InfoComm 2012 solidified its status as the mecca for professionals in the audiovisual and systems integration industries, by recording an upswing in visitor and exhibitor figures when it was held in Las
Vegas in June.

Held annually InfoComm provides attendees the opportunity to
explore tens of thousands of audiovisual products and services while
offering more than 300 educational seminars, workshops and labs.
This year’s three-day show saw 925 exhibitors showcase their
audiovisual products and services to over 34 000 attendees from over
90 countries (up by 4%) on a trade floor spanning more than 45 000
square metres.

During the trade fair, InfoComm International announced that a
new Market Definition and Strategy Study (MDSS) sized the current AV
industry at $78 billion.

The MDSS, which was conducted by Acclaro Growth Partners on
behalf of InfoComm International, also projected that audiovisual
products and services will become a $115 billion global industry by
2015.

“The AV industry is strong, despite a challenging global business
environment, because society relies on AV technology to facilitate
essential communications,’ said Randal A. Lemke, Executive Director
and CEO, InfoComm International. “To meet the future needs of our
customers the audiovisual industry will require a well-trained
workforce to respond to ever-growing customer needs.’

The findings of the MDSS, which include a global overview and
information by regions including North America, Latin America,
Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa-Middle East, can be purchased in its
entirety or by regional section.

Conferences

InfoComm 2012 did not only consist of an exhibition boasting the latest
industry technology trends and solutions but also a cutting-edge
conference programme, with more than 300 educational sessions
that covered topics from acoustics to video conferencing.

This year’s popular courses were Future Trends and Certified
Technology Specialist (CTS) Prep. Other popular classes included
Service Level Agreements, Business Symposium and AV Signals Gone
Wireless. During the AV Signals Gone Wireless seminar Pete Putman
examined the technical requirements and challenges of wireless
audio, video and data transmission, including minimum bit rates,
compression formats, spectrum requirements and new, proprietary
wireless protocols such as WHDI.

The Business Symposium, which is designed for c-level professionals,
focussed on the latest marketing results from InfoComm’s MDSS survey
and examined ways for companies to maximise profits and
performance. The business symposium also included an engaging
mini-workshop on “Adaptive Innovation’ – a systematic and
disciplined process for identifying key market trends through a strong
portfolio of relationships, testing new market opportunities and the
ability to quickly move from concept to commercialisation.

At this year’s show AV professionals were also exposed to practical
advice, expert solutions and technical education with
InfoComm University training. With 65% of new sessions, this year’s
education programme was full of practical tips and concepts
attendees could apply immediately at their work places.

Display

Barco promoted
three new heavyduty
HD projectors
for its rental portfolio
– the HDF-W22,
HDF-W26 and
HDQ-2K40. The
projectors offer
22 000, 26 000 40 000
lumens light output
respectively.
In addition, the HDX-W18, HDF-W26 and HDQ-2K40 projectors will be
available with an adjustable brightness feature later this year. Thanks
to this unique “light-on-demand’ technology, rental companies can
standardise their fleet on three projector models to generate any
brightness from 10 000 up to 40 000 lumens.
Distributed by www.questekadvanced.co.za

projectiondesign made its
presence known by
showcasing their new F35
series of projectors. The F35
series is available with a
choice of WQXGA, WUXGA or
1080p resolution, and up to
WUXGA at 120Hz 3D Active stereo. With the range of options and
resolutions, the F35 enables the set-up of high-density displays with
fewer projectors, a valuable benefit for multi-channel systems
requiring the highest resolution possible. Updated functionality to the
F35 series adds 3G-SDI, HDMI 1.4 and several other I/O options through
its unique modular XPort™ extension system. XPort also adds
advanced back-end signal processing options for the projectors to be
forward compatible with future formats and systems, generating a
more future proof and healthy investment, with a longer service life
and lower TCO.
Distributed by www.questekadvanced.co.za

Christie introduced six
new 3LCD projectors
across two platforms at
this year’s show. The
Christie LW401, Christie
LW551i, Christie LWU421,
and Christie LWU501i
(pictured) feature wide-screen capabilities and provide from 4 000 to
5 500 lumens along with professional functionality and complete the
product line introduced earlier this year with the Christie LX501 and
Christie LX601i.

A highlight from Elite Screens
was the AcousticPro-4K. It has
an ultra-white front projection
screen surface with a 1.1 gain
that provides excellent colour
neutrality for superb colour
reproduction along with wide
diffusion uniformity. The
angular weave is designed to
handle 4K (4096×2160) and
1080P (1920×1080) projectors while eliminating the visual artefact
known as moire effect. The dense mesh of the material with its
ultra-fine perforations creates a projection canvas that almost
identically resembles our best-selling and award-winning CineWhite
material. The virtual absence of the acoustic perforations means
sound is not compromised and a clear sonic transparency is
achieved.
Distributed by www.electrosonic.co.za

Sony debuted three new
portable projectors at
InfoComm, including the
VPL-DX120 (XGA at 2600
lumens), VPL-DX140 (XGA at
3200 lumens) and VPL-DW120
(WXGA at 2600 lumens). All
three projectors weigh 5lbs 7oz. They are incorporated with Sony’s “off
and go’ feature for removal immediately after use, have auto
keystone adjustment and keystone distortion and include a carrying
case. In addition, all three projectors have an Auto Mode (auto
brightness adjustment function), where the brightness of the lamp’s
output is automatically adjusted depending on the brightness of the
projected image, to avoid unnecessary power consumption. Sony
claims that this feature helps the lamps to last about 7 000 hours.

Panasonic announced their new
interactive plasma displays, the
PB1 Series. The new displays offer
pixel-for-pixel accuracy, full
whiteboard and presentation
capability, and are ideal for
higher education settings as well
as corporate meeting rooms.
The PB1 Series features
high-speed and simultaneous multiple-input drawing capabilities via
the new electronic pen system. This system detects and displays the
pen position 60 times a second on each pixel. The system allows up to
four pens to be used at once for actions such as written annotation,
drawing and moving items independently around the screen.
Additionally, the system includes handwriting recognition software.
Because the technology is based on fixed location pixels, the device
requires no calibration, which decreases total installation time as well
as follow up maintenance.

AMD publicised immediate
availability of the AMD FirePro™
W600 professional graphics card, the
company’s first professional graphics
card to leverage AMD’s Graphics
Core Next architecture and 28nm
production technology. For use in
high-resolution, content-rich, multi-screen display wall environments.
With this launch AMD addresses a growing need for large, dynamic
screens that are easily updated with new content.

Vivitek Corporation debuted the
super-bright D8800 projector, which
features dual lamp technology and
interchangeable colour wheels for
more diverse applications and
installation experiences.
The projector is designed for the
Pro AV staging business and has a
native WUXGA resolution (16:10 format), allowing for full HD resolution
and boasts 8000ANSI Lumen. It is built using DLP technology, single
chip 0.67′ DMD and offers broad connectivity including HDMI, DVI,
BNC Component, RJ-45, HDSDI in/out. It has 2x400Watt lamp and
weighs about 30kg. This projector can be stacked up to four times.
Distributed by www.audiosure.co.za

Panasonic announced a
lamp-free projector series with
HDBaseT technology. These new
projectors replace a conventional
lamp with new LED / laser diodes
to realise long lasting high brightness. The one-chip DLP PT-RZ470 and
PT-RZ370 Series projectors will be made available in two different
resolutions, 1080p (1920×1080) and WXGA (1280×800). The new lighting
technology offers 20 000 hours of maintenance-free operation.

Sharp demonstrated their PN-L802B
80′ Class Aquos Board LED interactive
display system with full 1920 x 1080 HD
resolution that offers a high quality,
high impact alternative to interactive
projectors in many corporate,
government and educational settings.
Use it as a digital whiteboard; as a
multipurpose business tool with the included Sharp Pen Software™;
use it as a data display for presentations; command and control and
data viewing; use it as a remote collaboration tool to conduct
webinars and video conferences; use it as an interactive signage
monitor for way finding; and other interactive applications.

Video Conferencing
Vidyo Inc. and Barco
showcased a joint effort to
integrate Vidyo’s award winning
software-based
video communications
platform with Barco’s
innovative imaging solutions
on display at InfoComm
2012.
At the show the
companies unveiled a
technology demonstration
which conveys the integration of two platforms: the first 4K immersive
video conferencing and collaboration system. The integrated solution
offers unprecedented flexibility, multi-modal content display
capabilities, with rich multi-point HD video communications. The
system enables flexible layouts on a single screen and displays up to
16 high quality streams totaling eight mega pixels – including ultra-high resolution data sharing up to three megapixels. Barco’s
complete 140′ virtual canvas offers this unlimited layout flexibility at
the highest resolution for participants, content or both on the same
screen.
Distributed by www.questekadvanced.co.za

LifeSize, a division of Logitech
announced its Unity Series, including
LifeSize® Unity 50™ and LifeSize®
Unity 500™. These sleek, all-in-one
HD video conferencing solutions are
designed specifically for simple
setup and ease of use, enabling
companies of all sizes to reap the
benefits of HD telepresence without
the hefty price tag or the need for a
room makeover.
Optimised for video, audio and
presentation the LifeSize Unity 500 is
built with best-in-class HD video,
audio and presentation
components in an all-in-one video
collaboration solution. The product also boasts that it is easy to use
and can be completely set up in just minutes.

Taidenexhibited its HCS-8300
Series Paperless Multi-media
Congress System. The system is
especially designed for
high-end meetings, such as
summits, congresses,
parliaments and city councils.
HCS-8300 Series Paperless
Multi-media Congress System
based on TAIDEN
independent intellectual
property Media Congress™ platform, never subject to viral
infection, hacker-proof, safe and reliable. Paperless Multi-media
Congress Terminal – equipped with a 7’/10′ high-resolution LCD
touch panel and an integrated 3 million pixel camera, realises
interactive conference control functions (speech, voting, SIS),
paperless meetings, video conversation, various video service and
conference service.
Distributed by www.audiosure.co.za

Industry professionals’ perspectives on InfoComm 2012

Eugene Coetzee – Electrosonic
“I would say that InfoComm lived up to
previous tradeshows. There were many
manufacturers who had improved products, or
second and third generation versions of
products.
Although I spent most of my time at Crestron,
Kramer, Elite and NEC, one particular product
that caught my eye was the transparent LCD
displays by Samsung.
One of the biggest trends I saw is not a new one – the move to digital
and it is being adopted by the South African industry already. In fact,
we are running regular seminars on this subject to expose our
integrators to the concept.’

Eugene Coetzee – Electrosonic
“I would say that InfoComm lived up to
previous tradeshows. There were many
manufacturers who had improved products, or
second and third generation versions of
products.
Although I spent most of my time at Crestron,
Kramer, Elite and NEC, one particular product
that caught my eye was the transparent LCD
displays by Samsung.
One of the biggest trends I saw is not a new one – the move to digital
and it is being adopted by the South African industry already. In fact,
we are running regular seminars on this subject to expose our
integrators to the concept.’

Marc Atkinson – Teljoy Audio Visual
“As a first time attendee I was excited
about InfoComm because it was a
platform for networking and product
R&D. The new products and
technology that caught my eye were
cloud based VC services, UC
interoperability and updates from the
Crestron, Smart and AMX stands.
There were a few notable new trends at the exhibition
– specifically the software based applications for mobility
and even infrastructure within the UC sphere. Our suppliers
launched several products that we look forward to bringing
to South Africa.’

Trevor Peters – Matrix Sound
“On the audio side it was interesting to see just
how many manufacturers are developing
applications for their mixing consoles and
control gear, which enables them to be
accessed and manipulated remotely using
tablet computers. The most interesting of
these developments was from a company
which has developed a wireless system which
enables musicians to control their own
monitor mix on a show using their personal iPads.
On the video side the most notable development was the
presentation of LED projectors. While this technology is still relatively
new, it could potentially revolutionise projection in both the live
events and installation industries.’

Randal A. Lemke
– InfoComm International
“InfoComm continues to be the one trade
show where most professional AV service
providers make their important buying
decisions for the year. The AV marketplace has
enthusiastically embraced InfoComm as the
place to make their purchasing choices,
network with product and service providers and enhance skills
through our robust educational programme.’

InfoComm 2013 will be held at
Orlando’s Orange County Convention
Center’s West Building, June 12 to 14.
InfoComm 2014 will be held at Las
Vegas Convention Center’s North
and Central Halls, June 18 to 20.

By Simba Nyamukachi