Preview InfoComm 2010

The av industry’s biggest trade event is returning to the Las Vegas Convention Center in June, and it’s bigger than ever.

More than 900 exhibitors and 32,000 visitors are expected between 9 and 11 June, that’s up from 850 and 29,000 respectively last year. Additionally, representatives from around 90 countries will be attending.

Show attractions include 3D Comm, a focus on the new technologies in the emerging 3D sector, with showcases, seminars and a dedicated pavilion area. There will also be about 300 education sessions to help visitors stay abreast of industry developments.

For those involved in digital signage, training opportunities are readily available, including two half-day sessions – Digital Signage Business Planning and Digital Signage Fundamentals. InfoComm has also partnered with the Strategy Institute to offer a two-day Digital Signage Technology Summit on 7-8 June.

Elsewhere, a new Test & Measurement pavilion will showcase manufacturers of hardware and software tools used in the design and testing of av systems.

The show will also feature exhibits addressing sustainability and camera production. Visitors can expect audio demo rooms, rigging and staging demonstrations, a digital signage application showcase, a systems programming & GUI design gallery, plus a technologies for worship pavilion.

‘Attending InfoComm provides av professionals and their customers a chance to the see the latest in applied av technologies at the biggest marketplace for commercial av,’ said InfoComm International executive director and chief executive Randy Lemke. ‘But it also provides great networking opportunities and a chance to celebrate the resiliency of the industry through challenging times.’

The exhibition will open on 8 June with a keynote speech by Marthin De Beer, senior vice-president of Cisco’s Emerging Technologies Business Group. His speech, Video Propels Next Generation Collaboration, will cover how the medium has become important for sharing information on any device at any time. The following day, participants in the Rental & Staging Forum can experience presentations and best-practice panel discussions, along with an unveiling of Lighting & Sound America’s 2010 Staged Events Awards.

Visitors will be able to attend a number of seminars (breakdown on p20), and work their way through the exhibitors, a selection of which are featured below:

Analog Way (N951)

Analog Way will be introducing Eikos, a new release to its high-resolution mixer and seamless switchers range. Equipped with four scalers, the Multi Layer Hi-Resolution Mixer Seamless Switcher is designed for rental and staging applications and high-end integrations.

BTX Technologies (C6460)

BTX will showcase its ‘field-terminatable’ HDMI cable-mount male connector. The device allows installers to create custom-length HDMI assemblies of up to 39 feet at resolutions of 1080p, 12-bit deep colour.

For av, home theatre, digital signage, or any other application requiring HDMI, the device resolves the issue of fitting a connector through conduit, and eliminates excess cable behind the rack or inside a wall.

For schools, hospitals, and government buildings, BTX’s new plenum HDMI assemblies allow installers to run a plenum HDMI signal without having to worry about powering a Cat5 transmitter or receiver.

Elsewhere, designed for field and lab environments, Quantum Data’s test instruments help diagnose HDMI interoperability issues during installation setup.

Calibre (N533)

Calibre is debuting three scaler, switcher and scan converters comprising 3G-SDI inputs & outputs and edge blend & warp options.

The company, which has its targets on the US market, will also reveal the latest North American installation. The industry’s ‘smallest and greenest’

edge blend and warp processor will be displayed in the Sustainable Products Showcase. The HQView500 series universal video scalers and scan converters will also be launched at the show. The models feature scaling, switching, scan conversion, up, down and cross conversion, edge blend, geometry correction and warp mapping.

The HQView500 is a universal scaler, switcher and scan converter with geometry correction and 3G-SDI input and output connectivity with backwards compatibility with HD-SDI and SD-SDI.

Dnp Denmark (C5139)

Dnp denmark, a leading supplier of optical, front projection screen technology, will debut its Supernova 23-23-screen material in Las Vegas.

The new next-generation high-gain material (NGHG) will be available with immediate effect on selected products, beginning with Supernova One and Supernova Core. According to the company, the 23-23 launch comes in response to customer requests for higher-gain screens for smaller projectors so that overall installation costs can be reduced.

Haivision (N2539)

Haivision will be showcasing its VF iControl, an iPhone/iPad application that allows mobile device users to apply metadata and tag live video in real time, as it is recorded by Haivision’s Furnace IP video delivery system.

Its newly updated Furnace version 5.5 will also feature. It is designed to enable HD H.264 video-over-IP distribution, supporting its Makito HD H.264 to manage and distribute live video to computers and set-top boxes, to create scheduled playback channels for enterprise TV and signage and to record content and deliver VoD.

Its latest Makit Decoder – H.264 – which supports video up to 1080p60 will also be on show. When paired with the Makito HD H.264 encoder, this system provides low-latency decoding and delivery of HD video via HD-SDI or HDMI output.

Its new Stingray set-top box, with a broader range of format support will also be on show. The Stingray supports all of the core features of Haivision’s InStream player to enable intuitive and convenient video play out on large-screen displays.

Harman Professional (C6236)

In a move to provide systems integrators with deeper knowledge of the applications of its AVB protocol for multi-channel av networking over standards-based ethernet, Harman Professional will hold a series of training sessions and discussions.

Its AVB system, which focuses on houses of worship applications, will also be on display at the Harman Professional booth. The House of Worship demonstration system features three interconnected elements of Harman’s AVB system. The hardware consists of a DBX SC Series digital matrix processors, Crown CT series amplifiers with USP4/AVB installed, BSS Audio AVB wall plates, and the BSS Audio/Netgear Ethernet AVB switch

Projectiondesign (N1221)

Projectiondesign will be showing its full product portfolio, including its FR12 Remote Light Source projector for 24-hour use. Designed for applications where access to the projector is restricted or impossible, or where complete silence is required, the FR12 series will form the centrepiece of the line-up at InfoComm.

The RLS concept locates the lamps, thermal management and maintenance away from the projector head; to a rack-mount unit up to 30 metres (100ft) away. Light is carried to the projector head via its ‘easy to install’ Liquid Light Guide system.

New products include the F35 WQXGA projector, designed for scientific visualisation, simulation and training, as well as other high resolution, graphically intensive imagery.

Sencore (N1017)

Sencore will showcase advanced video processing, test and measurement and signal optimisation tools at InfoComm. Launches include the RadianceXE(TM) and RadianceXD(TM) Video Processors, as well as MP500 MediaPro Handheld Generator and HDMI Analyzer.

Based on proprietary advanced digital processing, the Sencore Radiance video processors are flexible switching and distribution hubs for audio/video systems that deliver distortion-free picture and sound. The Sencore MP500 MediaPro provides multi- format and multi-resolution audio/video signal generation and HDMI analysis in an attractively priced, portable package with an easy-to-use, color touchscreen interface.

Spinetix (N1739)

With its HMP100 Hyper Media Player on show, Swiss digital signage manufacturer Spinetix will be demonstrating a variety of configurations for the product. The company will also announce new business partnerships at the show.

The HMP100 is based on the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) platform and can mix streaming video, encoded video or images and audio file formats with other dynamic information such as RSS or XML. It has been shortlisted in the Best Digital Signage category of the 2010 Rental & Staging Awards Systems and the InfoComm Product Awards. Winners will be announced at the show’s official awards ceremony.

Educating the market on the benefit of non-PC based products will be the company’s focus for SpinetiX at InfoComm. It will host a Manufacturers’ Training event aimed at educating partners on various hardware/software aspects of the digital signage market, including ‘to-do’s, best practices and traps to avoid.

Timax (C7695)

Timax will showcase the Timax SoundHub system matrix controlled by a Crestron remote touch panel, using parent company Out Board’s AVControl ethernet interface, which is also configured for AMX and Medialon control systems.

Timax SoundHub’s S-Version audio show control software will also feature. Aimed at event sound designers, it includes multi-track timeline cue programming, clip editing, looping and volume-profiling plus waveform-based pan programming and show control playlists.

Vivitek (N503)

Vivitek has chosen InfoComm to launch its ‘extreme short throw’ projector, the D795WT. UK distributor Rapesco AV will join Vivitek to showcase the model, which boasts an image size of approximately 95in from a projector that bolts directly onto the wall. This WXGA (1280 x 800) model will be displayed alongside other models for business and education.

The Smart UX60, a short throw projector for the education market, will also be on the Vivitek stand.

www.vivitekcorp.com

Vtron (N816)

Vtron is set to showcase products including its LED display wall system, LCD display wall system, the newly launched conferencing software, VMeeting. Its LED Video Wall, launched at ISE in February, is also set to feature. The product provides the potential for green energy usage in control rooms by using an LED light source.

Other highlights include its multi-point conferencing software VMeeting. Demonstrations of the product, which is aimed at av professionals, system integrators and corporate end-users, as well as the education sector, will be available.

Visitors can also experience other systems for control room applications such as the LCD video wall system.

X2O Media (N1961)

X20 Media will be introducing its Xpresenter 3.0 content creator and the Xpresenter Template Maker 3.0 authoring tool, which can now integrate content management to schedule content from PowerPoint nterface.

For digital signage, X2O is introducing three versions of its Xpresenter Xe system that allows users to select only the features they need, without paying for those they don’t.

All new Xe versions offer the same point-and-click content management tools, while providing varying levels of output complexity to meet the needs of any application.

New Xpresenter Xe versions include the Xe Digital Poster for still images, Xe Video Poster for stills and video, and Xe Dynamic DS for stills, video, and data-driven graphics, enabling users to choose the application they need now and upgrade as future needs arise.

Zaxcom (C6483)

Zaxcom will be showcasing its TRX900LT digital audio transceiver, which combines wireless transmission, recording and remote control receiving functions. The TRX900LT features digital transmission for audio quality that reportedly rivals a hard-wired system.

It will also introduce its ERX1 and ERX1TCD encrypted IFB body packs that receive high-quality digital audio, time code, and metadata from any IFB transmitter in the TRX series.

Zaxcom’s QRX100 four-channel RF audio receiver, which inputs four channels of audio from up to two stereo or mono digital transmitters, will also be on show.

It is designed to capitalise on cameras that record four or more discrete audio channels.

INFOCOMM 2010
Venue: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Dates: 9-11 June 2010
Exhibitors: 900
Anticipated visitors: 32,000
Web: www.infocommshow.org

INFOCOMM 2010 SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
JUNE 5
8am – 6pm
Applied AV Design: three-day classroom course
AV Design Principles: Environment: three-day classroom course
AV/IT Integration for Technical Professionals: three-day classroom
course
Elements of AV Design: Three-day classroom course
Essentials of AV Technology: three-day classroom course
Project Management for AV: three-day classroom course
Staging and Live Events Management: three day classroom course
Videoconferencing: three-day classroom course
12pm – 6pm
Advanced Integrated Systems Sales: three-day classroom course

JUNE 6
8am – 6pm
CompTIA Ne2rk+ Course: three-day classroom course

JUNE 7
8am – 5pm
ISF Commercial Calibration & Certification Course: One-day classroom
course

JUNE 8
8am – 3:30pm
Acoustics Master Class
8am – 4:30pm
All-Day Audio Workshop, TW1
8am – 3:30pm
Fiber Optics for the AV Industry
8am – 3:30pm
Technology Trends: Super Tuesday

JUNE 9
8am – 9:15am
3D Displays 101: 75-minute seminar
8am-9am
Dimensionalised Experience – Bringing 3D to Your Entire Visual Computing
Experience: One-hour seminar
10:30am – 12pm
Beyond HD: What Happens After We’ve Met the Limit of our Eyes and Ears:
90-minute seminar
Can’t We All Just Get Along? Equipment, Technology and Aesthetics: 1.5
hour seminar
2:30pm – 3:45pm
Light Field and Holographic 3D Displays: 75-minute seminar

JUNE 10
8am – 10am
Architects Will Call You: two-hour seminar
Black Box – The Digital Signage Roadmap to Success: Manufacturers’
Training
8am – 12pm
Conducting Acoustical Measurements: four-hour workshop
12:30pm – 2pm
Green – The Good, The Bad and How to Come Out on Top: 1.5 hour seminar
2:30pm – 4pm
Capitalising on Glasses-Free 3D, : 90-minute seminar

JUNE 11
8am – 10am
25 “Gotcha’s” of Digital Signage Projects: two-hour seminar

– Exact timings of the InfoComm sessions had yet to be confirmed as AV
went to press