Volume 7, Issue 7 — July 30, 2015

Different signage systems have different methods of analytics, along with different goals. An interactive touch screen monitor is perhaps the simplest method to track analytics. These monitors are often found in hotel lobbies. Presumably you have already worked with the hotel management to understand why they want an interactive sign in the lobby. Is it to increase their customer service, by providing local information on restaurants, directions and attractions? If so, recording the number of “touches” and the most popular features used (directions, for example) will let your customer know if they are reaching that goal of improved customer service. These metrics will also let them know if they need to make changes to the design to attract more users. Quantitative data that is provided directly by the system is much more reliable, and much easier to analyze than qualitative data provided by the front desk clerk who can give anecdotal information about the uses of the sign. A different strategy for a sign in a hotel lobby may be to generate revenue. Perhaps you sell sign space to local restaurants. Depending on the investment the restaurant makes, is how they rank in your presentation to the customers. As the strategy is different, the metrics must be different. In this case, your customer is the restaurant, and they will want to know how many times their name was put in front of someone looking for a place to eat. With an interactive screen, those metrics should be easy to produce.

A very typical digital signage strategy would be to draw customers to a particular item in a store, whether that item is a loss leader, or has a high margin. If your strategy is a loss leader, a second part of that strategy is to sell other things to the customer as they wander the store looking for that loss leader item. So, the metrics you want to measure are the amount of money spent per customer, in combination with the loss leader. Typically, a store will want to sell a specific item along with the loss leader. So, perhaps the store has a sale on shaving cream, but is hoping that customers also buy a razor. The digital signage can play a role by directing customers to the loss leader in a way that puts them directly in front of the razors that they really want to sell. Again, the metrics that will need to be measured are the number of razors sold in combination with the shaving cream. Alternately, you may have a strategy to sell a particular item with a high margin. In this case the store would use the digital signage system to attract their customers to that item. Metrics on how many of that item are sold would not be useful in this case. You don’t know that it was your digital signage that led them there. Instead, you would need to collect a metric that was a clear indication of success with the sign. A call to action, such as taking a picture of the sign as a “digital coupon”, or scanning a QR code, or mentioning a code to the cashier, would all be valuable metrics to determine the success of the sign.

Perhaps one of the most exciting advances in digital signage metrics is the growth of Anonymous Video Analytics (AVA). I will take a moment here to emphasize the anonymous aspect. These systems do not need to collect and store video. Rather, they analyze it in real time. Intel is currently a leader in AVA and has a lot of interesting information on its website about the technology. Essentially, it uses a camera mounted on the sign and analyzes the video. The analytics are able to determine gender, age and other demographic information. The technology is very useful if you are implementing an informational strategy. You can determine the amount of time a person spent standing at the sign, which bulletins got the most attention and what type of customer looked at it. If your strategy is to sell advertisements on the sign (think of a sign mounted in the corridor of a mall) you can report the metrics back to the people buying advertisements. Also, AVA will allow you to show specific advertisements to specific customers. A younger (20-25) customer may be directed to Abercrombie and Fitch, for example. A mother pushing a child in stroller may be directed to Kids R Us. You can collect metrics on how many of each customer type were directed to each store.

The most critical piece of collecting metrics is to only collect the metrics that are going to help you understand if you are achieving your strategy. There is lots of data available, but as the integrator, you need to help your customers understand what they need. If you continuously talk strategy, and help them collect and analyze data based on that strategy, you will have happy customers who come back for more product.

Welcome to rAVe’s annual Best of InfoComm Awards! This year’s InfoComm show was held in June in Orlando and had a record 39,105 attendees. It’s tough to pick out the best and the brightest from the thousands of products and hundreds of exhibitors introduced on the show floor. After much consideration, our entire staff picked what we thought were the best things on the show floor. Congratulations to all the winning companies!

To see videos of all the products from the show floor, check out our complete InfoComm coverage here.

Click each link below to see the winner and watch a video or read a story about the product.

• Best Overall New Product: Nureva Span
• Most Creative New Product: Barco OSV
• Best New Video Product: Sony VPL-GTZ1 4K SXRD Projector
• Best New Audio Product: QSC Q-SYS Core 110f 
• Best New Video Over IP Product: DVIGear DisplayNet
• Best New Audio Reinforcement System/Product: Listen Technologies ListenWiFi
• Best New Audio Systems Product: Cambridge Sound QtPro Sound Masking
• Best New Audio Intrepretation Product: Listen Technologies Televic
• Best Wireless Collaboration Product (TIE): SMART kapp iQ AND Mersive Solstice Pod
• Best Collaboration Packaged Product (TIE): Prysm Cascade 85 AND Microsoft Surface Hub
• Best New Document Camera: HoverCam Ultra 8 Touchscreen Document Camera
• Best New Videoconferencing Product: Cisco SX80
• Best New Videoconferencing Accessory: VDO360 EZVDO
• Best New Conferencing System Product (TIE): Cisco Conferencing Experience AND InFocus Saturn VideoWall Conferencing System
• Best Desktop Videoconferencing Product: ClearOne Spontania
• Best Audio Conferencing Product: Phoenix Audio Condor 
• Best Wireless Audio Conferencing System: Beyerdynamic Quinta
• Best New Screen Product: Da-Lite Parallax
• Best New LCD Display (TIE): NEC X754HB AND Panasonic LQ70U Series
• Best New Outdoor LCD Display: Samsung OHD Series
• Best New Overall Digital Signage Product: NEC X554UN
• Best New Digital Signage Display: LG 49LS75A-5B with webOS
• Best New Digital Signage Hardware Product: Visix Electronic Paper Room Signs
• Best New Digital Signage Software Product: GoGet Room Display 4
• Best Digital Signage Service for Integrators: Almo ProAV’s Content Creation Service
• Best New K-12 Classroom Product: NEC UM351W
• Best New UP and Coming Education Product: Reach Technology iSmart Classroom
• Best New Product for Higher Ed Market: WolfVision Cynap
• Best New Classroom Accessory: Ricoh D5510 Interactive Whiteboard
• Best New System Projector: NEC P502HL Laser/Phosphor Projector 
• Best New Meeting Room Projector: Sony VPL-FHZ65 Laser Projector
• Best New Meeting Room Audio Product: Clockaudio CCRM 4000
• Best New Meeting Room Speakers: Klipsch IC-500-TSC 5″ In-Ceiling Speakers
• Best New Meeting Room Interactive Projector: Epson 100″ BrightLink Pro
• Best New Interactive Meeting Room Product (TIE): Ultimatte SightDeck AND Arthur Holm Dynamic Share
• Best New Portable Projector: CooLux Media Projector
• Best Projection Technology: Sony Z-Phosphor (Laser/Phosphor)
• Best High-End Fixed Install Projector: Christie Q Series
• Best New Rental/Staging Projector: Christie Boxer 4K30
• Best New Rental and Staging Product: Barco S3-4K
• Best New Rental and Staging Speakers: Ambisonic Sound Magnetic Planar Ribbon Speakers
• Best New Rental and Staging LED Product: Esdlumen
• Best New Video Wall Product: LG 1.8mm Clover
• Best New Video Wall Accessory: Black Diamond Video CXPS
• Best New LED Product: Panasonic Small Pitch PESCO
• Best New Presentation Product: Microsoft Surface Hub
• Best New PTZ Camera: VDO360 Clearwater PTZPC
• Best Portable Audio Product: Anchor Audio Bigfoot
• Best New Wireless Product: wePresent WiPG-2000S
• Best New Wireless Accessory: Peerless-AV peerAir Pro
• Best New Wirless Mic System: Sennheiser SpeechLine
• Best New Wireless Technology: Peerless-AV peerAir Pro
• Best New Wireless System: Circle Technology
• Best ProAV Control System Hardware: Crestron TSW Touch Panel Line
• Best New Control System Software Product: Medialon
• Best New AV Accessory: Middle Atlantic L5 Series Lecterns
• Best New AV Mount: Peerless-AV Totem Kiosk 
• Best New AV Furniture Product: Sound Craft Systems Huddle Tables
• Best New AV Cart: Middle Atlantic Display Station Series
• Best New ProAV Speakers: Eighteen Sound
• Best HomeAV Speakers: Martin Audio CDD Series
• Best InfoComm Demo: EPSON Image Mapping on Moving Surface Demo
• Best Concept Product: Christie 40-Second Image Mapping Demo
• Innovation in Building Automation Award: HARMAN
• Best GreenAV Solution: Lutron Quantum Vue Building Management Software
• Best Service/Product You Probably Didn’t See: Pakedge BakPak 3.0 Cloud Manangement System
• Best Booth (TIE): Christie AND HARMAN
• Best New Technology: AptoVision BlueRiver NT
• Best New Integrator Service: Almo ProAV’s Installation Services
• The InfoComm Gutsy/Kudos Award: Stampede’s Drone Pavilion
• Best Party: Synnex – Icebar
• Best Giveaway: NEC’s Fresh Baked Cookies & Espresso Bar

French works as the commercial director for Future Automation, a manufacturer of motorised and non-motorised mounting and concealing solutions for televisions and projectors with its primary market in the residential sector. Lang joins the ISE board of directors as CEO of Lang AG, the German-based AV sales, rental and solution provider of visual presentation technology.

As manufacturers, both French and Lang will join the board on a fixed term basis. “It’s extremely important that we get a fresh point of view and input into our strategic development,” stated ISE Managing Director Mike Blackman, talking at the InfoComm International trade exhibition. “This is why board members that are also manufacturers work with us for a two year period.”

The two outgoing board members are Jon LeBlanc, formerly of Russound and Damien Weissenburger, director, professional systems for Sony.

The Integrated Systems Europe board of directors comprises nine members:

• David Labuskes, Executive Director and CEO, InfoComm International (ISE Chair)
• Don Gilpin, Executive Director and COO, CEDIA (ISE Secretary Treasurer)
• Terry Friesenborg, Chief Global Officer, InfoComm International
• Wendy Griffiths, Executive Director, CEDIA EMEA
• Larry Pexton, President, Triad Speakers
• Jay Rogina, Principal, Spinitar
• Wolfgang Lenz, President , Comm-Tec
• Tobias Lang, CEO, LANG AG
• Ollie French, Commercial Director, Future Automation

The Integrated Systems Europe exhibition is organised annually by Integrated Systems Events. The event is jointly owned by InfoComm International and CEDIA.

The next Integrated Systems Europe will take place at the Amsterdam RAI on 9-12 February 2016. Our 2015 ISE coverage is here.

To meet a variety of installation needs, the extremely flexible mounting system includes a 0° mounting plate and a 10° mounting adapter. The 0° mounting plate provides the electrical connections and allows the SM 28 to be oriented vertically or horizontally, flush with the wall. When the versatile 10° mounting adapter is added to the mounting plate, the SM 28 can be positioned with a 10° tilt downward, upward, left, or right.

The SM 28 saves time and installation costs for AV system contractors working with low-voltage contractors in a division-of-labor installation. During rough-in, a low-voltage contractor installs the mounting system on the wall and terminates the speaker cable to the mount’s integrated wiring contacts. Later, the AV system contractor completes the installation by sliding the SM 28 onto the mount.

The SM 28 is sold in pairs and carries a five-year parts and labor warranty. It is available in a black or white finish and includes a 0° mounting plate and a 10° mounting adapter. Also available is an optional yoke mount kit for the SM 28. It allows for vertical or horizontal speaker mounting on a wall, or on a ceiling and provides 180° of pivot in 10° detented steps.

Here are all the tech specs.

The themes and speakers for DSrupted 2015 include:

• Data-driven Content: Martin Porter, group director of Posterscope, will talk about how real-time data from multiple sources dramatically alters the possibilities for digital out of home advertising networks – making it possible to tailor 1,000s of campaign messages to location, time, context and moment. Posterscope’s Liveposter service has done groundbreaking campaigns recently for brands such as Microsoft and Pimm’s.
• Data Visualization: Mike Pell, a designer and envisioneer at Microsoft, is coming from Seattle to talk about how live and real-time data can be organized and visualized to create stunning, high-impact content and creative for digital screens.
• Internet of Things: Stephen Eyre runs the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem for TELUS, which is one of Canada’s largest telecoms companies. He’ll clear the fog on what IoT is all about, and what it means for signage. There’s connective tissue there, as data-driven content and data viz don’t really happen without IoT data.
• Content Reimagined: Brad Parler is coming up from Houston to talk about the brilliant work he’s done on corporate communications with Blinds.com, and outline the broader idea and techniques that can re-imagine normally bland business communications.
• Future of Displays: OLED? Quantum dots? E-paper? Laser projection? James Robinson, senior director, research and innovation, at Christie Digital Systems, will talk about where display technology is headed over the next 5-10 years.

The conference attracted more than 100 people in Sept. 2014, and will be held at the same venue — The TELUS Conference Centre in downtown Toronto. Like last year, an industry mixer for networking will be organized for the evening of Sept. 15th, ahead of the conference. Tickets include lunch and access to all sessions through the day; They are $345, but attendees can save $50 by getting early-bird tickets before the end of this month.

Register online here.

Symmetry is comprised of a two-component system: an interface bar and display brackets with easily accessible 6-point (x,y,z) adjustment points on the top of each display bracket. The L-brackets used to anchor the interface bar to the wall can be moved anywhere along the bar to match the stud location in the wall, allowing it to be installed in a fraction of the time that it takes to install traditional individual display mounting solutions. This one system can be configured to fit a wide variety of digital signage needs, including video walls, digital menuboards and transportation.

Here are the details.

With Slate Micro Seam, SI can manufacture large-scale, ambient-light-rejecting screens for any commercial or retail environment imaginable. It is achieved by utilizing a special radio frequency welding technique that creates an airtight seal and permanent bond between two materials — the seam is small enough to be invisible at distances of 20 feet and greater, which is far closer than anyone would care to stand on screens of this magnitude.

Screen Innovations’ Slate Micro Seam screens are here.

Built for the outdoors, the Séura Storm Ultra Bright is rated for all seasons with a multi-climate temperate range from -30°F to 140°F and has an IP56 weatherproof design that survives rain and snow. Designed and tested in the summer heat and frigid winters in Wisconsin, Storm Ultra Bright claims to be tough. Séura’s outdoor TVs feature a Triple Lock Seal that provides three barriers of protection against outdoor elements, including: moisture, ice, dust, insects, etc. Séura outdoor TVs are tested and certified for safe outdoor usage.

Here are all the specs.

The discussion, moderated by Jason Douglas, senior communications project manager for FedEx, is entitled, “Taking Aim at the Future – Insights into Employee Communication for the Next Generation.” Panelists will discuss the outlook of the corporate communications environment and how to ensure not only that the correct message is being delivered, but also that it doesn’t get lost on what is now a technologically advanced workforce.

Douglas, who serves on the CCE Advisory Board, said, “Many conferences address best practices, but CorpComm Expo will provide a deeper dive into internal communication trends, approaches and ROI with the use of technologies to better aid organizations in communicating with one voice.”

To register, go here.

In addition, they launched six HDMI/HDBaseT splitters starting at £178 for the 4K-TX720, just one of a collection of 4K compatible self-contained HDBaseT one input by multiple outputs capable of transmitting HDMI signals up to 4K UHD resolutions over 70 meters or 100 meters of Cat6 cable. The single HDMI input can be connected to the rear of the unit where it is split internally and fed to two outputs. Each HDBaseT connection also allows for IR signals to be received back from the receiver enabling remote control of the source device. Other splitters in the family include: 4K-TX740/780 and 4K-TX820/840/880 for two, four and eight outputs respectively which add RS232 pass-through and Ethernet capabilities up to 100m of cable.

Check out all the specs here.

IZ-ON Media helps retailers and brands build customer loyalty by focusing on three key areas — Consumer Experience, Shopper Technology and Insights and Network Operations. Retailers amplify shopper marketing initiatives and brands deliver customized messaging through a suite of in-store communications platforms — TV Wall, Radio, Checkout TV, Health and Wellness and interactive touchscreens. This strategic messaging allows retailers to add relevance to the in-store experience and brands to speak directly to targeted consumers while creating new revenue streams for the retailers.

STRATACACHE is here.

Enplug’s App Market brings the “App Store” paradigm of mobile computing to digital signage. Anyone can personalize their display with custom content in seconds by simply browsing the Enplug App Market and selecting from a variety of apps for different use cases.

DisplayOS 4.0 also includes an improved web dashboard which provides users a more streamlined and configurable app and display management experience. The new dashboard seamlessly integrates with the Enplug App Market, and new features like user selectable transition animations allow users to further customize their displays. DisplayOS 4.0’s upgraded on-screen interface features a new notification system specially engineered to increase viewer engagement and provide users with gratifying feedback.

DisplayOS 4.0 is set to be released this fall, with the Enplug App Market already publicly available here.

The Quantum Connect 82 and Quantum Connect 84 maintain optimal full frame rate performance with a high-speed, 10 Gbps RAPT – Real-Time Asymmetric Packetized Transfer video/graphic bus that allows all inputs to be processed simultaneously, while preserving real-time control response and image performance.

A variety of display scenarios can be pre-programmed or created on-the-fly using Quantum Connect Control Software, an intuitive control interface for setup and system operation. Restriction-free windowing allows complete flexibility when designing window layouts. All of this is complemented by high performance image scaling technology, which accurately preserves the original image quality at all window sizes.

For more information on the Quantum Connect, go here.

Designed for any installation utilizing the SmartMount Full-Service Video Wall Mounts, including applications such as shopping centers, retail stores, transportation centers, and corporate settings, the Peerless-AV claims the Video Wall Mount Locator app minimizes the needs for large construction crews and decreases installation costs.

With the addition of the Peerless-AV Video Wall Mount Locator app, integrators are able to easily determine the best location to place display mounts to create a seamless video wall. To get started, the user manually inputs the display orientation, the dimensions of the display, and the distance from the floor and wall, and the app calculates the ideal location to begin installation.

To ease installation, Peerless-AV’s line of SmartMount Full-Service Video Wall Mounts have been upgraded to feature a top center keyhole slot to help plot out and hang the video wall mounts.

The Peerless-AV Video Wall Mount Locator app is currently available in the United States for free via the iTunes store  and Google play store. The version for mobile web browsers can be found here.

Business Environment Challenges

A world-famous French fashion designer opened a store in New York City’s trendy downtown SoHo neighborhood. The company called on a famous architect in luxury fashion to design the 20′ wide x 50′ deep store, which is a small boutique-style space in comparison to Manhattan’s enormous uptown retailers.

The architectural company constructed the store with tall ceilings and skylights. The next phase was to add a video wall along the back wall of the store to show off the company’s latest fashions. The concern was that the store’s existing skylights would drown out the colors of the videos shown on the monitors.

Business Technology Solutions

Media Services Worldwide, a company that designs, specifies and installs multimedia environments, was consulted to provide a video wall that would not only be bright enough, but also make the room appear larger. Sharp 60″ Class (60″ diagonal) PN-V601A professional video wall displays, boasting a 700-nit brightness, offered the store the brilliance it needed to outshine the skylights.

A 4×4 configuration of 16 displays was used to create a 240″ (diagonal) video wall, filling up the 20′ back wall of the store. Numerous mirrors were placed around the video wall to make it, as well as the store, appear larger. In addition, 2.5-millimeter Sharp mirrored frames were also installed on the monitors, instead of traditional frames, to complement the mirrors surrounding the video wall.

“Each of the four display arrays is equipped with its own media player,” explains Media Services Worldwide Director of Technology Garry Darvin. “Synchronized video content plays over all of the screens with elements passing from one screen to another. A runway model appears to walk continuously across the four screens.” He adds that the Sharp display was chosen by the fashion company’s representatives over two other vendors’ models that were brought in.

Innovative Results

The Sharp video wall became the focal point of the store and contains content specifically for the SoHo location. For example, images of Parisian gardens mixed in with video content of models walking in the latest clothing is used to show off the fashion company’s spring collection. The 4K content is updated on a regular basis via Internet feed directly from a video content provider in Paris.

According to Darvin, the fashion company’s representatives were highly impressed with the results. “Their representatives were initially concerned about the skylights washing out the imagery, but they have mentioned to me that the video wall looks absolutely amazing and even better than they envisioned,” he says. “They use a lot
of vibrant colors when creating the content and the Sharp displays really punch the images out.”