We've had the Roland V-60HD as our university’s TV studio video switcher for many years, so I was excited to try the new V-80HD direct streaming video switcher, which Roland announced in June. With a slightly larger footprint (almost 16 inches wide, 10 inches deep, and about 4 inches high), this compact switcher does everything we have come to expect from Roland and much more.

Your Pick of Sources

A switcher is only as good as its I/O. The eight video inputs on the V-80HD offer a mix of HDMI, 3G-SDI, and SRT—so you can use studio cameras, ENGs, even PTZs—while its outputs add USB 3.0 and LAN to the mix. It also supports up to 28 channels of audio and has built-in streaming (SRT, RTMP, and RTMPS protocols). If you're crunched for time, audio and video actions can be pre-programed. And with Mac or Windows based systems, the software allows remote operation.

[Product Review: Keep on Tracking]

The V-80HD supports a wide variety of formats and frame rates, including 4K60. If you’re mixing HD with 4K sources, two of the HDMI inputs will downscale to HD, and frame rate converters within the SDI inputs will simplify your productions by having your sources match.

Output sources are plentiful—HDMI, LAN, SDI, and USB-C. The USB output can send video and sound to a phone, computer, or UVC platform. Use the LAN output for RTMP. If your production requires effects, you can utilize the downstream keyer (DSK), as well as two picture-in-picture windows and split screen. Got a Windows-based system? Graphics and titles can be generated using free templates with the companion Graphics Presenter software and shared with the switcher via an HDMI cable.

The top of the Roland V-80HD features four audio input level pots, two auxes, and a main with peak and left and right level LEDs. Directly below are eight assignable pads, downstream keyer (DSK) with level, gain, source, preview, and program. And below that are picture-in-picture and key control, with both keys offering horizontal and vertical positioning knobs, plus source, preview, and program. The next bank is selectable between Aux 1, Aux 2, memory, and macro. The Program Bank offers eight inputs and preview bank with A-center and B-center adjustments for the spilt screen.

On the top of the right side of the switcher is the integrated 4.3-inch LCD monitor with buttons to let you choose multiview, two input views, and program. You'll also find controls for menu adjustments, output fade, and more. You can select between mix and wipe for the fader bar, plus there are cut and auto transition buttons. Below the front panel is where you'll find the headphone input and volume, plus USB host input and an SDXC card input for storing information.

[Integrated Production Switchers: Doing More with Less]

The back of the V-80HD houses the 24-volt DC input, power button, left and right XLR audio outputs, left and right RCA for a third and fourth channel, USB-C (computer or cell phone) and LAN (direct) streaming outputs, three HDMI outputs, four HDMI input scalers (two are 4K scalers with thru ports). Rounding out the ports are RS-232 and tally/GPIO outputs, two CTL/EXP ports, four SDI inputs, and two SDI outputs.

Ready for Action

The Roland V-80HD is so user friendly even the most non-technical person can easily hook it up and have it running in little time. Having an older version of a Roland switcher made our hookup even easier. We have three Hitachi 1080p cameras connected via SDI and a UHD 4K PTZ camera attached via a downscaling HDMI.

Each of our four usable inputs are attached to a 20-inch LED monitor, and the preview and program have their own 55-inch LED monitors. The V-80HD can display all monitor information on one screen, but I chose to keep it the way our control room had operated in the past.

The V-80HD does far more than our V-60HD ever did. After attaching all the SDI and HDMI cables, I powered up the system. The pretty light show lasted a few moments before it settled into its ready mode.

One of our senior TV/Film majors instinctively set up a preset where several of the live camera images animated to their positions. I asked him how he knew how to set up this mildly complicated maneuver. He replied, “My summer job was live streaming using a switcher.” It wasn’t a Roland, but with almost no trial an error, he had it set up.

After seeing his ease with the Roland V-80HD and feeling as if I should have taken a refresher course in Switchers 101, I took the reins and set up a DSK. I must admit it felt great showing my student how to do something he had no clue how to do.

As I had mentioned, switchers have come a long way in their ease of setup and operation. The Roland V-80HD moves to the head of the class; it is just extremely easy to learn and operate. The V-80HD also does so much that it opens the door for more creativity in a studio environment. I really liked the built-in monitor. Having the program image—or all your sources—right in front of you on the switcher is easier than looking all the multitude of monitors throughout the studio.

[Review: Jabra Videobar Is Built for Busy Meetings]

Initially, I thought a bigger switcher wouldn’t be any improvement. I was wrong. The Roland V-80HD is a powerful yet reasonably priced switcher for a TV studio. It has plenty of features and inputs without the steep learning curve of other, more expensive choices. The best quote from a student: “You can teach a course on how this switcher will make live productions less complicated and how this switcher will make our TV shows more exciting.”

Back in 2004, I contributed an essay to Constance Ledoux Book's Digital Television: DTV and the Consumer, a book detailing the dawn of digital television. I wrote about discovering HDTV sets in my local Walmart Supercenter, declaring that HDTV had gone mainstream. Just seven years earlier, in 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had released its Fifth Report and Order, which outlined an aggressive strategy for broadcasters to transition to DTV.

[Viewpoint: What Happened to the AV Department?]

While HDTV should have been the new normal, at least in my eyes, sales were still catching up. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) estimated that one out of every four televisions sold in 2004 was an HDTV. That percentage sounds low today, but back then it was huge. The $1,600 average price tag for an HDTV set didn't help sales, but the price had dropped from $2,400 in 2003, according to the Leichtman Research Group.

Another stumbling block: There wasn't exactly an immediate windfall of HD programming. For example, NBC Nightly News was the first national evening news to broadcast in HD—in 2007—while The Simpsons didn't air its first HD episode until 2009, its 20th season. The first Super Bowl broadcast in HD was in 2000 (Super Bowl XXXIV), but Olympics fans had to wait until Beijing in 2008 to experience the entire event in HD.

These days, you can still find new Full HD consumer sets, but choices are limited (and the displays are relatively small). Instead, 4K has taken over the consumer marketplace. Without even taking Black Friday pricing into account, you can get a 55-inch LG 4K smart TV for less than $350 at Walmart. Other brands are even less expensive for larger sets. There are premium models for premium prices, too, but in 2024, you don't need to spend a fortune for 4K.

Maybe the speed of technological advancement is making us all lose a little perspective, but none of this is old. In a couple of years, the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, will celebrate its centennial. Now that's old—we're talking black-and-white film stock, as well as a record on a turntable connected to a projector to sync the video and audio.

[Pro AV 2025: What's Trendy?]

But HDTV? WRAL-TV in Raleigh, NC, delivered the first U.S. public HDTV broadcast in 1996, while Hawaii's KITV was the first U.S. station to begin commercial digital broadcasts in 1998. And it literally took until 2014 for the networks to make the complete transition to HD. Big Brother was the last holdout in prime time, due to its extensive camera (and related infrastructure) requirements.

Of course, by the time prime time was all HD, Netflix had launched streaming content in 4K. A few years later, the FCC approved NextGen TV (also known as ATSC 3.0), which opened the door to over-the-air 4K, interactive features, and much more. However, the transition to NextGen TV is voluntary, at least so far, so not every broadcaster has made the move.

Today, almost anyone with a halfway decent internet connection can stream tons of 4K content at home. Just a decade ago, it was House of Cards and a couple of nature documentaries. And a decade before that, there was only a handful of HD content, which you could only watch in high definition on a very expensive TV.

[Editorial: 'Intelligence' Can Be Artificially Overrated]

As we all welcome 2025, it's interesting to think about what current Pro AV technologies will look downright antiquated in a decade. Will we laugh at how little AI was being used? Will HD be a distant memory? Heck, will we be in the middle of an 8K transition? Ten years is not that far down the road—but in terms of technology, what our industry relies on this year might just be considered ancient history.

Most people like to show off their presents, but you’ll probably hide Aurora’s CW-1 converter. And that’s OK, no hurt feelings—at less than 3.5 inches long and about 1.5 inches wide, it’s designed to be discretely stowed behind your other devices. For use with Android, Linux, and Windows, the CW-1 is a HDMI 1.4b to USB 3.1 4K converter. Its HDMI input can take up to 4K30 4:4:4 and scale down to 1080p for USB 2.0 usage of 1080p. The CW‑1 is powered by the USB port (there’s a blue LED power indicator) and includes a USB-C-to-USB-A cable.

SCN Stocking Stuffers is a seasonal series highlighting affordable Pro AV tools for industry professionals on your “nice” list.

Best Resources for Up-to-the-Minute Online Deals for the 2023 Holiday Season

Cyber Monday is behind us, but the online shopping deals continue. Our sister publications T3, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, and What Hi-Fi? continue to research and curate them for you. I know and trust them to help narrow my choices. Make sure you check back with these publications throughout the holidays because they will be updating the sites with new deals as they become available. 

Tom's Guide: 137 Best Sales to Shop Now

"I've been a deals editor for 16 years of my career and I personally do most of my shopping during this time of year. While it's true that a lot of sales are overhyped, I've also seen some amazing bargains that only happen during Cyber Monday. On this live blog, the entire Tom's Guide team will focus on those epic deals on devices we've reviewed, tested, and recommend." 

Check out Tom's Guide recommended deals here.

What Hi-Fi? The best OLED TVs, Bluetooth speakers, Apple headphones and more

"Our expert team of tech reviewers has over 100 years of collective experience in the industry, and we've been searching high and low for the lowest prices on the best products that we have actually tried, tested and can genuinely recommend. A big discount on a bad product isn't a good deal, so you'll find none of those here."

Check out What Hi-Fi recommendations here.

TechRadar: 100+ sales from Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and many more

"Our roundup of the best Cyber Monday deals features over 100 curated picks from our team of experts across TechRadar. A few notable mentions include record-low prices on products that we've tested and loved here at TechRadar - including the latest 10.9-inch iPad, the stunning Samsung S90C OLED TV, and the super-popular PlayStation 5. It's not just high-end tech that we've found Cyber Monday deals for, though, so you'll also find plenty of handy stocking fillers and cheap Christmas gifts."

Check out TechRadar's recommendations here.

T3's Top Deals from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and more

"With well over a decade of coverage under our belts at T3, Cyber Monday sales and deals are some of our favorite thanks to a lean towards electronics, tech, and other lifestyle products that make our lives easier. Smart products, kitchen appliances, gaming hardware, and more go on sale on Cyber Monday (our specialty!), and we'll be working hard to bring forth only the best values this year."

Check out T3's recommendations here.

Cindy's TV Shopping Tips

I make no apologies for the fact that I love TVs. It can't be just any big TV for the lowest price. It's got to be the latest model, with actual specs that are even better than last year's model. A high dynamic range with a wide color gamut and brightness, the ability to see the detail in the battle scenes in the Game of Thrones, and a refresh rate of 120Hz is a must (I watch hockey, and there's nothing worse than a jittery puck you can't follow). Plus, the upscaling of content to 4K has got to be excellent.

 My first recommendation for buying a TV on Black Friday is (and I know it's going to be crazy out there) to ask to see an image feed from cable TV. Most TVs will be displaying native 4K content, which should look great on almost any 4K screen. Depending on your media provider and many other factors, a lot of the content you'll be viewing won't be in 4K. You want to see how the TV processes the image.

Second recommendation: Decide what is important to you. If all you want is a large TV in the family room for daytime viewing versus content you want to become immersed in, then go for the 85-inch at a lower price (but still not the lowest; you do get what you pay for). But don't expect that TV also to serve you well when you want to turn off the lights and watch a movie or your favorite series. If you've got another room where you enjoy movies, go for the best TV you can afford.

Third recommendation: After you've filled up on turkey on Thursday, take some time to look at the reviews of the TVs that will be on sale before you buy a big TV at a steal.

All the major brands have outstanding lineups. When you see several 75-inch TVs with wildly different prices, make sure you look at the features and specs even within the same manufacturer. The specs matter. 

The major TV brands have gotten serious about providing a great listening experience, so if you need external speakers, pay attention to each brand offering.

Currently, I own all three TV brands I have chosen as my top picks.

Cindy's Top Picks

The following are Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals researched and published by our sister publications, T3, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, and What Hi-Fi? . I know and trust them to help narrow my choices. Make sure you check back with these publications through Cyber Monday (and beyond) because they will be updating with new deals as they become available. 

The prices noted are at the time of publication and might have changed. We cannot guarantee availability or pricing. 

Cindy's Top Five TV Deals for Black Friday 2023

42-inch LG C3 OLED was $1400 now $897 at Amazon (save $503)
The C2 above has been replaced by this C3. It's another great TV, but the improvements are slight so we recommend you buy the C2 while it's still available and cheaper. Still, if you need the latest and greatest, this deal makes the C3 more tempting than ever.
Read Hi-Fi?’s Review LG OLED42C3 review

65-inch LG C3 OLED was $2500 now $1597 at Walmart (save $903)
This LG TV offers up some impressive image quality, absolutely superb gaming performance, and a user-friendly interface, too. At $903 below MSRP, it's hard to say no to this four-star set.
Read What Hi-Fi?’s Review LG OLED65C3 review

Samsung S90C OLED TV 77-inch: was $3,579.99, now $2,497.99 at Amazon
If you really want to supersize your viewing experience, this Samsung 77-inch OLED TV is something else. And you get more than $1,000 off for Black Friday.

Sony A95K QD-OLED 55-inch 4K TV: was $2,799.99 now $1,699.99 at Best Buy
This is an absurd deal and offers incredible value for money for PS5 (or Xbox Series X) players or, well, anyone looking for a top-tier 4K TV this winter. This won countless awards and critical acclaim last year and remains one of the best TVs ever made for gaming. If our calculations are correct, this price beats its lowest ever by a whopping $600! [I purchased the 65-inch A95K last year, and my husband and I are still in awe.]

Sony Bravia X90K 55-inch TV: was $1,299.99, now $798 at Amazon
Using a Full Array backlight, this 4K HDR LED TV can offer superb brightness. It also comes with the Google TV smart system built-in, so has all the streaming apps you could possibly want.

Cindy’s Top 6 Audio Deals for Black Friday 2023

If you want to step up the quality of the audio from your TV, then a soundbar and a receiver will do the trick. And if you want to keep the sound to yourself, check out these earbuds and earphones.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II: was $299 now $199 at Amazon
If you want the best noise-blocking power, you can get for the price, these deliver it. They also sound superb and have a ton of useful smart features. But the headline is the noise cancellation, and you can't get better for under $200. Actually, you basically can't get better, period. Oh, and this is the cheapest they've ever been—we'd be surprised if they go any lower.

Sennheiser Ambeo Max was $2500 now $1699 at Crutchfield (save $801)
Standing over four feet wide, Sennheiser's Ambeo is not for the faint of heart or short of space. But it sounds sensational and boasts Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. Relatively expensive by soundbar standards, but worth investigating if you can get a discount. Five Stars
Read What Hi-Fi?’s Sennheiser Ambeo Max review

LG SP8YA was $800 now $476 at Walmart (save $324)
This Dolby Atmos soundbar with a wireless sub has much of the connectivity and features of LG's higher-end models. There's eARC, plus another HDMI 2.1 input with 4K Dolby Vision and HDR10 pass-through, as well as an optical input and a USB port. Streaming is well catered for too—alongside Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, there’s Chromecast and Apple Airplay 2.
Read What Hi-Fi?’s LG SP8YA review

Samsung HW-Q950A was $1800 now $1255 at Amazon (save $545)
There are big savings to be had with Samsung's flagship 2021 soundbar, which has more drivers than any other model on the market. The 11.1.4-channel soundbar delivers both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound, which makes for epic sound.
Read What Hi-Fi?’s Samsung HW-Q950A review

Denon AVR-X2700H was $1099 now $788 at Amazon (save $311)
This five-star AVR comes packed with fantastic spatial audio control, an amazing sense of rhythm, and supports 8K as well as HDMI 2.1. With this massive Black Friday discount, this AVR is a phenomenal deal. 
Read Hi-Fi?’s Denon AVR-X2700H review

Sony WH-1000XM5 was $400 now $328 at Amazon (save $72)
The best pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones you can buy at this price. The Sony XM5 headphones might feel a little less premium than before, but the jump in sound quality from the previous generation is a big one. A What Hi-Fi? Award winner.
Read Hi-Fi?’s Sony WH-1000XM5 review

Happy Shopping!

SCN: How long have you been with this company, and what are your responsibilities?

Paul Sabbah: I joined Leon Speakers 10 years ago as an independent sales rep covering the international market. Over these 10 years, I was asked to take on more territory (a bit of the U.S., as well) and to also focus on the commercial side of our business, which is the fastest-growing portion of our sales portfolio.

SCN: You recently told me Leon had doubled its commercial sales in 2022. What’s the secret to your success?

PS: We have been riding a huge, global technology-refresh wave. Adoption of 4K videoconferencing cameras, digital technologies, and large displays is skyrocketing due new the emergence of post-COVID hybrid work environments. Leon had been a highly regarded manufacturer of design-friendly AV solutions before this wave, so we have been able to transition seamlessly as a valued resource for this growing market. 

[Viewpoint: What's Your Professional Mindset?]

SCN: You produce technology concealment solutions for several big-name partners. Why not just focus on a one-size-fits-all approach?

PS: One-size-fits-all does not apply to our customers, so it does not apply to us! Our customers come in all shapes and sizes, using different UC platforms, all manner of display technologies, and many of them have both client-facing rooms and “internal” rooms just for staff. Consequently, one single approach won’t meet all needs. 

SCN: People used to love to show off their AV components, so why is technology concealment becoming so popular?

PS: Leon is uniquely positioned to answer this question because we have both a residential business and a commercial business. On the residential side, people do love to show off their fancy speakers, high-end amps, and large televisions—and their jewelry and their cars. These are aspirational possessions that denote wealth and cultural refinement.

In the office, technology is more of a necessary evil—a lot more devices, more cabling, multiple screens, and cameras, which collectively are difficult to design around and take up large amounts of space. In the corporate world, that's expensive real estate. In these situations, tech concealment becomes not only a design issue but also a cost issue.

SCN: What was the inspiration for the Cove desktop workspace, and how has the response been from at-home workers and office personnel?

PS: Cove is a modern desktop designed for work, home, or co-working spaces. It features adjustable backlighting, a sound-dampening felt lining, and a sleek design. Our founder, Noah Kaplan, conceived of it when the pandemic started, thinking that workers at home were not being given the best chance to succeed with their tech and newfound “virtual” work life.

Response to the product has been excellent, and we are seeing opportunities to design versions of Cove for corporate spaces as well. Cove has also been a great way for us to leverage partnerships with Logitech and Shure by including their products in a bundle with Cove.

SCN: In-ceiling speakers used to be, shall we say, utilitarian in nature, but products like your Axis series have raised the bar considerably. What inspired the auditory upgrade?

PS: There are plenty of simple, low-cost in-ceiling products on the market. When we decided to offer this to our dealers, we took the “Leon approach” and made the product great, fully featured, and customizable. 

[Executive Q&A: A Piece of Cake]

SCN: What are the differentiators in a high-quality soundbar?

PS: First and foremost, sound quality has to be superb, but we go beyond that by offering flexible mounting options, customizable cabinet colors, literally hundreds of speaker grille designs and colors, and fast lead times for custom sizes. 

SCN: I need to ask about your LiquidView Window, which I saw at InfoComm last year. What makes it different from other displays, and are your sales coming more from residential or commercial customers?

PS: LiquidView is, in a word, amazing. The ability to create a digital window on a wall where none existed is one thing; it’s quite another to time-synchronize digital content on a 24-hour cycle and give the end users an app to select from many gorgeous views, all filmed in 8K. We assumed that the resi market would embrace it, but have discovered LiquidView Window also resonates with commercial clients for applications in hotels, hospitals, and corporate offices. 

SCN: Finally, the boss just told you to create a corporate conference demo room. What Leon speakers are you installing and why?

PS: Horizon Interactive is our flagship product—no room designed by me would be without it. To this product, I would add our Ultima drivers to boost audio intelligibility and enable Horizon Interactive to be used for more than conferencing, like music listening. The most important part of a meeting is audio, so the room I design will surely emphasize this capability.

BenQ is launching the latest video camera in its DVY family, the DVY32 smart 4K UHD video camera. Compatible with all leading video conferencing platforms, the video camera boasts Zoom certification, BenQ’s color performance technology coupled with a high-performance Sony 4K image sensor, 120-degree-wide field of view with 5-times digital zoom, AI-powered auto framing, two omnidirectional microphones, and H.265 video encoding for smooth streaming with less bandwidth.

“The DVY32 allows organizations to outfit numerous rooms without breaking the bank or compromising on quality,” said Bob Wudeck, senior director of business development at BenQ America.

[SCN Hybrid World: Seeing Is Believing with Conference Cameras] 

BenQ’s DVY32 ensures:

• Calls look their best: The DVY32 produces vivid 4K UHD video with a 120-degree field of view that lets those on the far end see everyone clearly and in rich detail, making it the perfect videoconference camera for meetings as well as online demos and product launches. BenQ’s enhanced low light performance makes subjects stand out from the dark. With digital pan, tilt, and zoom, users can keep the audience focused on what’s important while the AI-powered auto framing adjusts the shot so that everyone is always on screen. In addition, the smart video camera automatically corrects distortion to stream accurate videos. It also utilizes the latest compression standard, H.265, which requires less bandwidth and ensures smooth streaming even with suboptimal network conditions.
• Calls sound their best: The best audio quality occurs when meetings are face to face, and that’s the standard that the DVY32 achieves. The DVY32 is equipped with two omnidirectional microphones that pick up audio from 26 feet (8 meters) away and minimize distracting background noise. The noise-suppressing microphones tune out background noise, so people don’t miss any information.
• Great meetings from any platform, using any display: The DVY32 passes Zoom standards for optimal video conferencing, but it’s also compatible with all leading video conferencing apps, including TeamViewer Meeting. Its flexible mounting options make it ideal for any computer or smart display. Just mount it, connect it, and start calls right away. For greater flexibility, it can also be put on a table or wall mount.

JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, will unveil its new KY-PZ510 Series of PTZ cameras during NAB 2022 at the company's exclusive suite in the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. As the latest addition to JVC’s CONNECTED CAM remote production solutions, the new series includes four models, which feature 4K60p HEVC SRT streaming with multi-slice encoding technology to reduce latency and provide superior image quality. The cameras also boast a super-wide 80-degree field of view, which is perfect for studios, classrooms, corporate settings, event facilities, sports venues, and houses of worship.

[Power of the PTZ]

The series includes the KY-PZ510 in black and white options, as well as the
KY-PZ510N (also available in black and white) with NDI 5 support. The new PTZ cameras also offer enhanced SMART auto-tracking, which can be set to automatically follow one person, and allows users to select one of multiple people within its field of view. Additionally, the incorporated Vertical Interval Time Code (VITC) with Network Time Protocol (NTP) provides the new JVC PTZ cameras with multi-camera synchronization for seamless live event production. 

“Our new KY-PZ510 Series PTZ cameras feature the latest in remote production technologies and we are looking forward to presenting them to NAB Show attendees,” said Joseph D’Amico, vice president, JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation. “In addition to the cameras’ advanced streaming capabilities and new SMART auto-tracking function, they also feature a sleek design that fits into the aesthetics of any location.” 

[NAB 2022: JVC to Present Remote Production Solutions]

Using the latest HEVC technology, the cameras support multi-slice encoding to ensure higher quality video at lower bit rates for remote production (REMI) applications. The cameras also support H.264 encoding, which offers increased compatibility with a variety of hardware and software applications. Plus, the 4K60p streaming delivers natural imagery in settings with a lot of movement, such as sports and live events. 

The cameras’ wide angle of view and focal length of 21.8-261.8mm are ideal for presenting live-action events as well as the full scope of a classroom, auditorium, or house of worship. In addition, the SMART auto-tracking function of the cameras means that operators can set the camera to focus on and follow one person during a live production. 

[Review: JVC PTZ Streaming Cameras Deliver IP Production Versatility]

All models support Secure Reliable Transport (SRT), which is resilient to bandwidth fluctuations, data loss, and intermittent connectivity, to ensure secure and error-free video delivery over the internet. The KY-PZ510N can simultaneously output NDI, SRT, and RTMPS for hybrid local/remote workflows to deliver the highest quality distribution to the world’s most popular CDNs. 

The new KY-PZ510 PTZ cameras will be available beginning summer 2022.

As the premier resource not only for governors, but also for their cabinet members, state policy experts, and businesses, as well as members of congress and staff, the National Governors Association (NGA) offers an array of services to help states collaboratively tell their stories. Thanks to decades of broad expertise, NGA teams are able to work side-by-side with state leaders to identify challenges, help governors stay ahead of the curve and offer solutions before challenges become problems.

The NGA’s Washington, D.C. headquarters recently underwent large-scale renovations, which included a complete overhaul of their networking, data, and audiovisual systems. Lead integration firm CTSI’s AV design expert Andy Bukowski explained the necessity of the venture: “After 12 years without upgrades, the existing conference room technologies had fallen so far behind that they were only used rarely, if at all.” 

Brought Back to Life

With the ability to display custom interactive content, as well as computer feeds or cable television, an 86-inch LG touchscreen display in the lobby welcomes governors with style and sophistication, while offering a preview of the upgrades that await them inside. When they need to get work done, visitors can use the Visiting Governors’ Office, which features a 49-inch LG 4K display with simple laptop and tablet connections.

With 90 employees, the NGA also has plenty of its own daily work to complete, which is now aided by two conference rooms with 75-inch LG 4K displays and two more with LG 55-inch 4K displays. In the largest, most popular space, the Capitol View Conference Room overlooking the U.S. Capitol, the city’s grandeur is complemented by a huge 98-inch LG 4K display. All of the displays feature LG’s advanced IPS panels, which are also used in the office’s new LG 34-inch UltraWide desktop monitors.

“The NGA has scores of employees, and most of them expressed a desire for dual-monitor workstations to accommodate complex workflows and multitasking,” Bukowski explained. “By using LG’s UltraWide 32:9 aspect ratio monitors instead of dual-monitor setups, we were able to deliver the larger digital canvas they needed while simplifying system design and connections, resulting in a cleaner appearance and smoother operation.”

From the lobby to the cafe to conference rooms, the new digital signage network from LG Business Solutions enhances the NGA’s flexibility and provides simple, bring-your-own-device meeting spaces that deliver a variety of benefits for workers. The redesigned conference rooms enable simple plug-and-play setup for conference calls or presentations on LG 4K Ultra HD displays ranging from 55 to 98 inches diagonal, with most offering bring-your-own-device simplicity that includes HDMI connections and AirMedia wireless casting.

According to CTSI, the new digital displays and systems at the organization’s headquarters provide the communications and collaboration tools needed to succeed in the variable work environment of the post-COVID world.

[ CTSI Acquires Systems Electronics ]

A Future-Proof Solution

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the NGA’s new technology infrastructure is that the audiovisual systems can be easily upgraded, thanks to CTSI’s Subscription Service that allows the NGA to request replacement technologies as new displays or features are introduced in the coming years. By replacing a large upfront cost with a monthly subscription fee, the NGA gains enormous flexibility and helps ensure that its offices won’t become obsolete as technology progresses.

“Like any organization, the NGA wants to maximize the value of its investment and ensure long-term capabilities, so LG display technology coupled with CTSI’s subscription hardware and software service represented the ideal solution,” said Shantia Puckett, the NGA’s associate director of information technology. “Our clientele includes some of the most powerful people in the country, so it’s paramount that the technologies and spaces we offer them work flawlessly and deliver fast, simple means to get their work done.”

[ LG's First Comprehensive Medical Technology and Education Hub Opens ]

Simple and Dynamic

In addition to the lobby, conference room, and desktop displays, CTSI installed 49-inch 4K displays in the cafe to welcome guests, provide updates, and show news broadcasts. Another 55-inch LG 4K model mounted on a rolling cart enables any space to host presentations or videoconferences.

“During the presidential inauguration in January there were a number of governors using our offices and conference rooms, and when they needed to launch a Zoom meeting, we were ready,” Puckett said. “Before the renovation our capabilities were limited, and now we have governors remarking how easy our technology is to use and how great everything looks. It’s a completely different experience, thanks to LG
and CTSI.” 

Bukowski said, “Now the NGA headquarters is a beacon of modernity that allows visiting governors and their staffs to continue the hard work of governing their states while visiting the nation’s capital. As the organization returns to the office following the pandemic, the new desktop and digital signage displays will be crucial to meet the expectations of NGA staff and external colleagues alike.”

[ LG Gears Up to Support Post-Pandemic Remote Work With LG gram Mobile Thin Client Laptops ]

With the increasing trend to meet remotely, technology is rapidly advancing to create new tools that make the experience easier and more pleasant for all parties involved. Konftel has created an ideal package—the Konftel C2070. Built around the Konftel Cam20 conference camera, Konftel 70 speakerphone, and Konftel OCC Hub (short for one cable connection), the components work together to deliver better meetings for huddle rooms or medium-sized meeting areas.

Sum of Its Parts

The Cam20 is an adjustable/positional 4K camera with a wide 123-degree field of view. That means it can capture several people around a conference table without the participants constantly having to move to be seen. It connects via a USB 3.0 cable directly into your computer or to a hub. The UHD camera shoots at 30fps and offers an 8x digital zoom, which may be controlled by a wireless remote. The 3/4-inch diameter lens is positioned in the center of the seven-inch long unit.

[Konftel Interactive Room Type Guide Streamlines Sales Process]

Placed on a conference room table’s surface, the Cam20 can be raised to the desired height. It can also be clamped on top of a laptop or monitor, or mounted to a stand and secured using a 1/4-inch 20 UNC screw. The rear of the Cam20 includes a female USB-Type B port, allowing the camera to plug directly into your computer or OCC Hub with the provided cable. The auto focus camera is designed to work well in any lighting condition.

The Konftel 70 speakerphone is a powerful addition to audio portion of your meeting and solves the problem of poor microphone placement, especially when there are several people speaking. The omnidirectional pickup pattern captures sound equally from all sides.

The top of the unit has a mesh covered speaker, with a modern shape that conceals four MEMS digital microphones. Konftel’s OmniSound technology cancels echo normally present in larger rooms and suppresses background noises. The front edge of the Konftel 70 has a red “end call” icon, green power and “begin call” button, and Bluetooth button on one row, with volume and mute buttons on a second row. The underside of the unit includes the female port for the AC adapter and a USB 2.0 Micro-B female port to attach with the included cable.

Everything connects to your laptop through the OCC Hub using the DisplayLink driver. As Konftel says, “BYOM—Bring Your Own Meeting.”

The top of the unit has a wiring diagram/path flow illustration, so you know exactly where to connect the components. Besides ports for the Cam20 and Konftel 70, the unit includes a power supply input, USB Type B input to connect your laptop, and a female HDMI port to attach an external monitor.  The system comes complete with the AC adapter and color-coded USB cables, plus Velcro mounting strips and a Quick Guide that illustrates the setup (HDMI not included).

Improved Presentations

As a member of the Rank and Tenure Committee at our university, I must sit in on a faculty’s classroom and observe. While watching a recent graduate level nursing class, I noticed how ineffective the Zoom portion of the class had been. Through no fault of the faculty, the 20 students sitting in the class had a much better advantage than those trying to hear what was said and shown via Zoom.

The next day, I received my Konftel C2070 review kit. I immediately contacted the faculty member whose class I had visited and asked if she would be willing to try the Konftel system in her class. She had the perfect test: Each nursing student had to make a presentation with images, graphics, and notes to the rest of the class, including students attending class via videoconferencing.

[Review: BenQ ScreenBar Plus Is Easy on the Eyes]

I decided to test the system in a conference room on the other side of campus before I took the equipment to her class. I really appreciated having each cable clearly marked, as well as the diagram on the top of the OCC Hub. Yes, I know how to insert an USB or HDMI—but I wanted the professor in the class to be able to do it herself (she had told me she had very limited technical skills).

Once I downloaded the DisplayLink driver software (as instructed in the Quick Guide), I attached the USB cable from the OCC Hub to my laptop. Then, I went to System Preferences on my laptop and designated the Konftel 70 as my active sound input and output.

Next, I took everything—including my laptop—to the professor’s class 15 minutes before it began. She was able to setup the system within five minutes. She placed the Konftel 70  in the center of the conference room table, clipped the Cam20 to the top of a 55-inch 4K monitor on a rolling cart, and connected the monitor to the OCC Hub using an HDMI cable.  Finally, she started the Zoom session on my laptop.

[Review: JVC PTZ Streaming Cameras Deliver IP Production Versatility]

The first student, using Zoom and her laptop, shared her screen on the 4K monitor in our conference room. The Konftel 70 speakerphone glowed green around the edges as the microphones were open. Another student on Zoom was the first to comment. His voice coming though the speaker was almost as clear as if he were sitting in the same room. By the way, pressing the mute icon on the speaker does exactly what it should, and the green border lights illuminate red so everyone in the room knows the microphones are muted.

Students sitting in the class were visible by the Cam20 camera mounted on the monitor. The professor got so involved in the presentation that she never used the remote to zoom into individual students. In a second demonstration in a smaller room, the student clipped the Konftel Cam20 to the top of her laptop’s screen and had the Konftel 70 handy for sound.

Multiple Applications

At the end of half a dozen presentations, I asked the professor if I could do a brief postmortem (pardon the pun) with the class and those on Zoom (while still using the Konftel C2070). Normally, getting any comments from students is like pulling teeth, but one student said, “It made me feel more involved than it used to.” Clearly Konftel has a new fan!

[WeWork Deploys Thousands of Konftel Wireless Conferencing Solutions Worldwide]

After testing the system with nursing students, it’s clear the Konftel C2070 is well suited for telehealth applications. With a laptop’s built-in camera, it’s difficult to show anything else unless you move closer or further from the camera. With the Cam20, it’s simple to position the camera where it is needed or zoom in. Sound clarity is even more critical in telehealth applications—and the Konftel system makes it easy to hear and be heard.

Beyond telehealth, the Konftel C2070 is a solid choice for distance learning and corporate environments. The connection diagram on the OCC Hub eliminates the guesswork in attaching the pieces, and even someone unfamiliar with technology can be up and running quickly. The camera offers 4K images, while the speakerphone delivers very clear sound and provides excellent pickup for participants around the conference table. Plus, the system is portable enough for easy transport, so it can be shared among coworkers or instructors.

I believe the Konftel C2070 can greatly enhance any meeting done over the cloud. In fact, the only potential weak links are your internet connection and the limitations of your cloud conferencing platform.

The What: Sony has announced the BZ35J and BZ30J series displays, which join the previously announced 32-inch FW-32BZ30J model in Sony’s 4K HDR Bravia professional display line. The new models, which range in size from 43 to 75 inches, accommodate corporate and education environments of varying sizes, from large conference rooms and lecture halls to small meeting rooms and huddle spaces, as well as diverse digital signage applications.

The What Else: The high-end BZ35J series, which achieves a brightness of 560–570 nits with a refresh rate of 120Hz, includes the 50-inch FW-50BZ35J and 43-inch FW-43BZ35J.

The mid-range BZ30J lineup, which achieves 440 nits brightness with a refresh rate of 60Hz, includes the 75-inch FW-75BZ30J, 65-inch FW-65BZ30J, 55-inch FW-55BZ30J, 50-inch FW-50BZ30J, and 43-inch FW-43BZ30J. These BZ30J models join the previously announced 32-inch FW-32BZ30J, which offers a brightness of 300 nits.

[The Technology Manager's Guide to the New Era of Digital Signage]

The new BRAVIA displays incorporate Pro Mode, which enables users to customize settings to suit different behaviors based on applications and environments, while One Step Setting allows for quick optimization.

IP control allows for easy installation and integration through support from key partners. Additionally, display mirroring capabilities on the new models provides connectivity through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and both Chromecast built-in and Apple AirPlay 2, allowing for a quick and easy connection from a user’s device.

Both new BRAVIA professional series include a new System on a Chip (SoC) platform, with a built-in Android OS system, that offers an upgraded interface for ease of use, fast boot-up and seamless application integration.

The new displays offer installation-friendly terminals that provide flexibility to meet the demands of the B2B market. They also feature Sony’s latest 4K HDR processor X1, which enhances color, contrast, clarity and motion, as well as TRILUMINOS PRO technology to produce realistic imagery with a wide range of vivid colors.

The Bottom Line: Sony’s portfolio of BRAVIA 4K HDR Professional Displays, including the BZ35J and BZ30J models, is available in sizes ranging from 32 inches up to 100 inches. In North America, the BZ30J series and FW-50BZ35J are expected in the summer, while the FW-43BZ35J is planned for the fall.

More Sony BRAVIA News

Sony Unveils Redesigned Bravia 4K HDR BZ40H Series • Models in Sony’s new BRAVIA BZ40H series of 4K HDR professional displays for the commercial market include the 55-inch FW-55BZ40H, 65-inch FW-65BZ40H, 75-inch FW-75BZ40H, and 85-inch FW-85BZ40H.

TSItouch Brings Touch Operation to BRAVIA Displays • The 55-, 65- and 75-inch models of Sony’s BRAVIA BZ40H professional displays are gaining touchscreen capabilities with the addition of infrared multitouch technology from interactive specialist TSItouch. TSItouch Pulse Type IR technology can detect virtually any input—including a finger, gloved finger, stylus, or pen—and enables multitouch for up to 10 simultaneous touch points.

In every business there is an essential need for getting large displays added to fit their strategies and meet their objectives. No matter what vertical you may be in, the need to accurately display information for your staff or clients is an essential part of the digital experience that people crave. With smartphones being such a part of our lifestyle, having displays gives people the gratification of getting information through digital media. 

Conveying the best content requires having a large canvas available to you. The larger canvas brings higher and clearer resolutions to showcase content to its highest quality. While 8k content is rare to find and difficult to produce, 4k is the best realistic option for anyone to create. Thus, comes the need for ultra-large 4k displays to be utilized properly in commercial settings. 

Certifications for Mounts

When installing large-format displays, it is critical to choose the right mounting solution that can handle all of the weight and dimensions of a display. 

Large displays can be used as digital signage points in public places or as a digital work board at the front of a conference room. For public spaces such as venues, shopping malls, and university campuses, it is important to find out whether your mounting solution is ADA compliant or whether it can be recessed to meet the 4-inch depth requirement to avoid accidents and hazards. TAA compliancy for large-format mounts is also important when looking to be installed in government facilities. 

[AV Designers and Integrators Discuss ADA Compliance]

When dealing with heavy displays, the government wants to ensure that the mount was manufactured in a country that prioritizes safety for the intended users in critical information technology positions. OSHPD grants a certification that is rising in popularity for states that endure instances of seismic activity. For a mounting solution this means that the hardware will withstand earthquakes meaning displays and hardware will stay fixed as the building around it shakes, rattles, and rolls. 

The last and final certification that someone should look for is for the mounting solution to be UL listed. Being UL listed means that the mount meets high safety rating standards and can be seen as a stamp of approval on a quality solution. While these certifications are all critical in determining a mounting solution, thinking about the installation and environment is another key part in determining which solution you should use. 

Mounting Large-Format Displays on the Wall

The installation of large displays can be a cumbersome task. Outside of the extremely heavy weights, the overall size and bulk of the displays calls for heaving lifting. This means there often has to be an installation team of two to three individuals who need to handle the display safely. When mounting to a wall surface or a cart, utilize a mount that can be fastened and linearly adjusted on the wall before applying VESA brackets and then the display itself. 

[The Integration Guide to Flat Panel Displays and Mounts]

With installation brings service of power and data being ran to the monitors. Traditionally displays that need servicing have to be fully removed from the wall and then reattached upon completion. To avoid having to send a three-person crew just to service the display, look for mounting solutions that either articulate away from the wall surface or have forward extension built into them. This will allow for a single person to safely pull the weighted display away from the wall and have full access to the cabling of power and data. Utilizing pneumatics can ease the tension of weight when pulling away from the wall and the use of an integrated in-wall gearbox can make things much easier over the life of the display’s usage. 

Mobile Mounts for Large-Format Displays

Large format displays can also be maximized by moving them from room to room. Traditional carts and stands will need to incorporate newer solutions that have the necessary weight capacities along with center massed anchors that minimize tipping hazards when displays sit 20- to 60-inches off the ground. Along with the safe positioning, maneuverability must be considered when placing large-format displays on mobile carts. Only certain sized cart bases will fit through doorways and is a consideration that needs to be through of when utilizing displays in corporate, education, and live event applications in the future. 

As displays change their footprint, so will the mounting solutions that accompany them. Solutions are available out in the market today, but manufacturers will continue to innovate and design solutions that will be used as displays continue to expand over the next five to ten years. 

 You may be familiar with Sony’s fully integrated BRAVIA BZ35F Series with three levels of digital signage: Standalone, Networked via LAN, or Cloud-based with iRevo. We’re going to delve into the robust features of the all-in-one, cloud-based iRevo application. But first, a recap of the all-in-one BRAVIA BZ35F Series that will ensure your digital signage content looks and performs at its best.

 Start with the Best of Breed

As you would expect, the Sony BZ35F Series of BRAVIA Professional Displays delivers best-in-class imaging, and a brand name known for reliability. The 4K HDR Processor X1 reproduces the finest details, making text and graphics sharper and easier to read. The displays use Google’s Android TV operating system, are IP network-ready, equipped with RS-232C connectivity, have optional interactive touch support, and are available in six sizes from 43- to 85-inches.

Sony’s BRAVIA Digital Signage solution displays are truly all-in-one with a “system-on-a-chip” (SoC) design that eliminates the need for external hardware such as a media player. It avoids potential interoperability issues from third-party hardware. Installation and connectivity are simplified, and there are fewer points of failure. 

The BRAVIA BZ35F Series Digital Signage solutions support 4K video playback. “We're proud of being a leader in 4K technology,” says Anthony Cianfarano, product manager at Sony Imaging Products & Solutions Americas. “Sony is backing its commitment to this professional series with a three-year warranty.”

All of the BRAVIA Series Digital Signage solutions come with templates that are so easy to use that you don’t need to be a professional content producer. No programming required. 

 A Match Made in the Cloud

Sony BRAVIA with iRevo Digital Signage (iDS) software is a cloud-based solution that eliminates the need and cost of managing and maintaining on premise server hardware and software, which greatly enhances flexibility allowing for unlimited scale. 

iRevo works seamlessly with the BRAVIA’s Android operating system, allowing the iDS App to install directly. And because the BRAVIA is an all-in-one, SoC design there’s still no need for an additional external media player device. 

The combination of the BRAVIA SoC design and the iDS cloud-based software makes this solution easier to design, deploy and manage digital signage projects with ease and scale. 

“There is a great synergy with Sony because the TVs have Android built in,” says Dhimant Bhayani, founder & CEO of iRevo Multimedia. “The beauty is our iDS software runs also on the Android platform, so you don't need an external media player.” The iDS App can be downloaded from the Google Play store or using Sony’s Pro Mode located in Pro Settings in the BRAVIAs. “Pro Mode allows you to duplicate the software across many BRAVIA displays via a USB drive which we also support,” says Bhayani.

The iDS software utilizes a combination of Amazon AWS Cloud platform and Amazon’s CDN (cloud delivery network). “The benefit of a CDN is that it creates thousands of cache points nationally, and tens-of-thousands internationally,” says Bhayani. “Your player gets the content from the nearest point. And this also allows for scaling without performance degradation.” There is no limit to the scale of your digital signage deployment. 

“We have customers that want all or some of their sensitive content on their premises,” says Bhayani. “You can still use iDS software, in this case the content would come from a either a USB drive, a LAN server, or customer’s own cloud server.”

 Additional benefits of the BRAVIA & iDS cloud signage solution include the ability to access all functions via a PC browser over the internet. “This allows for better security without the need for a special network configuration or ports to set up,” says Bhayani. “Users can aggregate and display almost any type of content from the web.”  

Easy Content Authoring and Workflow Management

Together BRAVIA & iDS provide an end-to-end solution. Whether your company has an expert content creation team or someone who has been tasked to simply upload content and manage the digital signage, creating a professional digital signage campaign is easy. Using the iDS Author tool, users can choose from an extensive library of templates or create their own. 

Users can add content such as videos, images, text, HTML, web URLs, YouTube videos, QR codes, import calendars, and more. There is a widgets (App) library comprising 50+ popular widgets that includes Twitter, Facebook, Weather, Vimeo, News, RSS Feeds and more. Content from user’s PC can be uploaded to the iRevo Content Management System (CMS) enabling the delivery of content to an unlimited number of BRAVIA displays via the iRevo CDN. 

 Seamless workflows can be easily created. “You can author and share projects and build multi-project schedule where different signage projects can be displayed at various times of the day on iDS Author portal and publish these projects through iDS Manage portal,” says Bhayani. Through iDS Manage portal, Admin users can monitor the signage projects remotely and can take screen shot of display to ensure that expected content is playing.

The iDS Cast mobile app adds another level of functionality. “From the mobile app you can manage content like photos, videos, music, PDF and text, to the TV,” says Bhayani. “There is a built-in mini editor so you can display instant messages without disturbing the project that is currently running.” This would be beneficial in a fast-food restaurant where a user wanted to display the number of the order being served, at an airport to display the standby list, or to create an emergency message. The messages can be displayed and removed instantly. 

 Flexible Layout & Live Project Preview

The iDS Player software is an integral part of the iRevo Digital Signage solution. Some of the key functions it executes are accessing and displaying content in each region of a layout as defined in schedule. This software plays key role in generating proof of play logs, images, and raw analytics data. The iDS Player App can render content in up to 4K resolution, depending upon the player selected and the TV display connected.

The Preview Signage Project is recently added feature. With many digital signage content management systems, a user would need to publish the project and view it while live to determine if the content looked right. “For you to see how the project looks or animations look, you would need to have a smart TV or a media player with TV next to you,” says Bhayani. “We have virtualized the Android player in the cloud where designer can publish a signage project. This virtualized player plays the published project and its output video is streamed over the internet; in real-time; and previewed on iDS Author portal.”

Differentiators

One of the most significant differentiators is that the BRAVIA Signage is running on the Android platform. “The general compute capability of the Android platform is higher than its competitor platforms that are rendering in a web browser which adds another intermediate software layer that takes more resources and slows down the processing.” says Bhayani.

With Android you gain a lot of capabilities,” says Bhayani. There are nearly limitless options that can be added for applications requiring a deeper engagement. “Some of these including video analytics through USB camera, dynamically resizable video region, touch support, beacon support, motion sensors, Bluetooth, and more,” adds Bhayani. “In general, the capability to build a wide variety of advanced applications is greatly enhanced, and iRevo has the know-how and expertise to bring this capability to its user who can incorporate them in their projects without any programming efforts.”

The bottom line is simplicity. “Using traditional a digital signage solution with an external media player the cost can be very high,” says Bhayani. Add the installation fees and the cost skyrockets. “Don’t forget the extra cost of hardware you had to provision for a power outlet, mechanical integrity, HDMI cabling, and so on.”

With the Sony BZ35F Series of BRAVIA Professional Displays and iRevo, “there’s no HDMI cable, no extra power cords, no shelf or another dongle or a box.”

The value proposition becomes extremely high. “Basically, you can go live with one power plug and one internet connection per display and you are done,” concludes Bhayani.

 See for Yourself

A series of short videos demonstrate the ease of use and functionality:

Create Layout, Add Content, Create Playlist

Assign and Publish Project

Create Project Schedule

Running Project

Schedule a Demo

Contact Sony to receive a product demonstration at your location.  

The What: Atlona, a Panduit company, is now shipping the AT-OME-PS62 6x2 matrix presentation switcher, part of the company’s offerings in its Omega Series unveiled at InfoComm 2019 last month. The AT-OME-PS62 is a fully featured 4K switcher with USB 3.0 and USB-C interfaces, HDBaseT extention, scaling, and audio management capabilities for leading-edge AV solutions.

The What Else: The AT-OME-PS62 includes three HDMI inputs and two HDBaseT inputs alongside a USB-C AV input for direct, BYOD-friendly interfacing with the latest mobile devices and laptops. The USB-C interface also can be used for data connectivity to the AT-OME-PS62’s integrated USB 2.0 hub, as well as charging the connected device. Meanwhile, high-quality, 4K downscaling and upscaling on the unit’s HDMI output preserve color and spatial detail when converting content between 4K and 1080p for mixed-format presentation and display applications.

The AT-OME-PS62’s integrated USB extension capabilities combine with compatible Omega Series transmitters and receivers to address the challenge of connecting between USB devices at remote locations, forming an integration solution for use cases including software videoconferencing and interactive displays. Additional integration convenience features include auto-switching, audio embedding and de-embedding; audio output matrix mixing; display control; microphone input with mixing and ducking; internal video test patterns for setup and troubleshooting; a customizable welcome splash screen; and the ability to remotely power Atlona HDBaseT devices via PoE.

The Bottom Line: Designed for modern AV communications and collaboration, the AT-OME-PS62 is designed to offer high performance and value for 4K/UHD presentation and conferencing specifications in medium-to-large AV environments. It features HDBaseT and HDMI outputs, along with 4K/60 4:4:4 capability for all inputs and the HDMI output, plus USB extension over HDBaseT.

As worldwide TV household penetration is quite saturated, the flat panel TV market has been driven by consumer adoption of TVs with higher resolution, larger screen size, and connected and integrated applications and services. While flat panel TV makers have announced 8K TV sets, it is the 4K TV market that will continue to grow to cement its place as the mainstream TV format over the next few years. ABI Research, a global tech market advisory firm, forecasts that 4K flat panel TV shipments will grow at 13 percent CAGR to reach 233 million in 2024.

Flat panel TV makers including Samsung, Sony, LG, and TCL announced the introduction of 8K flat panel TV models, which are priced between USD $5,000 and USD $70,000 depending on the display size. “The cost of 8K TV sets is far from affordable for most consumers,” said Khin Sandi Lynn, industry analyst at ABI Research. “This will limit the sales volume for the foreseeable future; however, we can expect the price points to decline to a  more reasonable level over the next several years just as 4K sets have.”

However, the lack of content and distribution models are more significant barriers than cost for 8K TV adoption at the moment. Aside from 8K channels provided by Japanese broadcaster NHK, there are no other 8K broadcast channels currently available, although Korean Broadcasting Corporation (KBS) is working toward an 8K broadcast. While streaming service provider Rakuten recently announced its interest to provide 8K content in late 2019, service providers overall are not ready for 8K content, nor is there much incentive for content providers due to limited 8K TV set adoption at present.

8K content also needs larger data files, which creates challenges in content distribution and data management. Versatile Video Coding (VVC), which achieved 34 percent higher efficiency over HEVC, is currently in the process of standardization. VVC will play a vital role in driving the 8K TV market when the final standardization completes in 2020. 8K is likely to gain momentum only when challenges are addressed, and the ecosystem evolves.

“For now, 4K will be the dominant format of the flat panel TV market, and of the content ecosystem as a result,” Lynn said. “4K TV household penetration will reach slightly more than half of the TV households in mature markets, and with penetration still relatively low in emerging markets, there is significant room for 4K market growth in the years to come.”

These findings are from ABI Research’s Media Devices: UltraHD, 4K, HDR, 8K, HEVC market data report. This report is part of the company’s Video & Cloud Services research service, which includes research, data, and analyst insights. Market Data spreadsheets are composed of deep data, market share analysis, and highly segmented, service-specific forecasts to provide detailed insight where opportunities lie. 

While 4K is ever-present in the consumer world, many tech managers at the enterprise level are still asking themselves: should we make the switch? The answer: it depends on what your organization is trying to achieve.

“If you’re Sky TV, or if you’re Fox or Disney, yes, because they really want to showcase [their content],” said Tanoop Sungha, technical support lead at Tech 4 Intuit, the internal technical support arm of software developer Intuit in London, U.K. “If you’re an organization that looks at spreadsheets, or if you’re doing Powerpoint or things like that, I don’t believe that’s necessarily enough for you to say, ‘we have to go 4K.’”

It’s also important to determine whether or not 4K is well suited for a particular space, said Sean Kennedy, CTS, senior media systems specialist at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA. “The resolution is great when you’re very close to the content, but if you’re putting it into an auditorium and they’re doing Powerpoint [presentations], it doesn’t make sense to have that kind of pixel density from that far away,” he said. “It makes sense in medical labs, or perhaps in [on-campus] art studios where they need to see detail, [but] make sure that it is appropriate for the room.”

Sungha believes that the enterprise space is still playing catch-up when it comes to 4K/Ultra HD. “Even if you look at the content’s that’s out there, there isn’t enough that is actually in UHD,” he said. “Because HD was such a big thing, I think that has set the standard, and I don’t think the uptake to 4K or 8K is there yet.” He argued that while the transition from standard definition to high definition was significant, “the fact that you can’t see that much of a change from HD to 4K, I think it’s a questionable doubt if it’s worth the jump.”

There is, however, an argument for preparing an organization’s infrastructure for the future, said Wes Simpson, an Orange, CT-based technology consultant who works primarily in the broadcast market. “If you’re buying a piece of infrastructure today such as something for archiving, or if you’re buying a new generation of editing tools, you should probably make sure that they’re 4K-capable, but you don’t have to deploy that today until it makes sense for your whole ecosystem,” he said. If a tech manager is purchasing new monitors, he said, they should be 4K. “If I was buying networking [equipment], I would seriously think about a minimum 1-gigabit connectivity to all of your delivery destinations, and then on the production side, you’ve really got to be thinking of 10-gigabit or 25-gigabit if you want to have pristine, broadcast-quality 4K content.”

As is the case for every deployment, it all comes down to the organization’s specific goals: what content will you be putting on display? “If it is very much video-based or media-based, then yes, potentially that might be the right route to go,” Sungha said.

Does your organization fall under this category? If so, here are a few things to think about.

ARE YOU READY FOR EVERYTHING?

Dave Van Hoy, president of Advanced Systems Group, an installer of production, post-production, and shared storage systems based in Emeryville, CA, reminds tech managers to assess their bandwidth capacity before making the leap to 4K. “For many, it means a complete rewire,” he said. In fact, he added, this transition may mandate an entire overhaul. “For most facilities, the only things they can reuse are the lenses on the cameras—if they’re lucky. There is no easy fix on this one, and it’s especially challenging if the facility is 1080i instead of 1080p. With 1080p, some elements may be up-converted and combined with 4K for somewhat acceptable results. With 1080i, though, the up-conversion does not work very well.”

WHAT’S YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE GOING TO BE?

12G-SDI or IP? For Van Hoy, this is the first decision tech managers need to make. “In every facility, the optimal answer is different,” he said. “You need to analyze the size of your plant and the need for future growth against the underlying technology.” 12G for a small- to medium-sized organization is less expensive, but if growth is a possibility, it has its limits. “An IP infrastructure has more flexibility over the long term, but you may not have a business requirement that justifies the difference.”

IS YOUR CABLE STABLE?

Mathew Slack, enterprise AV service owner at CIBC, a global banking and financial services firm headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, said that it’s necessary to assess the organization’s cabling structure. “A lot of legacy locations might have Category-5 cabling that’s really not appropriate for sending 4K video,” he said, “so [it’s important to] make sure that there’s Cat-6a deployed.” In media studios and broadcast environments, fiber is the best bet, “so that you can have a 10-gig solution, and have very high quality, uncompressed—or very lightly compressed—video for those types of applications.”

ARE YOU INVOLVING THE RIGHT PEOPLE?

Slack noted that when making the transition to 4K, it’s important to involve those working on the organization’s network and security teams. “Everything is going to an IP model and everything is on the network, and depending on the size and scope of the deployment, it may have a significant impact on overall network performance,” he said. To adhere to common security best practices, he advises solutions with 802.11x support for network admission control as well as encryption. “Looking at security holistically, and looking at it as part of every AV solution is really important in this day and age, with network-connected and network-converged solutions.”

HAVE YOU PLANNED THE ACTUAL TRANSITION?

Transitioning to 4K is a complex process, and it’s likely to cause disruptions in workflow. How does one minimize these interruptions? In three words: test, test, test.

Slack suggested testing these systems out in a lab prior to deploying on site—and to be thorough in this process. “If you aren’t deploying within a converged network and you’re doing an isolated solution with a dedicated network switch, maybe in a lab you’re only testing two transceivers and a couple of displays,” he illustrated. “If you plan on deploying to 24 ports, you really want to test out that all 24 ports are going to be simultaneously sending and receiving audio and video. It’s really important to make sure that the switching capacity can support that.” He added that some network switches on the market don’t provide this capability, “so you want to look at something that’s rightsized for the application.”

Simpson pointed out that during the transition, it’s likely that organizations will need to produce two different versions of their content, “just like broadcasters did in the U.S. when we switched from standard definition to high definition,” he said. This is especially important for enterprises with remote workers—many of whom are connecting from hotel rooms while on business travel. “[In a hotel room], you’re not going to be able to get a high-bandwidth dedicated pipe to support 4K content. You’ve got to think about all of the people that are going to [be viewing] it.”

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED HDR?

For entertainment video, as well as some corporate applications, Simpson argueed that better color is as important—or even more important—than higher pixel density. This is where High Dynamic Range (HDR) can play a significant role in improving overall video quality. “Better color is actually a bigger improvement in terms of viewer satisfaction than having more pixels on the screen, and you need good lighting and good editing, and all of that other stuff to make it happen,” he said. “If someone is looking to do a serious upgrade to their system, they should think about HDR.”

Sungha agreed. “I don’t believe the biggest jump is HD to Ultra HD—the biggest jump is to HDR because of the color,” he said. “If you’ve got more colors, you can see more clarity. [It] gives you a more defined image. It’s a night-and-day difference in terms of color, in terms of brightness, in terms of the details that you can see.”

Carolyn Heinze is a freelance writer/editor.

It’s safe to say that the collective tolerance for bad video is increasingly low. With everyone from YouTubers to small to mid-sized businesses creating studio-grade content, enterprise-level organizations are under pressure to produce video communications that rival the big networks… and even the big studios. At the same time, just because you’re striving to achieve cinematic quality doesn’t mean you have the budget to invest in cinema cameras. Manufacturers are aware of this, and have developed a number of products designed to deliver slick video at a more accessible price point. Here are a few to consider:

VADDIO ROBOSHOT 40 UHD

A broadcast-quality PTZ camera, Vaddio’s RoboSHOT 40 UHD features 40x zoom and a genlock external sync port, designed to deliver accurate synchronization in multi-camera environments. (This feature also includes phase compensation to adjust and fine-tune the genlock signal.) It will provide 4K resolution at 30fps through 30x zoom, and an 1/2.5-type Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS image sensor. The camera incorporates the manufacturer’s next-generation silent motor and tri-synchronous motion algorithms designed to eliminate jitter and bouncing (even at full zoom).

Beth Peterson, product marketing manager at Vaddio, touts not only the image quality the RoboSHOT 40 delivers, but also the smoothness of movement. “When you’re watching a movie, you’ve got that smooth pan across the horizon,” she illustrated. “You can experience that with high-quality PTZ cameras now. Really, it’s like natural eye movement, instead of [the camera] moving over, then up, then in. This [camera] is doing that all at the same time, so you getting the same experience as you would if you were watching a television show.”
www.vaddio.com

SONY SRG NETWORK CAMERAS

Sony’s SRG Series of network cameras are well suited for lecture capture and corporate applications, as well as those common in the medical field. The SRG-360SHE delivers Full HD (1080p60) video with IP networking capabilities, as well as 3G-SDI and HDMI outputs that can provide simultaneous feeds––a triple-streaming solution for users that wish to display content on a connected monitor, stream live to the web, and record for editing and archiving at the same time. Users may synchronize pan, tilt, and zoom so that they start and stop in unison, and preset camera positions can be stored for recall.

In the medical field, these cameras are used for remote monitoring of patients, as well as for training purposes. Mark Barron, product manager at Sony Medical, also notes that the SRG Series enables doctors, colleagues, and students to communicate on the spot. “A typical use case might [have] a doctor in his office, and maybe he’s looking in on a med student or a colleague [who is with a patient],” he illustrated. “[The doctor] has got to be able to view not only the overall scene of where the patient is in relation to the doctors and the technicians, but he may also need to zoom in and get a better view of the surgery itself. Pan/tilt/ zoom and the really high quality of HD are two important features.”
pro.sony.com

PANASONIC AW-UE150

The AW-UE150 is a 4K integrated remote camera that offers 4K/UHD 60p capture, and affords the widest viewing angle (75.1 degrees, horizontal) in its class, according to the company. With an HDR mode, support of various 4K interfaces, and simultaneous 4K/HD output, the UE150 is targeted at higher-end applications in broadcast, production, corporate, events and staging, education, house of worship, and more.

The UE150 incorporates a 1-inch large MOS sensor, 20X optical zoom, and seamless intelligent zoom (i Zoom). The 4K interfaces supported include 12GSDI, HDMI, optical fiber, and IP. Other key features include HD crop from 4K picture, PoE++ power supply support, seamless x32iA zoom (HD, UHD:x24), high-speed Pan/Tilt mode, largesize tally, NDI|HX support, and a new web UI. The new AW-RP150 remote camera controller will be compatible with the UE150 as well as Panasonic’s higher-end PTZs.

“The UE150 is a step-up in resolution, lensing, and interfacing, presenting a clear 4K upgrade path and a new workflow for such premium PTZ applications as high-end enterprise and broadcast/production applications,” said Michael Bergeron, product manager studio/system cameras, Panasonic System Solutions Company.
na.panasonic.com

ALTIA SYSTEMS PANACAST 3

Altia Systems recently launched the Panacast 3, a 180-degree panoramic 4K plug-and-play video system for corporate and collaborative applications. An array of cameras in one unit, the PanaCast 3 approaches image capture much like the human eye, according to Aurangzeb Khan, Altia’s cofounder, president, and CEO. “When you look at our device you won’t see scale distortion, meaning that if you’re [looking at] the left extreme or the right extreme [of the image], people and objects will look the correct size,” he said.

The system is comprised of three 13-megapixel cameras, stereo microphones, and software. The PanaCast Vision Processor captures the entire room, enabling the unit to deliver video over a 180-degree field of view at panoramic 4K resolution without distortion. Its Intelligent Zoom feature automatically adjusts to ensure that all meeting participants are included in the field of view. It can be mounted to any digital display or on a wall, features a USB-C connection, and is compatible with popular collaboration software such as Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, Cisco WebEx, Slack, Google Hangouts, and GoToMeeting.

Khan noted that PanaCast 3’s people-detection functionality (achieved through a partnership with Intel that resulted in Advanced People Detection and Counting technology) delivers valuable information on room usage and occupancy. (Users may access this information via the PanaCast API, or the PanaCast Vision app.) The AI software can count the number of people on camera (up to 40 feet away).

“AV technology is tied into IT technology, and people not only want a great audio-video experience, they also want to get information,” Khan said. “This whole AI application and those technologies are just going to continue to expand.”
www.panacast.com

Zooming In: Choosing the Right Camera

Cameras abound, and which one you purchase depends on your application. To narrow the choices down, tech managers need to ask themselves a few key questions.

“Regardless of what you’re shooting, you need to consider what your shooting environment is,” said Steve Cooperman, senior product manager at Panasonic. For example, large, heavy cameras are O.K. on a sound stage, but they’re more cumbersome for those operating on the fly. Cooperman also urges tech managers to define their deliverables: “Will [the images] be on a big screen? Will they be viewed on a smartphone, or a laptop?”

“Your room size is going to dictate some of things you need to consider in a camera,” said Terry Huber, senior marketing manager for network cameras at Sony. “You also have to consider your lighting situation––how sensitive the camera needs to be, how much light you’re going to have, [and] if there will be back-lighting.” She adds that aside from capturing quality images, there are other functions to take into account: “Do you need it to stream? Do you need it to go over a network? Those are some of the questions you start asking.”

The What: Optoma has unveiled the 4K550 and 4K550ST, the latest additions to the company’s full line of 4K UHD projectors. They combine the latest advancements in 4K technology with flexible installation features to high quality and versatile functionality in a variety of professional settings.

The What Else: Powered by Texas Instruments DLP chipset with XPR technology, the Optoma 4K550 and 4K550ST offer 3840x2160 UHD resolution and display 8.3-million addressable pixels onscreen. Both projectors offer HDR10 and REC.2020 compatibility for color precision and advanced features, including vertical lens shift and 12V trigger for installation flexibility. With a short throw ratio of 0.78:1, the Optoma 4K550ST can display 100-inch images from a few inches away, and the Optoma 4K550’s integrated 1.6x optical zoom allows for seamless installation and performance. The projectors are also 3D ready with DLP Link compatibility and equipped with a variety of input and connectivity options, including HDMI, VGA, RS-232C, and LAN, for easy integration and control with devices that require full support for Crestron, IP Link, AMX, and PJ-Link protocols.

“The Optoma 4K550 and 4K550ST are carefully designed, sophisticated projectors that deliver high quality 4K performance to meet the various projector needs of professional venues,” said Brian Soto, head of product management, Optoma Technology. “With the introduction of the Optoma 4K550 and 4K550ST, we’re excited to continue expanding our full portfolio of 4K UHD projectors for the professional installation market.”

The Bottom Line: The Optoma 4K550 and 4K550ST projectors are designed to deliver high detail and color performance to professional, corporate, and house of worship environments. They are available for purchase for an estimated street price of $4,499 and $5,499, respectively through authorized dealers, including Audio General, CDW, Full Compass, ProjectorPeople.com, and ProjectorScreen.com.

The What: Datapath has launched a new dual 4K capture card, the VisionSC-UHD2, ahead of ISE 2019. It is the most powerful 4K card in the company’s portfolio.

The What Else: Datapath’s Vision SC-UHD2 provides two HDMI 2.0 capture channels with HDCP 2.2 at 4K60 and full 4:4:4 chroma sampling. This latest high-end card complements Datapath’s Vision SC capture card family.

“AV integrators are demanding the highest resolution video when creating the most stunning visual displays and the new UHD2 addition to our Vision SC range is designed to meet and exceed that demand,” said Mark Rogers, Datapath product manager. “Along with unparalleled performance and future-proof connectivity, end users also have the peace of mind that Datapath reliability brings. We believe the VisionSC-UHD2 to be the ultimate 4K capture card available to the market.”

In order to capture two channels of 4K 60p 4:4:4 without any loss of quality or dropped frames, 4GB/s of raw data is needed and this requires a minimum of eight lanes PCIe Gen3. Other dual 4K solutions offering eight lanes of PCIe Gen2 are not enough once data bus overheads are accounted for. With this in mind, Datapath’s VisionSC-UHD2 is the only professional solution with enough performance to handle two channels of 4K without any loss of quality or dropped frames, according to the company.

The Bottom Line: With a full 10-bit processing pipeline, the VisionSC-UHD2 is suitable for the full spectrum of high quality displays, from command and control rooms to creative, high-end corporate applications. Purposely designed for high performance controllers, Datapath’s latest card works seamlessly with the company’s latest iolite 12i chassis—delivering a single-appliance, 12-output solution for 4K video walls and menu boards.

Datapath’s VisionSC-UHD card can be seen at ISE 2019 on their Hall 12 H80 stand. 

As 2018 draws to a close, consumer interest in 4K UHD continues to climb, receiving a further push due to average retail prices reaching parity with HDTV sets, according to the latest market tracking report from Futuresource Consulting.

“This year, we’re expecting annual 4K UHD TV shipments to power past 100 million units,” said Tristan Veale, market analyst at Futuresource, “and the market will continue to grow with double-digit CAGR throughout our forecasting period to 2022.

“What’s more, high dynamic range—HDR—is beginning to make its presence felt and will be included in over half of all 4K UHD TVs sold worldwide in 2018, though consumer understanding remains limited.”

The Word From the Regions

Looking to the regions, Asia Pacific leads the way in volume, helped along by China, the largest single market for 4K UHD. North America has also seen strong uptake of 4K UHD, with rapidly declining prices and a general preference for larger screens to match the larger-than-average homes in the region. In Europe, the positive picture continues, with Futuresource anticipating shipments to grow by 30 percent this year.

Hardware Beyond the TV Set

The global UHD Blu-ray player market continues to swell, with this year’s shipments on track to almost double the installed base of standalone players. UHD-compatible media streamers are also pushing forward, with shipments rising over 85 percent year-on-year in 2018, accounting for nearly half of all media streamer shipments. Games consoles are also playing their part, significantly increasing the installed base of UHD Blu-ray capable homes and bolstered by consumers updating consoles and taking advantage of upgrades available for both the PlayStation and Xbox.

The Outlook for UHD Content

“When it comes to the content, SVoD remains the primary gateway for consumers to get their UHD fix,” said Veale. “Netflix is the key service driving UHD SVoD spend. Depending on the country, around 20 percent to 30 percent of subscribers have opted for the UHD premium tier.

“UHD Blu-ray content continues to progress ahead of the expectations of many, with global consumer spend on track to reach $360 million this year. UHD Blu-ray has held onto its price premium and, as a result, consumer spend continues to outperform digital sell-through of UHD, despite the volumes being almost identical.

“Broadcast UHD has also received a welcome boost in 2018, with February’s Winter Olympics and the FIFA World Cup accelerating many broadcasters’ plans to introduce 4K UHD coverage, making high-quality streams available. However, for wider uptake, a reduction in the cost to deliver UHD and HD broadcasts simultaneously is needed. IP delivery is expected to be key to this, at least in the short to medium term.”

The What: Atlona has begun shipping the AT-HDVS-SC-RX HDBaseT receiver and 4K/UHD scaler with a local HDMI input. 

The What Else: The AT-HDVS-SC-RX receives HDBaseT for video output up to 4K30 4:4:4, plus embedded audio, control, and Ethernet over distances up to 330 feet (100 meters). The HDVS-SC-RX features Atlona CrystalScale technology with high-quality downscaling and upscaling, as well as advanced image optimization capabilities plus internal test patterns for setup and troubleshooting. 

The Bottom Line: For complete integration for meeting rooms, the HDVS-SC-RX and an HDVS-200 or Omega Series transmitter together provide a compact yet integrated solution with automatic input selection, HDBaseT extension, display control capabilities, room control, audio de-embedding, and volume control. For larger presentation applications, the HDVS-SC-RX is well suited for extending AV connectivity from an Atlona HDBaseT-equipped switcher to a remote display or projector. Content can be upscaled, downscaled, or delivered with scaling bypassed, while providing high-quality imagery.

The What: Canon U.S.A. has introduced two new 4K Laser LCOS Projectors: the REALiS 4K6020Z and 4K5020Z. Compact and lightweight, both new projectors measure 18.8 inches wide by 7.1 inches high, by 21.4 inches deep and weigh 41.8 pounds, making both units the smallest and lightest projectors in their class, according to the company. Canon is also adding to its lineup of RS projector lenses with the introduction of the RS-SL07RST 4K Standard Zoom Lens.

The What Else: The laser-light source for both projectors can achieve up to 20,000 hours of operation in typical use or up to 40,000 hours when in Long Duration Mode. The laser-light source allows the projectors to start up in as little as two seconds while in Fast Boot mode, as compared to conventional lamp projectors that may require additional time to light up and stabilize brightness. In addition, users are able to create presets to be set up to their specific preferences and needs.

The HDR technology of both projectors increases the dynamic range ability, expanding not only the color gamut range but also the overall brightness, resulting in a more realistic and lifelike image. Additionally, the projectors support HDR10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), which produce broadcast-quality HDR images. HLG is becoming widely popular in broadcast industry use.

Both projectors feature LCOS panels and Canon’s proprietary AISYS optical system that helps to deliver 6,000 and 5,000 lumens respectively. This technology, when combined with true Native 4K (4096x2160) resolution, helps both projectors to produce a cleaner and more robust image with virtually no grid lines.

The RS-SL07RST projector lens is the seventh in the lineup and features Canon’s trademark red line around the barrel of the lens, signifying the highest level of Canon optical engineering and quality. All seven RS projector lenses are compatible with the two new projectors.

“As the demand for 4K projection continues to grow, Canon understands that we need to offer customers a variety of options that best suit each individual installation,” said Kazuto Ogawa, president and chief operating officer, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Not all 4K is created equal, which is why Canon is so excited that both new models feature true Native 4K resolution producing outstanding image quality with robust colors and high contrast.”

The 4K6020Z and 4K5020Z projectors are compatible with seven optional genuine Canon interchangeable lenses for a wide variety of applications, and their high dynamic contrast of up to 22,000:1 in the 4K6020Z and 20,000:1 in the 4K5020Z is achieved by the combination of an image engine that analyzes the contrast of each frame and a double-door type shutter system which allows the iris to operate fast, tracking scenes instantly and reducing light leaks. They cover 99.9 percent of the sRGB color space and support a range of connectivity options, including HDMI, HDBaseT, Wi-Fi, and more. They are also compatible with Canon Service Tool for PJ App. Six preset Image modes provide different variations of color reproduction characteristic suitable for the type and projection environment, includes DICOM Simulation mode and additional five customizable modes that can be stored.

The new RS-SL07RST 4K Standard Zoom Lens features the distinguished red line around the barrel, indicating the highest level of Canon design and superb image quality. The lens can project images up to 600 inches and can even project onto curved surfaces, maintaining focus in the center of the image when peripheral focus has been adjusted.

The Bottom Line: The new 4K6020Z and 4K5020Z Native 4K Laser LCOS Projectors are ideal for a variety of applications, including art galleries, museums, schools and medical institutions. They are also suitable for product design and simulation use where both high-quality imaging and accurate color reproduction are a must.

The Canon 4K6020Z and 4K5020Z Native 4K Laser projectors and RL-SL07RST Standard Zoom Lens are all scheduled to be available in late November 2018 for a suggested retail price of $45,799.00, $43,499.00 and $8,000.00 respectively.

The What: Magewell has introduced the second member in its Pro Convert family of standalone hardware devices for bringing traditional video signals into live, IP-based broadcast and AV infrastructures using NewTek's royalty-free NDI technology. 

The What Else: The new Pro Convert SDI 4K Plus encoder converts SDI input signals up to 4K Ultra HD into full-bandwidth NDI streams with extremely low latency, enabling users to connect SDI-equipped sources to NDI-enabled media networks, devices, and applications.

"We received tremendous response to the launch of our first Pro Convert model at the IBC Show, and we're excited to expand the product line with the new Pro Convert SDI 4K Plus," said Nick Ma, CEO and CTO at Magewell. "Many video professionals would like to take advantage of the flexibility and efficiency of IP-based production, but have significant investments in SDI equipment such as cameras. Pro Convert SDI 4K Plus helps them maximize these investments by providing an easy-to-deploy and reliable bridge between their existing products and the thriving NDI ecosystem."

The plug-and-play Pro Convert SDI 4K Plus supports video up to 4K at 30 frames per second with embedded audio over a 6Gbps SDI interface. Automatic input format detection and DHCP-based network configuration eliminate the need for manual setup. Users can simply connect the device, and the encoder will convert source video automatically at its native resolution and frame rate. An SDI loop-through connection allows the input signal to be sent simultaneously to additional displays or equipment without external splitters or routers, enabling sources to be easily used in new IP workflows without disrupting the customer's existing traditional video infrastructure.

For users wanting greater control of the conversion process and the features of the Pro Convert SDI 4K Plus device, a browser-based interface provides access to status monitoring, advanced settings, and FPGA-based video processing. Functions such as up/down/cross-conversion, de-interlacing, and image adjustments are performed directly within the hardware, reducing unnecessary network bandwidth and CPU usage to maximize resource availability for other applications in the NDI workflow.

The Bottom Line: The Pro Convert SDI 4K Plus offers a wide range of valuable features for live production use. The compact device features a 1/4-inch 20 thread for use with standard camera-mounting accessories, while preview and program tally lights provide visual indication when the output NDI stream is being used by another application. A PTZ camera can be connected to the converter and controlled via NDI, while power for the unit can be supplied via Power over Ethernet (PoE) or the included power adapter.

The new 4K SDI model is the second offering in the Pro Convert product line. It joins the recently introduced Pro Convert HDMI 4K Plus, which can convert HDMI inputs up to 4K60. Additional Pro Convert models, including 1080p60 configurations for users not requiring 4K resolution, are also planned.

The What: Extron has begun shipping the IN1804, a series of compact four-input scalers that provide video scaling, switching, and integration features. They support HDMI 2.0 data rates up to 18Gbps and incorporate the Extron-exclusive Vector 4K scaling engine with 4:4:4 chroma sampling and 30-bit internal video processing for best-in-class image quality. 

The What Else: Two available IN1804 models provide signal extension over shielded twisted-pair cable. The IN1804 DI includes a DTP2 twisted pair input that can receive signals from remote DTP and DTP2 transmitters mounted at a conference table, lectern, or wall. The IN1804 DO has a DTP2 twisted-pair output that can send signals to a DTP or DTP2 receiver mounted behind a flat panel display, above a ceiling mounted projector, or in other remote locations. DTP transmitters and receivers are available in compact, low-profile enclosures, plus wall plate and floor box form factors to suit a range of professional environments.

In addition to supporting DTP endpoints, the IN1804 DI and IN1804 DO can be integrated into an XTP CrossPoint matrix switcher system. This is ideal for facility-wide AV system applications with a centralized AV signal distribution infrastructure, as well as several presentation spaces with local AV switching and processing. An IN1804 DI in a room can connect into an XTP CrossPoint matrix switcher in a central equipment rack or closet to receive shared AV resources, or a connected IN1804 DO can distribute a local presentation to several destinations in a facility.

“The IN1804 Series sets the bar for 4K/60 4:4:4 switching and scaling with uncompromised image quality and advanced features,” said Casey Hall, vice president of sales and marketing for Extron. “These next-generation scalers deliver the highest performance for the most demanding applications and give customers flexibility in addressing a wide variety of system designs.”

The Bottom Line: Offering a host of features including seamless switching effects, logo keying, still image recall, and optional twisted pair capability, the IN1804 Series provides the performance and flexibility to support the most demanding presentation environments.

The ongoing drive for ever-higher resolutions has been a familiar story in the world of video acquisition for many years. But, after IBC 2018, talking about the practical application of 8K is no longer taboo.

Japan’s state broadcaster, NHK, has long been the driving force behind 8K. Manufacturers have been committed to developing an ecosystem of products that can support the 8K broadcast standard, ‘Super Hi-Vision’, in time for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. However, with many other broadcasters still occupied with upgrading their portfolio of HD channels and the limited availability of 4K content, meaningful use of 8K technology in the wider industry can seem distant.

Shortly before IBC, 8K held a notable presence at IFA 2018 in Berlin, as Samsung, Sharp, LG, TCL and Toshiba all dedicated space at the convention to showcase 8K consumer displays. Samsung and LG incorporated spectacular reveals of their 8K TV sets into their press conferences, while Sharp emphasized their development of an 8K ecosystem, which includes both their display and the 8C-B60A camcorder, which has already begun shipping in Japan and China. The continued focus on higher-resolutions by TV manufacturers at the show indicates that it won’t be long until they begin their attempts to drive 8K into the home, as they did with 4K.

Though adoption of 4K in broadcasting has been slower than was first anticipated, 4K acquisition has been accessible for several years. 2017 was a particularly significant year for 4K adoption in the camcorder market, as it truly became mainstream. Cost effective 1” sensor camcorders brought 4K to the lower-end of the market, as sub $5,000 fixed lens camcorders have fueled a 9% point annual increase in the worldwide market share of 4K capable camcorders sold by Sony, Panasonic, Canon and JVC, to account for a total of 32% of worldwide camcorder volumes.

The accessibility of 4K acquisition has allowed workflows to mature and, with this, has come a greater awareness of the benefits of over sampling (acquiring video footage at a higher resolution than is necessary for the final output). It has been proven and accepted that recording video at a higher resolution and down-sampling the footage for final delivery will result in an improvement in video quality. The flexibility of having a larger canvas of pixels to work with also enables more creative options in post-production, from digital zooms and cropping in and recomposing shots to improving the accuracy of digital stabilization and VFX tasks.

The use of 8K in live broadcasting may be very limited for the foreseeable future on a global basis, but the benefits of 8K acquisition are already apparent due to the proven use-cases of oversampling. There is an obvious use for 8K acquisition at prestige events and in select cinematic instances to begin preparing a library of 8K content, but 8K is not just about future-proofing. The same learnings made from using 4K acquisition to create HD content can be applied with 8K, but to an even greater degree - especially in the case of using 8K for HD formats. Capturing 7680 x 4320 pixels to create a 1920 x 1080 image may sound like complete overkill, but it’s precisely that factor of 8K being 16 times bigger than HD that makes oversampling 8K footage a more perceptible step-up than 4K. 8K cameras will not immediately replace 4K or even HD cameras, but their enhanced capabilities for oversampling allow them to be used in a completely new way.

At IBC 2018, Panasonic demonstrated a new camera that will be available next year that uses 8K acquisition as a tool to facilitate more efficient HD capture. Panasonic are calling this technique in use, “region of interest” or ROI. ROI allows up to four independent HD crops to be taken from a single 8K source camera (for instance, creating wide, mid and close shots simultaneously of a scene). In a practical application, this can reduce the number of cameras needed on a production, as multiple shots can be captured by a single camera operator. Sony’s UHC-8300 8K studio camera also enables a similar kind of flexibility, as it can simultaneously output 8K, 4K and HD signals. This facilitates more flexible workflows - for example, live feeds in 4K and HD could be sent to a video switcher for use in live coverage, while the 8K signal is taken directly to a recorder for archival purposes.

As the adoption of the 4K UHD formats grows, there will be a greater need for 8K where instances of oversampling for 4K content is necessary. The reason that 8K will gain ground in acquisition in the immediate future is due to the new possibilities that it creates in production. 8K cameras will begin to see growth primarily through their use in mixed resolution production environments, deployed among an array of HD and/or 4K cameras.

IBC marked a significant step forward in the eventual adoption of 8K. Though its use as a broadcast format will remain niche, the potential it has to enable new techniques in acquisition are abundant. With NHK set to start broadcasting their 8K content in December this year, the acceptance of 8K is already well under way.

Chris Evans is an analyst specializing in broadcasting and professional video equipment at Futuresource Consulting.

The What: MuxLab has launched the HDMI/RS232 Extender Kit with ARC, HDBT, UHD-4K, offering delivery of 4K video in the HDMI 2.0 format from source to display.

The What Else: Source and display can be connected remotely at resolutions up to 4K at 30Hz or 4K at 60Hz (4:2:0) resolution, and longer distances for resolutions up to 1080p at 60Hz. Transmitter and receiver connect the source to the display using one CAT5e/6 cable.

The receiver can accept and return audio via both the HDMI and TosLink ports, and audio can be sent via the transmitter using the TosLink port. RS232 and Bi-directional IR enables remote control of end devices.

The Bottom Line: The Extender allows audio to be routed back to a receiver at the source side, which can connect directly to speakers. For intimate spaces and residential applications, it enables more immersive 4K viewing.

MuxLab’s HDMI/RS232 Extender Kit with ARC, HDBT, UHD-4K will begin shipping in Q4 2018.

The What: Extron has launched the Quantum Ultra 305, a 3U, 5-slot card frame that supports any combination of Quantum Ultra input and output cards.

The What Else: The Quantum Ultra 305 features a high-speed video bus with the same Extron HyperLane technology and real-time performance as the 6U, 10-slot Quantum Ultra 610. A single card frame can support multiple output resolutions and screen orientations for simple, flexible system design. RS-232 and Ethernet interfaces allow multiple direct connections for control systems.

Quantum Ultra utilizes a modular card-frame architecture that can be populated with input and output cards selected to match source and display requirements. Multiple card frames can be configured and operated as a single system to accommodate any size videowall. Quantum Ultra can accommodate a mixture of display devices with varying resolutions.

The Bottom Line: Features such as output overlap, mullion compensation, output rotation, and custom output resolutions provide compatibility with current and future display devices.

The What: Carousel Digital Signage has released new 7.4 software for enterprise-class digital signage.

The What Else: The update adds support for BrightSign’s complete range of 4K media players, offering customers a simpler path to a complete 4K Carousel and BrightSign solution as well as more powerful video and graphics.

The previous release (7.3) reduced the amount of time and labor required to configure, deploy, and manage players across enterprise networks. These new integration efficiencies were chiefly tied to new auto-provisioning benefits including high-speed player configuration, remote firmware/software updates, and secure storage of player settings for simplified management and troubleshooting.

The Bottom Line: The new 7.4 release gives integrators and network operators an easier path to 4K while retaining the enhanced integration and management features of the previous release.

The What: Contemporary Research is now shipping its fifth generation HDTV Tuner, the 232-ATSC 4K.

The What Else: The 232-ATSC 4K is a commercial HDTV tuner that can receive both analog and digital off-air, analog, and clear QAM cable channels, controllable via RS-232, Ethernet, and IR. Full interactive control and configuration is also available from onboard web pages. The 232-ATSC 4K is compatible with control systems from AMX, Crestron, Extron, RTI and others. At the same time, the new 232-ATSC 4K tuners are fully compatible with RS-232, Telnet, and IR commands for previous ATSC tuners.

The Bottom Line: This new model will have all the same features as the previous model, 232-ATSC 4, plus video output scaling up to 4K, ability to decode channels up to 1080p, and in a future free firmware release, the option for IP streaming via Ethernet output.

The What: Extron has introduced two new high-performance HDMI switchers that support data rates up to 18Gbps and signals up to 4K60 with 4:4:4 color sampling. The six-input SW6 HD 4K PLUS and the eight-input SW8 HD 4K PLUS are HDCP 2.2 compliant, and support HDR, 12‑bit Deep Color, 3D, and HD lossless audio formats.

The What Else: To enhance and simplify integration, the SW HD 4K PLUS Series provides integrator-friendly features, including automatic input cable equalization, automatic color bit depth management, indicators for monitoring and troubleshooting, as well as peripheral device power on the output. Automatic input cable equalization corrects for signal loss due to lengthy input cables, ensuring signal integrity up to 25 feet (7.6 meters), when used with Extron HDMI Pro Series cable. The SW HD 4K PLUS Series automatically adjusts color bit depth based on the display EDID, preventing color compatibility conflicts between source and display.

Front-panel LED indicators provide immediate visual confirmation of HDCP authentication and signal presence for each input and output. If HDCP-encrypted content is transmitted to a non‑compliant display, a full-screen green signal provides immediate visual confirmation that protected content cannot be viewed on that display. The SW HD 4K PLUS Series also provides +5VDC, 250mA on the HDMI output for powering peripheral devices such as an Extron HD 4K 101 Plus cable equalizer.

"AV designers and integrators have asked for larger 4K60 HDMI switchers that include the same robust feature set as the SW HD 4K PLUS two- and four-input models," said Casey Hall, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for Extron. "The new SW6 HD 4K PLUS and SW8 HD 4K PLUS provide the same reliable signal switching of 4K60 at 4:4:4 and user-friendly Ethernet monitoring and control for larger AV system designs."

The Bottom Line: The switchers are designed to be easy to operate using front-panel controls or auto-switching. Ethernet, RS‑232, and contact closure ports provide options for integration with any control system. Both models feature EDID Minder, which maintains continuous EDID communication with connected devices and ensures that the HDMI sources power up properly and maintain correct video output.

It’s no surprise that one of the biggest killers of hardware is heat. Long-term, excessive heat will reduce the lifespan of just about any PCB (printed circuit board).

What’s less understood are best practices for protecting equipment from heat and limiting the ruinous effects of high temperatures on AV. But keeping it cool as resolutions increase requires much more than adding fans into chassis design. The pro AV industry needs a new paradigm.

High Heat Means High Cost

Step one in limiting the damage of high heat: think about power. Do everything that you can to reduce the power that generates heat, and then remove the heat you do generate.

Here's an example: at Datapath, we are dedicated to reducing power to minimize heat. We think about chipsets, scrutinizing what’s required and incorporating lower-power chipsets to minimize heat generation. And when those chipsets need over a dozen separate power rails, efficient power supply design makes all the difference.

We perform various oven tests with an empty product chassis to understand exactly how airflow works. It is quite common that the location of a certain board will influence airflow. What we have discovered is that venting and piping can improve airflow dramatically; insight from our extensive testing has inspired the design of the Datapath VSN Micro line of video wall controllers.

What’s more, we control every element of our solution, from the backplane to the power supplies, to the chassis shape and airflow, and we can optimize graphics processing units (GPUs) for the best performance.

Don’t Think Like a Gamer

If you attempt to use general-purpose, off-the-shelf commercial products for video walls, you won’t get a fraction of the number of outputs that our expandable range of VSN expansion chassis offers. The power drawn would be far too high. That’s one of the reasons we focus on flexible solutions using our video capture cards and graphics cards. Using scalable PCIe technology, an expansion chassis can be added to the master system to provide additional PCIe slots allowing for uninterrupted communication between any device in any slot. Full gen-locking can be achieved between outputs within the whole system without the need for additional cables.

Think about a gamer's graphics cards. They often drive much the same resolution as our wall controller outputs, but we don’t need that massive 3D engine to draw flat video. We maximize what matters. We have our own custom-built cards that allow for various configurations that lower the power without sacrificing quality.

AV Over IP and Power

There’s another significant trend in pro AV: the desire to move power supplies and power sources away from the display to get the heat away from the wall and into equipment cabinets. Many vendors and IT directors are taking this approach.

As resolutions per output increase, however, from SD to HD, to 4K or 8K, how do you move signals in efficient ways, and when does cabling become an issue? As we start to think about moving 4K over HDMI or DVI cables, AV over IP becomes an increasingly appealing alternative. This is where 10Gb Ethernet enters into the conversation. IP allows you to go greater distances, and doing this over fiber saves power. With 10GbE as the backbone, you can place equipment in better spaces and continue to scale across a facility or campus. This approach is also helpful with noise distractions. I believe that 10GbE will evolve quickly especially as 4K becomes a more common format.

Focus on Fiber

Fiber is another notable cabling and infrastructure trend as we evolve into the 4K era. While it was prohibitively expensive even four years ago, as prices drop we should see the interest in fiber tick up.

John Storey is the Hardware Director of Datapath.

The What: Hall Research has introduced the HSM-88-4K compact 1U cross-point video switch. The matrix supports HDMI resolutions up to 4K and also supports HDCP 2.2, deep-color video, PCM, Dolby, DTS, and HD audio standards.

The What Else: Users are able to save and recall multiple video routing configurations as "Presets". The matrix includes a two-line LCD on its front panel in order to display the current video routing and to facilitate creating or recalling Presets. All input and output buttons are back-lit and users can initiate "ties" starting from input or the output buttons for maximum flexibility. Individual video outputs can also be blanked, a feature that can be beneficial during certain presentations.

The design of the HSM-88-4K also extends to its control command set. Commands use simple English syntax and a host of commands are provided for monitoring and controlling all aspects of the product's function. Both IP/Telnet and RS-232 ports are included. The matrix also ships with an IR remote control that can be used to route video.

Intelligent EDID management allows users to specify fixed EDIDs for each input, but the matrix can also calculate EDID for each input intelligently based on the capabilities of the connected outputs. This will ensure that all outputs will have a video, and the video will be at the highest resolution possible. For example, if an input is routed to two outputs where one supports 4K video but the other supports 1080p, the matrix uses an EDID with 1080p forcing the source to output 1080p, but if all routed outputs support 4K, the matrix will automatically use 4K as the native resolution in its EDID.

The Bottom Line: The HSM-88-4K is ideal for conference rooms, multimedia presentations, digital signage, houses of worship, and many other applications. It has a suggested list price of $2450 and is available from stock.

Leyard and Planar announced the companies will serve as the display provider for SEAT 2018, the Sports and Entertainment Alliance in Technology event, taking place July 21-24 in Dallas, Texas.

As the display sponsor for SEAT 2018, Leyard and Planar will showcase their innovative LED and LCD digital display and video wall technologies throughout the event. Leyard and Planar will provide LED and LCD video walls and a variety of touch-enabled 4K LCD displays for social media walls, conference room displays and the general conference “Super Sessions”.

Leyard and Planar’s participation at SEAT 2018 follows the hiring of sports industry veteran Douglas Moss to support the companies’ focus on the sports and entertainment markets. Moss brings more than 30 years of experience working with leading sporting organizations including the Madison Square Garden Network and National Hockey League teams, the Buffalo Sabres, the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Anaheim Ducks, among others.

“We are thrilled to have Leyard and Planar LED and LCD display technologies throughout the SEAT 2018 event,” said Douglas Moss, general manager for sports and entertainment, Leyard and Planar. “SEAT allows us to demonstrate our award-winning digital display solutions and how they are the ideal choice for grand-scale sports and entertainment events.”

“We are delighted to have Leyard and Planar as a strategic partner for SEAT 2018 and to showcase their world-class display solutions throughout the event,” said Christine Stoffel, founder and CEO, SEAT, LLC.