Volume 6, Issue 8 — August 27, 2015
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Aeiforia Technos Editorial
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Who’s Guarding the Back Door of Your Network?
By Raymond Kent Managing Principal, Sustainable Technologies Group
As I have written about on many occasions in this column, the Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly becoming the norm allowing for greater facilities flexibility, accessibility, and sustainability. The Information Communications Technology (ICT) industry is leading the IoT charge by connecting everything from audiovisual devices, security systems, and other telcom networks into network enabled building systems such as HVAC, lighting and electrical.
Upcoming changes to ASHRAE 189.1 will require even greater control and management over plug load devices, load shedding capability, and power management, with all of this being done over the building’s IT network. This ultimately, through smart design and best practices, requires intelligent uninterruptable power supplies (UPS), power sequencers and power distribution units (PDU) to achieve the goals of the new ASHRAE standard combined with new ways of thinking about data management. In addition to this many, if not all, of the active devices have some connection to the outside world for remote monitoring and control capability.
On many levels all of this convergence onto the network has helped to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment through real time monitoring, feedback, and control. This, in turn is creating a greater opportunity for efficiency by combining the intelligence of disparate systems. As has been pointed out in previous articles here, this ultimately creates a data overload that needs to be parsed, organized, and digested to gain the best use scenario for all systems involved whether it is a machine‐to‐machine interaction or a man‐to‐machine, multiple buildings across a campus or continents, or simply a single tenant office building. The new generation of facilities managers and building owners has had to quickly become fluent in IT protocols that each of these systems may speak such as telnet, BACNet, LonWorks, TC/IP, HTTP, ModBus and SNMP to name a few and how to manage them and get them to play nice together.
This picturesque utopia of the connected world reminiscent of Sci‐Fy films galore does, like Star Wars, have its dark side — namely data access and breaches. If you have been paying attention in the news lately there have been many high profile data breaches: Target, Home Depot, Sony Pictures, Ebay, JP Morgan Chase, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (twice) and many others. Each of these breaches resulted in some serious mischief including the loss of personal information, credit card numbers, and large scale viruses being deployed across global networks costing billions of dollars in damages. With our effort to continue to be more energy efficient in the built environment, cyber security should be at the forefront of every systems designer, building owner, IT manager and facilities director’s mind.
There are many ways to secure data and IT professionals are pretty savvy when it comes to the strategies they deploy to enable network security. This is done via various types of firewalls, software that monitors traffic, and specific network topographies that can limit access to data all through control at the upper layers of the seven‐layer model of internet protocol. There is, however, one area that is often either overlooked or not really thought of as important for network security and that is the actual physical network security through the lower levels of the IP layers.
Forrester Research has dug into this topic and provided what it calls a “Zero Trust Model” approach where both internal and external traffic is viewed as a threat. They have concluded that the majority of all recent security breaches are now occurring inside an organization’s data network. This is not to say that there are armies of rogue employees bent of destruction of the corporate world, but simply that many unknowing pawns have opened Pandora’s Box to hackers.
The explosion of Bring your Own Device (BYOD) into the corporate, government, and higher education environments has forced ICT professionals to allow access to internal data networks for tablets, smart phones or personal laptops. Some operating systems of this BYOD hardware are more prone to spy bots, malware, and other nasties that can easily transfer themselves onto the network once inside. This has put more of a spotlight on the BYOD movement for security. However Smart Building Technology can easily be accessed via building networks and an infected BYOD unit can connect to any other device within its network
In addition to unintentional attack via an infected BYOD system, Smart Building Equipment can also be readily accessible physically in unsecured areas such as a conference room, lobby, or desks providing easy access to unscrupulous saboteurs. Foreign nations, our own Government, and non‐nation organizations and individuals have begun to attack these devices we are deploying to help make a building more energy efficient by providing a back door to internal networks.
In 2014 Cisco published in its Annual Security Report that the danger has become an exploitation of trust from users in their systems, security measures, employees and the clients they regularly interact with.
In the not so distant past, it was not uncommon for cyber criminals to embed malware into PDF documents and easily figure out emails form leadership within an organization and create fake emails to underlings who readily opened the documents unsuspectingly unleashing havoc in the network. It was based on trust, or the need to accept a million dollars from a prince in Nigeria for safe-keeping. We can be naïve and trusting in the rush of a day’s work.
So why is this important? Every single piece of Smart Building Equipment we are talking about relies on two things — power and cooling, both typically are controlled on the network and require mission critical power backup, control, and cooling to operate at peak performance. If a hacker can gain access to these systems through a back door it can get on the network and steal, corrupt, or destroy data on the network or take over physical control of all the building systems of the network. Securing the smart building infrastructure is no longer optional but mission critical.
A key way this is accomplished is by exploiting weaknesses in the standard network protocols mentioned above Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) cards that are the mainstream of power management and control systems and they are also particularly susceptible to exploitation. Because having a meltdown or power loss within an IT network is catastrophic these days on its own, the ability to monitor and control these systems is a must. However, SNMP cards provide what is considered to be minimal security by the network security industry. Thus, they offer opportunity for both inside and outside access through network protocol ports that are open by default. Open ports on SNMP cards usually include HTTP, Telnet and FT, none of which offer encryption of passwords. This can allow a hacker to connect to an SNMP card, explore a data network undetected, penetrate other SNMP devices, change settings, or even disable emergency notifications that could alert IT professionals of trouble allowing them to deploy Trojans and other malicious software.
Why this is not often considered is an over reliance of industry standards as the only means of protection. Basically the mentality is that “If I follow the Standards, I must be safe.” Hint: Hackers don’t follow standards other than to find weaknesses to exploit. I am not saying that standards are bad, but as we have seen in the ICT industry, there are many to choose from just pick the one you like and it is not a guarantee that they all work together without causing problems. As an example pointed out in the white paper “The Need for Securing Mission Critical Infrastructure” by AlphaGuardian’s Robert Hunter and Chet Sandberg, organizations are relying on what turns out to be an audit report that is actually being peddled by industry manufacturers and professionals as a “certification.” This audit report, by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), is the Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) #16 and is an audit report on controls at a service organization that is actually a compliance report not a standard in itself.
Organizations can have an audit done by a qualified firm based on one of three categories of Service Organization Control (SOC) reports (SOC1, SOC2, SOC3) with the latter two levels based on the Trust Principals of security and availability. The metrics used in the audit include the organization’s policies, communications of the defined policies, procedures to achieve its objectives, and monitoring compliance. None of these areas focus on cyber or physical attacks on the infrastructure of the network which can give a false sense of security to the organization. This also does not take into account various management consoles such as building automation systems, energy management systems, and others as discuss previously. Additionally the Department of Homeland Security Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS‐CERT) has reviewed several BMS and System Control and Data Acquisition Systems and found several vulnerabilities that would allow attackers to easily gain access. In short order the systems we in the ICT industry design and implement in our altruistic effort to lower a building’s carbon footprint are a weak link in the chain.
The key to countering this vulnerability in technology that helps us increase and maintain a building’s energy efficiency is in securing the infrastructure firewall system. AlphaGuardian has outlined the following starting points for a competent infrastructure firewall:
- The ability to competently and completely repel an attack
- Be able to instantly notify key personnel of an attack
- The ability to allow the facilities manager and building owner’s access to the required data and control remotely while keeping the data secure from unwanted
AlphaGuardian’s solution, RackGuardian, differs from a traditional enterprise data firewall in that the traditional firewall method (which is what most people think of when you think of a firewall) is a rules‐ based solution that controls bi‐directional data flow through a credentialing solution. These credential-based firewalls can unfortunately be tricked into allowing access into a network and this allows a hacker to access critical devices and data. A recent solution to this problem was the creation of the diode‐firewall that limits traffic to a single direction much like its electronics equivalent. This has excellent protection but significantly reduces flexibility in a system. Critical to this is compatibility with internal servers and components that are not diode firewall friendly or the limitations in the need to make updates to remote devices through that firewall.
The RackGuardian solution looks to combine the best of both firewalls where it acts like a diode firewall until an encrypted and verified signal from a known-server allows for two‐way secure communication. Since every communication must be originated from the RackGuardian for it to pass, it easily rejects attempts at hacking. Because this physical firewall device is between the critical power system, the server, and the corporate data it offers multiple layers of protection and the ability to have several layers of notification in the event of any attempt of intrusion. Additionally if the data stream is interrupted it will also trigger an alarm to through the secure WebSockets‐based messaging system. All data with respect to a system that the RackGuardian is protecting is culled for anomalies on a regulated bases using statistical analysis and pushed directly to the secure server. Any anomaly is instantly communicated to the manager.
Solutions such as this should be seriously considered as part of any smart building technology in the ICT industry to provide clients an additional level of security against breaches and to prevent the fingers from being pointed towards the ICT industry as the weak link. Implementing technology to control and manage ICT technologies while reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment is only going to continue to increase in the upcoming years as building owners demand it and code officials require it. Being smart about securing the data side will put you ahead of the competition, reduce your liability, and hopefully provide repeat business. Leave a Comment
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An Evening with Polycom — On Software and Experience
By Leonard Suskin Pixel and Ink-Stained Wretch
Last week my fellow consultants and I were invited to an event at conferencing stalwart Polycom’s New York City experience center. It’s a pretty and shiny new spot at One Penn Plaza, with a nice river view outside and their technological toys inside. For me the more interesting part isn’t the specifics of a single manufacturer’s offering but a broader overview of how manufacturers — especially traditional hardware manufacturers like Polycom — are positioning themselves in today’s increasingly software-based world. If one can deploy a simple room system utilizing Hangouts, Lync, WebEx, GotoMeeting or similar at a price tag under five thousand dollars (This is possible. I’ll leave the actual design as an exercise for the reader.), then those who once sold videoconferencing appliances for tens of thousands of dollars certainly need to pivot towards a more modern, more scalable and less costly set of solutions.
Save a few PowerPoint slides on the back-end stuff and general system topology, there was very little talk of hardware. A few years back, the first thing I looked at in a spec sheet was a back-plane photo; today’s world of streaming, USB video and various forms of software-based manipulation make the standard “picture of the back” less interesting and, ultimately, less informative. What they did talk about was software.
This isn’t surprising; years ago, Polycom started to rebrand itself as a software company. (Side note: The other giant in the hardware VTC segment, Cisco, also considers itself a software company. Yes, most of what it sells are physical boxes in switches, routers and the like, but the magic — what makes Cisco what it is — is in its OS and implementation of various tools and protocols. In the end, everything is software — even things that look like hardware. End of side note). Overall, they discussed three broad pillars in what they see as the “workplace of the future”: workspace, workflow and experience (the latter involving both technical staff and end-users — this is an important shift in focus which we all need to make). Years ago, simply being able to share video content was something noteworthy and special. In today’s world, many users have — at least broadly speaking — video sharing and communication tools literally in their pockets. Enterprise-grade tools need to be as easy and intuitive to use as their consumer counterparts.
The handful of live demonstrations scheduled for the event all focused on software-based tricks and implementations. Small gadget-type items included the following:
- A face-recognition tool for their cameras which will pan and zoom to include only those parts of the room containing human faces. If someone wanders out, it will zoom in a bit to only cover those remaining. Additionally, it can count faces to provide analytics for meeting attendance.
- An “audio-fence” algorithm which will mute audio from a talker as they move away from a predetermined location. The example they showed was at the reception desk in the very experience center at which the event was held. If the receptionist moves back from her desk to, for example, sign for a deliver her audio will mute. This is a neat way to reduce unwanted side-chatter. I’ll note that it didn’t seem perfectly seamless — her voice did cut in briefly in the “away” position — but it is a neat idea.
- Smart muting to shut down remote microphones if human speech isn’t detected. For this demo, the talker at the far-end was eating a bag of chips. When he stopped talking, his mic muted even though there was still (so far as any of us could tell) noise in the room from the chips bag. I, for one, appreciate Polycom’s employees taking the personal risk of increased cholesterol in service of a product demo.
None of these are quite major enough to force a decision of one system over another, but they’re all nice add-ons and the kind of thing which can possibly tilt a close decision one way or another, depending on a client’s personal preferences and priorities.
Another demo, and the one in which they drew a direct comparison to competitors, was integration with Microsoft Lync. Lync has been an increasingly major player in the professional AV space for several years now, and integration with room systems and infrastructure has become increasingly smooth and seamless. Overall, I find direct comparisons to competing platforms slightly off-putting; the cynic in me is certain that anyone can find the one thing their system does better than the competition and highlight that. What made it interesting is that the aspect discussed was not a standalone special ability but tighter integration with the Microsoft environment. This says something about where the current state of the industry is; not many years ago it would be unthinkable for a manufacturer of room systems to focus on integration with desktop infrastructures. Now, it’s a centerpiece. As an AV designer, it also serves as a reminder that a client’s larger ecosystem is more important than ever. Does your client use Lync? This would be a great option. Do they use Google Apps? You’re best off looking elsewhere, as Google’s choice of a competing vendor’s platform to handle the “Hangouts” video chat feature leaves Polycom unable to offer the same tight integration.
The presentation and most of what we spoke about focused on the above kind of factor. Interoperability. Scalability. Even mention of various pricing plans which can simplify and increase the focus on operational expenditures as opposed to capital expenditure. In an increasingly IT-based world, this is more the direction in which we will have to look. They spoke of simplifying what has traditionally been a bit of a confusing and opaque price structure, about scalability, about interoperability.
It is telling that the very last demo — really an afterthought after the event had “officially” ended — was a demonstration of an immersive telepresence room. It is, no doubt, pretty. And it’s impressive. Sadly, it doesn’t fit into today’s world as well as it once did. It’s gone from flagship product to a very niche item, albeit a fun one on which to end a visit. Leave a Comment
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New Multi-Fiber Fiber Optic Cables from Camplex Simplify ConnectionsCamplex today announced the availability of two new lines of MTP fiber optic cables and breakout solutions that run 12 fibers through one cable to save space, simplify connections and reduce cleaning and mating times. For internal or external rack-to-rack and rack-to-equipment installations, the Camplex MTP Elite 12 fiber cable line includes MTP Elite connectors and is available in multi-mode and single mode configurations. The 12 fiber breakout cables come with LC or ST connectors. The Camplex OpticalCON MTP 12 fiber cable line featuring Neutrik optical CON MTP connectors are designed for outdoor field deployment and are offered with or without cable reels in X-TREME or standard tactical versions. Complex says the flexible polyurethane tactical cables are crush and impact resistant and withstand temperature extremes.
The MTP fiber optic solutions are here. Leave a Comment
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Wolf Cinema Enters ProAV Market with Seven New ProjectorsWolf Cinema, a company known for high-end residential projectors, has announced an entirely new division focusing on projector for the ProAV market of business, prosumer, education and commercial environments. Starting at just $2,995 list, these seven new Wolf Cinema PRO projectors include multiple primary lens options, ample image offsets plus advanced integration capabilities with automation and control systems.
Wolf Cinema’s PRO line is spec’d to start at 4,000 ANSI lumens and extend up to 12,000 ANSI lumens, using both DLP and LCD imaging technologies. Many solutions offer multiple primary lens options, with precise lens shift and ample H/V keystone correction. Also carried over from Wolf Cinema’s home theater assortment, the company’s ProScaler MK III is available as an optional rack-mounted video processor — a useful complement when firing onto 2.35:1 CinemaScope screens, using our popular E-VariScope imaging technology.
Wolf Cinema’s PRO business and commercial projection line-up includes:
- PRO-85 – DLP Projector, 4,000 ANSI, Ultra Short Throw 2D/3D projector [0.25:1 optical throw]
- PRO-115 – DLP Projector, 4,200 ANSI, 2D/3D projector, Ultra Short [0.5:1 TD] and Extended Throw [1.39 – 2.09:1 TD] Lens Options
- PRO-415 – DLP Projector, 5,000 ANSI, 2D/3D, Five Lens Options [0.77:1 to 5.0:1 optical throw]
- PRO-715 – 3LCD Projector, 5,000 ANSI, Five Lens Options [0.8:1 to 8.3:1 optical throw]
- PRO-915 – DLP Dual Lamp Projector, 7,500 ANSI, 2D/3D, Seven Lens Options [0.77:1 to 8.25:1 optical throw]
- PRO-1215 – DLP Laser-Phosphor Illumination System, 5,000 ANSI, Four Lens Options [0.95:1 to 5.45:1 optical throw]
- PRO-1515 – DLP Dual Lamp Projector, 12,000 ANSI, Five Lens Options [0.85:1 to 4.0:1 optical throw]
The new PRO product line of projectors is available starting in August 2015 and will be priced between $2,995 and $34,995. All the detailed specs are here. Leave a Comment
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Linear Acoustic Debuts AERO.10 DTV Audio ProcessorLinear Acoustic is launching its AERO.10 DTV Audio Processor at IBC 2015 this week, claiming that it’s the highest quality processing found in the entire AERO range but at a significantly lower price point.
AERO.10 is an audio processor supporting up to ten channels of PCM audio via AES, SDI or stereo analog I/O. The AERO.10 comes equipped with a processing engine identical to those in the established AERO.100/1000/2000 products. Tools such as AEROMAX loudness and dynamics control, UPMAX II automatic upmixing and downmixing algorithms, along with ITU and EBU compliant loudness metering and logging.
Downloadable 7.5 day rolling and event-based logs include multiple ITU-R BS.1770-3 loudness measurements as well as True Peak values. The included TCP/IP remote application provides control and display of all AERO.10 system settings and processing parameters plus extensive metering of loudness from a PC located anywhere with a network connection. The remote also delivers up to 5.1 channels of audio, enabling users to audition signal quality anywhere link bandwidth permits. An HTTP server is included for simple get/set control of all parameters and retrieval of status and logging information. The AERO.10 has a simple LCD front panel GUI for local control, and a powerful headphone output is included for checking audio and adjusting processing. New with AERO.10 are +4dBu balanced stereo analog inputs and outputs, useful for analog plants or bridging between analog and digital paths. The lightweight and rugged AERO.10 fits in 1RU.
Here are all the details. Leave a Comment
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ViewSonic Ships 70″ 10-Touch MonitorViewSonic’s 70-inch, CDE7060T, LCD with 10-point touch is now shipping. Pre-installed with annotation software, the CDE7060T allows multiple users — from students and teachers to boardroom professionals — the ability to write, draw or annotate with fingers or stylus devices simultaneously. The LED-based display features native 1080p (1920×1080) resolution for HD color and clarity, while the embedded ARM dual-core processor.
Connectivity includes HDMI, VGA, USB, LAN and RS232 as well as an optional slot-in PC and it’s integrated ViewBoard software.
The CDE7060T lists for $7,299 and here are the specs. Leave a Comment
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Extron Intros Edge Mount Enclosure for AV, Data and PowerExtron’s new AVEdge 100 is a cable access enclosure designed to mount onto the edge of a tabletop surface in semi-permanent installations where cutting the surface is available. An integrated clamp system secures the enclosure to the tabletop surface without the need for tools or additional parts. The AVEdge 100 accommodates two double-space Architectural Adapter Plates — AAPs, Cable Pass-Through Brackets for up to eight AV cables, or three Retractor cable retraction modules.
AAP power modules are available to provide USB and/or AC power for mobile devices and laptops. The optional CableCover is available to minimize cable tangles and accidental disconnects, and the Extron ZipClip Series is available to mount products, such as the PS Series Desktop Power Supply, directly to the enclosure. The AVEdge 100 is available in a black powder coat finish.
All the specs on the AVEdge 100 are here. Leave a Comment
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Sharp Ships 80″ AQUOS BoardThe new Sharp 80″ Class (80″ diagonal) PN-L803C AQUOS BOARD interactive display system is marketed as Sharp’s answer to collaboration. It features 10-point capacitive multi-touch, edge-to-edge glass and an intuitive interface that does feel like you are writing on a conventional whiteboard. In addition, up to four people can write onscreen at the same time, so it’s aimed at both classrooms and meeting rooms.
Features include:
- Uses Sharp’s original capacitive touch technology
- A new touch-operated onscreen user interface
- Supports installation of a Web camera in any one of seven positions
- Touch Display Link 2.0 (TDL)
- Multi-board mode: Up to three PN-L803C display units can be connected and used to display sequential pages that can be navigated by swiping side to side
- Touch-operated on-screen display
- Front-facing USB port
Here are all the detailed specs [PDF]. Leave a Comment
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Extron Acquires Entwine AG, Will Compete in Video Capture SpaceExtron just announced that it has purchased Entwine AG of Zurich, Switzerland. A software company, Entwine specializes in building end-to-end video capture and presentation capture solutions using an open source software called OpenCast Matterhorn, as well as HTML5 and WebRTC.
Of course, Extron’s been in the lecture-capture hardware market since last summer when they debuted its SMP-351, but this purchase of Entwine gives them a complete package as they now control the software side of things, too. Thus, current market leaders Sonic Foundry and Echo360 will see a big company, Extron, not only validating their market but also competing with them directly. The benefit to everyone is obvious as lecture capture has always been a niche market and Extron can mainstream it with more solutions as well as grow the overall market opportunities beyond what is mostly limited to higher-ed.
Although some of you may not have heard of Entwine, it was founded in 2011 and has offices in Zurich and San Francisco. According to the company’s website, it has decades of real-world experience designing, developing and deploying a wide range of video capture and distribution across across various industries. Its focus for lecture and presentation capture has been in the education, corporate and healthcare industries.
“Entwine has proven expertise developing software for enterprise-scale presentation capture systems, including Europe’s largest lecture capture system at the University of Manchester in the UK, which involves over 300 classrooms,” said Andrew Edwards, president of Extron Electronics. “With this acquisition, we are excited to add a software engineering group with many years of expertise in the field of network based presentation capture systems to Extron’s industry leading engineering team.”
In a joint statement, Andy Wasklewicz and Tobias Wunden, founders of Entwine said, “Extron is the market leader for AV systems products, and with the SMP 351 Streaming Media Processor they have set a new standard for high performance streaming and recording hardware. We are excited to join the Extron team and are thrilled at the opportunity to offer customers end-to-end presentation capture solutions that leverage the strength of our combined hardware and software technologies.”
Extron is here and the company’s SMP 351 is here. Leave a Comment
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Kramer Intros Cloud-Based Control SolutionKramer released K-Touch 3.1 that’s capable of controlling lights, screens, sound, any AV equipment, HVAC, thermostats and more. Kramer says the K-Touch 3.1 is easier to use and reduces configuration time (compared to the previous version) with features such as sliders and new drag-and-drop programming modules for Apple TV, cameras, Vera Smarter Home Control products, Centralite Lighting and Kramer’s FC-26 I/O connectivity product. K-Touch 3.1 also introduces Apple TV IP control, immersive full-screen mode and support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+.
With K-Touch, end-users can control any device in the room over Ethernet. The solution is scalable to over 100 devices, all controllable from any iOS or Android touch screen.
Non-Ethernet-based devices with RS232, GPIO, relays, or IR can be controlled over Ethernet using Kramer FC-series I/O connectivity products or third-party devices. Kramer RC-series button controllers can also be incorporated into any project to provide tactile operation.
Here are the details. Leave a Comment
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Extron Debuts 5″ Touch Panel with Integrated Control Processor Extron just launched the TLC Pro 521M an all-in-one 5″ wall mount touchpanel with built-in control processor. The fully-configurable TLC Pro 521M uses the same capacitive touchscreen of their TLP Pro 520M TouchLink Pro Touchpanel but adds a control processor inside of it. Power over Ethernet (PoE) allows the touchpanel to receive power and communications over a single Ethernet cable and it’s aimed at classrooms, boardrooms and meeting rooms.
The TLC Pro 521M can be customized using Extron GUI Designer software. This interface design software offers ready-to-use templates for a wide variety of rooms and presentation environments. It is configured using Extron Global Configurator Plus or Global Configurator Professional software. The TLC Pro 521M also integrates with Extron’s GlobalViewer Enterprise software for complete AV resource monitoring, management, and control over a computer network.
Here are the details. Leave a Comment
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LAB.GRUPPEN Debuts Application Browser 1.2.0 Software for LUCIA Amplifiers
LAB.GRUPPEN has announced that the new version of its Application Browser configuration software for the LUCIA range of compact power amplifiers is available for immediate download on its website. The free download is offered for both Mac OS and Windows and are accessible in the Support/Downloads section of the site or by using this link.
With the new software, all six LUCIA amplifiers — including the two new 70V models — can access the full set of matrixing and DSP features, some of which were previously restricted to the premium M-suffix models that offer additional inputs and line level outputs. The common harmonized feature set now includes custom EQ on inputs, custom EQ or preset recall for each discrete output, reconfigurable GPI ports, and LAB.GRUPPEN’s exclusive ADLC (Automatic Dynamic Loudness Contouring). Each model also offers matrix mixing of all inputs to all available outputs as determined by the model’s available hardware I/O capability.
For current LUCIA 120/2 users, the software release enables a major upgrade of DSP capabilities at no extra cost, as the new features are unlocked by the software/firmware upgrade.
Here is where you can get it. Leave a Comment
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Extron Upgrades SMP 351 Streaming Media Processors With Five Times More Internal Solid State StorageExtron just added two new models to its SMP 351 Streaming Media Processor lineup. These new models offer 400 GB of internal solid state storage to accomodate more AV content. All SMP 351 models feature five inputs, creating presentations by combining two high resolution signals, a background image, and metadata into dynamic layouts that enhance a presentation’s message. Extron’s FlexOS embedded operating system makes the SMP 351 easily-adaptable to changing requirements. Applications can be uploaded to FlexOS that empower the SMP 351 to automate system operation using control ports.
Requiring no license fees, the SMP 351 is a flexible, cost-effective media processor for delivering dynamic presentations to larger audiences. It is ideal for any environment where AV sources can be streamed live or recorded, and where multiple AV sources are combined to enhance a presentation. Organizations use the SMP 351 to communicate with staff or students who cannot be present at an event, affording all the opportunity to review and gain insight into the live experience. It can be adapted to many applications, documenting virtually any meeting, conference, or activity that uses AV sources. The SMP 351 is ideal for use in corporate, education, government, healthcare, courtroom, house of worship, and rental and staging applications.
Here are the details. Leave a Comment
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Audinate Announces Enhanced Capabilities for Dante UltimoAudinate today announced a firmware update to the Dante Ultimo audio networking chipsets.
The new Ultimo 2.2 firmware adds several enhancements for OEMs building low channel-count audio products with Dante Ultimo. Dedicated four-channel input (4×0) or output (0x4) configurations at 96kHz are supported on the Ultimo 4×4 chipset, and minimum device latency has been reduced from 2ms to 1ms for both 2×2 and 4×4 versions.
The new firmware also delivers improvements to the Dante Device Protocol (DDP) that allow for visual product identification on a network and greater control capabilities via GPIO.
Ultimo is part of Audinate’s portfolio of high performance Dante devices and is a family of complete, fully featured, ready-to-use, single-chip Dante solutions for low channel-count networked audio products. The Ultimo family incorporates all the differentiated Dante features such as automatic device discovery, plug-and-play networking, custom device names and channel labels and network-based firmware updates. Ultimo is a perfect choice for networking low channel-count products, including powered speakers, microphones, AV wall plates, speakerphones, amplifiers, paging stations, personal monitoring systems, recording interfaces, intercoms and analog/digital break-in/break out interfaces.
The Ultimo Release 2.2 firmware is available immediately for OEMS. Ultimo is available in 2×2 channel (ULT-01-002) and 4×4 channel (ULT-01-004) configurations. Here are the details. Leave a Comment
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For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe ProAV Edition out there, hopefully you enjoyed another opinion-packed issue!
For those of you NEW to rAVe, you just read how we are — we are 100 percent opinionated. We not only report the news and new product stories of the ProAV industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions. That may include (but is not limited to) whether or not the product is even worth looking at, challenging the manufacturers on their specifications, calling a marketing-spec bluff and suggesting ways integrators market their products better. But, one thing is for sure, we are NOT a trade publication that gets paid for running editorial or product stories. Traditional trade publications get paid to run product stories — that’s why you see what you see in most of the pubs out there. We are different: we run what we want to run and NO ONE is going to pay us to write anything good (or bad).
Don’t like us, then go away — unsubscribe! Just use the link below.
To send me feedback, don’t reply to this newsletter. Instead, write directly to me at gary@ravepubs.com or for editorial ideas, Editor-in-Chief Sara Abrons at sara@ravepubs.com
A little about me: I graduated from Journalism School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where I am adjunct faculty). I’ve been in the AV-industry since 1987 where I started with Extron and eventually moved to AMX. So, I guess I am an industry veteran (although I don’t think I am that old). I have been an opinionated columnist for a number of industry publications and in the late 1990s I started the widely read KNews eNewsletter (the first in the AV market) and also created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue, which is now known as InfoComm IQ. rAVe [Publications] has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter, rAVe ProAV Edition.
Everything we publish is Opt-in — we spam NO ONE! rAVe ProAV Edition is our flagship ePublication with what we believe is a reach of virtually everyone in the ProAV market. rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA and launched in February 2004, is, by far, the largest ePub in the HomeAV market. We added rAVe Rental [and Staging] in November 2007, rAVe ED [Education] in May 2008 and then rAVe DS [Digital Signage] in January 2009. We added rAVe GHGav [Green, Healthcare & Government AV] in August 2010 and rAVe HOW [House of Worship] in July 2012. You can subscribe to any of those publication or see ALL our archives by going to: https://www.ravepubs.com
To read more about my background, our team and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com Back to Top |
Copyright 2015 – rAVe [Publications] – All rights reserved – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact rAVe [Publications], 210 Old Barn Ln. – Chapel Hill, NC 27517 – (919) 969-7501. Email: Sara@rAVePubs.com |
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