior image quality, colour accuracy and install flexibility.” Among the 4K projectors, BenQ presents segments devoted to Home Cinema, Home

Entertainment, Gaming, Laser TV, and Smart Projectors with Android TV. All the series offer True 4K, with 8.3 million distinct pixels. From the Laser TV series, the V7000i and V7050i with ALRS01 screen, won the EISA Award for ‘Best Product 2021-2022’. In the Full HD segment, there are award-winning projectors devoted to Business, Home Cinema, Home Entertainment, Gaming and Smart Projectors with Android TV. The recently released and wildly popular X3000i gaming projector is a perfect example of the innovation and quality BenQ brings to its products. Indeed, it is the first true 4K LED Immersive Gaming projector with 4ms @240Hz Low Input Lag and 100% DCI-P3 Accurate CinematicColor. For the Full HD segment, the TH585P and TH685P console gaming projectors are now

available. Armed with 3500 ANSI Lumens, brightness for usage in lit-up environments, Low Input Lag, Exclusive Game Modes and an affordable price, they set the standard for big screen gaming entertainment.

The recently released and wildly popular X3000i gaming projector is a perfect example of the innovation and quality BenQ brings to its products.

AV News Award winners ISE 2022 kicked off with its perennial curtain raiser - the first day breakfast presentation of the AV News Awards. Hosted for the first time by the Fire de Barcelona, the larger venue enabled more delegates to attend this popular networking and celebratory event than ever before, with the potential for even bigger numbers in the future. Delegates were treated to the presentation ceremony by AV News managing director Sue Pritchard and a keynote address by Guy Van Wijmeersch of Barco talking about ‘Innovation and design thinking’ against an AV backdrop provid-

ed by Vestel. Shortly after the presentation ceremony: Sue Pritchard commented: “This was the first AVNews Award Presentation ceremony in Barcelona and the success of the event was very much dependent on our partners We would very much like to thank our Award Sponsors, Vestel, as the primary visual solution partner, Barco, for the supporting keynote address, the catering and staging teams from Fire de Barcelona, and. of course, ISE itself as our event partner We very much look forward look forward to the 2023 AV News Awards,

For a full list of the Award Winners, tun to page 25 and 26 of this issue of AV News,

ISE 2022 kicked off with its perennial curtain raiser - the first day breakfast presentation of the AV News Awards.

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Headline News

Dual collaboration room system Barco launches TruePix: A gamechanger in LED video walls? from Sharp NEC Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe announced its new NEC Dual-Collaboration Room System at ISE 2022. This combines two displays, an interactive one and an identically designed non-interactive one, into a comprehensive user-friendly system. It is designed for meeting and collaboration environments, whether

for fully present or hybrid team meetings. With a sleek and elegant design, the display solution seamlessly fits into modern office spaces. Sharp/NEC’s Dual-Collaboration Room System (Du-Co Room System) is the first solution on the market to combine a touch and non-touch display identical in design and mechanics into one set-up. When working with an interactive and a non-interactive display in a dual-screen scenario, users no longer need to compromise

between design and functionality. With the NEC Du-Co Room System, users not only benefit from a visually pleasing solution but also an enhanced usability. Equipped with an InGlass touch display, the system is said to offer a best-in-class pen-on-paper writing experience. Optimised for video conferencing (VC) room systems,

rience while seamlessly fitting into modern meeting spaces”, said Daniela Dexheimer, Senior Product Manager Collaboration Technologies at Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe. “With the Du-Co Room System, we are pioneering a dual-screen solution in which form and function meet as equals. The display system elevates the

Sharp/NEC’s Dual-Collaboration Room System (Du-Co Room System) is the first solution on the market to combine a touch and non-touch display identical in design and mechanics into one set-up the display solution facilitates creative processes in hybrid meetings, such as in Microsoft Teams or Zoom. “We have listened closely to our users’ feedback to create a system that ideally supports collaborative and interactive meetings, whether teams are entirely in-person, entirely online or in hybrid scenarios. The new solution combines stunning visuals with an intuitive writing expe-

aesthetics of a meeting room while at the same time being easy to use, so teams can jump easily into their work”, continued Gunnar Kyvik, Business Segment Lead Meeting and Conferencing at Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe. The NEC Dual-Collaboration Room System will be available as a 55’’ and 65’’ display model.

Barco has launched a new LED video wall platform that ensures an outstanding and long-lasting viewing experience, powered by innovative smart engineering. Drawing upon Barco’s long legacy in LED, TruePix is designed completely from the ground up to create a purpose-built video wall for a variety of enterprise applications. It perfects all aspects of the LED experience starting from installation, throughout its long lifetime, to after sales support and maintenance. TruePix ensures a truly seamless experience bringing content to life as intended in control rooms, television studios, lobbies, boardrooms, auditoriums, and other corporate applications. With the ongoing cost erosion, LED technology is now within the reach of most companies, for a variety of applications. With TruePix, Barco combines the latest technological evolutions, a vast amount of expertise, and innovative, smart engineering. The result is a unique mounting technology, impressive image quality and ensuing longevity. These high-resolution 16:9 tiles are available in multiple options, with pixel pitches ranging from 0.9 to 1.9 mm. The first product to incorporate Barco’s superior Infinipix

SteadyView, a unique Barco feature, improves viewing ergonomics and reduces eye fatigue. This is especially important in control room environments, where the staff intensely use the wall for multiple hours on end. This makes TruePix one of the very first purpose-built LED walls for critical and high-intensity applications like control rooms and command centres. The impressive image quality of an LED video wall can only come to its full right if the display is installed impeccably. However, there are always imperfections in the flatness of the walls and level of the floors, which very often cause mechanical stress in the frames of the tiles. This can lead to seams, damage, or difficulties during maintenance. TruePix’ innovative auto-balancing system counters these imperfections and makes sure the LED wall is 100% level and frictionless. Furthermore, the installation time is also cut because the tiles all slide perfectly into place without the need for manual adjustments. The guided module insertion ensures a fully contactless and risk-free installation, with no risk of tile damage. For Barco, ensuring longevity, reliability and perfect display

Barco TruePix Key product highlights: •Truly seamless display •Smart engineering for an easy, perfectly aligned installation •Unmatched viewing experience thanks to the next gen Infinipix processor

Sharp/NEC showcase 120” 8K monitor Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe presented the Sharp 120” 8K monitor powered by the Intel Smart Display Module (SDM) compute module at ISE 2022. This new technology demonstrated the full power of Intel SDM computing devices, bringing the highest possible resolution and vivid colour reproduction to 8K monitors. At ISE 2022, Sharp/NEC defined+ the future of 8K playback technologies, by showcasing the Sharp 120” 8K electronic display connected to the Intel SDM computing device. The Intel SDM prototype showcased at ISE also supports 5G network usage, the next key technology to drive new business. 5G network support makes Intel SDM devices the perfect choice for IoT applications. “The Intel SDM slot is the single most important standard for modular computing. It is a forward-looking solution and presents customers with the

uniformity is of major importance. With its uncompromising service, Barco takes every measure to deliver the promised experiences to its customers. Availability of batch compatible modules throughout the life of the wall is therefore a key part of Barco’s service offerings. If a module needs to be replaced, Barco guarantees that batch-compatible spare tiles (along with full service support) are available for up to 10 years. This brings complete peace of mind and a reduced cost of ownership over the full lifetime of the product. Barco’s cloud-based platform for advanced video wall management, allows you to monitor, diagnose and/or control the TruePix installation remotely. This maximizes uptime and reduces the need and length of service interventions. TruePix is also the first LED product on the market to leverage 5Gb bandwidth. This makes the system up to 5 times more efficient with fewer cable runs and points of failure – as more LED modules can be connected in a single link. To further guarantee an uninterrupted data flow, 4-way inter-tile communication and signal loop redundancy are embedded, making TruePix the most reliable LED solution in the market.

•Purpose-built robustness and ergonomics for 24/7 smooth and efficient operations

perfect combination of best in class display technologies and modular as well as embedded computing devices from Intel. This is the reason why Sharp/ NEC already has the biggest lineup of displays with an Intel SDM slot and why we plan on also equipping all the other professional Sharp/NEC monitors with the Intel SDM slot”, said Erik Elbert, Senior Prod-

uct Manager Senior Product Manager Large Format Displays and Computing Technologies at Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe. “Our customers will then profit from the best computing performance they could wish for. And if they need a performance upgrade anytime in the future, that is possible with the Intel SDM slot as well.”

Gen2 image processing system, TruePix ensures an unmatched viewing experience for all types of content. No visual distortions, low latency, perfect sync, and no tearing are the hallmarks of this system. Infinipix Gen2 also guarantees dimming without any loss in colour accuracy, which drastically expands the effectiveness of the installation. What’s more, Barco’s proprietary smart calibration method for wide colour gamut support and full colour balancing control, will create rich and true-to-life images. TruePix also shows that visual excellence does not equal high energy consumption. Its EcoPower mode ensures reduced energy consumption, helping to limit the ecological footprint.

Drawing upon Barco’s long legacy in LED, TruePix is designed completely from the ground up to create a purpose-built video wall for a variety of enterprise applications.

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P3 AV News June 2022

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Headline News

Signagelive and Barco deliver digital signage on ClickShare Signagelive and Barco have announced a new partnership that is set to maximise the impact and return on investment delivered by ClickShare. With the integration of Signagelive, all ClickShare wireless presentation and conferencing systems can offer businesses even greater value, doubling up as enterprise-grade digital signage players, when not in use for meetings. Simply by activating a Signagelive standard or web-based licence, IT decision makers can now unlock the value of ClickShare room systems as cost-effective digital signage for meeting rooms, boardrooms and huddle spaces. No additional investment or resource is needed for dedicated hardware and software, nor any specialist training for businesses already familiar with both Signagelive and ClickShare. “The integration of Signagelive with ClickShare is another step forward, streamlining costs, as well as the time and resource usually allocated to digital signage projects,” said Jason Cremins, CEO of Signagelive. With digital transformation now an imperative for businesses everywhere, it’s important for us

to make it easier and more viable for customers to embrace the possibilities offered by digital signage strategies. In this case, through our partnership with Barco, we are now able to transform ClickShare agnostic, wireless room systems into allin-one multimedia platforms from which wireless conferencing and presentations, as well as digital signage can be delivered.” ClickShare room systems are easy to use for digital signage, only requiring users to replace URLS for static holding images with the Signagelive browser player on the ClickShare device being used: “We’re happy to partner with Signagelive on this next step for Barco ClickShare. Expanding the integration capabilities with digital signage, means offering our end-customers additional opportunities to maximize their technology investments and increase the ROI of their meeting spaces,” said Lieven Bertier, Segment Marketing Director Workplace. Like all other Signagelive players, they are able to schedule and publish a dynamic range of content, including imagery and web pages, as well as the

500+ free-to-use and subscription-based applications from the Signagelive Marketplace.

Through third-party platforms, such as YouTube and IBM Cloud Video, they can also broadcast video files. Whatever

ital signage, ClickShare Base Units are able to deliver and securely publish content to even the largest networks, allowing

The impact of ClickShare room systems as meeting room digital signage is wide and far-reaching, enabling busi-

PPDS has announced the launch of Wave – a brand new, state-of-the-art cloud platform, providing advanced and effortless control and management capabilities and opportunities for the professional displays of today and in the future. Wave – a part of PPDS’ evolving ‘total

sands of displays worldwide. Extensively trialled and co-developed with multiple PPDS system integration partners across EMEA and North America, the Wave platform removes the complexities of installing and setting up different display models and generations. Allow-

and solutions and to continue to evolve your business offering to end-customers. We designed Wave with the user experience being paramount for both system integrators and third parties developing with our APIs. This Wave launch is the first step in providing a powerful, cross-platform solution that enables our partners to bring more value to the AV ecosystem and our short-term roadmap already includes the addition of hospitality TVs and LED walls.” Wave is now included out-ofthe-box with all Philips Q-Line, D-Line, T-Line and C-Line displays, and any existing display with Android 7 and above can also be upgraded and provisioned. The Wave platform allows you to manage any number of accounts and displays across different locations, as well as making bulk updates, updating firmware, debugging screens, adjusting settings, adding basic content and receiving alerts – easily and reliably. Accessible anywhere, AV and IT managers, and even non-IT focused staff, are able to view status (including screenshots), and access or assign precise information, details and controls to each display. Eliminating the need to go on site to debug and make changes and avoiding costly truck rolls and interruption of service. Ensuring optimum performance at all times, Wave allows you to proactively anticipate issues, reducing or eliminating potentially costly downtime and disruptions. Unique compared

with other display manufacturer solutions, PPDS Wave gives you complete control on display software updates allowing you to control onto which displays, and when, an update is installed, minimising downtime and maximising performance for better business outcomes. In addition, Wave is customisable to the system integrator’s own business and brand, including the option to place the solution on a custom URL. At launch, Wave will support Philips SoC signage displays with Android 7 and above, including Philips Q-line, D-Line, T-Line and C-Line digital signage displays. This will be extended to cover PPDS’ range of Philips direct view LED, interactive and videowall displays, as well as professional TVs, widening the benefits of Wave to a further spectrum of verticals, including hospitality,

food and beverage, education, and others. This will allow one solution to support multiple platforms allowing integrators to control different display types with the same software and third-party applications to work across different types of hardware without custom development. Franck Racapé, Head of Global Commercial at PPDS, commented: “The industry has spoken and with Wave, designed to work hand-in-hand with our Android SoC, we have left no stone unturned. PPDS has evolved from a provider of hardware to an enabler of total solutions, bringing a constantly growing choice of products, software and services to our partners. With Wave, we’re bringing product innovation, out-of-the-box, with a modern, fresh and highly intuitive user experience. With Wave, man-

PPDS unveils Wave

solutions’ strategy – is a highly secure, intuitive and scalable remote device management platform. Developed especially for the extensive Philips professional SoC display portfolio and to meet the changing needs and requirements of end customers, Wave helps to ensure faster, more cost-effective installation and service times for multiple displays. Built to scale for fleets, both locally and globally, it can securely provision and monitor hundreds of thou-

ing system integrators to focus on bringing value and innovation to their customers, rather than struggling with compatibility. Sian Rees, International Product Manager at PPDS, commented: “With Wave, you have a secure, future-proof and scalable solution to manage your professional displays globally. As a professional display provider, we understand the need to access the latest Philips professional products

the content selected, it will be quick and straight-forward to roll-out. As enterprise-level dig-

messaging to be scheduled instantly or for specific dates and times.

nesses to do everything from strengthening their staff communications strategies to optimising the management and use of their workplace meeting rooms. Organisations of every size can use the moments before and after meetings, when staff members are together in one place, to share information with specific teams in certain rooms, or company-wide updates across the entire network. With free calendar applications from the Signagelive Marketplace, businesses are also able to use their ClickShare systems to display company Outlook and Google calendars, so that meeting room availability can be checked, and planned, at a glance. Signagelive integrated Proof of Play functionality provides further support, enabling organisations to measure the impact and prove the value of digital signage for any potential wider company roll-outs. With the integration of Signagelive, all ClickShare wireless presentation and conferencing systems can offer businesses even greater value, doubling up as enterprise-grade digital signage players, when not in use for meetings.

aging your displays has never been easier.” Trialling Wave ahead of its launch, Alistair Wright, Managing Director at PPDS Platinum SI Partner, UX Global Limited, commented: “Offering unique development access, Wave is another critical tool in the system integrator’s arsenal, allowing technicians to provision, set up and maintain Philips professional displays from a remote location. We’re very much looking forward to the next phases for this exciting solution.

PPDS has announced the launch of Wave – a brand new, state-ofthe-art cloud platform, providing advanced and effortless control and management capabilities and opportunities for the professional displays of today and in the future.

P5 AV News June 2022

Business News

Visavvi acquired by SCC SCC, Europe’s biggest privately-owned IT services firm, has announced the acquisition of Visavvi, adding capacity to scale its unified communications business, SCC AVS. Visavvi is renowned for its high standards, with the company holding top industry accreditations and partnerships, and has won AV Integrator of the Year three times, including 2021. SCC AVS was formed in 2018 following the merger of SCC’s AV business with avsnet. The acquisition of Visavvi will build on organic growth achieved in the past three years – SCC AVS has more than doubled in size since 2020 – by adding wider breadth in the traditional AV market and enabling a larger focus on growth areas, such as digital workplace solutions accelerated by new hybrid working models. The acquisition of Visavvi, which will trade as ‘Visavvi, an SCC business’, sees SCC welcome 130 skilled people in AV and deepen its specialisms across the commercial and private sectors, including in education, where SCC has just been appointed an inaugural

Panel Member on the enFrame ICT Framework and will deliver solutions to UK multi-academy trusts for the first time. Graham Fry, Managing Director of SCC AVS, said: “This acquisition is a milestone moment for SCC AVS, with organic growth fuelled by customers on a transformation journey requiring digital workplace solutions that enable anytime, anywhere collaboration in real time. Visavvi enables SCC AVS to focus on accelerating its growth strategy by adding scale, capability, and a wider geographical reach in the UK to deliver outstanding AV services to customers. “We have extensive technology expertise and proven people skills, building strong and trusted relationships with our clients across the corporate, education, healthcare, public and government sectors. We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues from Visavvi and continuing this journey together.” James Rigby, Chief Executive of SCC, said: “It was important to acquire a business that complements our own, both in terms of capability and culture. Visavvi strengthens our

capability in education, with its leading specialism in large space AV suitable. Meanwhile, existing Visavvi customers will benefit from SCC’s expertise in voice and collaboration, supporting the shift to the digital workplace.” Andy Dyson remains as Managing Director of Visavvi, alongside directors Colin Etchells and Ann Pickard who are joined in the boardroom by Graham Fry and Mark Nutter (CFO, SCC). Steve Rigby, Co-Chief Executive of Rigby Group, SCC’s parent company, Chairs the new board. Andy Dyson, Managing Director of Visavvi, said: “This is an incredibly exciting and positive step for the company and I alongside my fellow directors Colin Etchells and Ann Pickard look forward to continued success powered by our new, strengthened business position.” Andy Dyson remains as Managing Director of Visavvi, alongside directors Colin Etchells and Ann Pickard who are joined in the boardroom by Graham Fry and Mark Nutter (CFO, SCC).

Peerless-AV acquires ADF visual display products Peerless-AV has announced that it has acquired ADF Visual Display Products of Southern California. Specialising in complex dvLED construction, ADF has engineered and manufactured some of the most prominent, visually stunning and challenging dvLED deployments of the last decade. Acting as a discreet OEM design and manufacturing partner for two of the industry’s best known dvLED infrastructure companies, ADF has set the standard for excellence in the category. “Our dvLED business exploded virtually overnight. We began partnering with ADF on projects where our capacity simply would not allow us to do it in house,” said John Potts CEO of Peerless-AV. “After seeing the quality of the ADF product, for both ourselves as well as another significant name in the industry, we realised that they were the logical addition to our company to facilitate our dynamic growth.” Some of the most high-profile projects to feature ADF’s engineering and manufacturing expertise include a dvLED video wall at a sports book in Las Vegas. The video wall measures 140 W x 12 H (4,166 Sq Ft) with a total 1680 dvLED displays, configured as a flat to

wall into 90-degree concave curve into a flat to wall, as well as a 73 x 5 conical overhead lobby array, where the displays are trapezoidal. ADF’s most recent custom dvLED design feat for Peerless-AV is a 183 x 5 (288 ft x 8.86 ft), 915 cabinets, 313.26-degree cylinder, fully floating system attached to a university building wall in Morocco. “Peerless-AV has long been the go-to provider as an infrastructure and accessory partner to the best in the industry, managing complex, competitive environments. We look forward to expanding our in-house capabilities to be a more agile and holistic partner for the totality of dvLED infrastructure needs,” said Nick Belcore Executive Vice President of Peerless-AV. “ Lou Mannick, a distinguished

Peerless-AV has announced that it has acquired ADF Visual Display Products of Southern California. AV industry innovator and Founder of ADF is actively at the forefront in developing foundations for dvLED displays. “The booming dvLED market poses new and complex opportunities as the next generation dvLED cabinets evolve to a lighter, more flexible chassis. Lou believes where we once positioned cabinets, we must urgently focus on the new paradigm of positioning pixels. This dovetails with ADF becoming Peerless AV as we turn the page and embark on the next chapter in covering building surfaces with brilliant dvLED pixels,” noted Edward Warner, General Manager of ADF.

Christie acquires the assets of Brass Roots Technologies Motorola solutions acquires Videotec Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) has announced it has acquired Videotec S.p.A., a global provider of ruggedized video security solutions based in Italy. Videotec’s fixed and Pan, Tilt and Zoom (PTZ) cameras are designed to withstand the extreme conditions and hazardous environments of critical infrastructure, specifically ports, energy and transportation, where video security is imperative. Videotec’s portfolio enables security operators to have clear visibility across these settings to quickly detect and respond to abnormal events or dangerous situations, reducing safety threats and supporting business continuity. “Protecting the security and operational continuity of critical infrastructure is vital to our cities and businesses,” said Greg Brown, chairman and CEO, Motorola Solutions. “With Videotec’s specialized suite of cameras, we’re extending the breadth of our portfolio to help secure and support the demanding environments of these

complex, essential industries.” The acquisition of Videotec complements Motorola Solutions’ line of fixed video cameras, expanding its portfolio and reinforcing the company’s position as a global leader in video security solutions. “We're excited to join Motorola Solutions, bringing our technical expertise in extreme environment camera design to continue driving their mis-

sion as a global leader in video security,” said Alessio Grotto, CEO, Videotec. “Together we will continue to innovate technologies that stand up to some of the most challenging conditions - protecting people, enabling productivity and supporting business continuity for essential industries around the world.” Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) has announced it has acquired Videotec S.p.A., a global provider of ruggedized video security solutions based in Italy.

Christie has announced its acquisition of assets from Brass Roots Technologies LLC, an Allen, Texas-based technology innovation company specializing in consulting and the engineering design of advanced optics and electronics for high-performance display and imaging systems. All current employees of Brass Roots Technologies have transferred to Christie and the operations will remain in Allen, Texas under the Christie name. “The purchase of Brass Roots Technologies’ assets will help diversify and advance Christie’s own engineering capabilities,” said Zoran Veselic, president and chief technology officer, Christie. “We welcome Brass Roots Technologies’ talented engineers and design team, who will join our existing teams to explore future technologies together.” Since its inception in 2009, Brass Roots Technologies has continually been at the forefront of innovation, developing critical technologies that advanced imaging and display solutions to an entirely new level. The company provides system-level perspective, custom engineering design services and licensed IP technology.

Its expertise is in developing differentiated solutions that integrate advanced optics, mechanics and electronics and has varied industry knowledge including video, entertainment, imaging, medical, telecommunications, and defence/military imaging. By joining Christie, the Brass Roots Technologies staff will enhance the engineering offering with a skill set that includes system architecture, optical design and analysis, mechanical design, electronic hardware and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) firmware design, software development, in house CNC fabrication, prototype assembly and functional tests and verification. The team’s experience also includes DLP, LCD and LCoS projection systems, LED video walls, digital projection optical systems based on lamps, LED, laser phosphor, and laser illumination, lenses and ultra-high frame rate projection.

P7 AV News June 2022

Business News

RELEX Solutions acquires Formulate RELEX Solutions has announced that it has acquired Formulate, a Swedish promotion planning and analytics company, building upon its position as a trusted provider of unified retail planning solutions. The acquisition is a

ported a 15% profit improvement on promoted items, 75% time saved per person per week on promo analysis and forecasting, and 20% sales uplift on promoted items. Formulate’s customers include Coop in Sweden and Estonia, Math-

promotion planning software to optimize their efficiencies and profits as misinterpreting sales data can be costly,” said Andreas Willgert, Co-Founder and CEO of Formulate. “That’s why we’re excited to partner with RELEX and accelerate our

RELEX Solutions has announced that it has acquired Formulate, a Swedish promotion planning and analytics company, building upon its position as a trusted provider of unified retail planning solutions. major step in RELEX’s commitment to offering a best-in-class unified platform with a robust promotion planning solution for retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies across the globe. Efficient promotional planning is an increasingly crucial factor to consider for retailers but is also notoriously difficult to manage, time-consuming, and mistakes can be costly. Lack of quality forecasting and scenario testing damages retailers’ overall business and logistics strategy, leading to a loss of 30-40% of promotional sales and 15-30% of promotion profits. With this acquisition, retailers will benefit from improved planning and optimization capabilities for each stage of the promotion process with the help of proprietary AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics in an easily accessible and understandable way. Founded in 2016, Formulate offers world-class AI-based analytics for evaluating, predicting, and planning retail promotions. The company’s customers have re-

em, and Reitan Convenience (Pressbyrån and 7-ELEVEN). The acquisition by RELEX Solutions comes on the heels of a €500M funding round led by funds managed by Blackstone Growth (BXG), Blackstone’s growth equity investing business — the largest growth funding round ever raised by a Finnish growth company. The acquisition will strengthen the RELEX supply chain and retail platform and allow the Formulate software to reach a more extensive global network of customers. In 2021, RELEX grew its customer base to over 350 clients and almost doubled its software revenue bookings. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, the company has offices in the US, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong. RELEX’s clients include Dollar Tree, M&S Food, Franprix, Morrisons, PetSmart, Sephora, and Rossmann, among others. “Now, more than ever, retailers and brands need adequate

growth and reach a wider customer base. Formulate will be fully integrated into the unified RELEX Living Retail Platform, which will allow us to bring this great technology to more retailers across the globe, helping retailers and brands achieve marked results in their promotion planning.” “RELEX and Formulate offer valuable services that are already very aligned, and between both companies, we have a great deal in common, including many of the same customers. This acquisition will strengthen our product portfolio in an area where our business is experiencing high customer demand,” said Mikko Kärkkäinen, RELEX’s Group CEO. “Their cutting-edge, innovative promotion planning solution and highly skilled promotional experts will be a great cultural fit for RELEX and a perfect addition to our suite of solutions. We are excited to help bring this technology to the global retail market and improve our customers’ experience.”

Kramer has unveiled its vision for the future, including strategic developments and a brand evolution, to the wider audio-visual industry at ISE. An audio-visual pioneer with over 40 years of experience and 20+ offices worldwide, Kramer has spent the last year undergoing a business transformation. With a goal to triple revenue in the next three years, it has created a regional structure across Europe, APAC, and the Americas, and will soon open its new regional EMEA office in Amsterdam to better serve customers and partners. Visitors to Kramer’s booth at ISE experienced first-hand the company’s new brand and vision. From bedroom offices to

kitchen-table schools, virtual Cabinet meetings to remote command centres, people now live, work, and engage in more ways than ever before. The advent of this ‘physi-digi’ world has created global demand for platforms that drive immersive productivity, collaboration, and connection. Kramer’s vision is to meet this demand by creating technology to power engagement through the world’s most intuitive end-to-end audio-visual experiences. By focusing on the always-on collaborative needs of our new hybrid world, Kramer is pivoting to navigate the intersection of the physical and digital and support stronger end-user engagement than ever before.

This is also reflected in Kramer’s new branding. Focusing on the modern needs of the end-user, the new visual identity and themes represent seamless and infinite connections – the very same offered by Kramer’s technology. The latest Kramer products were on show at the ISE booth, including the KDS-7 portfolio of high performance and scalable AVoIP solutions, the new line of Kramer collaboration devices, and new features to the VIA platform. Plus, the company’s latest software solutions were demonstrated, following Kramer’s acquisition of hybrid computing organization, UCWorkspace. Kramer experts were on hand at the booth to discuss

Jabra research shows technology increases employee inclusion In a world where 60% of employees say a hybrid work model is their ideal work arrangement, only three in ten (30%) strongly agree that their organisation provides them with the necessary technology to collaborate equally and inclusively from anywhere. This is according to Jabra’s 2022 edition of the Hybrid Ways of Working Global Report, carried out amongst 2,800 knowledge workers across six countries worldwide to understand the employee sentiments and motivations in this hybrid working era. The future of work is virtual-first. With hundreds of millions of people collaborating on Teams, Zoom, and other unified communications platforms every day, these digital environments are the new standard for how we connect to one another. In fact, many employees have only ever met some of their colleagues on these platforms. Because of this, it is critical that leaders do all they can to get the most out of the virtual workspace, so employees can create more human and authentic relationships with their

colleagues. Jabra’s research found that users of professional audio devices reported feeling more included in virtual meetings than those using either consumer audio devices or the microphones and speakers built into their laptops. In fact, users of professional headsets globally were 11% less likely to feel left out of the conversation in virtual meetings than consumer device or built-in audio users. Similarly, professional headset users were 14% less likely to report not being able to hear what’s being said in the meeting than built-in users and 12% less likely than consumer device users. At present, only 29% of workers are using professional audio devices. As 87% of all meetings are either fully virtual or hybrid, with only 13% happening fully in person, it’s crucial that employees are able to make the most of them with purpose-built technologies. A lack of proper technology may make relationship-building in these virtual environments more tenuous and difficult than

it needs to be. Since the start of the pandemic and alongside the rise of hybrid work, the term “meeting equity” has entered the discussion to explore how organisations can create equitable virtual environments. In a traditional meeting room, every meeting participant has a place at the table and has equal opportunity to contribute to the meeting. However, a hybrid meeting setting consists of both physical and virtual meeting participants, so true meeting equity becomes harder to achieve. Luckily, the research finds that organisations that take active steps towards achieving greater meeting equity are likely to increase engagement in hybrid meetings. In fact, 48% of hybrid workers say that their organisation priorities meeting equity, resulting in 53% saying they’re just as engaged in hybrid meetings as face-to-face meetings. This is compared to only 34% of full-time in-office workers who say that their level of engagement in hybrid meetings matches that of face-toface meetings; amongst in-office workers, 32% feel their organisation prioritises meeting equity. Leaders need to take decisive steps to address meeting equity, regardless of the primary type of work model their organisation practices. Roughly half of all employees (49%) consider their office to be their laptop, headset, and wherever they can get a strong internet connection. But the research found a key location-agnostic way to impact an employees’ wellbeing and productivity levels: video. Sixty-two percent of employees say they feel more included and present in meetings when everyone attending

Some 68% of employees say that standardised professional video cameras would help everyone participate equally in hybrid meetings.

continued on page 11

Kramer presents new vision and brand at ISE

P8 AV News June 2022

current trends in the industry, how they’re reshaping organizations worldwide, and ways in which Kramer’s technology can help visitors to navigate the future of communication and collaboration.   Gilad Yron, CEO at Kramer, said: “The last couple of years have transformed the need for high-quality audio-visual experiences. Now that physical and digital interactions are given increasingly equal footing, every organization requires an end-to-end technology partner to help it power immersive creativity, expression, and connectivity. Kramer’s transformation reflects this. We’re helping our customers to connect with people across multiple platforms

Gilad Yron, CEO at Kramer: “The last couple of years have transformed the need for high-quality audio-visual experiences. Now that physical and digital interactions are given increasingly equal footing.” for stronger inclusiveness, closer relationships, and greater collaboration. We can’t wait to showcase this vision, and our new brand, to the world at ISE 2022.”

Business News

Parks Associates consumer data on telehealth Some 54% of broadband households with an annual income of less than $30,000 used a telehealth service in Q2 2020, compared with 12% in Q2 2019. 42% of those who self-identify as technology laggards (i.e., buying new technology only once traditional alternatives are no longer available) used a telehealth service, up from 6% in Q2 2019. 42% of consumers ages 65 and older reported using a telehealth service in Q2 2021, up from just 6% in Q2 2019. Additionally, consumers are now gravitating towards telehealth as a preferred method of receiving care in the future. These are strong indications that consumers want and likely will expect telehealth to be available to them

going forward. This is an excerpt from Parks Associates white paper, "Health at Home: New Era of Healthcare, written in partnership with EarlySense. This new whitepaper examines the state of the virtual care market, with particular emphasis on the factors driving the shift from facility-centric care to healthcare at home. The analysis delves into the technology solutions

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd has announced that the company has implemented new environmentally sustainable processes and initiatives, including low-impact product manufacturing practices and resource acquisition. These new changes join the company’s existing efforts to reduce its environmental footprint across its product portfolio. As part of Samsung’s “Together for Tomorrow” vision, the company has applied recycled materials in its select monitor and digital signage products to minimise resource waste. Samsung is now using more recycled materials in its monitor and digital signage products, including the rear cover of its monitors and digital signage to increase resource circularity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Digital signage solutions including the 2022 Smart Signage also received certified energy efficiency grades that rise to new industry standards. Samsung also has incorporated eco-conscious packaging fea-

solution that, when applied to the monitors and signage, allows content to be displayed without any additional devices, saving both waste and energy. Plus, Samsung has extended its product lifespan with enhanced durability to further minimise waste. In recognition of its efforts for product efficiency, Samsung has earned an ENERGY STAR certification [1], in addition to an EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) certification for its energy efficiency improvements and recycled plastic use in its 2022 Smart Signage lineup (QHB, QMB, QBB). Samsung was also the first in its industry to achieve the reducing CO2 label, certified by the Carbon Trust, for its LCD Signage lineup (LH55QHB), LED signage (LH012IWA) and Business Monitor (LS34A65). In addition, Samsung has developed and applied a new material, made with repurposed ocean-bound plastics, to the 2022 high resolution monitor S8 to reduce marine waste. In recognition of its global

turing recycled materials in all signage products since 2021. To improve both resource and energy efficiency, Samsung is using a SoC (System on Chip)

2022 sustainability initiative, which strives to incorporate environmental sustainability into everything it does, Samsung has been announced as

needed to facilitate longer-term remote care, particularly with respect to provider ability to continually assess patient deterioration or significant changes in overall health.

Some 54% of broadband households with an annual income of less than $30,000 used a telehealth service in Q2 2020, compared with 12% in Q2 2019.

Samsung takes eco-conscious steps with displays

throughout our signage portfolio and playing a major role in reimagining a better planet,” said Hyesung Ha, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “As we are grateful for the

recognition of our efforts, we plan to make each step count as collectively change production practices for a sustainable future.” [1] ENERGY STAR certification applicable only to U.S. market.

the winner of ‘Sustainability Innovation of the Year’ at the AV News Awards on May 10. “We are committed to ensuring everyday sustainability

P9 AV News June 2022

Technology News

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Business News continued from page 8

Jabra research shows technology increases employee inclusion has their camera turned on. Similarly, 53% feel they can collaborate more productively on video calls than on audio-only calls. This is likely why 68% of employees say that standardised professional video cameras would help everyone participate equally in hybrid meetings. Moving forward, leaders have an urgent need to look into the best technology to inclusively connect all employees and business partners no matter where they’re working. This will be an essential part of achieving greater meeting equity and succeeding in the hybrid future. Holger Reisinger, SVP at Jabra, said: “The way we work has changed forever and the current state of knowledge work requires access to digital platforms and technologies to be successful. As such, leaders need to prioritise the employee experience and ensure that

they can thrive in virtual meetings regardless of location. It starts with identifying technologies that will enable both in-office and remote employees to collaborate on an equal playing field, so employees can seamlessly move between these places without feeling left out, unheard, or distracted. Only then will employees truly be able to work a flexible arrangement on their own terms and have a stronger emotional connection to both their digital and physical workspace.” To download a copy of the full research report, please visit: https://www.jabra.co.uk/hybridwork/2022. The survey was carried out by Denny Marketing amongst 2,800 knowledge workers in 6 countries worldwide across United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, and India between December 2021 and February 2022.

Densitron partnership with Global Distribution Densitron has confirmed details of a major new distribution partnership with Global Distribution. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK and with a world-

Founder & CEO of Global Distribution, expects that Densitron IDS, in particular, will resonate with customers the world over seeking more powerful and

Describing IDS as “perfect for users requiring unmatched versatility in a solution,” Warburton confirms that Global Distribution will provide a full sales

Development Director for IDS, adds: “Global Distribution has a strong track-record of working effectively with cutting-edge technology brands and bring-

wide presence via its extensive list of resellers and regional partners, Global will focus on the promotion and delivery of Densitron solutions including the acclaimed Intelligent Display System (IDS). Set to celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2025, Global Distribution is a specialist distributor and manufacturer for digital

versatile broadcast display and control systems. “Consolidated visibility and monitoring of integral systems and day-to-day operations is something that is becoming more important to an ever-growing number of users in both the creative industry and other verticals in which we operate,” he says. “The challenges that

process with local language support for resellers and their customers in English, French, Polish, German, Spanish, Italian and Arabic to all countries across EMEA. “IDS is a great complement to the value-add reseller and system integrator network that we work with around the globe,” he continues. “And in an ever-more con-

ing them to a larger audience across different markets. They have already demonstrated that they have a multi-faceted strategy for supporting and growing IDS around the world, so we are looking forward to a long and productive partnership.”

content acquisition, storage, management, archival and display solutions within the media and entertainment, security, medical, and surveillance industries. Keith Warburton,

the pandemic has presented companies with have accelerated the need for a solution that suits most operating environments, and Densitron/IDS meets a lot of those needs.”

nected world – where remote working is also becoming commonplace – Densitron is going to provide a fantastic solution for numerous users” Reuben Such, Global Business

Densitron has confirmed details of a major new distribution partnership with Global Distribution. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK and with a worldwide presence via its extensive list of resellers and regional partners.

Barco joins the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) Barco is a new member of the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS). With AIMS’ new Internet Protocol Media Experience (IPMX) set of open standards and specifications gaining traction in the Pro AV industry, the Barco membership ties in with the company’s perspective and roadmap in terms of AV-over-IP solutions. AIMS is an industry consortium founded and led by leading AV companies dedicated to promoting the adoption, standardization, development, and refinement of open industry standards for the broadcast and media industries as they transition from SDI to IP. Witnessing the growing value of IP in AV environments, Barco and AIMS share the same vision on IPMX being the only open standard that eventually replaces the many different proprietary protocols. They believe IPMX addresses the Pro AV industry’s need for a single set of common, ubiquitous standards-based protocols that ensure interoperability for AV-

over-IP. “Built on the collaborative effort of hundreds of leading companies, the IMPX open standard is designed to be the technology that manufacturers,

integrators, and end-users need to achieve truly engaging IP media experiences,” said Samuel Recine, chair of the AIMS Pro AV Working Group. “We’re so pleased to welcome a key member such as Barco to the alliance and get their support in the industry’s migration to AV-over-IP.” As the new associate of the Alliance for IP Media Solutions, Barco agrees to work together in educating the industry on the benefits of the IPMX open standards and fostering its adoption. “At Barco, we’ve been committed for many years to the early adoption of open signal standards to enable interoperability in our products and greater operational flexibility for our image processing end-users,” says Robbie Bruce, Image Processing Product Management Director at Barco. “Joining the alliance is a showcase of our engagement towards a future-proof AV-overIP roadmap with innovative

solutions in line with the open IPMX standards approach.”

P11 AV News June 2022

Technology News

ISE 2022 – new products and solutions announced in Barcelona ISE 2022 came just in time for an AV industry starved of an opportunity to showcase thousands of new products and solutions. Driven by the pandemic, a glut pf new launches were targeted at such high-growth sectors as hybrid working, collaboration, digital signage and education. In this ISE round-up we have done our best to describe the nest and most interesting introductions.

DISPLAYS

PPDS unveils beyond 8K Philips 6000 Series LED range

PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips professional display and solutions, has announced the launch of the Philips 6000 Series – a brand new range of highly flexible, beyond 8K, direct view LED displays, designed exclusively for the creation of 16:9 or 32:9 displays, often used in corporate environments or any place where standard ratio content is being played. The new Philips 6000 Series LED – the latest in a growing line of vertical-specific direct view LED solutions from PPDS – pushes beyond the boundaries of traditional videowall displays, bringing unrivalled performance and effortless bezel-free installations of any shape, size or resolution to meeting rooms, boardrooms, auditoriums and lobbies. Available in three 27” landscape panels, with a native 16:9 resolution, and across three different pixel pitch variants – 1.26 (27BDL6112L), 1.583 (27BDL6115L), and 1.9 (27BDL6119L) – the stunning Philips 6000 Series has been designed for 24/7, round-the-clock use and comes equipped with an extensive range of dedicated features and capabilities, supporting a multitude of visual needs and requirements. With PPDS’ trademark modular design, Philips L-Line offers the freedom and the flexibility to adapt to any indoor environment, regardless of room size or shape – whether it’s installing a traditional 16:9 videowall, a massive and immersive 32:9 wide screen, or a vast array flowing seamlessly around doorways and other openings for unique branding and messaging opportunities. Installation times are swift and effortless, simply connecting multiple LED display cabinets to create the resolution that best suits your needs, in 4K, 8K resolutions, or even higher. Boasting some of the highest refresh rates (1920~3840 Hz) compared to many LCD and LED solutions in the current market, the Philips 6000 Series guarantees uncompromised, smooth and judder-free viewing experiences. Even the smallest (and most important) details – such as blurred or fuzzy words and numbers in presentations – are displayed and delivered with crystal clear sharpness over distances of up to 22 feet, viewable at almost any front facing angle (up to 160 degrees). Whether a presentation, video, or branded messaging – Philips 6000 Series panels also boast among the highest levels of colour accuracy, deep black con-

PPDS unveils beyond 8K Philips 6000 Series LED range

trast and a brightness (up to 750 nits before calibration) uniformity of up to 97%, ensuring near perfect picture quality delivered in the way you want it, at all times. Jeroen Brants, Global Product Manager LED Displays at PPDS, commented: “The versatility of Philips 6000 Series truly sets itPPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips professional display and solutions, has announced the launch of the Philips 6000 Series – a brand new range of highly flexible, beyond 8K, direct view LED displays

self apart, providing infinite design possibilities to suit a variety of different settings and uses within a corporate environment. Whether it’s for hosting the perfect meeting or creating a positive first impression in reception, displaying bright and clear branded content, Philips 6000 Series won’t let you down in providing the perfect viewing experience.” For the ultimate visual experience, and setting it apart from many competing models, the Philips 6000 Series comes with a smart locking mechanism, helping to ensure seamless connections between the LED cabinets / panels and the best possible screen flatness.

Philips 6000 Series LED displays •Aspect ratio: 16:9 •Placement: Landscape •Brightness before calibration: 750 nits (650 nits after calibration) •Usage: 24/7 Hrs, Indoor •Deep contrast and great brightness performance •Highest colour accuracy and brightness uniformity •Smooth and judder-free images by high refresh rate •Fire retardant design, tested and certified with BS476-7, class 1 certification •Smart locking mechanism ensures seamless connections and flattest screen •Philips Dynamic and Black screen power saving features •Audience can focus on presentations and office applications •Engage, inspire and impact with vivid content •Powerful statements in any lobby, auditorium, meeting room Continued on page 14

P13 AV News June 2022

Technology News Continued from page 13

PPDS unveils beyond 8K Philips 6000 Series LED range And that’s not all. As with all Philips LED products from PPDS, and inspired by market feedback, the Philips 6000 Series also offers front facing access to its internal electronics and cabling, for fast, hassle free, easy setup and maintenance. The modules in each cabinet can be easily and safely removed using a dedicated removal tool, reducing the need for lengthy, inconvenient and potentially costly de- and re-installations if the need arises. Ensuring safety comes first, the Philips 6000 Series DV LED range has been tested and certified with BS476-7, class 1 certification for all three pixel pitches available. Delivering on a core requirement for public settings, where fire safety certification is business critical. Finally, in addition to offering greater energy efficiency when compared to similar displays available on the market, the 6000 Series also benefits from Dynamic and Black screen power saving features, automatically and intelligently powering down when not in use. This helps to further reduce the total cost of ownership, while extending the life of each LED panel (typically 100,000 hours) for a greater RoI. According to the latest industry figures from AVIXA, the digital signage market is poised for strong revenue growth, with a forecast of $35 billion this year, increasing to $44.7 billion in 2026 – making it one of the largest solution areas in the pro AV industry. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global LED display screen market size is estimated to be worth USD 8135.8 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 10840 million by 2028. With close to ten million meeting spaces in Western Europe and almost nine million in the USA, the opportunities for the channel have never been greater. Martijn van der Woude, Head of Global Business Development and Marketing, concluded: “With the appetite from the corporate market becoming ever clear, our Philips 6000 Series direct view LED is a highly cost-effective and long-term proposition for companies and organisations that want to maximise the benefits of their digital display investments. Bringing new opportunities to streamline their digital messaging, while maximising their investments for the best possible business outcomes. We cannot wait to welcome visitors to our stand at ISE to show them ourselves.”

PPDS announces eco-friendly Philips E-Line 4K interactive display range The brand-new Android SoC Philips E-Line is said to be PPDS’ most complete and energy efficient range of dedicated educational displays to date, bringing extensive out-of-the-box software and HyFlex capabilities to any learning space, backed by most responsive and precise on-screen writing experience. Phillips E-Line is PPDS’ is described as the most advanced and complete SoC education display range to date, combining the power of a PC, unrivalled hardware and touch technology, dedicated whiteboard, and extensive preinstalled and Cloud-based educational software and features for all levels of education. Designed and delivered with the future in mind, Philips E-Line answers the current challenges faced in education, to provide an outof-the-box solution, transforming any space into a highly collaborative, highly engaging and highly inspiring teaching and learning environment. Supporting and benefitting students in a classroom, a lecture theatre, studying remotely or isolating at home. Wall mountable and available in 65”, 75” and 86” size variants across two model categories to suit a variety of budgets and needs – the entry level BDL3052E and the mainstream BDL4052E – the Philips E-Line has been carefully curated using the latest market feedback (including working closely with tutors, students and AV/ IT managers) and research, with all aspects of design, functionality, usability and compatibility addressed to the smallest detail. Martijn van der Woude, Head of Global Business Development and Marketing at PPDS, said: “At PPDS we are committed to supporting education, and feel duty bound to drive positive changes to the market using dedicated and innovative technologies. Philips E-Line isn’t simply another display on our conveyor belt. It is the culmination of extensive and tireless market feedback and innovation from our teams to create a solution that makes a real difference to the way teaching and learning is achieved so that challenges, both of the past, present and future are overcome. Education is much a part of our roadmap for sustainability and supporting our communities as it is of our product and market strategies.” Incorporating the latest education software (including Cloud) and hybrid capabilities from PPDS’ strategic partner, i3Technologies (i3LEARNHUB), the new Philips E-Line range takes the user experience to the next level, becoming the first display from PPDS to feature its most accurate and responsive new generation of zero gap, zero latency touch screen technology. Included on all six models, the new displays offer precise direct on-screen writing and drawing experiences, comparable to those of traditional pen and paper. This can be achieved using your hands, or a passive or active pen. Additionally, a traditional mouse and keyboard can be connected to suit the needs of the user(s), while the optimised screen also supports multi-touch interaction*, allowing for multiple users to physically interact with the screen simultaneously

P14 AV News June 2022

without slow down or disruption. Franck Racapé, Head of Global Commercial at PPDS, said: “The experiences of using touch screens can be very mixed. Pressing an icon is one thing but writing or drawing with precision can often be a challenge and the result far removed from the abilities or desires of the user. This is a historical obstacle and one that can bring unnecessary and unwanted limitations to the user experience. The introduction of zero gap touch screens for our education displays ensures those obstacles are now removed, allowing users the freedom to be more creative and truly bring their ideas to life.” With collaboration and engagement key to any successful teaching and learning environment, up to 64 students are able to securely connect and access the Philips E-Line at the same time, from their own seats using their own personal (BYOD) or provided device (running on ChromeOS, macOS, Windows, iOS or Android). Ideal if social distancing or heightened rules around hygiene are applied or adopted by specific individuals. In addition to always having the clearest view of the screen – regardless of where they sit or indeed their quality of vision – thanks to Philips E-Line screen sharing, students** are also able to interact, share their work, ideas and findings, and manipulate what’s on screen at the same time using Philips E-Line’s embedded wireless connectivity. All content can be easily shared and recorded via email or made accessible through the Cloud, reducing the need for excessive and potentially distracting note taking, allowing students to remain engaged at all times. According to some estimates, during the height of the pandemic, over 850 million students worldwide – roughly half of the world’s population – were forced to stay away from schools, either due to closures or isolating. With absences from the classroom, the risks of students falling behind or failing to meet their potential are increased. With Philips E-Line, students absent from class will still be able to remotely login and become actively involved. With the I3LEARNHUB, entire lesson plans can easily be created and shared between students and even other colleagues around the world, with the i3 platform helping to connect the teaching community and share best practices for more engaging and inspiring teaching. Running on Android (BDL3052E Android 8.0, BDL4052E Android 10) Philips E-Line displays can be modelled to meet your exact educational requirements, with the ability to add preferred third party apps without restriction, plus the option for additional solutions to be added, increasing the use and benefits of the display further. Examples can include the mounting of digital cameras – such as those from PPDS’ strategic partner, Logitech – opening up new opportunities for video conferencing with guests or even fellow students; sensors, such as the PPDS Air Quality Sensor for safer and cleaner learning environments, plus scheduling tools, CMS and more. If that wasn’t enough, the Philips E-Line range has also been designed to address and support the school’s sustainability goals, with each display among those offering the lowest levels of power consumption in the market, reducing the total cost of ownership. As part of PPDS’ continued commitment to reducing unnecessary waste, Philips E-Line packaging is also kept to an absolute minimum, without risk of damaging the display. All Philips professional displays are packaged in brown board boxes, with one colour only printing. This ethos is continued through the packaging of pre-production components, with finished products almost fully made of recyclable materials. Martijn van der Woude concluded: “With Philips E-Line, we’ve left no stone unturned in creating what

we truly believe to be the most complete dedicated solution for education found anywhere in today’s market. The feedback from our partners and their customers – who played a significant role in its development – has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Philips E-Line specs •Strong Android SOC platform •USB-C connectivity •Low power consumption, sustainable packaging •Blue light filter on the mainstream model (4052E) •Optimal touch experience, responsive and accurate touch •Total solution: I3LEARNHUB Hybrid Learning environment •Embedded wireless sharing Customer benefits: •Wide options to install third party apps •Optimised user experience for education, natural writing experience •Sustainable product with lowest TCO BDL3052E (Entry Level) •Resolution – 3840x2160p •Touch Type: IR 20 touch 0 gap •Brightness: 350 cd/m2 •Orientation 18/7(L) •Speaker: 2x15 W down facing •I/O (in): VGA x1, DVI x1, HDMI x3, USB 2.0 x3, LAN x1, USB-C x1, Micro SD x1 •Android 8.0 •Memory: 3GB/16GB BDL4052E (Mainstream) •Resolution – 3840x2160p •Touch Type: IR 20 touch 0 gap •Brightness: 350 cd/m2 •Orientation 18/7(L) •Speaker: 2x15 W down facing •I/O (in): DVI x1, HDMI x3, USB 2.0 x3, LAN x1, USB-C x1, MicroSD x1 •I/O (out): HDMI x1 •Android 10.0 •Memory: 4GB/32GB •SoC: Quad Core •WiFi as standard

The brand-new Android SoC Philips E-Line is said to be PPDS’ most complete and energy efficient range of dedicated educational displays to date.

Optoma expands LED Display Series with 130” FHDQ130 Optoma announced its new FHDQ130+, a high-performance, allin-one LED display designed to deliver larger-than-life 130-inch imagery for professional installations. Featuring a bezel-less design, the Optoma FHDQ130+ allows integrators to easily splice and combine multiple displays to seamlessly create large-scale installations to meet the demands of large environments, whether a corporate lobby or boardroom, digital signage, or hospitality. Improving upon its predecessors, the Full HD 1080p FHDQ130+ leverages common cathode technology which is 30% more energy efficient than a standard common anode LED of the same size. By only using 0.5W of power on standby, the FHDQ130+ minimizes power consumption to help reduce the total cost of ownership which especially benefits installations with frequent usage such as, corporate reception spaces and digital signage. In addition, the Optoma FHDQ130+ is a cleaner energy option, saving an average of 2249 lbs of CO2eq per year, which translates to the amount of CO2 emitted by a car over 8.5 months. To meet the growing LED display market, Optoma now offers three all-in-one LED display solutions, including the FHDQ163 QUADZilla, an ISE 2020 Installation Best of Show Award winner and the FHDS130 SOLO LED. These ground-breaking all-in-one LED displays come pre-calibrated out of the box, meeting the growing demand for all-in-one solutions from integrators and ensuring the image is optimised for immediate use. Built for seamless installations, these display solutions are designed with a simple assembly

process, reducing installation time from days to hours. The new Optoma FHDQ130+ delivers 1080p resolution, a 3,840 Hz refresh rate, 600 nits of brightness, and a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, producing high-brightness and smooth images with exceptional clarity for a variety of professional environments. The display also features a 1.5mm pixel pitch, 4K UHD input compatibility, and DCI-P3 wide colour gamut, creating visuals with richer colours, better grey levels, incredible colour accuracy, and high contrast due to the unique QUAD LED technology. “Our award-winning QUAD LED series offers a full suite of innovative display products that combine unrivalled performance, simplified installation, and energy efficiency,” stated Simon Jonas, commercial category manager at Optoma. “We are excited to introduce the FHDQ130+ and provide our ProAV customers with a unique display solution that produces an even more seamless and smoother image to deliver more immersive visual experiences.” The FHDQ130+ also features the Optoma Management Suite (OMS), a value-added solution and cloud-based platform offering IT administrators and technicians a real time remote platform to monitor, manage, and diagnose multiple displays simultaneously anywhere in the world. OMS enables technicians to check the status and make configurations to optimize performance and broadcast emergency messages, alerts, or announcements across on-site displays. To complement the FHDQ130+, Optoma offers a quiet, height adjustable LED lift that allows the display to be eas-

Technology News ily moved from one location to the next. The lift features built-in lockable storage space to hide cables and peripherals for a professional presentation.

Optoma FHDQ130+ features include: •Full HD 1080p 130” LED Display •600 nits of brightness •Seamless three-step installation process with single power cable •High contrast with a unique 4-in-1 LED SMD layout and 170-degree wide-viewing angle •Industry-leading, built-in Calibre technology HQUltra 4K scaler switcher with wide range of connectivity and control options, including HDMI, 3G-SDI, HDBaseT, LAN USB and RS232 •Optoma CreativeCast Pro and Fusion Connect apps enable wireless control and simultaneous image, document and screen sharing from up to four devices •ECO friendly common cathode technology and <0.5W in standby mode

regulations dictate brightness of digital signage, especially near roadsides •Power Save Mode: Allows the user to set the time for the display to power down or go to sleep mode if no content signal is present; The LAN port can also be set to passive or active mode to reduce power consumption when the display is not active •Pixel Shifting: Useful if using static content to avoid image retention; Horizontal or vertical shifting of an image can be set to a specific frequency The Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display can be much more than a standalone unit. Peerless-AV also designs and manufactures stylish, fully integrated kiosk solutions, including Outdoor Smart City Kiosks (KOP2555-XHB-EUK) and Outdoor Digital Menu Boards (KOF555-1/2/3-EUK).

Equally powerful in open spaces, the MAXHUB Digital Signage fans inspiration and boosts team engagement with screen sharing for all participants. Pair it with a mobile stand for greater stability and a sense of professionalism when on the move. Advanced features for simplicity, safety, and flexibility MAXHUB Share, incorporated in the MAXHUB Digital Signage, allows for wireless screen sharing across devices and operating systems — all at the click of a button. In addition, it supports image latency of less than 90ms for quality verging on real-time streaming. Remote configuration and management, powered by Bytello DMS, save on labour, equipment installation, and on-site maintenance costs. Managing the MAXHUB Digital Signage remotely, IT administrators are able to transmit content remotely and at any time. With the safety of our customers also top of mind, the MAXHUB Digital Signage has been rigorously tested and is certified for safe use worldwide. “MAXHUB’s global leadership in the unified communications solutions market is driven by our dedication to providing exceptional products that lower limitations for our customers,” says General Manager Darren Lin. “The MAXHUB Digital Signage is another example of our commitment to creating high-performance, all-inone solutions that offer more options to match more scenarios.”

Collaboration Sony launches TEOS Meet

Optoma announced its new FHDQ130+, a high-performance, all-inone LED display designed to deliver larger-than-life 130-inch imagery for professional installations.

Peerless-AV showed for the first time in EMEA its 75" Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display at ISE 2022 alongside new 65" and 55" display models.

Peerless-AV expands Xtreme outdoor range

Introducing the new MAXHUB Digital Signage

Peerless-AV showed for the first time in EMEA its 75" Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display at ISE 2022 alongside new 65" and 55" display models. Designed for all-weather, extreme temperature applications these new models retain an unmatched ingress protection (IP) rating and award-winning feature set with significant mechanical and operating system enhancements that include thermal load diffusion, customised brightness scheduling, auto-source switching, power saving and pixel shifting. “As a market leader in professional outdoor displays, it is fundamental that we continue to enhance our technology and expand our range of display sizes to meet evolving industry requirements,” said Keith Dutch, Managing Director – EMEA, Peerless-AV. “We are seeing increased demand for our displays in extreme weather environments dictated by high levels of direct sunlight exposure and heat. This is where the new Xtreme models are designed to excel; performing to the highest of standards in all-weather conditions, from the desert to a polar vortex, and the new network control, monitoring and scheduling improvements make these even more reliable, quality products for any outdoor application.” The new XHB754-EUK, XHB653-EUK and XHB554-EUK Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Displays are fan cooled to reduce heat buildup caused by thermal load from extended exposure to direct sunlight. The operating temperature remains the widest in the industry, ranging from -35°C to 60°C (-31°F to 140°F) and the patented thermal exhaust system keeps internal components cooled in extreme heat. The XHB754-EUK offers 3000nits of light output, while the XHB653-EUK XHB554-EUK offer 2500nits, and an ambient light sensor in all models automatically adjusts brightness to match time of day conditions, thus reducing light pollution in evening hours and optimising power consumption. All models include a gyroscopic sensor that detects any movement of the display and sends an alert to warn of potential tampering or theft. Their IP66 rated design protects against the ingress of water, dust, dirt, moisture and insects, and the IK10 tempered cover glass offers protection against vandalism and debris. The XHB554-EUK also has a built-in HDBaseT port enabling the distribution of high-definition audio and video over a single Category 6A cable up to 100 meters. Additional new features on all three models include upgrades to network access and control functionality, as well as key operating system extras: •Auto-Source Switching: Allows the user to set the display to search for a secondary content signal if the main source fails, ensuring zero display downtime •Power Scheduling: Allows the user to set a specific frequency time and date for the display to turn on and off automatically •Brightness Scheduling: Eco and custom settings allow the user to use predetermined modes that set the backlight level intensity according to time of day, an important feature at night where

Introducing the new MAXHUB Digital Signage Thanks to wireless screen sharing and seamless systems integration, the MAXHUB Digital Signage amplifies productivity in every space. It’s a bestin-class conferencing solution built specifically for a BYOD world. Elevate team engagement and productivity with the new MAXHUB Digital Signage. This flexible, all-in-one conferencing solution easily integrates with existing systems in any meeting venue. Brought to you by MAXHUB, a leader in communication, conferencing, and collaboration solutions, this product is now available for purchase in your region. Purpose-built to make every kind of team meeting more effective, the MAXHUB Digital Signage enhances efficiency under all conditions. Optimize the impact of its bold display by bundling it

Elevate team engagement and productivity with the new MAXHUB Digital Signage. with other MAXHUB UC products — and set the stage for striking results. A total solution for every space Wherever you meet and however many are gathered, the MAXHUB Digital Signage offers a total solution: It makes teamwork easy in huddle room environments. Use the MAXHUB Digital Signage with the MAXHUB UC S10 Pro videobar, and your team will enjoy a superior audio-visual experience. In boardroom-sized venues, the display commands the attention of every participant. Bundle this best-in-class product with the MAXHUB BM21speakerphone and the MAXHUB UC P20 camera for crystal-clear communication.

Sony announced its next generation of workspace management solution, TEOS, with the introduction of TEOS Meet, giving users complete control of booking, sharing and collaborating together in person and remotely. TEOS is designed to help organisations achieve a welcoming and productive workplace for their employees as they return to the office. The features at the core of TEOS Meet reflect the requirements for businesses to reimagine operations in the new workplace where users are able to book meetings

TEOS, with the introduction of TEOS Meet, giving users complete control of booking, sharing and collaborating together in person and remotely. remotely, see capacity at the office and reserve desks and share their content in meetings, whether they’re there in person or remote. TEOS Meet gives users complete visibility of the applications and services available in a meeting room, whether that be a BRAVIA display or projector, so users can prepare their content accordingly and reduce time spent setting up technology at the beginning of meetings. “As we enter a new era of the workplace and welcome the ways of asynchronous working into our norm, it is vital that businesses invest in the right tools to enable their employees to work to their full potential. TEOS continues to lead the way in supporting employees making a return to the office and now with additional benefits for users that are working remotely. With TEOS Meet we have unlocked new world of functionality with the integration of our existing TEOS Connect, combined with a better user interface and remote access, putting complete control into the hands of our users,” commented Thomas Issa, TEOS Solutions Head of Strategy & Planning, Sony Professional Displays & Solutions. TEOS Meet is fully compatible with Android and IoS devices and can be used in partnership with popular business communication platform Microsoft Teams.

About TEOS Meet The complete list of functions for TEOS Meet is as follows: •Book meeting rooms / desks / parking spots •Mirror devices and content •Control meeting rooms •Request in-meeting services including beverages and additional attendees •Report incidents

AVNovember News June2021 2022 P17 AVP15 News

Technology News

New Panasonic VC solution To support new ways of collaborative working from the office and home, Panasonic has announced a revolutionary new 360o video conferencing solution designed to take the stress out of hybrid meetings. The intuitive to use Panasonic PressIT360 connects to a PC with just one USB Type-C cable and provides stunning high-resolution visuals and clear sound. The solution is an addition to the Panasonic PressIT family, with the Panasonic PressIT Wireless Presentation System already popular for collaboration in meetings. Everyone has experienced how difficult and tiring it can be to participate in physical meetings when joining remotely. Remote participants struggle to get the same attention from the group. The PressIT360 meeting camera overcomes these issues and removes barriers between online and physical meetings, without compro-

The intuitive to use Panasonic PressIT360 connects to a PC with just one USB Type-C cable and provides stunning high-resolution visuals and clear sound. mising on sound or picture quality, by drawing on Panasonic’s unique ProAV experience in camera, microphone and speaker technologies. PressIT360 contains all the essential elements for easy hybrid video conferencing, including four integrated cameras with a resolution of 2560×1440 to provide a 360o horizontal view of the room, alongside seven microphones and sound, with Panasonic’s unique recognition technology to ensure the speaker is always in clear view. The PressIT360 highlights the picture of those speaking to the entire meeting group by placing a framed close-up of the person into the video meeting. This means even remote participants can clearly see the expressions and gestures of those speaking – providing a much more natural and effective meeting experience. Placed on a desk or in a meeting room, it can detect speakers up to 5M away and is equipped with an echo, noise cancelling and volume equalization function to automatically adjust for sound quality whether speakers are at a remote location or in the room. For easy set-up and use, video, audio and power are shared to the PC via a single USB Type-C cable. Volume and up to 5 video modes can be controlled using buttons on the unit pedestal. Using the device is intuitive with operating status easily visible from the coloured LED ring on the unit. The slim design (width excluding pedestal 63.4mm/2.5” and height 285mm/11.3”) makes it easy to carry around the office in one hand. Alternatively, it can be simply attached to a tripod or permanently installed on a desk and securely fastened with Kensington lock slots. “With colleagues increasingly working from remote locations, it is more important than ever to easily be able to bring people together in a realistic meeting environment. This Panasonic hybrid meeting solution provides the freedom to create and collaborate effectively – wherever you are located,” explained Vanessa Lovric, European Product Manager for Panasonic Visual Solutions. The PressIT360 will be available from July 2022.

Jabra announces innovations for hybrid ways of working Designed to enable more secure personal communication and collaboration, Jabra showcased its newest product in the Engage series, Engage 55, and introduced a security update to the PanaCast 20. ISE also marked the launch of Jabra’s Hybrid Ways of Working: 2022 Global Report which explores employee sentiments and motivations in this hybrid working era. The Jabra Engage 55 is a brand-new wireless professional headset designed to enhance the conversations and productivity of hybrid workers wherever they may be. It delivers superior call quality with noise-cancelling technology and an extensive wireless range of 150m /490ft – 15x the range of any Class 2 Bluetooth device – for extra mobility. The headset also offers robust secure pairing, authentication, and the highest DECT security with military-grade 256-bit encryption. These features make it the safest professional wireless headset in the market, with strong protection against any security threats in a non-office environment. The new Engage headset works with all leading Unified Communications and Contact Centre platforms, including MS Teams, Zoom, Cisco, Unify, Amazon Chime, Google Meet, Avaya, Unify and Alcatel Lucent. PanaCast 20 allows hybrid workers to engage in high-quality, secure video collaboration, no matter the location, with advanced

P16 AV News June 2022

experiences and a compact, portable design. But, while hybrid working offers the benefit of flexibility, it can also increase the risk for cyberattacks, as employees can unknowingly create entry points and compromise data by connecting to unsecured home and public networks, using personal devices for work, and otherwise not observing best practices. Therefore, Jabra is introducing a major firmware update to PanaCast 20, available in July, to further safeguard personal communications in the enterprise. Enabled and managed through the Jabra Direct software application, this new PanaCast 20 update will permit users to optionally blur or replace their video background with a solid colour. Unlike the use of client-based virtual backgrounds, where the original user video passes over networks and through the cloud to the client, these background effects are processed and applied directly on the device using PanaCast 20’s integrated Edge AI processing. The client receives only the resulting processed image, thus ensuring that a user’s surroundings and sensitive data that may appear in the background of their original video image remain fully secure and completely private – never leaving the device. In addition to minimising the risk for exposure and breach, the on-device processing frees up the computing resources typically required by the user’s PC to apply client-based background effects, optimising the overall PC performance and improving efficiency. The Jabra Engage 55 headset and PanaCast 20 intelligent video solution are both designed for the current hybrid work era in which eight in ten meetings are either fully virtual or hybrid. This means that most interactions at work will take place largely in virtual environments, something that many companies are still struggling with. Jabra’s new Hybrid Ways of Working Global Report explores the state and sentiments of hybrid working amongst 2,800 knowledge workers across six countries worldwide. One core finding is the urgent need for leaders to invest in hybrid technology: 37% of employees globally feels left out of conversations in hybrid meetings. The research also shows how professional audio, video, and collaboration solutions is central to achieving more equitable and inclusive hybrid working. Holger Reisinger, SVP at Jabra, said: “The way we work has Jabra took its latest audio and intelligent video solutions to ISE 2022. changed forever, so we need technology that evolves with the era. This is why our goal for ISE 2022 is clear and simple. We want to showcase the best-in-class hybrid technology that addresses the needs of today’s workers and any security concerns from remote working. The Jabra Engage 55 and the new Jabra PanaCast 20 update promise quality, convenience, and security, enabling employee productivity and true meeting equity.”

Poly’s announces pro-grade devices and remote management tools Poly’s announces pro-grade devices and remote management tools Poly introduced its latest pro-grade solutions to solve the evolving needs of today’s distributed workforce at ISE 2022. Additions to Poly’s portfolio of smart devices include the Poly Studio R30 video bar, Poly Sync 10 speakerphone, and enhancements to the Poly Lens platform to help deliver exceptional experiences from wherever you work. These solutions, combined with developments to Poly DirectorAI smart camera technology, help employees look and sound their best, while employers can maintain focus on delivering meeting equity for hybrid and office workers alike. “The ability to deliver a seamless and equitable experience for today’s modern workforce is not only critical for driving business success, but also happier and more productive employees,” said Beau Wilder, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video Collaboration, Poly. “Although organizations have started to announce return-to-office plans, relying on solutions that were successful pre-pandemic will no longer cut it. At Poly, we’re dedicated to investing in pro-grade tools that make sure all employees have equal opportunity and experience – whether in the office, at

home or on-the-go.” The Poly Studio Series pro-grade video conferencing devices deliver a purpose-built experience for meeting rooms of all sizes, including Poly Studio Kits for Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows. Poly’s lineup of video conferencing devices bring equity and ease to upgrade every meeting with Poly DirectorAI technology which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver real-time automatic transitions, group framing and speaker tracking, presenter and conversation mode, while NoiseBlockAI and Acoustic Fence technologies block-out unwanted background noise. The newest addition to the Poly Studio Series is the Poly Studio R30 smart USB video bar, designed for small meeting rooms. This plug-and-play device comes equipped with Poly DirectorAI technology to ensure everyone is seen clearly with pinpoint-accurate group and speaker framing. Poly is expanding its lineup of devices for Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows to include the Poly Studio R30 Small Room Kit, optimized for smaller meeting rooms. The Poly Studio R30 works with the cloud-based video provider of your choice, is certified by Zoom, and will be Microsoft Teams certified by June 2022. For larger meeting rooms, the Poly Studio E70 camera and Studio X70 video bar are adding a new Poly DirectorAI mode called people framing. People framing mode provides close-ups for each

Additions to Poly’s portfolio of smart devices include the Poly Studio R30 video bar, Poly Sync 10 speakerphone, and enhancements to the Poly Lens platform to help deliver exceptional experiences from wherever you work. meeting participant in the room, which are displayed in gallery mode. People framing mode will be available on Studio E70 and Studio X70 starting in June 2022. In addition to the Poly Studio Small Room Kit for Microsoft Teams, Poly is delivering added flexibility for its entire lineup of Teams Rooms on Windows: Poly Sync speakerphones feature USB and Bluetooth connectivity with intelligent microphones that track the talker, not the noise. The Sync family lineup is sleek, sophisticated, smart, and designed to deliver crisp audio quality for both work and entertainment. The Poly Sync 10, the newest member of the Sync family, is a plug-and-play USB speakerphone designed to upgrade the home office experience, converting any space into your own personal conference room. Perfect for calls and music, its two-microphone steerable array reduces surrounding noise and delivers high-quality audio. The Poly Sync 10 is certified by Microsoft and Zoom and works seamlessly with the cloud-based meeting platform of your choosing. Poly Lens provides a holistic platform with device control for all Poly gear, including the Studio R30 video bar and Sync 10 speakerphone, to enhance workspace and user experience. The cloudbased solution delivers vital management tools for provisioning, monitoring, and troubleshooting Poly devices. No matter where users work, or which device they choose, the Poly Lens App gives them the ability to personalize their experience, stay up to date with the latest software, get helpful usage tips, support, and more. The latest enhancements will feature Lens App for mobile devices supporting Poly Bluetooth devices while on-the-go. Poly Lens App for mobile will be available soon. The Poly Studio R30 video bar is available now at Poly.com, and select resellers worldwide, starting at $799 USD. The Poly Studio R30 Small Room Kit for Microsoft Teams Rooms is now available for purchase on Poly.com, and with select resellers worldwide, starting at $2,099 USD (PC not included). The Poly Sync 10 speakerphone is available now at Poly.com, Amazon, and select retailers worldwide, starting at $99.99 USD. Poly Lens and the Poly Lens App for desktop are currently available worldwide at no extra cost. Poly Lens App for mobile will be available soon.

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Technology News Poly Sync 10 speakerphone features •Reliable, enterprise-grade hi-fi audio and power amplifier for calls and music •Easy-to-spot call status, with clear, bright status lightbar •USB-A cable, with a USB-C adapter included •Dust-and water-resistant IP64 •Supported by Poly Lens •Vital Device Insights and Management

Poly Studio R30 video bar features •4K camera with 120-degree field of view so meeting participants are seen clearly, even those sitting closest to the camera •Poly DirectorAI smart camera technology that can perfectly frame everyone in the room, an individual speaker, or even track a presenter in real time. •Advanced audio with NoiseBlock AI and Acoustic Fence to blockout unwanted background noise •WiFi device capabilities for remote IT management, reducing the need for additional management software in the room •End-users have the option to personalize settings for their workspace.

first they have to understand the complex contours of the model and recognize some inherent dichotomies. Our first report with Poly sets out some of the key debates around hybrid working and an agenda for employees to equip themselves to face a flexible future with confidence.” John Goodwin, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Poly, comments, “Hybrid working is here to stay, but there are significant hurdles to overcome before organisations can call it a success. By identifying the 12 considerations of hybrid working, Poly is outlining some of the key themes and challenges organisations will face in the future as they start to implement hybrid working models. Our data found that, within the organisations we surveyed, 48 per cent have already adopted a hybrid approach. The same survey found that 37 per cent of decision makers said they are prepared for hybrid working in the short-term, but they haven’t thought about their long-term plans. Key to this will be understanding how to make the most of your spaces, how best your people work, and where to best invest your money in technologies that will enable a seamless hybrid experience. Identifying the challenges and opportunities in hybrid working now, will pave the way for organisations to plot successful hybrid working strategies.”

Barco enhances ClickShare Poly identifies considerations with digital signage Barco has announced that its ClickShare solution for wireless prefor hybrid working sentation and conferencing has been extended with digital sigPoly has published a new report titled The Journey to Hybrid Working: Twelve Considerations, in partnership with workplace research platform WORKTECH Academy. The new report explores twelve considerations for companies to navigate hybrid working, and identifies the key challenges around people, technology, and spaces that employers face. Hybrid working is here to stay as an increasingly permanent fixture, not a short-term fad, but many organisations are struggling to make the new model a success. The report looks at the differences between in-person and virtual presence in the workplace, and the need to create meeting equality irrespective of where employees are located, utilising the right tools and technologies. Key areas that Poly and WORKTECH Academy explore are: •Balancing always-on culture against employee overwork: Organisations must clearly outline expectations around etiquette in a

nage capabilities. Meeting room displays that are connected to ClickShare can now be leveraged as corporate branding tools to impress, inspire and inform by distributing digital signage messages. The first digital signage integrations are made possible by ClickShare alliance partners Signagelive, Seenspire and Korbyt. Digital signage messages can now easily be distributed across a range of ClickShare devices located in the facility. This enables organisations to keep meeting room visitors informed and engaged by delivering focused messages. Without needing additional hardware investments, the functionality of existing meeting room displays can be extended from presenting and conferencing towards digital signage. You can now simply publish and push content from your preferred digital signage platform to all meeting rooms

DERView CCS-MV 4224 delivers flexibility and choice for the user in the most demanding workspace environments. As desktop real-estate continues to be compromised in busy control room environments, with increasing numbers of computers and more, larger, screens, the ADDERView CCS-MV 4224 is designed to be a complete control room solution that eliminates desktop clutter and presents critical information the way the user needs it. Adder’s new multi-viewer switch empowers users to take total authority of the resources they need access to, when they need them, in 4K UHD resolution. Designed with a high user adoption rate of features and functions at its core, the multi-viewer switch presents a fully configurable, colour-coded, window display onscreen enabling users to quickly choose how data is presented. Simply by moving the mouse cursor between windows users can switch between sources in real-time and without latency, meaning they can focus on the mission and not the technology. Martin Norman, senior product manager, at Adder said, “Users can also unleash the enhanced power of the ADDERView CCSMV 4224 capabilities when used with an ADDERLink INFINITY IP KVM matrix. By connecting the multi-viewer to four receivers attached to a network switch in a matrix, organisations can access any sources on that network and switch between them no matter where they are located; onsite, remote or virtualized. Or users can mix local inputs and high performance KVM receivers attached to a network switch in a matrix to extend the flexibility and choice of implementation even further.” Rafael Serrano, senior product manager, control rooms, at Adder said, “The ADDERView CCS-MV 4224 is an ideal solution for operators working in complex, high-pressure, mission critical control rooms. Delivering vastly improved desktop ergonomics means an operator can quickly switch between sources for complete situational awareness, and without loss of concentration. Colour window borders and corresponding illuminated channel buttons, combined with and E-Paper Display means faster decision making and reduced user errors. As a result, an organization can foster a safer working environment, reduce workplace fatigue and significantly improve productivity.”

Key features of the ADDERView CCS-MV 4224 include: •Natural automatic switching between computers without pressing a key •Native 4K UHD video performance •User configurable flexible screen configuration – including preset layouts •High speed USB 3.0 for peripheral devices •Bi-directional analogue audio •Digital audio mixer •Copy and paste text between target computers •Enhanced connectivity options with hybrid dual DisplayPort and HDMI ports

Peerless launches motorised trolley for interactive touch displays

The Journey to Hybrid Working: Twelve Considerations report highlights the latest research and workplace surveys in the field, including Poly’s own study of more than 2,500 decision makers from firms with over 100 employees. world where time and place is becoming increasingly blurred •Redrawing the rules of informal and formal collaboration for a hybrid workforce: Organisations must know their workforce to understand behaviours and preferences •Weighing up the benefits of personalised versus standardised approaches to hybrid working: Organisations should balance being prescriptive, and allowing employees choice and personalisation on how they work and collaborate •Moving physical comfort for people to psychological comfort: Hybrid work environments will need the right technology investment to extend employees sense of purpose and belonging outside the office •Creating workplaces that are diverse and inclusive: Equality of experience will be at the heart of inclusive organisations that allow everyone to feel involved regardless of their location and individual characteristics •Poly is working with the research team at WORKTECH Academy on a rolling program to create new thinking, define the main challenges and explore emerging opportunities around hybrid working. The report identifies key themes that will be addressed in subsequent research and analysis. Jeremy Myerson, Director at WORKTECH Academy, says, “For organisations to seize the opportunities created by hybrid working,

Barco has announced that its ClickShare solution for wireless presentation and conferencing has been extended with digital signage capabilities. equipped with ClickShare Conference or ClickShare Present and other locations in the workplace. Activation is simple and painless: you just need to enable signage on ClickShare from the XMS cloud management platform. “ClickShare steps up its integration with digital signage, offering customers the opportunity to increase the ROI of their meeting spaces,” says Michaël Vanderheeren (Product Management Direct Workplace at Barco). “In collaboration with our digital signage alliance partners, our customers can get the most out of their meeting spaces and turn them into corporate branding tools, helping them to communicate and exchange information, like welcome messages, news, social feeds, customized and branded content and boost engagement in their workplace.”

Ancillary technologies Adder announces desktop multi-viewer Adder Technology announced its new desktop multi-viewer KVM switch, the ADDERView CCS-MV 4224. Part of Adder’s award-winning Command and Control portfolio, and designed to put users in total control, the multi-viewer switch delivers up to four different video, audio and USB signals to a single workstation in a user customizable window layout across one or two monitors. The AD-

Peerless launches motorised trolley for interactive touch displays Peerless-AV has announced the EMEA launch of its new Motorised Trolley (PR598-M) for large format displays up to 98”. This new addition is easy to install and use, offering a unique feature set in line with modern presentation requirements, including digital height control settings and a built-in pressure sensor for safe use in any education or corporate setting. “As classrooms and meeting rooms transition to more immersive and collaborative environments, there is a need for AV support solutions that enable presenters and teachers to maximise the full potential of large format displays and interactive touch screens,” said Keith Dutch, Managing Director – EMEA, Peerless-AV. “Our new Motorised Trolley provides a robust, mobile solution that can be moved safely and easily from room to room and comes with flexible height adjustment and pre-set height controls for quick adaptation to different presenter needs.” The Motorised Trolley offers 500 mm of vertical travel at the push of a button and using the digital controls on the rear of the unit, users can pre-set and save up to four heights settings. A power button on rear of the trolley turns the display on and off minimising cable management and eliminating the need for a remote control, which can often go missing when used across multiple rooms. A built-in pressure sensor provides safe use of the trolley in teaching and presentation environments by automatically lowering or lifting should it sense any resistance or obstruction above or below the display. A pre-assembled base provides rigidity, stability and quick assembly and 3-inch lockable casters provide easy of movement

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Technology News between rooms. For even more safety during use, security screws lock the display adapters to the backplate. The trolley supports displays up to 98” with a maximum weight of 130kg. The Motorised Trolley is available from this month in EMEA.

W*. The projectors are designed for easy collaboration, such as with Panasonic’s PressIT presentation system, and sharing content with freely available apps or streaming content to a media player. System integration is seamless thanks to 4K input-signal compatibility. Weighing from just 4.5 kg (9.92 lbs), choose a model with 1.2x zoom lens (PT-LMZ460 Series) for extra flexibility, or with shortthrow lens (PT-TMZ400 Series) to project an 80-inch image from just 83cm (32.68 inches), ideal for smaller rooms. Digital Zoom Extender allows existing ceiling mounts to be used even when they are located beyond the optical range of the lens and all models are installable at any angle through 360°. PT-LMZ460 Series and PT-TMZ400 Series LCD Projectors are set for release in September 2022. *Specification to be confirmed. AT ISE 2022, Panasonic announced two new series of LCD projectors using Panasonic’s SOLID SHINE laser light-source and designed for instant and engaging communication in the bright environments of school classrooms and business conference rooms.

• Colour: HDR compatibility • ZU920TST Throw Ratio: 0.65:1 • Light Source: DuraCore laser with up to 30,000 hours of operation (Eco mode) • Image size: Up to 300” • Flexible installation features: 1.6x zoom, 24/7, 360-degree and portrait mode operation, built-in edge-blending, warping, full motorized lens shift and four-corner correction • I/Os: 2x HDMI in/ 1 HDMI out, HDBaseT, VGA, 3D Sync in and out, 12V trigger, LAN, RS-232 control and 2x 10W speakers with audio in/out Following Optoma’s award-winning ZU720T projector, the new ZU920T series offers the main features and benefits of its predecessor, including high brightness, colour precision and quiet operation, while offering an impressive 0.65:1 short throw ratio.

Peerless-AV’s new Motorised Trolley offers a more flexible and intuitive support solution for teachers and presenters

Cypress Technology licenses new Dante AV extenders Audinate, the leader in AV over IP network technology announced that Cypress Technology (CYP) has adopted Dante AV for a new family of AVoIP extenders designed for use in multiple markets including HoW, Education and Conferencing. As an ODM, Cypress Technology’s extenders with Dante AV are expected to launch by the end of 2022. Compatible with existing Dante audio products, this simplifies system design for system integrators and installers. Dante AV is a feature-complete AV over IP solution for the Professional AV market, implementing a codec, local HDMI and HDCP, ancillary data channels, and control. The on-board Dante AV Module provides Dante clock synchronisation, control, discovery, transport, messaging, management, updates and more. A comprehensive set of hardware documents, design files, and a complete software SDK allows OEMs to create complete, fully interoperable Dante AV products quickly and reliably with end-toend HDCP support. “We’re excited to welcome Cypress Technology as one of our newest ODM partners,” said John Rechsteiner, SVP of Sales, Audinate. “Their innovation in Pro-AV combined with Dante AV offer powerful, versatile solutions for the market.” Dante AV ensures accessibility and usability of video and audio through reliability, scalability, flexibility, and simplification with IT management and control, low latency and timing, and interoperability across systems. It provides complete interoperability for audio distribution and control with the more than 3,000 existing Dante products from more than 500 different manufacturers, delivering independent, fully synchronised audio and video streams. For Cypress Technology (CYP), Dante AV offers a class-leading turnkey solution for Pro -AV manufacturers and system integrators.

Projection Panasonic announces two new series of LCD projectors AT ISE 2022, Panasonic announced two new series of LCD projectors using Panasonic’s SOLID SHINE laser light-source and designed for instant and engaging communication in the bright environments of school classrooms and business conference rooms. The Panasonic PT-LMZ460 Series offers the ability to start presenting instantly with Quick Startup enabling projection from standby in just one second. Alongside flexible use and better than Full HD resolution for sharp pictures, it also has a 1.2x zoom lens and brightness of up to 4,600lm at Native WUXGA. This enables the reproduction of images at their original aspect ratio while providing extra screen area when displaying webpages and spreadsheets. The short-throw Panasonic PT-TMZ400 Series, with up to 4,000lm brightness at WUXGA, can also serve as a cost-efficient entry solution for museum and signage applications. The refined optical design and efficient SOLID SHINE Laser light-source in both projector series reduces energy consumption, waste, and maintenance, making them an environmentally friendly investment. It extends light-source replacement to 20,000 hours, reduces the chance of projection interruption and maintains consistent brightness over long periods. Together with ECO Filter, which doesn’t need maintenance for up to 15,000 hours*, the SOLID SHINE Laser makes for easy projector management. The efficient optical design also cuts power consumption to just 280

P18 AV News June 2022

New Optoma high brightness Sharp/NEC presents new PV801UL projector model WUXGA laser projectors Optoma introduced two new fixed lens, WUXGA laser projectors at ISE, designed to bring high brightness, dependability, and cutting-image technology to the professional installation market. The Optoma ZU920T and ZU920TST deliver in spades on brightness and accurate colour reproduction, along with installation flexibility and lifetime reliability, bringing to life stunning imagery and captivating content. Following Optoma’s award-winning ZU720T projector, the new ZU920T series offers the main features and benefits of its predecessor, including high brightness, colour precision and quiet operation, while offering an impressive 0.65:1 short throw ratio alternative to accommodate a variety of end-user scenarios and professional environments, such as short throw digital signage, edge-blending, projection mapping, simulation, and immersive installations. The ZU920T and ZU920TST are 4K and HDR compatible, feature 9,800 lumens and a 3,000,000:1 contrast ratio, producing lifelike visuals with rich detail and bright colours. Designed to meet the demand for high brightness products that do not require interchangeable lenses, the ZU920T series offer a fixed, telecentric lens design with full motorized lens-shift and 1.6x motorized zoom and focus, delivering the same flexibility of interchangeable lens solutions at affordable price-points. Engineered with DuraCore technology, the ZU920T series feature a dust-resistant IPX6 certified optical engine for 24/7 operation capabilities, offering true maintenance-free projection for up to 30,000 hours of powerful performance in Eco mode. Supporting continuous 24-hour operation and featuring built-in edge-blending, warping and four-corner correction, as well as 360-degree and portrait installation modes, the ZU920T series provides superior versatility to accommodate even the most complex installations. “Building on the success of the ZU720T series, we are thrilled to expand our line of DuraCore laser ProScene projectors which will further address the various needs of our ProAV customers,” shared James Fursse, Product Manager at Optoma. “Designed to fulfil the performance needs of nearly every ProAV segment, our full line-up of high brightness, fixed lens WUXGA laser projectors offers our end-users with an array of robust display solutions that simplify installations and enhance visual experiences.” A value-added solution, the Optoma Management Suite (OMS) is available on the ZU920T and ZU720T series, offering IT administrators and technicians a real time remote platform to monitor, manage, and diagnose multiple displays simultaneously. OMS enables technicians to check the status and make configurations to optimize performance and broadcast emergency messages, alerts, or announcements across on-site displays. ZU920T and ZU920TST key features: • Resolution: WUXGA (1920 x 1200) • Brightness: 9,800 lumens • Contrast ratio: 3,000,000:1 with Extreme Black enabled

Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe offered visitors to ISE 2022 a sneak preview of the new NEC PV801UL projector model before it officially launches in September 2022. The bright and compact installation projector supports flexible installations with a wide lens selection and built-in features such as Edge Blending and geometric correction technologies. This is the first member of the new NEC PV Series laser projectors and comes with ProAssist support for easy control and adjustment. The NEC PV801UL projector captivates users with bright and high-quality visuals. The compact model comes with built-in functions that make it attractive for flexible installations in corporate and higher education environments: wide lens selection and Edge Blending technology support the use of two or more projectors for wide visual angles, geometric correction eliminates spatial distortions in the projected images, and ProAssist support makes the projector easily controllable and adjustable. Fully compatible with previous generation lamp-based PA Series mechanical lenses and lens mount, Sharp/NEC customers can easily replace the PA lamp-based projector with the newer PV laser model. This way users can benefit from the latest laser technology. “Our brand-new NEC PV801UL projector is ideal for business environments or in higher education where bright image quality is needed”, said Gerd Kaiser, Senior Product Manager Large Venue and Digital Cinema projection at Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe. “It brings flexibility and ease into these scenarios and makes an improved user experience – all that at an attractive price level.” The NEC PV801UL laser projector will be available as of September 2022. Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe offered visitors to ISE 2022 a sneak preview of the new NEC PV801UL projector model before it officially launches in September 2022.

InfoComm Review

Zhiyun-Tech Crane M2S Gimbal On first inspection, this review might seem a little wide of the mark for AV News, but the growing interest in user generated content makes any product that brings an enhanced level of professionalism to the novice user increasingly relevant to the AV specialist. Not cheap, but definitely affordable, this Zhiyun Crane M2S Gimbal offers a wide range of slick video features to the videographer. With its video teams deployed to both a ski resort in Austria and then immediately to ISE in Barcelona, AV News had a unique opportunity to put the gimbal through its paces with a variety of cameras and environments. So what is a gimbal and why would you want one? If you have seen video footage ofour, snow boarding or any other extreme sport where the camera follows the action, focusing on the participant while they jump, spin or fly through space in a continuous sequence without losing focus or clarity. The videographer is usually using a gimbal. If so, these can be hideously expensive, bur not in this case. (Amazon prices depending on model) start at £259– not at all bad when you consider what they do! “As Vlogging is trending, more and more content creators including influencers and bloggers are seeking for a tool that is easy to use and portable, meanwhile, it can bring their video quality to the next level. That's why we created Crane M2S” said Wu Caner, the chief designer of this product. Zhiyun advertises the Crane as the right choice for camera phones of lighter weight mirrorless cameras with lighter weight lenses. The weight of the gimbal adds just about 1lb to the overall weight of our rig. Theoretically you can use bigger, heavier cameras but we advise checking before you commit, particularly is you tend to use chunky lend arrays.

Features The new mirrorless gimbal’s main selling point is a focus control on the handle of the gimbal. This allows Gimbal Operators to control the camera focus manually. This therefore allows much more control over creative focus pulling shots. And as you don’t have to move your hand to the camera, it will make shooting even more stable. What’s really good about this product is the range of compatible cameras. For ISE, the AV News videographers could use their usual DSLR models, but this wasn’t really an option on a glacier in Austria where small format camera phones and GoPros were much more the thing. Fortunately, the Zhiyun-Tech Crane M2S can handle both extremes. It is rated to an approximate 3lbs maximum payload. High-torque brushless motors make this 3-axis gimbal mountable by all models of DSLR and mirrorless camera on the market and certainly everything that we would use.

Capabilities The Crane M2S comes with three 18650-type batteries and provides 6000mAh of capacity. This is equivalent to 18 hours of con-

tinuos operation. And we have heard that some Sony cameras may be charged through the gimbal, eliminating time otherwise spent swapping out camera batteries. The Quick Release Plate by Manfrotto on the Zhiyun-Tech Crane M2S allows you to switch your camera quickly between the stabilizer and a tripod. This industry standard fitting is a good addition to a DSLR gimbal, which we found very useful. In use, Zhiyun have fitted a reasonably sized monochrome OLED display. This helps you easily identify the connection status, battery level, control mode and multiple camera parameters. Selectable features from the handle of the gimbal include Lock mode; POV; vertigo mode; 1000 lumen fill light; lock mechanisms for each aspect; fast charging via USB C.

What’s really good about this product is the range of cameras that it can work with. For ISE, the AV News videographers could use their usual DSLR models, but this wasn’t really an option on a glacier in Austria the previous week.

Conclusion The Crane M2Sgives the videographer really smooth motion shots, but the Zhiyun Crane M2S gimbal is notably bigger and heavier than similar gimbals. If you’re considering purchasing the Zhiyun Crane M2S gimbal, you should double-check the system’s size and weight to make sure it makes sense for your workflow needs. When filming moving subjects, stability and range of motion is crucial to nailing the shot. This is where a gimbal comes into play. Videographers who have been in the business for a period may be familiar with dollies, jigs, and other specialized video-making tools. Though gimbals cannot replace these, they are much more portable, which is good news for multimedia creators.

A hit? To make everyone a true filmmaker in their daily lives, Crane M2S brings a new handheld stabilizer designed for multiple devices for users of all levels. Featuring an easy-to-use quick setup system and smart lock design, as well as six creative operation modes, the Crane M2S gimbal easily goes wherever you go and offers endless possibilities to your everyday creation. With a sleek body and compact size, the Crane M2S gimbal offers great comfort to your hand and unrivalled control over your camera. In PF Mode, the camera pans as you turn the gimbal left and right - a favourite for travellers. A ‘must-have’ for hyper lapse. The intuitive OLED display will show the gimbal mode, Bluetooth

& connection status, battery level and various gimbal parameters. Adopting a WiFi-and-Bluetooth control module, Crane M2s gimbal allows you to control your camera wirelessly through the gimbal handle. Once paired your camera and the gimbal will automatically pair again when turned on.

Zhiyun Crane M2S gimbal •Battery: •Operation Voltage – Max: 12.6v, Standard: 11.1v, Min.: 9.8v •Operation Temperature – Max: 45, Standard: 25, Min.: -10•Battery Runtime – Max: 18h, Min.: 12h •Charging Time – Standard: 2.5h, 2400mA •Stabilizer: •Following Deviation in Motion State – Max: ± 0.1°, Min.: ± 0.05° •Following Deviation in Static State – Max: ± 0.03°, Min.: ± 0.01° •Tilt Mechanical Range – Max: 185°, Min.: − 135° •Roll Mechanical Range – Standard: 360°, Unlimited Rotation •Pan Axis Movement Angle Range – Standard: 360°, Unlimited Rotation •Valid Payload – Max: 7 pounds, Min: 1.1 pounds •Packing List: •Stabilizer (1), 18650 Li-ion Battery (3), Sony Camera Control Cable (1), User Guide (1), Tripod (1), Micro to Micro USB Cable (1), Panasonic Camera Control Cable (1), Shoulder Strap (1), 18650 x3 Battery Charger (1), Micro to Mini USB Cable (1), Micro USB Cable (1), Storage Case (1) •Packing Specifications: •Product Dimensions (mm) – 210*118*450 (W*D*H) •Packing Size (mm) – 502*141*270 (L*W*H) •Carton Size (mm) – 640*565*345 (L*W*H) •Product Net Weight (g) – 1250 /Units •Product Net Weight (g) – 3700 /Units •Packing Weight (kg) – 17.7 /Box (4 Units/Carton)

P18 AV News December 2021 P19 AV News June 2022

INFOCOMM 2022 Preview

INFOCOMM 2022 Highlights InfoComm 2022 spotlights conferencing and collaboration InfoComm 2022 (exhibits June 8-10) at the Las Vegas Convention Center will explore the conferencing and collaboration solutions that power remote and hybrid work styles, learning environments, and more. The show will feature more than 25 sessions and nearly 200 exhibitors focused on the products and solutions needed to deliver seamless conferencing and collaboration experiences. “The future of the corporate workplace is top of mind this year as companies experience the impacts of returning to the office after two years with a remote workforce,” said Annette Sandler, Director of Live Content U.S./Canada, AVIXA. “For InfoComm 2022, we’ve assembled top technologists, engineers, designers, and end users to share what solutions are working for them and what changes are needed to move conferencing and collaboration forward.”

On Tues., June 7, the session “Conference Room Refresh to Support Hybrid Work” will address how legacy video conference environments don’t adequately support hybrid meetings since they

meeting room booking hardware and software, and team collaboration apps, to video conferencing hardware and software. In addition, Sharath Abraham, Digital Workplace Consultant for

were built for a time when video calls were room to room. Andy Howard of Howard & Associates, Nia Celestin from DTEN, and Irwin Lazar of Metrigy will discuss the variety of technologies and design methodologies that can improve the meeting experience for both the in-room participants and remote participants. The session “Why Meeting Equity is the Lifeblood of the Hybrid Workplace” will explore how office, home, and mobile environments all play a role in creating inclusive meetings, in addition to factors such as language, height, hearing disabilities, and more. Today’s leaders are focused on navigating the territory of hybrid work and searching for ways to create a positive, productive workplace and a sense of belonging for employees. This session will examine the innovative and clever use of technologies in delivering an inclusive and immersive meeting experience with the overall goal of meeting equity. Join this session on Wed., June 8, featuring Mansour Brek of X2O Media, John Burnett from Pexip, Rony Sebok from Crestron, Derrick Kelly from AVI-SPL, and Stijn Henderickx from Barco. On Thurs., June 9, the session “Voice of the End-Users – Envisioning Successful Hybrid Solutions” will address how we are living in a time with an abundance of tech innovation and tools that enable new ways to connect. However, many of us are still working in conference rooms where we can’t connect, and meetings are viewed as a waste of time. In this session, Kay Sargent from HOK, Monique Rezaei from Microsoft, and Casey Carlson from Deloitte will discuss the need to embrace these new tech tools to enhance and support meaningful human interaction. For the full schedule of conferencing and collaboration sessions, visit www.infocommshow.org/CC. In addition, the Technology Innovation Stage (booth W2247) will host free presentations Wednesday through Friday, spotlighting conferencing and collaboration solutions in addition to other critical pro AV solutions. On the InfoComm 2022 trade show floor, nearly 200 exhibitors will showcase conferencing and collaboration solutions, from

InfoComm 2022 (exhibits June 8-10) at the Las Vegas Convention Center will explore the conferencing and collaboration solutions that power remote and hybrid work styles, learning environments, and more.

4P20 AV News June 2022

Accenture, will lead 90-minute show floor tours of conferencing collaboration solutions on Wed., June 8 at 2 p.m. and Thurs., June 9 at 10 a.m. InfoComm 2022 will also host a tour of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where attendees will experience the university’s hybrid learning classroom solution, RebelFlex. This solution allows instructors to teach a face-to-face class simultaneously with remote students. The tour will also explore the Flora Dungan Humanities building’s 254-seat theatre/classroom featuring a Dolby Atmos immersive audio experience and a 4K Barco cinema laser projection system. Frank Alaimo, CTS-I, DMC-E-4K, Senior AV Systems Specialist at UNLV, will lead two tours: Tues., June 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

InfoComm 2022 is the destination for digital signage InfoComm 2022 is the destination for digital signage this June 4-10 (exhibits June 8-10) in Las Vegas. The show will welcome back the D=SIGN Conference, produced in partnership with the Digital Signage Federation. In addition, InfoComm 2022 will feature more than 80 exhibitors showcasing digital signage solutions, a Digital Signage Pavilion, tours of the trade show floor, offsite Integrated Experience AV tours around Las Vegas, a Digital Signage Reception, and more. “We’re excited to present a robust digital signage program at InfoComm 2022,” said Rochelle Richardson, CEM, Senior Vice President of Expositions and Events, AVIXA. “Pro AV professionals and the digital signage community will have the opportunity to learn from a talented lineup of experts, see cutting-edge technologies up close, view applications in the real world, and make new business connections. This insight will help them capitalize on digital signage opportunities and deliver better solutions.” The D=SIGN conference on June 7-8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center will explore the solutions, innovations, and big ideas around digital signage. Key sessions include: •Joe Hasenzahl from Samsung will present the D=SIGN session “How to Maximize Mobile in the Digital Signage Ecosystem.” He’ll address how digital signage pursuits have been challenged by the mere fact a mobile device technically puts a "screen" in everyone's hands. His session will explore how mobile can smartly interplay with the digital signage ecosystem. •The session “Pivoting Your Digital Signage from a Pandemic Response to a Customer Experience” will feature Misty Chalk from BrightSign, Kiersten Gibson from Reach Media Network, Michelle Montazeri from Legrand AV, Chris Martel from TSItouch, and Grif Palmer from INFiLED. The group will discuss how to repurpose pandemic tools like occupancy sensors that gatekeep traffic to ones that might perform different functions like sales associate alerts. •In the session “Demystifying New LED Products: How to Future-Proof Your AV Design Project,” Larry Zoll from The LED Studio will explore the narrow pitch nuances of LED and provide a guide for comparison and help integrators and end-users assess different brands against their unique solution requirements. •Taking place on Mon., June 6, is the full-day workshop “Digital Signage Certified Expert (DSCE),” which provides a fundamental understanding of the digital signage industry, will be led by Alan Brawn, CTS, and Jonathan Brawn, CTS, of Brawn Consulting. This workshop takes a business-oriented approach that allows attendees to master the formulas for successfully planning a digital signage network, including design, hardware and software selection, deployment, content creation, and ROI/ROO for digital signage rollouts. •Alan Brawn and Jonathan Brawn will also lead the full-day workshop “Sales’ New Role and the Importance of ‘You’” on Tues., June 7. They’ll address how pro AV providers sell is different today than ever before. The goal of this seminar is to bring the sales profession on par with the level of what we sell by showing best practices and new techniques that have most recently come into prominence. Today the technologies we sell are different but so are the relationships with customers. The focus is no longer about a product but rather solving problems and creating an AV experience that adds value beyond the products sold. •Florian Rothberg of Invidis Consulting will host a Digital Signage Lunch and Learn on Wed., June 8, when he’ll present trends from the Invidis North America Digital Signage Yearbook. Over on the InfoComm 2022 trade show floor, the Digital Signage Pavilion will feature the latest digital signage solutions, including content creation software, direct-view LED displays, touchscreens and interactive displays, and much more. Attendees interested in digital signage can register for a curated tour of the trade show floor taking place on Thurs., June 9. In addition, the Integrated Experience Tours will take attendees around Las Vegas spots, including the Illuminarium, Resorts World, Omega Mart and AREA15, University of Las Vegas, and local nightclubs, to see digital signage deployments in the real world and hear from the creators behind them. On Tues., June 7, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., InfoComm 2022 will host the Digital Signage Reception at Brooklyn Bowl, an opportunity to connect with industry professionals while enjoying food, drinks, bowling, and more. A complimentary shuttle bus service will be provided from the Las Vegas Convention Center to Brooklyn Bowl.

INFOCOMM 2022 Preview

PPDS announces new products, people and partnerships Exhibiting on Philips Booth N2021, PPDS hails this year’s InfoComm as one of the most significant in its North America history. The company will deliver a series of important business updates, including a brand-new range of products and solutions within its digital signage, videowall, and business TV range. Exciting new partnerships and recently hired, industry-renowned team member announcements will also be revealed. PPDS will also be announcing some important strategic growth news, as the company seeks to quadruple global unit sales, and to become a top three player in North America within the next five years. In addition, the Philips stand will provide the first opportunity for partners in North America and beyond to view, experience and receive demonstrations of some of the latest solutions unveiled in Barcelona during ISE 2022, this month. These include: •Philips E-Line: A brand-new range of advanced interactive 4K displays for education, offering effortless wireless sharing and collaboration in and out of the classroom, and the first display from PPDS to feature a new generation of zero gap, zero latency touch screen technology. •Philips 6000 Series DVLED: A brand-new range of highly flexible, beyond 8K, direct view LED displays, bringing unrivalled performance and effortless bezel-free installations, designed to cater exclusively for 16:9 content, to meeting rooms, boardrooms, auditoriums and lobbies. •Philips 7000 Series DV LED: PPDS’ most energy efficient, high bright DV LED range to date, offering 3500 nits brightness – capable of coping with even the most difficult lighting conditions, including direct sunlight – unrivalled image quality and creativity to installations of any shape, size or location. •Wave: An evolutionary new cloud platform unlocking the power, versatility and intelligence inside Philips professional displays, designed for, and in collaboration with system integrators to install, control and manage Philips professional displays remotely from any location. Vince Schuster, Vice President, Professional Displays, North America at PPDS, commented: “We are delighted to be returning to Las Vegas and to be part of this year’s InfoComm event. InfoComm is one of the most important dates in the pro AV event calendar and we’re excited to be showcasing some of our latest and greatest Philips professional displays and solutions, supporting all key verticals, including retail, corporate, business and industry, and a growing area of focus: education.” Patrick Van Treese, Education Sales Manager, North America at PPDS, added: “ISE 2022 was a tremendous success for PPDS, and with the products and solutions now being confirmed and

Exhibiting on Philips Booth N2021, PPDS hails this year’s InfoComm as one of the most significant in its North America history. showcased for InfoComm, including the brand-new Philips E-Line interactive display for education, the Philips booth is one you won’t want to miss.” Schuster concluded: “PPDS has been on an incredible journey over the past 12-18 months and this year’s show will mark a sig-

nificant evolution of the business as we embark on the next phase of growth. We look forward to meeting and sharing these updates with our partners, consultants, and end users in Vegas and to you joining us on the journey. It’s going to be a great show!”

Clear-Com returns to InfoComm 2022 Clear-Com will be exhibiting on Booth #W1447 from June 8 – 10 at InfoComm, the most comprehensive event for audiovisual solutions for a wide variety of professional applications, from House of Worship to Corporate to Live Events and beyond. The company’s booth will showcase a robust set of solutions for diverse market applications highlighting the Arcadia Central Station with the new integration of HelixNet Digital Partyline, among other solutions including the complete FreeSpeak family of digital wireless products with its latest addition, the FreeSpeak Edge Base Station, Station-IC Virtual Desktop Client, Agent-IC Mobile App, and LQ Series of IP Interfaces. “InfoComm is an important show for our live product offering, but it also provides a platform for us to show how versatile our products are in other market areas, like theme parks, house of worship, sports operations, corporate, medical, industrial and more,” comments Clear-Com President, Bob Boster. A main feature on the booth will be the award-winning Arcadia Central Station, demonstrated with new HelixNet integration. Designed with input from Clear-Com’s extensive global live sound user base, Arcadia is a scalable IP intercom platform that integrates wired and digital wireless partyline systems along with third-party Dante devices in a single rack unit. The system can be expanded to meet varying production needs, offering a base level of 32 IP ports which can be expanded to up to 96 IP ports as needed, with even more port capacity with the upcoming release of HelixNet integration. From the Broadway stage to a local performing arts centre to the largest and most complex live events,

Arcadia is ideally suited for a wide variety of applications, in part due to its flexible licensing-based model. Showcased on the booth is the latest update to Eclipse HX digital matrix software, EHX 13.0, which includes N+1 E-IPA card redundancy and support for redundant networks, as well as Layer 3 support for AES67 endpoints. Also shown will be a role-based login feature, a first for the industry, which streamlines configuration and allows users to quickly move from device to device without missing a beat. Role-based workflow will debut in the EHX 13.1 release. Clear-Com’s broad range of award-winning wireless solutions will be featured, including the latest addition, the FreeSpeak Edge Base Station, an IP platform that supports the full range of award-winning FreeSpeak digital wireless intercom solutions including 1.9 GHz (including both E1 and IP transceivers), 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, as well as third-party Dante devices. LQ, Agent-IC, and the new Station-IC desktop client will be featured on the booth— this trio has been truly indispensable across markets in the last couple of years, as there has been a heavier reliance on remote and hybrid production workflows. “We’re thrilled that the momentum of in-person tradeshows is continuing,” concludes Chris Willis, Senior VP of Worldwide Sales, “Meeting with our partners and users face-to-face makes all the difference.”

Clear-Com will be exhibiting on Booth #W1447 from June 8 – 10 at InfoComm, the most comprehensive event for audiovisual solutions for a wide variety of professional applications, from House of Worship to Corporate to Live Events and beyond.

AV Stumpfl presents new Monolyte unibody screen system The Austrian AV technology manufacturer AVStumpfl will present its new Monolyte unibody screen system and the new PIXERA four media server on June 8-10 at this year's InfoComm show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new unibody screen system Monolyte is perfect for small meeting rooms and can be easily assembled. even by no-specialists. AV Stumpfl Inc. managing director Todd Liedahl explains what makes the new product so relevant: “As we trav-

elled the country visiting our customers, one thing became clear, there is a gap in the market when it comes to small meeting room screens. We believe we have accomplished this in a great system, that even I can set up by myself in three minutes.” The intuitive product design means that setting up a Monolyte screen can happen very quickly, without the need for additional tools. High precision extruded aluminium profiles and snap joints

define the skeleton of the projection screen. The entire frame block unfolds and the snap joints lock automatically. As an additional option, a so called "skirt" can be mounted to the double studs at the bottom of the projection surface and along the lateral sides of the screen legs, should customers want to visually disguise the bare legs themselves. Monolyte will at first only be available in North America. Contiued on page 22

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INFOCOMM 2022 Preview Another highlight of the AV Stumpfl booth is without doubt the brand new PIXERA four media server. PIXERA four is an incredibly powerful media server hardware system, perfect for highly demanding real time graphics applications and XR/AR broadcast setups. 12G SDI I/O support, a 10 GB/s default data read rate and five PCI 4.0 slots are some of the key system features of AV Stumpfl’s new high end server for 4K and 8K playback. InfoComm visitors will also have the chance to discover the versatility of AV Stumpfl’ show control solution PIXERA control, which was developed for handling complex integrated systems. This distributed integration and control framework empowers users to seamlessly host new functionalities within PIXERA and to control all aspects of an extended project environment. Third party systems can communicate directly with the PIXERA API via dedicated “modules”, like in the case of Beckhoff Automation, the Smart Monkeys’ ISAAC ecosystem or Loupedeck custom consoles. PIXERA specialist and global business development manager Conor McGill comments on PIXERA’s growing popularity in the USA: “Over the last year, the excitement about PIXERA here in the US has been tremendous. Not only has PIXERA been an integral part of ground-breaking projects across fixed install, live event, and virtual production markets; but more and more media

server professionals begun adopting PIXERA as their primary tool through our training programs, with virtual production and unreal engine integration being particular areas of interest. Our team is looking forward to sharing our latest hardware and software developments with the growing PIXERAcommunity at InfoComm.”AV Stumpfl GmbH will exhibit at the InfoComm show Las Vegas, June 8-10, at booth #N1963, Las Vegas Convention Center, Nevada, USA

The Austrian AV technology manufacturer AVStumpfl will present its new Monolyte unibody screen system and the new PIXERA four media server on June 8-10 at this year's InfoCom m show in Las Vegas, Nevada

Utelogy shows analytic tiles, Teams integration and cybersecurity Utelogy is coming off consecutive years of significant increases in YoY revenues and bookings of more than 270% as its international expansion continues. During that time, Utelogy has published a number of significant product releases. The company will also highlight its Utelligence program for industry standards around security and agnosticity, as well as the “Utelogy beyond the conference room” initiative. This program is designed to integrate its platform with other elements of the workplace such as booking systems for deeper analytics, IoT, and BYOD to support the ever-growing hybrid workforce. “Utelogy is responding to the needs of an increasingly connected and technology-reliant global workspace by delivering cost-saving solutions that elevate user experiences through insights and analytics,” said Kevin Morrison, Utelogy CEO. “We are also continually growing our global partner network to meet the evolving demands of our enterprise customers.” Morrison added, “Our vision has always been to provide a toolset that delivers actionable intelligence on how businesses use their technology, how it performs, and how the workplace is utilized. This data can then be used to make better and more informed decisions. In 2022, Utelogy will add new features to its platform so customers can take an even deeper dive into how they visualise and use their data. “Focusing on the voice of the customer has given us the ability to grow Utelogy more than 270% from 2020 to 2021,” said Morrison. “This falls in line with the recent AV Service Management trends report by *Futuresource that predicts a 400% growth rate in the next four years.” Remote and hybrid workspaces are becoming the rule rather than the exception. Enterprises are transforming their pre-pandemic office spaces into sophisticated collaborative spaces with enhanced videoconferencing, teamwork areas, dedicated meeting spaces, and large event spaces. The management of these new rooms and systems is shifting from AVbased to IT-focused, with an emphasis on networked systems offering performance, quality, affordability, and easy collaboration. The employee experience should be first-class regardless of whether they are working in an office or from home. “Organisations are looking for the right toolset of technology and services,” said Jonathan Mangnall, Managing Director, EMEA, for Utelogy. “The Utelogy platform turns the support model from reactive to proactive, resonating with companies that are more geographically dispersed than ever and focused on the employee

Utelogy is coming off consecutive years of significant increases in YoY revenues and bookings of more than 270% as its international expansion continues. During that time, Utelogy has published a number of significant product releases. experience.” Utelogy is seeing a shift from a traditional product “break/fix” approach to an “intelligent and automated” methodology that takes into account the Total Experience (TX). Managed services models are starting to offer comprehensive solutions combining AV devices, software, and exceptional proactive customer support. These changes occurring in the global workspace require support organizations to adapt their logistical operations as well as their business mindset, presenting challenges but also significant growth opportunities. Utelogy is well-equipped to support customers regardless of country or region. Significant areas of growth range from its home base in the United States to key international markets across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. The company enhances

its global customer support through a worldwide network of more than 40 regional partners and solutions providers with specific expertise in IT-centric system deployments and management. Utelogy’s ability to scale, regardless of requirements or budget, makes it the ideal platform for organizations of any size. The Utelogy platform is based on an open architecture that is hardware- and software-agnostic, allowing for greater compatibility and integration between AV/UC devices from many manufacturers. In 2021, Utelogy widely expanded its integration with the latest technologies from current partners and vendors such as Logitech, Poly Barco, Lightware Visual Engineering, Bose, Sennheiser, Gude, Sony, Yealink, Microsoft, Mersive Technologies, Jabra, Cisco, and many others. During the show, visit us at booth #W1871.

to their booth, so if you’d like to attend the press event or organise your very own HYPERVSN demonstration, get in touch on email

info@hypervsn.com.

HYPERVSN debuts SmartV Platform at InfoComm 2022 HYPERVSN are showcasing their latest innovation called HYPERVSN SmartV and are debuting the platform in Orlando at InfoComm 2022. The SmartV platform opens up the world of interactive solutions, giving users the chance to fully immerse themselves in our incredibly detailed 3D holographic content. Featuring an HDMI connection, a higher image resolution and incredible brightness up to 3000 nits, SmartV is the platform that will take your digital signage to the next level. Visitors to InfoComm 2022 will be able to experience this for themselves at HYPERVSN booth N3163. HYPERVSN CEO & Founder Kiryl Chykeyuk will be hosting a special press event, followed by a Q&A session on the SmartV platform on Wednesday 8th June at 13:00 local time at HYPERVSN booth. Discussing the Metaverse and how we can bring the digital into reality, they’ll be talking about how 3D holographic solutions are going to be shaping the world around us. “We’ve started calling the HYPERVSN SmartV platform ‘Digital Signage 2.0’ ,'' says Chykeyuk. “Based on the amazing response we’ve had from our product launch; we truly believe this solution is the future of digital signage. Through the pandemic, whilst we were perfecting the SmartV range, our competitors were reducing the size of their workforce. Instead, we took the initiative to hire some highly experienced Pro AV experts in the major EMEA regions, proving that we are fully committed to innovating this exciting industry.” The HYPERVSN team is ready to greet their partners, new and old,

4P22 AV News June 2022

HYPERVSN are showcasing their latest innovation called HYPERVSN SmartV and are debuting the platform in Orlando at InfoComm 2022.

INFOCOMM 2022 Preview

VITEC returns to InfoComm with enhanced IPTV and signage VITEC will showcase its latest IPTV, Video Streaming and Digital Signage Solutions at InfoComm 2022, Las Vegas Convention Center, June 10-12, booth N1762. On show will be a host of new additions and enhancements, including to ArtioSign and ArtioView, the central components of the Avedia IPTV and digital signage platform. Amongst the new additions, the AvediaStream m9500 4K Media Player will make its first appearance in the US. Since the merging of the Exterity and VITEC brands into a single identity (following Exterity’s acquisition in 2021), VITEC now offers a broader range of solutions, with the combined teams working together to deliver an enhanced portfolio suited to even more market applications. “This will be our first InfoComm show in which the VITEC and former Exterity teams are all working together as ‘one VITEC’, and we’re all looking forward to connecting with the industry in Las Vegas,” says Mark D’Addio, Senior Vice President of Sales, VITEC Inc. “We have lots to catch up on with our North American partners, and we’re excited to discuss the host of enhancements and innovations that we’ve made across our versatile range. We also hope to continue the positive momentum surrounding the industry, with in-person events now once again enabling invaluable face-to-face dialogue between ourselves, our partners and the wider pro AV community. It will be great to be back at InfoComm.” Visitors to the VITEC booth will be able to see the enhanced ArtioView, a fully customisable, interactive IPTV portal for a range of viewing environments, from hotels and cruise ships to student or workplace accommodation, stadium VIP suites, offices, hospitals

nector element which delivers the ability to use data feeds to dynamically update a table. Files can be uploaded from where they are saved locally, or directly from SharePoint or OneDrive. ArtioSign Smart Control – which centralises control of VITEC endpoints and non-VITEC devices such as large format displays – now has a new tablet-specific ‘toggle’ interface, enabling users to control a large site from the comfort and convenience of a single tablet. Visitors to the VITEC booth will be able to see the enhanced ArtioView, a fully customisable, interactive Also recently announced is the IPTV portal for a range of viewing environments. new VITEC PRISM Transcodor military camps. Designed specifically for use with ArtioView er, a real-time IP video transcoding system that enIPTV portal is the new m9500 Media Player, a 4K/UHD IPTV ables content to be adapted to an optimal format for efficient deend-point which delivers interactive viewing portals and adlivery to any device. A further product addition is the VITEC MGW vanced network video decoding. Its quiet, fanless design, Power Diamond+ OG, a 4K/Multichannel HD, HEVC, H.264 and MPEGover Ethernet (PoE) functionality and low power consumption 2 encoder with SDI and SMPTE-2110 input in an openGear card make it an economical choice for environments where premium format. Rounding out VITEC’s offering is the ChannelLink distrivideo quality is important. bution gateway, which acts as a central hub where IP channels The ArtioSign digital signage platform has also been improved from the field can be reliably received and retransmitted live. with several additions, including the new ArtioSign Data Con-

Google Meet Series One makes US tradeshow debut Avocor will spotlight new innovations at InfoComm 2022. Headlining the booth is Google Meet Series One by Avocor, making its debut US tradeshow appearance since Avocor announced its strategic partnership with Google in August 2021. “As a company born in the USA, we couldn’t be more excited to be meeting the US AV industry in-person, once again, at InfoComm. We’ll be

shared devices for meeting spaces and a personal device for your desktop, helping customers to connect and succeed in the evolving modern workplace.” Google Meet Series One was recently recognised with a double win at in the internationally acclaimed Red Dot design competition. Google Meet Series One Desk 27 received a Red Dot for design excellence and Board 65 was recognised with a ‘Best of the Best’ Red Dot. Visitors to the Avocor booth will also see its recently launched E Series and the Teams-certified W Series. Available in four sizes, ranging from 55” to 86”, the E Series features optically bonded glass in a 4K IR interactive display format. This impressive combination delivers a smooth, leading-edge touch technology display solution - at an exceptional value – and is ideal for all sizes of office, classroom, meeting room and huddle space applications. The W Series is ideal for focus and small meeting rooms, corporate and home offices. Both the Teams-certified 65" WCD AVW-6555 and the all-in-one AVW-5555 interactive touch screens offer an integrated, high-quality conference camera with a microphone array and audio optimized for use with UC platforms, including Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

showing our new Google Meet Series One products – Board 65 and Desk 27 – two game changing innovations designed to transform the way we work.” Said Scott Hix, CEO, Avocor. “With Board 65 and Desk 27, we can offer meeting equity to everyone through

Avocor will spotlight new innovations at InfoComm 2022. Headlining the booth is Google Meet Series One by Avocor, making its debut US tradeshow appearance since Avocor announced its strategic partnership with Google in August 2021.

Meyer Sound PANTHER makes tradeshow debut Meyer Sound returns to InfoComm 2022 in Las Vegas with a newly designed booth (W3023) that spotlights the new PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeaker in its first tradeshow appearance. Visitors to the booth will have the opportunity to lift up a PANTHER cabinet — weighing in at just 150 lb (68 kg) — and experience its compact size. A primary focus of the booth will be the designated meeting areas where Meyer Sound team members can engage with customers and discuss the company’s latest technologies. “This is our first major trade show in more than two years, so we are eager to meet with our community in person once again and continue to make meaningful connections,” says Tim Boot, Meyer Sound’s director of global marketing. “It’s exciting to be able to showcase what we have been working on over the past year, and we look forward to hearing feedback from the industry.” Additional highlights of the booth include the compact ULTRA-X20 point source loudspeaker and USW-112P subwoofer. This year, the Tech Bar will have the GALAXY Network Platform and Spacemap Go spatial sound design and live mixing tool, the soon-to-be-announced connection management and monitoring software platform, and a new power supply for IntelligentDC systems. “In addition to PANTHER, we have been focusing on software developments and bolstering our line of IntelligentDC solutions. The Tech Bar will be a great place for people to test and learn more about our new software updates,” says Boot.

Meyer Sound returns to InfoComm 2022 in Las Vegas with a newly designed booth (W3023) that spotlights the new PANTHER large-format linear line array loudspeaker in its first tradeshow appearance. The exhibit floor booth (W3023) can be found in the West Hall, Exhibit Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Datapath announce additional control room capabilities Datapath has announced further functionality to its Aetria solution – providing direct support to multi-video walls via its Aligo receivers, automatic VSN processor switchover failsafes, plus premium graphics support available on Aetria Workstation. Aetria (Datapath’s latest development in multi-point video management and control)- now supports video walls driven directly by its Aligo receivers. These receivers are installed directly behind the video wall, with each receiver driving a single 4K screen, or four HD screens. With Aligo walls, content is displayed on a sourceper-screen basis and controlled using Aetria Command Center or Aetria Workstation in the same way as video walls driven by VSN

controllers. This allows a combination of VSN and Aligo sources, whilst giving an AVoIP solution KVM capability. This setup means you can now access VSN sources further away without the need for third-party signal extension products. High availability support for Datapath VSN video wall controllers ensures video walls remain operational in the event of a power, network, or component failure. If a VSN is unreachable on the network, loses power, or a capture or graphics card becomes unresponsive, it is automatically switched to a standby replica system. This video wall resilience compliments the existing support for automated failover for the central Aetria Network Manager appliance, ensuring the control room remains operational even in the event of multiple connectivity issues across different components. The Premium Graphics Package (PGP) is a collection of features that add enhanced window capabilities to content including cropping, borders, on-screen display (OSD), and banners, and is now available on Aetria’s Workstation. This gives operators capabilities to quickly categorize and identify sources using borders, add supplementary screen information using OSD overlays, and create custom banners for information display. The capability adds a further layer of information to camera feeds, with the ability to activate emergency protocols where required. PGP assets are saved when creating layout files. Once created, all information stored in a layout can be re-used and shared across any workstation or video wall. Datapath are offering a choice of licensing options to meet user’s needs, ranging from full features and functionality to component specific licenses.

P23 AV News June 2022

Opinion

The decision-makers' guide to investing in sustainable display technology As the display industry progresses, conscientiousness regarding sustainability needs to be a top priority. However, sustainability goes hand-in-hand with product quality and manufacturing, as increasing the overall productivity ultimately affects how environmentally friendly the product is. LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and LED (Light Emitting Diode) are the two major contenders for display technology installation. When comparing the two, it is evident that the technological advancements in LED displays make them more environmentally friendly for numerous reasons. Here’s why:

From LED experts at The LED Studio.

Price vs Cost of Ownership Cost is a significant factor when comparing these two types of technologies, and there are two ways to approach this. Price - the upfront cost of the hardware vs Cost of Ownership - the cost of the entire lifespan. LED tends to yield a heftier price tag, which has discouraged users from switching from LCD for a long time. However, we are viewing a change in trends as the cost of LED reduces and becomes more accessible. LED boasts a much cheaper running cost than LCD, which means that although LED has a higher upfront cost, the life expectancy classifies it as far more cost-efficient. Generally speaking, the maximum lifespan of LCD is 2 - 3 years, compared to 11 years with LED displays. That would mean you’d need to look at replacing your LCD four-five times in the entire lifespan of a single LED display. When factoring in cost, it’s essential to factor in the lifecycle.

Energy Bills We were all hit with soaring energy prices in April 2022, and estimates predict that bills will increase by over 50%. This will considerably impact businesses running digital signage 24/7, so display power consumption has never been so prevalent. Switching from LCD to LED displays could reduce your display power consumption by up to 75%, prolonging operating time to more than 100,000 hours. Look out for displays featuring power reducing technology, such as Common Cathode, which increases heat dissipation, eliminating the need for additional fans or air conditioning systems.

Replacing and Recycling Electronic waste, or e-waste, is the fastest-growing domestic waste stream. According to the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP), 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste were produced globally in 2019, increasing by 21% in just five years. The display industry moves quickly, rendering current models obsolete. LCD is often replaced rather than repaired upon failure, leaving the displays destined for landfills. However, any damaged LEDs can be fixed or replaced - as you aren’t replacing the whole screen. In addition to this, the next generation of sustainably engineered LED displays has arrived. Companies like The LED Studio are revolutionising the market with display options that can upgrade the pixel pitch and resolution while keeping 80 per cent of the parts in place.

4P24 AV News June 2022

The LED modules for The LED Studio’s The Edge display can be easily swapped out without changes to the underlying infrastructure, so a 2.5mm pixel pitch display can become a 1.2mm. The LED modules for The LED Studio’s The Edge display can be easily swapped out without changes to the underlying infrastructure, so a 2.5mm pixel pitch display can become a 1.2mm, providing a cost-effective solution to enhance image quality sustainably whilst also increasing product lifespan. LED cabinets are made of aluminium. As aluminium is a recyclable material with endothermic effects, it absorbs heat generated by the components. Therefore, it is recyclable and effective as it is used as a heatsink - unlike the plastic surrounds of LCDs.

Brightness LEDs reach peak brightness levels into the thousands of Nits, whereas standard LCDs offer hundreds of Nits. This vast difference enables the brightness level of LEDs to be set lower than the peak, let's say 50%, which over time can be dialled up to keep the appearance of its brightness consistent across the entire screen and lifespan. LCD not only starts with lower brightness capabilities but deteriorates at a faster rate. This is often most apparent in video walls, where panels diminish at different speeds, and inconsistencies are instantly noticeable.

Beat the Throw-Away Generation

There is scope for creating displays that have longer lifespans, are easier and cheaper to recycle, and use higher percentages of recyclable materials to reduce landfill waste. As technology evolves quickly, rendering current displays obsolete faster, e-waste will only increase in our “throw-away” world. It’s time to think more conscientiously about display technology choices, looking past aesthetics and trends. With many corporations signing up to sustainability charters whilst looking to reduce power consumption and prolong the life of their displays, green credentials are critical to product suitability in the current market. Limiting energy consumption helps reduce environmental impact, and simultaneously, the extended durability of the display helps save materials and maintenance for possible repairs. Remember: look beyond the screen and consider the total cost of ownership - you’ll be rewarded for years to come!

For more information, contact sales@theledstudio.co.uk

Manufacturing Processes While manufacturing processes have a long way to go in terms of sustainability, it is essential to note that the manufacturing process of LED is more environmentally friendly than LCD. Most noticeable is the use of mercury in LCDs.

Companies like The LED Studio are revolutionising the market with display options that can upgrade the pixel pitch and resolution while keeping 80 per cent of the parts in place.

AV News Award Winners

AV News Awards: the winners! ISE 2022 kinked off with its perennial curtain raiser - the first day breakfast presentation of the AV News Awards. Hosted for the first time by the Fire de Barcelona, the larger venue enabled more delegates to attend this popular networking and celebratory event than ever before, with the potential for even bigger numbers in the future. Delegates were treated to the presentation ceremony by AV News managing director Sue Pritchard and a keynote address by Guy Van Wijmeersch of Barco talking about ‘Innovation and design thinking’ against an AV backdrop provided by Vestel. Shortly after the presentation ceremony: Sue Pritchard commented: “This was the first AV News Award Presentation ceremony in Barcelona, and the success of the event was very much dependent on our partners. I would very much like to thank our Award Sponsors, Vestel, as the primary visual solution partner, Barco, for the supporting keynote address, the catering and staging teams from Fire de Barcelona, and. of course, ISE itself as our event partner. and we the team look forward to the 2023 ISE.

The AV News Awards 2022 The Winners

Personal achievement Awards AV Marketing Professional of the Year Winner: Laura Harle of Benq Laura has transformed BenQ’s B2B and B2C marketing strategies by initiating a digital focus, integrating the marketing and sales strategies and removing the focus on live events during times of uncertainty. Laura pivoted the company’s approach to lead generation with the BenQ Bus Education Roadshow. This double decker allows BenQ to go directly to customers with their future proofed education technology solutions. It has seen higher

engagement levels with decision makers as no additional travel is necessary, streamlining the visitor experience. Laura has laid fresh marketing foundations and is continuing to develop more innovative activities for 2022 and beyond.

AV Support Professional of the Year Winner: Matt Whyatt of Project Audio Visual In response to the Covid pandemic, Matt revolutionised Project Audio Visual’s remote support offering, devising innovative ways to support client teams when working from home. This ensured clients could work uninterrupted throughout. Both professionally and personally, Matt stepped up to an unprecedented level to support customers throughout the pandemic. Matt is continually advancing his skills and knowledge and has in the last year completed almost every Crestron and

AV Sales professional of the Year

Product and solution Awards

Winner: Mark Childerhouse of the Pioneer Group

Presentation Innovation of the Year

Mark Childerhouse, who has participated in sport for GB, has applied a passion for sport to his career in AV to work with a number of high-profile sports clubs to increase fan engagement. He has also cultivated relationships with leading brands like KFC and Joe and the Juice, allowing the company to make significant growth during a pandemic year. Mark is also an incredibly welcoming individual who values his team and the people that work with him. Mark never takes the credit for his own achievements; he has an easy-going nurturing nature.

Winner: MAXHUB

Mark is a dream to work with and thrives at everything he does; not only does Mark have a degree in sports science, but he also went on to complete his masters before joining Pioneer in 2012.

Outstanding Achievement in AV Winner: David Ren of Seada Tech Logitech certification course, obtained over 110,000 XP on Microsoft training courses and created professional and positive relationships with customers across multiple sectors.

David started off his role as Senior Technical Sales Manager for SEADA Technology. He had developed the business strategy. In 2018, David had been promoted to commercial director. David had strongly influenced the company by growing the company through his ideas and creativity. For example, he had effectively coordinated the development of the conference range to cater for a wider audi-

ence. As a result, this had led SEADA to win the 2019 Queens Award for Enterprise for being a world leading UK manufacturer of Video Wall Controllers, Conference technology and Pro AV solutions.

The Raptor series is an allin-one LED wall from leading collaboration brand, MAXHUB, part of the CVTE family. CVTE is the largest manufacturer of interactive display technology in the world and under the MAXHUB umbrella, creates market- leading solutions that embodies CVTE’s spirit of continuous innovation and commitment to develop products that dramatically advance the ability to communicate and collaborate more effectively. The MAXHUB LED Raptor Series represents the next generation of innovative LED Wall technology, the innovative design makes the Raptor incredibly versatile and very cost-effective solution for modern meeting spaces, auditoriums, and receptions. MAXHUB offer a wide range of sizes for every space, ranging from 120” to 220”, each with narrow pixel pitch LED panels for a visually stunning experience. A 3-in-1 design that includes the control unit, receiving unit and power supply with no need for additional components, making it a cost-effective option for customers considering an LED wall. Additionally, panels are accessed from the front of the display, making

the Raptor incredibly easy to maintain. The MAXHUB Raptor features an ultra-thin bezel and is ultra-light weight, making it incredibly easy to install, either directly on a wall or onto a mobile trolley. Standard installation times range between 3-6 hours, dramatically reducing installation costs. 4. The all-in-one functionality feature in-built. Android 9.0 OS, LAN screen-sharing for up to 4 windows and an integrated soundbar with 2x30W speakers featuring built-in vibration dampening technology. Unique to MAXHUB, the MAXConfig app s/w delivers exceptional control and intuitive access to all the LED’s interactive features, including signal source, power, brightness and even window content management through terminal devices that can be extended to 3rd party control systems.

P25 AV News June 2022

AV News Award Winners Digital Signage Innovation of the Year

Education innovation of the year

Winner: Fusion all-in-one digital billboard

Winner: Clevertouch Impact Plus Gen 2, Clevertouch Technologies

Fusion is a smart, all-in-one digital billboard solution. It is compact to ship, easy to install, requires no additional hardware and has the world’s most comprehensive monitoring platform built directly into the frame of the display. This includes full remote diagnostics, secure

network security encryption, a monitoring system for hundreds of points and pro-active alerting. This plug and play signage solution comprises 3000 x 1280mm cabinets that ship in one compact box. The slim design allows for efficient installations and instant digitisation of static billboards. Its inbuilt smart light sensor adjusts to light conditions, ensuring content remains visible. Slimline Design Enabling OneDay Deployment: Fusion is quicker to install than any other billboard solution and can be hung on traditional billboard infrastructure, enabling instant digitisation of static billboards. The modular design simply clips together for efficient installations and allows for easy ongoing maintenance. The slim form factor of just 96mm depth contributes to it being the lightest display of its kind on the market, reducing the need for complex structural support, saving estate owners and integrators time and money on installation labour. Plug and Play: Fusion is a plug and play solution. The connectivity and diagnostic tools are built into the frame of the display, so no additional media players, switchers or analytics devices are needed to connect the billboard to a network, drive content or monitor its performance. This unique system architecture can also be integrated into other monitoring and CMS software, such as Quividi, Ayuda, Scala and Broadsign, and with the specific buying platforms of media owners. Unrivalled Monitoring and Maintenance: Fusion features the largest multi-layer redundancy system in the market, ensuring the highest possible uptime for network owners. This, combined with a full remote diagnostic and monitoring system with the capability to monitor hundreds of points via a pro-active alert system. Trained VOD Visual service engineers are available 24/7 globally and respond within 15 minutes to identify issues and wherever possible fix them

by deploying over-air remedial actions. Secure network security encryption reduces threats by ensuring hackers are kept off of the network, minimising reputational risk for the estate owners. Smart, Bright Technology: Fusion is available in 6mm, 8mm,

10mm and 16mm pixel pitches and has been designed especially for outdoor applications. The LEDs are packaged to fully withstand all weather conditions and have a smart sensor built in to measure the level of direct sun exposure and change the brightness accordingly, so content remains visible in even the harshest of conditions. The display reaches a maximum calibrated brightness of up to 6500 nits making it ideal for out of home environments including eye catching roadside displays, sharing passenger and guest critical information at travel terminals and leisure attractions to ensure brand messages shine brightly in retail destinations. Enhanced Sustainability Credentials: The responsive brightness is also one contributing factor to the low overall power consumption of the display and enhanced sustainability credentials. This makes Fusion the greenest, most energy efficient and sustainable LED display of its type on the market, drawing a fraction of the power consumption of standard LED screens. Adjusting to the conditions means that the LEDs are not being run at their peak brightness constantly, making the display much more energy efficient. This significantly reduces electrical waste and therefore heat generation, negating the need for noisy and energy wasting fans, extending the lifespan of the display and ensuring industry.

P26 AV News June 2022

The Impact Plus is Clevertouch’s fifth-generation large format interactive display and is

Clevershare allows teachers to cast, share and annotate onto the screen from their laptop,

part of the award-winning Clevertouch Plus series. The new Impact Plus meets the needs of the modern classroom, designed as a resource-saving device for teachers, by teachers. This isn’t just a touchscreen. It’s a complete teaching solution that comes with software and tools to engage pupils and make everyday teaching tasks easier to perform. There is no lag, no messing around with USB sticks or laptops, and no delay in starting your lesson off right with the Impact Plus. Impact Plus is a teachers’ favourite because it is a walk-in and use screen that doesn’t require a laptop or USB to be plugged in for the teacher to begin a lesson. Lux User interface is designed to be just one click away from any of the screen features. It comes packed with software and apps that enable teachers to start creating interactive, fun and engaging lessons in minutes – lessons that would have previously taken hours to produce.

tablet or mobile. Teachers with years of carefully crafted lesson plans can continue to use them on their new Plus device. Lynx software automatically converts Smart, CFF and IWB files without losing features, formatting or essential data. No need for teachers to connect a laptop to use the screen as all existing lessons can be accessed via their cloud accounts. But if teachers choose, there is a built-in PC. Our teacher-led product development strategy means that we know what teachers need because it is easy for them to tell us. In addition, Clevertouch prides itself on having a direct channel with the people using the screens, enabling the development team to quickly incorporate requested features and technology advancements directly into the product development programme, ensuring every new generation of Impact Plus stays relevant to the teachers using it.

and a dedicated support team. Training and professional development Project Audio Visual is continually providing its team with opportunities to learn new skills and acquire qualifications and certifications. This has accelerated in the last 12 months with the company’s enhanced focus on the hybrid workspace and the need to keep up to date with the developing hardware, IT services, products and networking infrastructure behind an ecosystem. Over 104 courses have been completed in the last 12 months. The company is also working towards the Mi-

crosoft Gold Partner accreditation to reinforce its specialized skill set in delivering Microsoft Teams Rooms environments. Investment in excellence Project Audio Visual has invested £250,000 in the refurbishment of its office and demonstration space. This has been designed to create the ultimate working environment for the team, as well as surround them with the emerging technologies that they are also championing in the market so that remote maintenance, video-based client calls and training can be done with the utmost ease and confidence.

Collaboration Innovation of the Year Winner: Crestron Flex The Crestron Flex platform helps bring out the best in every meeting room and home office. Crestron Flex offers the ease and simplicity of one solution — all from one company. Crestron Flex has the hardware that makes collaboration easy with desktop phones, tabletop and front of room devices. From any Crestron Flex device, you control everything you need from scheduling a meeting room and launching your presentation to starting a videoconference and adjusting lighting, shades, and climate. With Crestron Flex you can have a native Microsoft Teams or Zoom Rooms meeting experience plus connect any device for a BYOD experience. Crestron Flex is a single platform that is easy to use, easy

to deploy, and easy to support. Crestron Flex provides purpose-built devices that deliver intelligent video, clear, crisp audio, localized AV, content distribution, and video conferencing. The Crestron Flex Digital Workplace Technology platform provides an effective utilization of workspaces that include solutions for room and desk booking, space availability, and space usage metrics. Crestron Flex is scalable and allows you to easily add or change spaces, easily understand utilization, and easily support all spaces. Crestron Flex is ideally equipped for mass deployment throughout any sized facility.

Company and organisation Awards AV Reseller / Integrator of the Year Winner: Project Audio Visual Project Audio Visual has completely transformed over the last year becoming the ‘go-to’ for hybrid workplace transformations, specialising in truly connected Microsoft Teams Rooms. Its service and support structure have been revolutionised with criteria designed for the evolving requirements of collaboration and the most comprehensive set of checks globally. Project Audio Visual has continued to grow. Doubling its team and investing in upskilling, with over 104 courses completed in 12 months. Project Audio Visual invested £250,000 in its office and demonstration space, creating the ultimate working environment for the team and surrounding them with the emerging technologies they are also championing. Workplace transformations Project Audio Visual has evolved over the last 12 months after recognising that they needed to position themselves differently to survive. The company has pivoted to support the hybrid workplace delivering solutions that maintain the digital workflow and transform workspaces into destinations. Their ethos is to create a seamless experience, whether employees are working

remotely, at a desk in an office or in a meeting room, with video communication at the heart of this. Service and support The company revolutionised its service and support structure for clients, establishing a new service division and devising new ways of being able to provide support during periods when travel globally and locally in the UK was not permitted. This is designed to specifically cater for the rise of hybrid working. All inquiries are answered within 30 minutes, with clients getting straight through to an expert who can assist, speeding up the resolution time. Preventative Maintenance Visits now have specific criteria to include Teams and Zoom Room environments, AV networking infrastructure and additional details to support remote engineers. Revolutionising remote management Project Audio Visual has developed a ground- breaking virtual remote support solution called EyesOnSite. This goes beyond the offering of traditional support packages to deliver a unique virtual solution that allows technicians to experience exactly what the client is seeing through a Servicewear Glasses system, based on a client’s site

AV News Award Winners Sustainability Innovation of the Year Winner: Samsung Samsung’s global 2022 sustainability initiative strives to incorporate environmental sustainability into everything it does. The company’s products are thoughtfully designed to minimize their impact on the environment throughout their lifecycle – from the planning and manufacturing stages to their use and 100% recycled materials packaging. As part of the initiative, Samsung will increase the use of recycled plastics as product components to reduce carbon emissions by 77,000 tons. Samsung also increased resource circularity and reduced greenhouse gas emissions with eco-friendly resin made from recycled plastic. Samsung is focused on reducing waste, promoting energy efficiency, and conserving

conserving resources, reducing waste, and promoting reuse. For example, our 2021 TVs featured boxes made with 100 percent recycled materials. Our 2021 eco-packaging program was born to create sustainable packaging, first by reducing oil-based ink printing and then with a dot- matrix design so that anyone can create a functional piece for home by giving a second use to the packaging of their TV or monitor. Now, as part of our 2022 sustainability initiative, we are making the items inside the box more eco-friendly by reducing the amount of ink used in packaging, replacing all of the staples used at box edges with glue and reducing the box assembly time by 20%. By minimizing text and graphic imagery on

radio frequencies from devices like Wi-Fi routers, to power the remote day and night. With our new SolarCell Remote, we hope to eliminate nearly 400 million batteries from landfills. Additionally, Samsung is rethinking consumers’ device set-up and daily product usage to increase energy efficiency. Traditionally, when your TV or

monitor is plugged in but not turned on, it is still consuming energy using standby power. As a solution to this, Samsung is committed to reaching .004 watts of standby power in all Samsung TVs and monitors by 2023.

AV Manufacturer/ Developer of the Year

Project and installation Awards AV Project of the Year (Commercial) Winner: H Y P E RV S N / C o c a - C o l a HBC Switzerland/Avantage Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland and TMI Agency was launching the new Coca-Cola Zero Sugar flavour and decided to employ HYPERVSN Slots and HYPERVSN Solo L for the campaign called #bestcokeever. HYPERVSN devices were installed at the Zurich Main Station by the HYPERVSN Authorised Reseller Avantage. When playing the holographic slot-machine people got a chance to win various prizes including a bottle of the new Coke. The campaign lasted for two weeks and expanded across 5 shopping malls, 45 sampling locations and 150 in-store ac-

HYPERVSN Solo L and Slots were installed at Zürich Main Station and across 5 malls in the country for two weeks from July to August 2021 by HYPERVSN Authorised Reseller Avantage together with TMI Agency. 17,500 people played the HYPERVSN Slots at the Zurich Main Station and across all the locations, around 150k product samples were handed out within two weeks. 4.150 in-store activations, 5 shopping malls and 45 sampling locations were set up for the #bestcokeever campaign all across Zurich. 108 promoters were hired who worked for

tivations. In total around 18k people played the HYPERVSN Slots and around 150k product samples were handed out. This is the first time Coca-Cola has relied on the interactive holographic solutions to engage with the customers and add the gamification element to the product sample handouts.

954 hours. The news about the campaign reached 2.1mln households via Migros Magazine. Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland and TMI Agency were extremely happy with the campaign results and they are already planning a new one for the coming Christmas.

Winner: Peerless-AV

resources throughout display products. As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability, Samsung’s production line will increase the use of recycled plastics made from marine waste materials, which include plastics, metals, rubber, paper,

and textiles as components in all Samsung TVs and monitors – reducing carbon emissions by more than 77,000 tons. Samsung will receive Its First Global Carbon Footprint Certification for Signage and obtain Carbon Trust’s CO2 measured product carbon footprint label, paving the way for carbon reduction. Samsung will be able to cut the carbon emission of the smart signage through enhanced production efficiency. Additionally, Samsung will launch an evaluation system to track the carbon emissions of all its visual display products in 2022. Samsung’s approach to packaging is simple and focused on

the Eco- packaging, the oilbased ink from colour printing that’s traditionally used on TV or monitor boxes is eliminated, helping to further reduce waste. Samsung’s Eco-Packaging program is not only focused on inspiring consumers to recycle, but also to re-use and re-pur-

pose cardboard packaging. To prevent consumers from throwing away old remote-control batteries that are wasteful and hazardous to the environment, Samsung introduced the industry’s first SolarCell Remote that is battery-free, features an RF harvesting Antenna and recharges from the lights inside your home. This all-in-one remote has sustainability built-in and is made from regenerated resin made from recycled plastics, making it easy to control external devices and support the environment at the same time. The 2022 enhanced SolarCell Remote uses technology that generates electricity from

Peerless-AV is 80 years old, celebrating decades of technology innovation, strategic acquisitions, and international business growth between 1941 and 2021. Leveraging its maturity and unrivalled reputation for manufacturing quality AV products, Peerless-AV is a brand renowned for its agility and flexibility to adapt to new emerging technologies and markets. Since it produced the first TV wall mount in 1965, the business has always moved with the times, expanding its portfolio to include multiple industry-firsts according to customers’ changing needs. In September 2021, Peerless-AV hosted its first ever showcase event in London with over 20 exhibiting partners and cojoining events. 2021 has been another great year for Peerless- AV in terms of achieving record business growth across the globe, as well as increasing the size of its global team and ensuring an uninterrupted, high level of customer service and fulfil-

ment, all during a pandemic. Now with 80 years under its belt, Peerless-AV is as agile as ever and, as its very name suggests, continues to design, manufacture and deliver unrivalled products, dependable customer service and industry leadership. In 2021, Peerless-AV launched its new generation Outdoor Digital Menu Boards for the fast-growing QSR market and in December launched its new generation 55" Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display offering significant new operating system upgrades. In September, Peerless-AV's first ever showcase and networking event took place, marking a milestone for the EMEA business and reflecting the company’s commitment to bringing the AV industry together, encouraging positivity and interaction. In 2021, Peerless-AV held a charity golf day at Foxhills in aid of the Ruth Strauss Foundation and raised £18,000.

AV Project of the Year (Live / Digital Events) Winners: Panasonic Panasonic is pioneering the creation of incredible immersive experiences through the use of projectors. Its range of 4K projectors, up to 50,000 lumens, and additional associated technology innovations, such as its Real Time Tracking Projection Mapping system, have been used to fulfil the public’s growing desire for immersive entertainment, edutainment and art-tainment experiences. The most immersive experiences often require large scale images, surrounding and filling the vision of visitors with the content. This is achieved by seamlessly blending images from multiple projectors to look like one single image. Panasonic has the most sophisticated and simple to use blending solutions including Geometry Manager Pro Software, Geometric adjustment for 3D mapping (ET-UK20), Gradation Smoother and Edge

Blending Black Level Panasonic offers the whole range of projector technologies and resolutions to enable users to create the immersive experience they require. From LCD Projectors with 4k input capability for the budget constrained, to 1-Chip and 3-Chip DLP Projectors with pixel shifting technologies to Native 4K Chipset in 3-DLP projector models for the ultimate in high resolution images. Although projectors are an essential element in creating an immersive environment, they also need to remain an invisible technology, so as not to distract the audience from the immersive impact of the image. Panasonic focuses on producing the quietest and most compact projectors in all its ranges, alongside an incredibly wide variety of specialist Ultra Short Throw, Periscope and Fisheye lenses to ensure projectors can be easily hidden in ceilings or

P27 AV News June 2022

AV News Award Winners positioned in the most difficult of spaces. In most attraction and entertainment venues projectors could be operating intensively for long periods. All Panasonic’s laser projector models contain built-in features to prevent black screen time. For example, all have a multi drive laser light source, so that should one

light source fail, the projector can still operate. All laser models also feature a fail-safe input system ensuring that if an input fails, it will switch to a back-up without loss of image. All projectors come with a standard 3-year warranty or a guarantee of 20,000 hours of non-maintenance operation in normal mode – whichever comes first.

Warranty extensions are available for up to 5-years and customised warranty plans are possible. Remote maintenance solutions are also available, with Panasonic monitoring the performance of the projectors remotely and providing servicing and maintenance as required.

Retail ‘crisis’ initiatives by Microsoft and the Retail Trust There are around three million people working in the retail sector across the UK, making it one of the largest employment sectors in the economy. An initiative to improve the wellbeing of retail staff across the UK and help them feel happier

delivered over 14,000 counselling sessions. Now, the Retail Trust plans to launch a series of digital tools, content and courses on physical, mental and financial health to help more employees enjoy a long and happy career in the sector.

AV Project of the Year (Education)

An initiative to improve the wellbeing of retail staff across the UK and help them feel happier and more appreciated has been launched by the Retail Trust and Microsoft

Winner: Sunderland College Igloo Cylinder Igloo vision

and more appreciated has been launched by the Retail Trust and Microsoft. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant effect on frontline staff and their families, with the Retail Trust revealing it handed out £800,000 in financial aid in 2021 – double the amount in 2020. Over the past two years, more than a quarter of a million people accessed the Retail Trust’s helpline and digital self-help support, and the organisation

Sunderland College was looking to install an immersive environment to enhance teaching and learning, so turned to Igloo Vision’s expertise. We installed a fully immersive 360° 7-metre cylinder with full projection, equipped with our Immersive Media Player and Enterprise software package. The space was acoustically treated to reduce noise transfer between classrooms as well as containing a movable podium for system control, which can be placed inside or outside the cylinder. It’s being used to train students safely and efficiently in real-world work environments, to obtain the experience of working in simulated real- world settings and to enrich educational experience. The cylinder allows Sunderland College teachers to innovate their practice and provide better experiences for students at the college, improving participation and retention. The space has enabled Sunderland College to attract potential students to new T Level courses, alongside increasing student numbers, showing the college’s

commitment to digital strategy and digital literacy. Alongside improving student aspirations by providing an interactive space that incentivises and motivates the students, the cylinder offers a place for better work experience placements and for local employers to partner with the

for training and experience, on construction sites, in hospitals, around offshore wind farms, and many more. The cylinder enables Sunderland College to improve communication and cross-site interaction between different departments and local colleges, creating a whole new paradigm

CEDAT85 and Sennheiser team up to deliver secure speech transcription

college on vocational courses. With a 360° cylinder and full-floor projection, the space is truly immersive and takes educational environments to the next level by transporting students to real-world settings

of teaching skills and allowing students to draw on the best examples of whatever they are learning – no matter where they are located.

ing collaborative relationships. Whether it's with customers, staff, suppliers or communities, the relationships we've built over the years truly have been the bedrock of our success. We don't have a one-solution-fitsall approach for our customers. We're gurus and geeks, devising highly customised systems that keep you always ahead of the game. We look to challenge the status quo, too. The first

to deliver interactive touchscreens into education and the first to deliver a fully immersive collaboration environment ‚ that's IDNS. Ultimately, we find the answer to your challenge that will bring about the best and biggest impact for you and your users. And we'll make the whole process easier than you ever thought possible.

AV News Editor’s choice: Winner: IDNS

It's 1988, and in a Bolton Business Ventures office (with a portable cabin as a warehouse) IDNS began. We were a much simpler business back then, supplying printer ribbons, toners and the odd bit of technical advice. We've gone from strength to strength ever since, growing and evolving to become what we are today: a widely respected name, supplying trusted expertise and the worlds leading technology products. The one true constant is how we've always gone about doing business, by forg-

These preventative and curative services will use Microsoft services such as Teams, Dynamics 365, Azure, Sharepoint and Power BI, and hosted on a range of platforms to ensure help is reaching employees in a way that suits them. The trust is also looking to create a Retail Wellbeing Index that will give retailers a view of their wellbeing performance and let them compare it with others. Combining anonymised data and relevant third-party

information, companies can see how they compare on topics such as workforce diversity, employee retention and attrition, and absenteeism. They can also view upcoming trends, as well as see recommended actions to improve wellbeing among their staff. Poppie Foakes, Director of Product and Innovation at the Retail Trust said: “The retail industry is at a crisis point, with many workers choosing to leave the industry with no plans to return. With the war for talent – and retaining it – now spiralling, the retail industry must choose to make their teams happier, feel more appreciated and truly care for their wellbeing. This needs to be driven by the leadership, and managers at all levels need to be trained and focused upon colleagues’ health and wellbeing.” Howard Lewis, Head of Retail, Consumer Goods, Travel and Transport at Microsoft UK, said: “The retail sector has been on the frontline of the COVID pandemic, providing communities with vital products and services. However, the unprecedented challenges have taken a toll on the wellbeing of staff. Microsoft is working with the Retail Trust to provide digital tools and services that can empower retail leaders to better understand individuals in their teams and offer the right support, at the right time.”

P28 AV News June 2022

CEDAT85 and Sennheiser team up to deliver secure speech transcription CEDAT85 and Sennheiser have announced a bundled audio solution that combines CEDAT85’s innovative standalone transcription solution, CABOLO, with Sennheiser’s Speechline Digital Wireless (SLDW) microphone system. Together, these products enhance the inclusiveness of meetings by providing superior speech intelligibility with real-time language transcription and translation, ensuring all participants can speak and be heard in their language of choice. This is the first step for both

companies as they enter into a partnership to present a joint Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) today announced it has recently received a variety of third-party

certifications and attestations, unveiled product innovations, and established programs, which collectively demonstrate the many initiatives undertaken at Zoom that help protect the security and privacy of its users: “Safety, security, and privacy are at the core of how we make decisions at Zoom and enhance our platform,” said Jason Lee, Chief Information Security Officer at Zoom. “We remain committed to being a platform that users can trust for all of their online interactions, information, and business.” At Zoom, third-party certifications and standards are inte-

gral to its security program’s foundation. Zoom recently expanded its list of growing attestations with the following: Publication of a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA)

CABOLO is an innovative solution that, without any internet connection requirement, can automatically record, transcribe, and translate in realtime meeting and interview content with the utmost confidentiality, keeping the conversations encrypted (the files produced are encrypted with AES 256 encryption algorithm) and stored securely. Also featuring AES 256 encryption, Sennheiser’s SLDW combines the advantages of a wireless microphone with automatic frequency selection to create the perfect digital wireless microphone system for speech and lecture. The SLDW’s versatility and ability to adapt to the requirements of individual applications makes it an ideal choice for industry partners seeking an innovative audio solution to complement their technology. From left to right: Enrico Giannotti [Managing Director, CEDAT85], Selena Gray [Marketing Director, CEDAT85], Kai Tossing [Head of Product Management Business Communication at Sennheiser], Stefano Aldrovandi [Head of International Operations, CEDAT85]

News

Zoom announces latest certifications and innovations on Zoom’s Meetings, Webinar, and Chat services from SURF (the collaborative organization for IT in Dutch education and research). Zoom also agreed to several actions in the course of collaborating on the DPIA. These include new features, improved transparency and documentation, enhanced practices, and a measurement plan. In addition, Achievement of the Cyber Essentials Plus certification demonstrates Zoom’s commitment to the UK by achieving a security scheme, which makes it easier for local customers to assess the company’s IT systems. Provisional Authorization (PA) for Zoom for Government from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) for the Department of Defense (DoD) at Impact Level 4 (IL4). With this PA, the entire Zoom for Government platform will be available for use for those organizations in need of IL4-authorized solutions. The Zoom Meeting Client is the first video communications client to attain certification for Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 2 (v3.1 rev. 5), issued by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Furthermore, Zoom has sat-

isfied ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification and SOC 2 + HITRUST requirements. Zoom Meetings, Zoom Phone, Zoom Chat, Zoom Rooms, and Zoom Webinar are now certified as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) / International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 27001:2013 compliant. Zoom also expanded the scope of its SOC 2 Type II report to include additional criteria to meet Health Information Trust Alliance Common Security Framework (HITRUST CSF) control requirements. In addition, Zoom continues to enhance its security features for all users with the introduction of recent innovations such as automatic updates in the Zoom client. With automatic updates, Zoom is helping users to receive important security fixes and other features, improving their overall experience with the Zoom platform. Innovations that will soon be available include a Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) offering, which will be released this year, and Zoom’s end-to-end encryption (E2EE) offering will be rolled out to Zoom Phone, for one-on-one, intra-account phone calls that occur via the Zoom client later this year.

Review

Poly Studio R30 video bar Poly (NYSE: POLY) has introduced its latest pro-grade solutions to solve the evolving needs of today’s distributed workforce. Additions to Poly’s portfolio of smart devices include the Poly Studio R30 video bar, Poly Sync 10 speakerphone, and enhancements to the Poly Lens platform to help deliver exceptional experiences from wherever you work. “The ability to deliver a seamless and equitable experience for today’s modern workforce is not only critical for driving business success, but also happier and more productive employees,” said Beau Wilder, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video Collaboration, Poly. “Although organisations have started to announce return-to-office plans, relying on solutions that were successful pre-pandemic will no longer cut it. At Poly, we’re dedicated to investing in pro-grade tools that make sure all employees have equal opportunity and experience – whether in the office, at home or on-the-go.” The Poly Studio Series prograde video conferencing devices deliver a purpose-built experience for meeting rooms of all sizes, including Poly Studio Kits for Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows. Poly’s line-

up of video conferencing devices bring equity and ease to upgrade every meeting with Poly DirectorAI technology which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver real-time automatic transitions, group framing and speaker tracking, presenter and conversation mode, while NoiseBlockAI and Acoustic Fence technologies block-out unwanted background noise. The newest addition to the Poly Studio Series is the Poly Studio R30 smart USB video bar, designed for small meeting rooms. This plug-and-play device comes equipped with Poly DirectorAI technology to ensure everyone is seen clearly with pinpoint-accurate group and speaker framing. Poly is expanding its lineup of devices for Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows to include the Poly Studio R30 Small Room Kit,

The newest addition to the Poly Studio Series is the Poly Studio R30 smart USB video bar, designed for small meeting rooms.

optimized for smaller meeting rooms. The Poly Studio R30 works with the cloud-based video provider of your choice, is certified by Zoom, and will be Microsoft Teams certified by June 2022. Poly Studio R30 video bar features The Poly Studio R30 offers are range of professional features including: •4K camera with 120-degree field of view so meeting participants are seen clearly, even those sitting closest to the camera •Poly DirectorAI smart camera technology that can perfectly frame everyone in the room, an individual speaker, or even track a presenter in real time. •Advanced audio with NoiseBlock AI and Acoustic Fence to block-out unwanted background noise •WiFi device capabilities for remote IT management, reducing the need for additional management software in the room •End-users have the option to personalize settings for their workspace For larger meeting rooms, the Poly Studio E70 camera and Studio X70 video bar are adding a new Poly DirectorAI mode called people framing. People framing mode provides closeups for each meeting participant in the room, which are displayed in gallery mode. People framing mode will be available on Studio E70 and Studio X70 starting in June 2022.

Delivering flexibility In addition to the Poly Studio Small Room Kit for Microsoft Teams, Poly is delivering added flexibility for its entire lineup of Teams Rooms on Windows: •A USB extender and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) options for more flexible room deployments and seamless connections to user’s laptops for any video app •A Camera Control App so users can easily adjust the camera experience or change Poly

DirectorAI modes Pro-grade gear for hybrid workers

AV News tested the Poly R30 across its two nearby office locations with small work sites in each location. The Poly Sync speakerphones feature USB and Bluetooth connectivity with intelligent microphones that track the talker, not the noise. The Sync family lineup is sleek, sophisticated, smart, and designed to deliver crisp audio quality for both work and entertainment. The Poly Sync 10, not tested, is the newest member of the Sync family, is a plug-and-play USB speakerphone designed to upgrade the home office experience, converting any space into your own personal conference room. Perfect for calls and music, its two-microphone steerable array reduces surrounding noise and delivers high-quality audio. The Poly Sync 10 is certified by Microsoft and Zoom and works seamlessly with the cloudbased meeting platform of your choosing. Poly Lens. Aldo not tested. provides a holistic platform with device control for all Poly gear, including the Studio R30 video bar and Sync 10 speakerphone, to enhance workspace and user experience. The cloud-based solution delivers vital management tools for provisioning, monitoring, and troubleshooting Poly devices. No matter where users work, or which device they choose, the Poly Lens App gives them the ability to personalize their experience, stay up to date with the latest software, get helpful usage tips, support, and more. The latest enhancements will feature Lens App for mobile devices supporting Poly Bluetooth devices while on-the-go. Poly Lens App for mobile will be available soon. As part of our mission to support hybrid workers and take steps towards meeting equality, Poly continues to develop solutions for every workstyle and situation, which leads us to the introduction of our newest USB video bar for small rooms: Poly Studio R30. Certified for Zoom and with Microsoft Teams certification pending, Poly Studio R30 shares many of the same func-

tionalities and features found on other Poly video bars but is optimized for small room performance at a small room price. At an MSRP of $799, this USB video bar packs quite the punch with a built-in speaker, 4k camera with a 120-degree field-of-view, 3-element beam-forming microphone array, and Poly DirectorAI smart camera technology.

Test results What we did test was the Poly Studio R30, which incorporates the most important group video elements from Poly’s larger group devices, combined with some user-friendly attributes of other personal devices, like USB connectivity and a removable monitor clamp, to create a device that is thoughtfully optimized for small meeting rooms. Poly says it has “doubled down on elements of the videoconferencing experience that are crucial for hybrid meetings”. Poly DirectorAI technology is the brain behind the cameras, delivering features like group framing, speaker framing and presenter tracking. Performance of this feature was impressive, and while similar functionality is available elsewhere the appeal of the Poly Studio range is that it incorporates all the necessary professional features in one affordable SKU. Poly accomplished this by thoughtfully crafting a set of production rules, inspired by TV and movies, using machine learning and AI to automate those rules based on the dynamics of your meeting. The magic all happens in the camera; it uses facial recognition algorithms and voice triangulation to identify the nuances of your meeting and then create the best frame based on those nuances as well as your preferences. No meeting is the same, and that’s why Poly Studio R30 provides you with the flexibility to use the best framing mode for your unique situation. Scaling down to a small room price also means that this experience is more accessible than ever before.

Model range With the introduction of Poly Studio R30, Ploy continues to build a strong portfolio of certified USB video bars with a dedicated solution for every size room: •Poly Studio P15 is optimised for the home office or in a personal space at the office such as a focus room. •Poly Studio R30 has got the small conference rooms covered for all its USB video bar needs. •Poly Studio USB is ideal for those mid-sized rooms that are a bit too big for Poly Studio R30. With stereo speakers, impressive camera performance, and the option to add an expansion mic, Poly Studio makes the perfect device for those “in-between” rooms. The portfolio of USB video bars, including the newly introduced Poly Studio R30, provides an accessible and professional video conferencing option for meeting rooms of every size. Regardless of what company you work for, what industry you are in, and where your work is getting done, Poly’s collaboration solutions ensure you an equal seat at the virtual meeting table.

Availability and pricing The Poly Studio R30 video bar is available now at Poly.com, and select resellers worldwide, starting at $799 USD. The Poly Studio R30 Small Room Kit for Microsoft Teams Rooms is now available for purchase on Poly. com, and with select resellers worldwide, starting at $2,099 USD (PC not included). The Poly Sync 10 speakerphone is available now at Poly.com, Amazon, and select retailers worldwide, starting at $99.99 USD. Poly Lens and the Poly Lens App for desktop are currently available worldwide at no extra cost. Poly Lens App for mobile will be available soon.

P29 AV News June 2022

Peoplewatch

PEOPLEWATCH IDNS continues to increase its expertise by recruiting Martin Price as Key Account Manager. Price is a larger-than-life character who is well known across the AV industry having served in it for over 27 years across manufacturer, distribution and integrator levels. After nearly a decade at Exertis, the last three of those delivering Microsoft Teams and Zoom meeting room solutions, Price joins IDNS to support their expansion into new verticals and increased penetration in higher and further education. “Since the management buy-out, IDNS have gone from strength to strength. Along with having a fantastic technical setup, they’re a company that cares about their customers, staff and community. I’m very excited to be part of their journey and I’m looking forward to again working directly with end-users.” Commenting on the arrival of Price, Managing Director Darren Clayman said: “Martin joins us with a wealth of AV experience. He has worked in the industry at all levels throughout his career to develop and shape the communication and collaboration space. He will play a key role in supporting our continued growth and further developing the work we’re doing in healthcare and education.”

IDNS continues to increase its expertise by recruiting Martin Price as Key Account Manager PPDS continues to build on its global growth strategy, announcing new senior management structure. Franck Racape, Martijn van der Woude and Robert Hsu extend roles into global operations, as General Manager, Chris Colpaert, departs. Current Vice President EMEA, Franck Racapé, and Director International Business Development, Martijn van der Woude, together with Robert Hsu, will lead the business forward on a global level as Head of Global Commercial, Head of Global Business Development and Marketing, and Head of Global Product Strategy respectively, reporting directly to Nico Vernieuwe, Senior Vice President at TPV, PPDS’ parent company. This new leadership team has been structured to further accelerate the company in its 2020 – 2025 growth plan on a global level, designed around three strategic business pillars – Global Markets, Business Development and Marketing and Product Management. The leadership trio have worked closely together in successfully overseeing PPDS’ most recent evolution, which includes a fullscale company rebrand and launch of a brand-new market strategy in 2021. Franck Racape, who joined the company in 2011, has played an instrumental role in PPDS’ commercial success in EMEA, including the roll out of its global partner programs and a growing number of successful customer support initiatives. Now, he will take the commercial lead for all international markets, with the exception of China, in order to mirror this momentum and lead the implementation of the new strategy on a global level. Martijn van der Woude joined PPDS at the beginning of 2019, and has been responsible, among other things, for the company’s continuously expanding direct view LED portfolio, as well as initiating and continually developing its sustainability roadmap. He will also expand into a newly created role, marrying business development and marketing on a global level, with a focus on end-to-end integration of the company’s dynamic go-to-market strategy. Robert Hsu, who has held the role of Head of Global Product Strategy since he joined PPDS in early 2020, will continue the expansion of the PPDS product and solution portfolio. This has seen the company grow from a traditional manufacturer of digital signage and professional TVs to include interactive and collaboration displays, signage TVs and DV LED in the past two years, as well as a soon-to-be-launched remote display management cloud platform. Commenting on the new structure, Nico Vernieuwe said: “Our success in the professional display industry is a cornerstone of our group’s development. The implementation of our new total solutions strategy, our global approach, and our sustainability programs are all key components. Deploying these seamlessly across all markets on a truly global basis is the real value add for our partners and their customers. “I am delighted to announce our newly

P30 AV News June 2022

appointed leadership team in time for our customers, stakeholders and the industry as a whole, to meet them and learn about our vision for the future. “Franck added: “PPDS continues to go from strength to strength in the market, and I’m honoured to have been entrusted, together with Martijn and Robert, to lead the company forward on a global scale. We have achieved so much in a relatively short period, and I believe we’re still only just getting started, with some incredibly opportunities ahead.” PPDS continues to build on its global growth strategy, announcing new senior management structure. Franck Racape, Martijn van der Woude and Robert Hsu extend roles into global operations, as General Manager, Chris Colpaert, departs. Current Vice President EMEA,

joins Blackbird to lead the strategic development and direction of the Company’s product suite. Having developed video editing and distribution platforms used by thousands of companies and millions of users, Sumit will help take Blackbird’s multi award-winning and multi-patented technology to wider markets. Sumit Rai said: “As the future of video content creation moves to the cloud it’s great to be joining Blackbird, already leaders in the space. The opportunities are endless as the technology can add major efficiencies and value in so many markets and enable many new users. I can’t wait to start working alongside the Blackbird team.” Blackbird CEO, Ian McDonough, added: “I am truly delighted to welcome Sumit, who joins us with immense personal drive and energy informed by relevant industry experience in SaaS video platforms. We are bringing him into the Blackbird team to lead the strategic development of our product portfolio and help accelerate our growth. He joins the Company at an exciting time when we are very well positioned to leverage our core technology into fast growing video markets.”

Blackbird plc has announced the appointment of Sumit Rai as Chief Product Officer. Sumit will join the Company in June 2022 from VEGAS Creative Software where he holds the same role. POLAR has announced the expansion of its team with the appointment of two new members of staff. Mark Bracken joins POLAR’s Integrated Solutions Team as a Business Development Manager, while Joe Glading joins as a Marketing Assistant. Mark Bracken is an experienced AV industry professional who enjoyed sales, marketing and business development roles with Cloud Electronics, Imagesound, Rolec Music and Hayden Laboratories, before broadening his scope as a freelance consultant in the video sector. Returning to the wider world of AV solutions was an opportunity not to be missed according to Bracken: “As the world began to emerge from the worst effects of the pandemic, I was looking for a new challenge within which I could bring together the skills and experience I’ve gained across different areas of the AV industry. When the opportunity with the POLAR Integrated Solutions team arose, it aligned perfectly with that ambition, and I had no hesitation in joining what is clearly a successful and customer-focused team.” Joe Glading joins POLAR from outside the technology industry, having previously worked in the commercial design sector. A skilled graphic designer with management experience in customer service and operations, Joe’s skills dovetail neatly into POLAR’s existing marketing team, providing fresh perspectives whilst corre-

Blackbird plc has announced the appointment of Sumit Rai as Chief Product Officer. Sumit will join the Company in June 2022 from VEGAS Creative Software where he holds the same role. Sumit has over 23 years leadership experience in the video and film industry. Starting off as a visual effects and video editor in news production, children’s TV and film, Sumit progressed to Chief Technology Officer at Pukka Films developing an innovative, award-winning production facility before founding Kulu Valley. Providing enterprise video distribution platforms for tier 1 organizations, Kulu Valley was acquired by Qumu Inc (NASDAQ: QUMU) in 2014 where Sumit served as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Product Officer. Sumit is leaving his position as Chief Product Officer of the well-known video editing platform, VEGAS Pro. He

Peoplewatch

PEOPLEWATCH

Mark Bracken joins POLAR’s Integrated Solutions Team as a Business Development Manager, while Joe Glading joins as a Marketing Assistant. sponding with the company’s customer-first ethos. He comments: “I’m very excited to be joining POLAR and moving into the world of AV. Whilst there is much to learn and absorb, I’m confident that my previous experience will transfer effectively to my new position and can add value to the business.” POLAR Managing Director John Midgley reflects on the appointments: “We have emerged from recent market turbulence in a strong position, and these two appointments are a response to steadily increasing demand across all sectors of the business. As confidence has returned, our Integrated Solutions team is responding to an upsurge in new project work. Adding Mark’s experience across the entire AV spectrum will be invaluable in helping new and existing customers to successfully execute their aims. We’ve also recently taken on a number of new brands, so strengthening our marketing operation with Joe’s appointment ensures that our messaging remains strong, consistent and creative.” Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the appointment of Mark Minall as Vice President Defence and Intelligence. Mark will be the global lead for this rapidly expanding part of the Lightware business. Mark brings more than three decades of experience in the Defence and Intelligence sector to Lightware. His military background in C5ISR (Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) combined with his successful business development and strategy experience since 2011 will see the global reach of Lightware products and services grow further into this sector. His last appointment was at Elbit Systems UK, where for nearly 5 years as Business Development Director, he successfully led the UK growth in the maritime domain and Electronic Warfare sector. Mark is based in the UK. “I am delighted to join Lightware and intend to build on its impressive success by further developing the Defence and Intelligence market,” says Mark Minall, Global VP Defence and Intelligence for Lightware. “I have a passion for innovation and technology and I’m looking forward to increasing brand awareness and familiarising the sector with Lightware’s innovative

opment and strategy with multi-national companies and a strong military background, will be a great representation of our brand on the global market.” Lightware design and develop highly innovative, secure, zero-to low latency, scalable and interoperable COTS AV products and systems, some designed to meet NATO accreditation standards. Its high-fidelity solutions such as the MX modular matrix range and Data Diode Technology can be safely deployed within highly classified environments in line with national and international Information Assurance requirements. “Lightware is proud to support mission-critical systems across land, air and sea domains, and has been delivering trusted AV solutions for defence and intelligence clients around the world for many years,” Vida adds. “We continually invest in this part of our business and look forward to supporting our Défense and Intelligence partners, customers and end-users as they place their trust and confidence in us.” Kinly has announced a key European appointment as Duncan MacPherson is promoted to UK & Ireland Services Director. With a wealth of experience gained from 20 years in professional AV, Duncan has enjoyed various roles at Kinly, along with its former CityIS Ltd and Viju identities, over the past 15 years. The new role will see him responsible for further enhancing Kinly’s operational standards, along with maintaining the highest levels of service support to its customers. The appointment is in-line with Kinly’s ongoing growth across the world as workplace technology transforms to the hybrid era. The company now employs around 1,200 people with over 2,500 clients utilizing their services. “I am delighted to be taking up this position at such an exciting and challenging time for the industry,” he said. “During my time at Kinly I have been fortunate to gain valuable experience in a variety of roles, working my way up from an engineer to an operations director and many more, so I have a clear understanding of how vital excellent service is to our customers, along with the processes that ensure smooth and successful projects.” Duncan adds: “As requirements for a hybrid workplace develop for our customers, I believe Kinly is ideally positioned to deliver the agile and flexible service portfolio necessary to maintain business productivity in these transitional times for our clients. The wealth of experience in the team, the broad range of services from remote management, onsite specialists and a highly responsive specialist service centre and field operation – means Kinly is the ideal partner in the market.” Tom Martin, Managing Director of Northern Europe & Interim CEO, Kinly, concludes: “With Duncan’s knowledge and experience in leading successful teams at Kinly, we are thrilled to welcome him to this new role. High levels of service and support are the essence of a successful business relationship and essential to a smooth AV operation. We are wholly confident that, in Duncan, we have one of the best there is to deliver the highest standards expected by Kinly’s customers.”

provide AVer Europe with increased senior capability to serve more customers across Europe.” Eric Garnier is promoted to EU Head of Sales for Education business unit. Based in Paris, his new role extends responsibility for sales management of channel sales managers across all of continental Europe for AVER’s education product portfolio including Pro AV, Charging Solutions and Visualizers. Olivier Fontana is promoted to EU Head of Sales for Video Conferencing business unit. Also based in Paris, his new role extends to sales management of channel sales managers across all of continental Europe for AVER’s VC product portfolio which includes, USB Cameras, Soundbars and MTR based solutions. Jose Rincon is promoted to EU Head of Product Management. In this new role, Jose will manage the product management team based in Madrid, that handles both the education and video conferencing product portfolios. Rene Buhay further comments, “These promotions recognise the hard work, commitment and expertise that Eric, Olivier and Jose have applied, helping AVer expand its solutions in Europe. With more resource and responsibility, they will continue to provide excellent local support for existing and future customers across Europe.” AVer has experienced dramatic increased demand across Europe for its products. In the edtech sector advanced, innovative visualiser and PTZ camera technology provided continuity for educational institutions as they adapted to remote learning under lockdown conditions. Keeping students engaged while preserving the quality and intimacy of an in-classroom discussion has been made possible with AVer solutions. A ‘hybrid-flex’ teaching model allows students to attend teaching modules in person or remotely, reducing travel commitments and costs, lowering carbon emissions and better equipping educational institutions to deliver more flexible and resilient, high quality learning experiences. The PRO-AV market across Europe has seen a similar trend. Remote workers now require higher quality and more robust AV solutions to enable effective collaboration. Advanced functionality such as auto tracking elevates the viewing experience by seamlessly transitioning video between speakers. 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) and 12x optical zoom are becoming the norm for internal and external business video conferencing. AVer is meeting these requirements with its PRO AV auto tracking, PTZ and NDI® camera solutions.

Kinly has announced a key European appointment as Duncan MacPherson is promoted to UK & Ireland Services Director.

Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the appointment of Mark Minall as Vice President Defence and Intelligence. products and technologies.” Gergely Vida, CEO at Lightware Visual Engineering said, “I welcome Mark as the VP of Défense and Intelligence. Mark, who has proven track record in business devel-

AVer Europe has announced the promotions of Eric Garnier, Olivier Fontana and Jose Rincon to meet increasing demand for AVer solutions across Europe. The advent of Covid-19 and the need for increased remote working and hybrid learning has accelerated the adoption of high quality PRO-AV standard solutions across the education and commercial sectors in Europe. For many organisations, reliance on existing built-in AV solutions has proved to be insufficient, causing fatigue, frustration, and loss of concentration for participants. AVer has seen huge demand for its high-quality solutions across Europe in the education and commercial sectors. The AVer Europe team has ensured seamless, integrated installation of these advanced solutions, to create minimal disruption and maximum communication potential in already challenging times. Rene Buhay, SVP of Sales and Marketing at AVer Europe comments, “Remote working, distance and blended/hybrid learning are here to stay as the world adapts to the new normal. These appointments

P31 AV News June 2022

Dairy and Events

InfoComm 2022:live events and audio InfoComm 2022 and education InfoComm 2022 (exhibits June 8-10) at the Las Vegas Convention Center will explore the pro AV solutions that power live events in addition to the latest advancements in audio solutions. The show will feature an extensive lineup of leading solution providers across the trade show floor, a comprehen-

Audio Protocols and Use Cases.” A panel of experts who have worked to shape these protocols will discuss their intents, strengths, and technical implementation. They’ll also discuss the future of audio protocols, including how companies and organizations can work together to support open-

9. This event is an opportunity for live events professionals to discuss the latest happenings and changes in the live events industry and mingle with peers. In addition, a tour of Las Vegas nightclubs led by Gerardo Gonzalez, Senior Director, Technical Services for Tao Group Hospitality, will take attendees

InfoComm 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center will examine the pro AV solutions that drive the ever-evolving learning space. The show will feature a vast program of education sessions and leading solution providers across the trade show floor focused on enhancing the teaching and learning experience. There will also be an expert-led tour of learning solutions on the trade show floor in addition to a tour of real-world pro AV applications at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. “Learning technology managers are at the forefront of experimenting with new applications for collaboration and teaching technologies,” said Annette Sandler, Director of Live Content U.S./

and organizations across the U.S. From competition to curriculum, audiovisual integration plays a key role in these unique and complicated spaces. Kell will share insight from his experience as a competitive gamer and his methodology in designing and developing over 100 esports programs as CEO of Esports Integration and Horizon AVL. Also, on Wed., June 8, the session “How the University of North Carolina’s Reece Innovation Lab Used AI to Enforce Covid Polices will share how UNC partnered with Lenovo and Intel to rapidly design and deploy masks and social distancing detection signage. Steven King, Professor of Emerging Technologies and

In addition, a tour of Las Vegas nightclubs led by Gerardo Gonzalez, Senior Director, Technical Services for Tao Group Hospitality, will take attendees through JEWEL, Hakkasan, and Omnia to see how each showcases their style of audiovisual guest experiences. sive education program, audio demo rooms, and tours of pro AV applications around Las Vegas that highlight these vibrant pro AV solutions. “The live events and audio communities have produced so much innovation over the past two years,” said Annette Sandler, Director of Live Content U.S./Canada, AVIXA. “We are excited to bring these groups together for education and insights into how productions have evolved and the new technologies making this possible.” On Tues., June 7, Eboni Green, CEO of Mics to Messaging and Alexander Williams, CTS, CTS-D, Technology Director for Mics to Messaging, will present the session “Create Remarkable Hybrid Events Using AV, Social Media, and Messaging.” Green and Williams emphasize that the foundation to creating an amazing hybrid event experience is the strategic planning of on-site experiences that will be well-received virtually and provide sufficient ROI for event investors. Their session will focus on creating events that provide opportunities for connection, brand engagement and advocacy, and support strategic goals. On Wed., June 8, Troy Peters, CTS, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Video West, will lead the session “Show Calling and Stage Management for Live Events.” He will discuss the show caller’s role in directing an audiovisual experience with numerous moving parts. From managing the onstage talent, to the technical know-how, Peters will share how to engage with the on-site engineers, show producers, stage managers, and even the audience to design and execute the perfect live event. Also taking place on Wed., June 8, is the session “Networked

ness, interoperability, and ultimately network convergence. The panel includes Dan Ferrisi, Editor-in-Chief of Commercial Integrator, Paul Zielie, CTS-D, CTS-I, Solutions Architect for AVCoIP, Scott Sugden, Product and Technology Outreach Manager for L-Acoustics, Kathryn Taub, Vertical Marketing Manager for Corporate and Higher Education at Audinate, and Andrew Starks, Director of Product Management at Macnica Americas. The session “Selecting Assistive Listening Technology” on Thurs., June 9, will be led by Dave Bertrand, National Sales Manager of Western US for Williams AV. He will address how an AV professional’s goal is to create meaningful user experiences, yet sometimes the impact of these engaging experiences is lost on people with hearing challenges. Bertrand will discuss the ADA standards that state that it’s the responsibility of public venues to ensure that everyone can equally participate in the venue’s offering. He will share how to select the right assistive listening technology to meet ADA requirements while creating an exceptional user experience. InfoComm 2022 will feature ten audio demo rooms, purpose-built showrooms where attendees can experience different audio products away from the ambient noise of the trade show floor. Attendees will immerse themselves in the audio experience with product demonstrations, enjoy live performances from special guests, learn from the experts at top audio manufacturers, and discover what's next on the audio product horizon. The audio demo rooms are open Tues., June 7 through Fri., June 10. View the full schedule. The Live Events Forum and Reception takes place on Thurs., June

P32 AV News June 2022

through JEWEL, Hakkasan, and Omnia to see how each showcases their style of audiovisual guest experiences, from automation to lights, visuals, and sound. Attendees will learn first-hand from the technicians that work with some of the top artists in the world. This tour is set for Wed., June 8 from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional tours showcasing live events solutions will take place at Resorts World Las Vegas, Illuminarium Experiences, and Omega Mart. Learn more at www.infocommshow.org/education/tours.

InfoComm 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center will examine the pro AV solutions that drive the ever-evolving learning space. Canada, AVIXA. “InfoComm 2022 has a compelling lineup of technologists ready to share their experiences adapting to a new education landscape over the past two years.” On Wed., June 8, Joshua Kell, CEO of Horizon AVL, will explore “How to Launch and Sustain a Popular Esports Program,” a topic at the forefront among educational institutions

Immersive Media at UNC, and Balaji Srinivasan from Intel will be joined by Megan Dutta, Editor in Chief of LAVNCH CODE, to discuss the use of the Health Greeter Kiosk—from the innovation process to deployment— and future possibilities for responsive and interactive digital signage using computer vision. On Thurs., June 9, Jodie Penrod, Senior Director of Tech-

nology for Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, will present the session “Using Classroom Technology Design to Create an Equitable HyFlex Learning Experience.” She will highlight the design of learning space technology to support an equitable experience for both physical and remote students to achieve an optimal level of learning. Penrod will also discuss the importance of designing a HyFlex space that allows the instructor to focus on pedagogy instead of complex technology. On Wed., June 8 at 10 a.m., Joe Way, CTS, Director of Learning Environments for the University of Southern California, will lead a 90-minute show floor tour of the latest products and solutions for delivering enhanced learning experiences. Tour participants will visit cutting-edge startups and hear about innovative ideas from some of the market leaders. InfoComm 2022 will also host tours of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where attendees will experience the university’s hybrid learning classroom solution, RebelFlex. This solution allows instructors to teach a face-to-face class simultaneously with remote students. The tours will also explore the Flora Dungan Humanities building’s 254-seat theatre/ classroom featuring a Dolby Atmos immersive audio experience and a 4K Barco cinema laser projection system. Frank Alaimo, CTS-I, DMC-E-4K, Senior AV Systems Specialist at UNLV, will lead two tours: Tues., June 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

IFA 2022 : large-scale and in real-life! IFA Berlin – the world’s most important trade show for consumer electronics and household appliances – is making a large-scale and real-life return this year, from 2-6 September 2022. Brands, manufacturers and retailers alike are queuing up to come to Berlin, following a two-year hiatus caused by the Covid pandemic. Twothirds of IFA’s Top exhibitors have already confirmed their attendance, with a huge number of exhibitors planning to return at the same scale as in 2019, the last IFA year before the pandemic. This is in line with strong bookings across the board for all exhibition spaces. The return of IFA continues to get a lot of positive feedback from retailers across Europe and beyond. All major retail groups have confirmed that they will be in Berlin, ready to see the action. For them, IFA is a key platform and their first large-scale opportunity to reconnect with brands, discuss innovation and ensure a resilient supply chain ahead of the most important shopping season of the year. Exhibitor reactions include: •Michael Block, CEO Audiob-

lock: “We are ready and we are on fire for the first IFA since 2 years. It is necessary that global fairs like the IFA take place and show new technique and new products. Also, the personality and the spirit on the show

•Michael Geisler , General Manager, Electrolux Hausgeräte GmbH: “September without IFA is simply not the same. We at Electrolux can’t wait to see the fair returning – and with it, the perfect plat-

IFA Berlin – the world’s most important trade show for consumer electronics and household appliances – is making a large-scale and real-life return this year. is important for good business and motivate us and our customers.” •Jean-Christophe Agobert, CEO Bleujour: “For us as a manufacturer of mini-PCs, the IFA is one of the most important trade fairs. We can´t wait to be a part of it again with our premium products for business and gaming.”

form for showcasing our sustainable innovations.” •Michael Maier, Head of Fitbit Central Europe: “A lot has changed in the two years without IFA in Berlin, also at Fitbit: we have become part of Google. What has not changed: we are still excited about discussing the future of health & wellbeing with our partners and guests.”

•Harald Friedrich, Managing Director Robert Bosch Hausgeräte GmbH: “We look forward with great anticipation to presenting our innovations at IFA 2022, to meeting clients again in person and to reinforcing our relationships.” •Michael Mehnert, Managing Director Siemens Home Appliances Germany: “IFA is the summit for retailers, manufacturers and the media. We are excited to present our brand and our innovations in person again – more impressive than ever.” •Pingji Li, VP TP-Link Corporation Limited: “TP-Link is dedicated to exploring the possibilities of connecting everything. We’re excited to bring our latest networking and smart home solutions to IFA 2022. See you there!” •TEX YANG, VP of Global Business Unit XGIMI: “Welcome back, IFA! This year, XGIMI will introduce amazing features, easy-to-use devices, and fast setups for a premier viewing experience. Stay tuned for exciting news!”