Shure Wireless Systems Dominate American Music Awards (11/30)

The 43rd Annual American Music Awards were broadcast on ABC on Sunday night, November 22. Hosted by Jennifer Lopez at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, the program presented the fan-voted honors along with a series of high-profile performances, highlighted by a vocal interpretation of the classic John Williams theme to Star Wars by Pentatonix, and more.

Throughout the show, the AMA telecast relied on wireless microphones and in-ear monitors to ensure quick, smooth transitions between acts. While all major brands were on hand to accommodate artist preferences, a decided majority of the RF mics used were Shure systems.

Handling the challenge of making more than 100 RF channels work flawlessly in the crowded RF environment of downtown Los Angeles was a crack production crew of audio experts, led by production mixer Mark King and broadcast music mixers Paul Sandweiss and Biff Dawes. Mikael Stewart (production) and Jim Ebdon (music) mixed front of house sound inside the venue, while monitor mixes for the artists were supplied by Mike Parker and Tom Pesa.

“When coordinating the RF microphone and IEM portions of a large show such as the AMAs, it’s always reassuring to see Shure equipment being requested,” says Stephen Vaughn of Soundtronics. “The reliability of Shure’s RF equipment is critical in today’s world of dwindling RF spectrum. It always puts my mind at ease.”

Read more here.

 

Crestron Founder Inducted into Consumer Technology Association’s Prestigious Hall of Fame (11/30)

Crestron, the industry’s leading manufacturer of control and automation systems recently announced that its founder, George Feldstein has been inducted into the Consumer Technology Association’s 16th annual Hall of Fame.

The CE (formerly known as Consumer Electronics) Hall of Fame was created in 2000 to honor inventors, engineers and entrepreneurs who have paved the way for the products and services that are changing the way we live.  The Hall of Fame specifically honors those leaders whose creativity, persistence, determination and sheer personal charisma helped to shape the $285 billion dollar industry.

Crestron’s current Chairman and son of George Feldstein, Dan Feldstein, accepted the award on his father’s behalf at the association’s annual conference held Monday, November 9th at Gotham Hall in New York City. “When he started Crestron, his immediate goal was to provide for his family, but his dream, and ultimate accomplishment, was to create an environment where free thinking and open ideas would allow us to make the best products imaginable and to serve our customers and our industry in the best way possible,” said Mr. Feldstein.

The idea of the modern connected home with integrated system controls for audio and video distribution, lighting, HVAC, home theater systems, intercom and video security was first conceived and brought to market by the vivid imagination of George Feldstein who started the company in the basement of his home in Cresskill, NJ.

Read more here.

 

Apple has a new patent for a projector that uses augmented reality (12/1)

Apple has been granted a patent for a projector that uses augmented reality technology, Patently Apple reports.

Apple’s augmented reality (AR) projector includes two key pieces of technology – first it has a camera that scans an environment like a room or an office. It builds a digital model of that space, and detects which surfaces it can project images onto. The second part is of course the AR projector, which changes what the user sees.

This isn’t Apple’s first patent for an augmented reality projector as Patently Apple also pointed out that Apple had already gained a patent for a similar projector in October.

Read more here.

 

Pexip to Introduce New Fusion Technology for Microsoft Skype for Business and Lync With Infinity 11 (12/1)

Pexip^®, a leading innovator in scalable, distributed collaboration software, today announced that the next version of its Infinity platform will include all-new Pexip Fusion technology. Pexip Fusion greatly simplifies and enhances the user experience for Microsoft^® Skype^® for Business or Lync^® users when they join meetings that include standards-based SIP or H.323 videoconferencing users, providing unmatched and fully native user experiences for meetings that span traditional technology silos.

Pexip Fusion is activated automatically in video-based meetings with participants using a mix of Skype for Business and legacy videoconferencing. Specifically, Skype for Business users will find familiar layouts, participant listings, and meeting controls. They can, for instance, drag and drop standards-based videoconferencing users into meetings as they would with other Skype users.

“We developed Pexip Fusion to guarantee that users fully benefit from the experience that was intended by their native client — regardless of platform or manufacturer,” said Åsmund O. Fodstad, CEO of Pexip.

Read more here.

Pexip Infinity takes off to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform (11/30)

With version 11 of Pexip Infinity, you can deploy Infinity directly on the AWS cloud platform. It is simple, convenient, extremely quick, and very reliable – and there’s no need to invest in any hardware whatsoever.

Starting with Infinity 11, Pexip makes available Amazon AMIs – Application Machine Images – for the AWS cloud. These can be deployed on AWS to benefit from any of its deployment options:

• Private cloud
• Public cloud
• Hybrid cloud

A private AWS VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) instance is simply set up with VPN tunnels to Conferencing and Management Nodes on AWS, and contains all private IP addresses. It can only be reached by those users and endpoints inside the network via VPN. This deployment is similar to an on-prem deployment within a corporate network.

Read more here.

 

ISE 2016 to Feature InfoComm MasterClass Program

From business topics to technical topics to end-user topics — all taught by some of the industry’s leading experts — experienced AV professionals won’t want to miss this MasterClass program.

InfoComm MasterClass: Projection Optimisation
Instructor: Greg Jeffreys, CEO, Paradigm Audiovisual Ltd

Greg Jeffreys is founder and CEO of Paradigm AV Ltd, Bedford, U.K., a specialist projection company in the EU, manufacturing and distributing projection and flat panel display solutions and products. Jeffreys also acts as specialist consultant, often advising on, and assessing, projected image quality. He is active in the standards movement. InfoComm is an ANSI/ISO registered standards development organisation. He served a full three-year term on the Systems Performance Standards Committee from inception and played a leading role in the new ANSI Standard on Projected Image System Contrast Ratio (PISCR).

InfoComm MasterClass: The Product is Dead, Long Live the Platform
Instructor: Julian Phillips, Executive Vice President, Whitlock

Phillips joined the Whitlock executive team in 2010 and drives innovation, strategic marketing and relationship management on a global level for the company. He brings 30 years of leadership experience from the European and U.S. technology markets. A British national, he was previously the Managing Director of Impact in the U.K. He is a founder of the Global Presence Alliance, the leading international consortium of AV and collaboration solution providers, and continues to serve on its board. Previously, Phillips held senior management positions with Trinity Mirror, Orange and Dell. He is a board member of InfoComm International and is an InfoComm University Adjunct Faculty member.

InfoComm MasterClass: Networked AV
Instructor: Maxwell Kopsho, CTS-I/D, CCNA, PMP, CQT, Thorburn Associates Inc

Kopsho has 28 years of in-depth experience with AV systems, computers, computer networks, network security, telecom, videoconferencing and collaborative systems. He holds advanced certifications in project management, networking, network security, operational excellence, QA/QC and audiovisual design and installation. Kopsho has achieved a great deal of success in technology and training consulting, network security, technology channel sales and channel/market development. He has been a Senior Faculty member for InfoComm University™ for more than a decade and was awarded the 2010 Educator of the Year. Kopsho has developed and executed comprehensive global training programs for industry associations, channel partners and technology manufacturers.

Read more here.

 

Derek Jeter and David Ortiz are giving a hot Valley startup an unprecedented opportunity to shine — or fail (12/2)

On December 4, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz will announce the details of his retirement through Derek Jeter’s media startup, The Players’ Tribune.

And he’s doing it an unprecedented way.

Ortiz is holding a live Internet press conference in his home country, the Dominican Republic, from the golf course during his 8th Annual David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic. And while this in itself isn’t unusual, in this case, The Players’ Tribune is also going to allow 1,000 fans to virtually attend the video conference, and give a few of them the chance to talk with the baseball star and ask him questions over the internet.

And the whole situation has Krish Ramakrishnan alternatively thrilled and biting his nails as he told Business Insider. That’s because the event will take place through the CEO’s cloud videoconferencing company Blue Jeans Network cloud platform.

The nerve wracking part: when Kobe Bryant announced his retirement on The Players’ Tribune, the website was so overwhelmed with visitors, it crashed. Ramakrishnan has got his team working hard to make sure the live, internet press conference doesn’t crash.

Read more here.

(Note 12/4: I will have a follow up on this).