Will Too Much Diversity Stifle 3D?
By Dan Goldstein
Like it or loathe it, 3D video is going to be hard to avoid at InfoComm 09. Even before the show has begun, the prospects for 3D were among the topics under discussion at Insight Media’s Projection Summit – the traditional curtain-raiser conference at which industry leaders discuss emerging video technologies and their likely impact on the way integrators do business. A blog like this isn’t the place to discuss in detail the pros and cons of how we go about creating a realistic and satisfying 3D experience for users, whether they be in government or commerce, or simply regular consumers ...
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Asia’s shining light cannot be ignored
By Dan Goldstein
Looking out at the night-time skyline of Hong Kong can be a
disconcerting experience. One moment the sky is clear and the city’s
myriad skyscrapers dazzle with an array of muli-colored lighting
effects. Then, within minutes, a mist descends and it is as much as you can do to see your own reflection in the window.In the latter scenario, one building remains visible in the gloom. It will not surprise anyone who works in the pro-AV business that this building is the only one to have a hi-res, LED-driven videowall, architecturally integrated into its uppermost section of wall. In fact, there ...
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AV and interior design: a meeting of minds?
By Dan Goldstein
For the third year in a row, I have been sitting on the judging panel for the CEDIA Region 1 Awards. These reward excellence in system design and installation in a range of different categories, including home theater, marine projects, and integrated homes. This year there were over 90 entries, which was a record, and their geographical spread was broader than ever, with submissions coming from as far afield as Mumbai, Lahore, and Johannesburg. (Region 1 embraces Europe, the Middle East, much of Asia, and Africa.)The judging panel is split 50-50 between technology writers (of whom I, ...
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After the wedding: AVI-SPL plans for the future
By Dan Goldstein
If you're looking for confirmation that the AV industry is in a robust state, despite all the economic uncertainties, then look no further than the growth chart displayed by AVI-SPL at its InfoComm press conference. The combined revenues of the former AVI and SPL companies rose from $312 million in 2005 to $419 million two years later. Perhaps more importantly, the newly merged company is budgeted to earn $463 million this year -- by any measure, a very healthy increase. The two men behind both the merger and the growth are Executive Chairman Marty Schaffel and Vice Chairman Chad ...
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Beating the slowdown: ideas on how to keep growing
By Dan Goldstein
Of all the pre-show events that traditionally set the scene for InfoComm, none is more eagerly awaited than the Manufacturers Forum. All the more so this year, when some integrators are seeing a fall in the number of new projects on their books. In previous years, dealers would pack the room to hear what some of our leading manufacturers had to say about future technologies and trends. There was plenty of that this year, too, but the question the audience really wanted to hear answered was: How do we tough out this phase of the economic cycle? Moderator Gary Kayye began by asking his panel ...
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The arrival of mature Digital Signage - in a taxi
By Dan Goldstein
If memory serves me correctly, my first encounter with digital signage inside a taxi cab came somewhere between McCurran Airport and the Las Vegas Strip. That was a few years ago, while I was en route to an InfoComm show. Tired, jet-lagged and suffering from the kind of indigestion that only airline food can engender, I tried to pay attention to what was on the TV screen between the front seats without feeling sick -- and failed.The good news, for me, was that that particular taxi ride was short. The good news for the digital signage industry is that 'in-cab TV' has also moved on, and in ...
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An American export success to celebrate
By Dan Goldstein
From a modest beginning in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2004 – when barely 3,700 hardy souls showed up – the event has gone from strength to strength. The 2008 edition, which closed its doors last week, drew more than 22,000 people.Part of the reason for this rapid growth is the breadth of ISE's appeal. Unlike InfoComm, ISE brings the worlds of commercial and residential AV together, and puts them under one roof. In part, this is because the event is backed by both InfoComm and its residential counterpart, CEDIA.When the show was first launched, the representatives of these American-based trade ...
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Insourcing: a surprising success story
By Dan Goldstein
Taking its cue from a group of video industry engineers who had cut their teeth with ASK, Proxima, and InFocus, projectiondesign has steered clear of the mass market, positioning itself instead in the middle market for single-chip DLP projectors. The company's products enjoy a loyal following among dealers in the business and home theater sectors, but its core markets are specialized commercial AV applications such as visualization and the emerging eCinema arena.In contrast (no pun intended) to common contemporary business practise, projectiondesign favors 'insourcing', doing as much work as ...
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How 'intelligent' is the InfoCommNSCA tradeshow merger?
By Dan Goldstein
Like many in our industry, I have watched the NSCA and InfoComm events converge steadily with one another over the past five or six years. With the former seeking to attract more AV industry exhibitors and the latter trying to win over the audio contractor community, it was only a matter of time before the two shows became barely distinguishable in terms of their general appeal.In the end, the statistics that neither association could ignore were that 78% of this year's NSCA Expo attendees, and 80% of the show's exhibitors, also planned on going to InfoComm. Bringing the two shows together ...
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Why Inspired Acquisitions Are All The Rage
By Dan Goldstein
Only a few short years ago, companies in the AV and integration business tended to grow by buying market share. Manufacturers would acquire direct competitors whose product lines were similar, in the hope that they could simply double their customer base at a stroke. Integrators would buy up counterparts in other states, on the assumption that it was the easiest way to go from being a local player to a national one.Neither approach worked particularly well for anybody, which is why, in some circles, it is still fashionable to pour scorn on companies that hit the acquisition trail as soon as ...
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Hearing Is Believing
By Dan Goldstein
A demonstration of Meyer Sound's new Constellation Electroacoustic Architecture system at the company's Berkeley, CA headquarters offers an insight into how performance spaces will be used in future -- and how our industry might deal with a reduction in available wireless mic frequency bandwidth.I had heard about Constellation a while back, and was intrigued to hear such a potentially powerful new electroacoustic tool for the first time. A highly flexible and configurable system, Constellation combines custom-designed, miniature microphones, LCS signal processing technology, and Meyer Sound ...
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An Antidote To Outsourcing
By Dan Goldstein
Taking advantage of InfoComm's Anaheim location, Extron Electronics has been running press tours of its headquarters facility. Joining one proved a smart move -- in more ways than one. Extron has introduced more than 125 new switching, control, distribution, and audio products at InfoComm, and now has something approaching 1,000 employees worldwide. Touring part of the company's facility was more than merely a refreshing change from the regular editor's trade-show beat; it gave me an insight into how Extron has got to be as big as it is, and how it intends to keep growing. To start with, the ...
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From 'Nice To Have' To 'Mission Critical'
By Dan Goldstein
Forget conferencing systems that are used for once-a-month board meetings -- today's AV systems need to run 24/7. This is reflected not just in the technology on show at InfoComm, but in new market-research figures just released by the organization. Uninterruptible power supplies. Network redundancy. Remote fault detection and resource management. OK, so I admit that the language of 24/7 operation isn't exactly loaded with intrigue. Nor, for that matter, are many of the products which contain or enable this kind of functionality. But, like it or not, the need for audiovisual products and ...
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More 'International' Than Ever
By Dan Goldstein
InfoComm's reputation as an event that serves the global AV industry has been further enhanced this year. This is due partly to internal initiatives, and partly to our good and trusted friend, globalization. As an 'international' visitor to InfoComm, I'm consistently impressed with the way the show continues to attract visitors from all over the globe -- despite increasing pressures on our time, the growth of regional events in other parts of the world, and the inevitable hassle of dealing with security measures at today's airports. Overseas manufacturers have always been a key part of the ...
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Which Way To Grow?
By Dan Goldstein
As the market for systems integration develops, manufacturers -- particularly larger ones – face a dilemma. Do they grow revenues by adding to their dealer base, or do they rely on their tried and trusted dealers to sell more products? This was one of the issues addressed by the Manufacturers Forum on the eve of InfoComm here in Anaheim, CA. The Forum is in its fourth year and has earned a reputation for controversy -- hence the 'standing-room only' audience that greeted moderator Gary Kayye of Kayye Consulting and his panel at the Anaheim Hilton this year. Inevitably, talk of expanding the ...
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