A newly deployed Matrox and AGELEC video wall solution is a central feature of the French National Railway Company’s (SNCF) new operational center at Lyon-Part-Dieu station. The operational center there includes two control rooms that are purpose-built for 24/7 site management and customer support.

According to Manuel Amenedo, project director at SNCF’s Auvergne Rhône Alpes Regional Station Management Team, the operational center (COEG) plays a vital role in the SNCF’s daily operations. “The head of the COEG translates railway language to the passengers in the station,” he said.

Field-Proven Video Wall Solution

The SNCF was looking to modernize the Lyon-Part-Dieu station’s operational center for a few reasons. The first goal was to ensure real-time display information is transmitted to passengers at the station, especially in disrupted periods. Second, the update supports COEG in becoming the station control center with the conductor present in the station.

The Lyon-Part-Dieu station operational center would therefore need to be equipped with a high-density capture and output video wall solution that could provide reliable passenger information through real-time, high-quality display. Already having had a positive outcome with the AGELEC AGCWall video wall solution—controller systems featuring Matrox capture and IP encode/decode cards and multidisplay graphics boards—SCNF chose to incorporate these technologies into the Lyon-Part-Dieu installation.

[ VuWall Control Solutions Streamline Operations for French Rail Network ] 

“The combination of Matrox and AGELEC video wall technologies has proven itself in SNCF’s demanding 24/7 environments,” said Guillaume Guerin, CEO of SNCF. “We have already deployed 20 of these robust, reliable systems throughout the network, and our operators have noticed enhanced decision-making and information-sharing abilities thanks to the high-performance video walls in each control room installation.”

Easy Train and Passenger Flow Management

In the primary control room, an AGCWall controller equipped with Matrox Mura IPX capture cards and Matrox multidisplay graphics boards captures and displays 14 HDMI video feeds across a 10x2 video wall with 49-inch screens. This video wall configuration gives operators access to comprehensive information about train departures, arrivals, and connections. In the secondary control room, the SCNF uses a second Matrox-powered AGCWall controller to capture seven HDMI video feeds for display on a 3x2 video wall configuration with 40-inch screens.

With the flexible Matrox-AGELEC solution, SNCF is able to distribute the sources of information in each space. Thanks to scenario recording that corresponds to specific railway problems that may occur, SNCF is able to ensure the most relevant information is displayed in each scenario. Additionally, AGELEC’s AGCWEB software enables SNCF to disseminate information within its COEG.

[ Matrox-Powered Control Room Video Wall Streamlines Operations for Paper Pulp Company ]

Maximizing Efficiency While Minimizing Costs

Matrox video wall cards enabled the rapid installation of the AGCWall video wall solution for both Lyon-Part-Dieu station control rooms. The ability of Matrox’s video wall technology to capture multiple video sources while driving multiple, high-quality video displays allowed SNCF to achieve fast display of simultaneous, easy-to-read content from all available data points—all of which is critical to the around-the-clock monitoring and management of the Lyon-Part-Dieu railway station.

“The Lyon-Part-Dieu operational center has seen several key operational improvements since deploying the Matrox and AGELEC video wall solution,’ said Amenedo. “The video walls play an integral part in managing communication between carriers and station managers, and minimizing delays caused by service disruptions.”

More on Video Walls in Transportation Hubs

Inside the 21st-Century Transit Hub • Today’s airline passengers want personalized travel that is tech centric, app enabled, and stress free. 21st-century transit hubs are answering the call with AV and personalized technologies.

Transit Trends • Many transportation facilities have used the extended period of reduced passenger loads during the pandemic to make improvements to their digital signage and communications networks.

AV Technology Keeps Passengers On Track and On Time • Airports are prioritizing speediness, installing technology that will help move travelers through airport terminals as quickly as possible.

The Integration Guide to Video Walls

New York City’s LaGuardia Terminal B has modernized the passenger experience through the use of more than three dozen digital displays from LG Business Solutions USA. Ranging from multi-display video walls and vertical info totems to large, custom LED solutions, the displays are making it easier for guests to find urgent flight information, navigate the terminals and retail establishments and stay informed about security line procedures.

The terminal is going through a multi-phase transformation, led by LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP), the manager and developer of the terminal. LGP Information Technology Manager Luis Vitureira describes it as “building a brand-new terminal on top of an existing terminal.” The new Terminal B also includes digital display network hardware and software upgrades, which are attracting praise and recognition from frequent fliers, travel experts, and staff. 

Related: The Technology Manager's Guide to the New Era of Digital Signage

“Twenty-first century travelers expect twenty-first century airports, and that means they want information such as flight schedules, wayfinding maps, and security procedures to be presented frequently in a highly visible manner, not on static signs or small TVs with spreadsheet-like visuals,” Vitureira said. “Even though the existing displays in Terminal B were relatively new, we determined that some of them were undersized, and therefore were not sufficiently aiding airport guests or maximizing impact and value for advertising partners. We knew that we could improve the passenger experience with larger, brighter, more visible digital displays and content.” 

Some of the first major digital upgrades passengers encounter are two custom, ultrawide LG LED archway displays mounted over the security entrances. Each of the 1.89mm-pixel-pitch displays stretch 20 feet, covering the entire length of the security entrances. Because the displays can be easily updated, the security lanes can be changed on the fly to respond to changes in traffic flow. 

When traffic at the security area changes, personnel can adjust the mobile lane dividers on the ground and then update the LED display’s visuals to accurately denote which lane is for which group of passengers. 

“These purpose-built LED displays change the dynamic of the security area by providing clear, bright guidance that can be updated as needed,” said Dan Verbsky, senior transportation account manager, LG Business Solutions USA. “The ability to respond to traffic flow can drastically reduce congestion and wait times, making it easier for passengers to practice social distancing. The benefits are significant, and LG’s LED technology was the ideal solution to fit the wide space with limited height available.”

For frequent fliers, new flight information displays (FIDs) constantly provide real-time updates on flight schedules, delays, and terminal locations. To help busy travelers locate the information they need more quickly, the project’s managers at LaGuardia Gateway Partners chose to go big, creating five FIDs that each comprise two 86-inch 4K LG Business Solutions displays stacked vertically. The top display presents flight information, while the bottom display shows a map of the terminal’s retail establishments alongside public service announcements or commercial advertisements.

In the passenger screening section of Terminal B, seven new ReadySeeGo digital signage totems utilize vertically-oriented LG 86-inch Ultra Stretch displays to present typical security line information such as banned items, shoe and clothing requirements, and any new procedures that are implemented. According to Vitureira, these standalone units were the ideal solution to provide mobile signage that can be updated as required and relocated if necessary.

“Every decision we made was the result of thoughtful discussion over how to best utilize the space available and provide a more seamless airport experience for all travelers,” he said. “Whether it’s the digital columns in the TSA area or the 20 LG Ultra Stretch displays now installed in baggage claim, we have improved the visibility and effectiveness of our messaging at every juncture.”

The final display upgrade is found in Terminal B’s baggage claim area, where each carousel is now topped by two 88-inch LG Ultra Stretch landscape displays mounted back-to-back. In addition to identifying which flight’s baggage is on which carousel, each display also shows a taxi wait-time indicator, directions to public transit pickups, and a specific ride-share area, along with any other urgent information passengers may need. 

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have rippled through virtually every industry, leaving many Americans jobless and prompting the declaration of a national emergency. But the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent curtailing of travel, both local and international, have exacted a particular devastation on the transportation industry.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened more than 2 million passengers on an average day in 2019. By April 14, 2020, one month after the State Department warned against international travel because of the risk of transmitting COVID-19, that number had dropped to just 88,000. New York City Subway ridership sunk by 90 percent as employers closed offices and implemented work-from-home plans last spring. Similar scenarios played out around the United States and the world.

[AV Tech Keeps Passengers On Track and On Time]

Making Lemonade out of Lemons

While passenger numbers have recovered some ground since then, many transportation facilities used the extended period of reduced passenger loads as an opportunity to make improvements to their physical footprints.

“Airports that were already slated for upgrades and renovations have been able to move at a rapid pace while their terminals are less busy,” said Charles Kowalczyk, domestic sales operations manager at AtlasIED. “High-traffic domestic airports like Salt Lake City, LaGuardia, Newark, Palm Beach, Orlando, Dallas, and Denver have all had projects stay on course or have accelerated projects as a result of the reduction in travel.”

[New Dante AVoIP Comms Systems Join Legacy CobraNet Tech at LaGuardia]

Decision-makers in the transportation industry are recognizing that digital signage is a cost-effective communications tool that can inform, educate, and even enrich passengers’ lives as they travel through transportation environments. “Instead of it being an add-on, we clearly see that digital signage technology is increasingly being integrated into the original scope of design so that its appearance within these busy environments is an expected and welcome addition,” said Paul J. Fleuranges, a transit industry veteran who serves as a board member of the Digital Signage Federation.

[The Digital Signage Best Practices Guide]

Wayfinding, gate information, boarding sequence, baggage information, parking information, and advertising content are coming together to enhance communication to all travelers. “Digital signage in airports isn’t about flight data anymore,” said Kowalczyk. “Audiovisual has become a strategic part of upgrade planning as many airports are evaluating the need for audio, video, or audio and video information deployment in an effort to develop a less invasive public address environment.”

Real-Life Example

Penn Station in New York, the busiest passenger rail station in the Western Hemisphere, recently completed its expansion into the adjacent James A. Farley Post Office Building, now known as Moynihan Train Hall. The new facility celebrated its grand opening on Jan. 1, 2021.

Digital amenities in the station include digital arrival and departure screens for Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road positioned in the main waiting hall, as well as digital screens positioned inside interactive kiosks throughout the facility that display train departure and destination information in several languages. The station also includes ADA features like an induction loop for hearing-impaired passengers.

Travelers are greeted in the main hall of the Moynihan Train Hall by 1,700 square feet of 4mm-pixel-pitch direct view LED screens that run along one side of the expansive room, separated into four distinct panels.

“The screens are currently displaying vibrant, experiential multimedia developed by Montreal’s Moment Factory, one of the world’s leading digital design and experiential content creation firms,” said Fleuranges. “The colorful pieces captivate the attention of travelers as they walk across the giant main hall, or as they descend with bags in tow on modern escalators to catch their trains on the tracks below.”

In the near future, Fleuranges said, advertising provided by corporate sponsors will share the vast content space at Moynihan Train Hall. This type of mixed-use messaging, combining arrival, departure and other contextual information with targeted advertising, is becoming a standard practice.

Additional Revenue

Transit venues aren’t just using digital signage to inform passengers—there’s been a boom in advertising on video walls, kiosks, and more.

[The Integration Guide to Video Walls]

“We have found that digital signage has allowed our customers to effectively reach their passengers as well as effectively use such technology for marketing and advertising purposes at the same time,” said Jacob Dylan, a project executive at Baker Audio Visual. “This has allowed something that used to be cumbersome and very hard to update to be turned into a digital asset that enables our customers to generate revenue as we as communicate with their target audience.”

The New York City region’s other major airports, Fleuranges said, aren’t far behind Penn Station. “As Clear Channel Airports rolls out its advertising platform over the next two or so years, LaGuardia Airport’s terminals—as well as those at JFK and Newark Liberty International—will have state-of-the-art digital signage communications platforms to communicate and engage with customers while also generating significant advertising revenue,” he said.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Installing new visuals at transit venues is great, but all that messaging is wasted if the messages aren’t received by travelers. It’s especially crucial to get the audio right during a weather or safety emergency, where patrons must receive and understand instructions quickly and fully. 

“The P.A. system must account for the acoustical environment and have system diagnostics in place to ensure proper volumes in those varying environments, taking into consideration not only the structure but also the ambient noise on a typical day,” said Kowalczyk.

Despite Moynihan Train Hall’s high ceilings and open floor plan—and the fact that it was constructed within an existing building that served a different purpose entirely—Fleuranges insists the audio at the train station comes in loud and clear. “Audio can surely help the customer experience, but getting it right is hard—especially in environments where acoustics were not part of the original construction,” he said. “Places like airports, where you can control for ambient noise more easily and where announcements of gates and departures is integral to operations, have been industry leaders in the use of audio. As is the case with digital signage, it has to be designed into the scope  the beginning to ensure maximum benefit.”

The customer experience can make or break a transportation facility’s reputation, added Kowalczyk. “For example, airports are rated on timely departures, and routine paging for late travelers helps passengers get to their destinations on time while providing higher satisfaction ratings for airlines by avoiding delays or by allowing for gate change facilitation.”

There is more to creating a positive customer experience through AV, though. Sound has the power to promote specific feelings, noted Dylan, which can be valuable in reducing passenger stress. “Background music is soothing and eases the mind,” he said. “Literally in every single situation, having music on really does do something to the brain, completely changing the environment and making it a more enjoyable one. We have found this to be true in office interiors, large outdoor developments, sporting complexes, and mass transit.”

Inspiration for the Future

Transportation facilities are elevating the travel experience through these applications of AV technology, and they’re looking abroad for inspiration.

“The traveling public—especially those who have been to countries in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, where the deployment and use of digital is far ahead of what is done in North America—expects to see digital screens that provide updated information or experiences,” said Fleuranges. “Someone once coined the phrase ‘technorating’ to describe the integration of technology into design. I’m not sure my friends in experiential design use that term, but they surely are doing so in practice in some amazing ways.”

BrightSign players were selected to power a 275-foot-wide video wall in the new self-check-in area at Scotland’s Edinburgh Airport. The audiovisual installation was carried out by nuVIDEO working with Midwich and PSCo.

The installation is part of a multimillion-dollar redevelopment of the airport’s check-in facilities, designed to streamline the preflight experience for all passengers. The goal was to create a continuous digital canvas that would allow the airport to display flight information, give wayfinding instructions, and generate advertising revenue. The wall of 2,240 separate LED modules had to be easy to manage, with the flexibility to change the size of content from a small 5-foot-wide window, all the way up to an end-to-end full-wall display.

Related: How Video Walls Can Bridge the Virtual Chasm

Completed in March in just over five weeks, the finished installation enables the screen not only to be used for passenger information, but also to showcase destinations and retail products with striking visuals. The seamless LED canvas, stretching the entire check-in hall, now stands proudly above a self-drop bag facility. BrightSign’s XT244 players deliver the airport’s media and advertising content to the display, providing 1080p and 4K content in a low-maintenance solution. The players have also been used to display essential “FlySafe” campaign information for passengers passing through the airport during the pandemic. The installation has potential for future expansion.

“The installation creates a striking visual for all passengers entering the check-in hall and provides us with a screen to present a range of information,” said Adam Wilson, operations director of Edinburgh Airports Limited. “In practical terms, we can clearly display where certain flights and airlines are checking in and show key passenger communications such as security information. The flexibility of the wall means we can also use it for video to advertise flight destinations, showcase Scottish scenery, or promote our retail offering.”

“We’ve used other digital signage solutions in the past, but BrightSign players have always stood out for their exceptional stability,” said Michael MacNeil, sales manager for nuVIDEO. “As this project is in a high-visibility area, with around a million passengers passing through each month, we knew that we needed a reliable product. The BrightSign XT244 players have been a fantastic addition to the project and play an integral role in providing wayfinding and advertising content to the wall. In particular, the BrightAuthor software provides a robust content management platform which is both powerful and feature-rich.”

“We are delighted that our players are delivering vivid and crisp digital content to passengers at Edinburgh Airport,” said Jeff Hastings, CEO of BrightSign. “Flying can be a stressful experience when in a hurry or facing uncertain information, so we are pleased to be helping passengers relax and enjoy their journey. Once again, the reliability of our players has proven to be a standout feature, enabling our customers to count on them 24/7 in the most public locations.”

When Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens at the end of October 2020, it will become one of the largest airports in Germany, with around 350,000 planned aircraft movements per year on two parallel runways. Not far from the main terminal, the control tower of DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung (German Air Traffic Control) rises into the sky. All take-offs and landings will be controlled and monitored from here. But hardly anyone knows that the tower at Berlin Brandenburg Airport has already been in operation since 2012 and has been controlling all air traffic at the neighboring Schönefeld Airport safely and reliably for eight years.

Air navigation service provider DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH operates the airport control towers of all German international commercial airports. With 65 years of experience, it controls over 3 million aircraft movements per year. DFS air traffic controllers direct and monitor all air traffic in German airspace and will soon also take over air traffic control at the new BER airport. By using cutting-edge equipment and employing professionally trained personnel, Deutsche Flugsicherung play a pioneering role among air navigation providers worldwide.

Related: The Technology Manager's Guide to Command and Control

For years, KVM products of Guntermann & Drunck (G&D) have been supporting DFS in Germany to ensure that they are able to operate their technical systems even more safely, efficiently, and easily. With KVM technology, the computer systems required for air traffic control can be removed from the air traffic controller environment and still be operated from a distance in real time. In addition, KVM matrix switches enable the independent operation of several servers via several controller consoles. The matrix switches can also be used to set up extensive redundancy concepts and thus prevent failures and system malfunctions.

The tower pulpit offers air traffic controllers an unimpeded view of the runways. From here, DFS controllers ensure that air traffic at nearby Schönefeld Airport runs smoothly around the clock. Using KVM systems from G&D, it is possible to switch between different computers that are physically separated and to display the images of several Air Traffic Systems (ATS) on their screens. All systems and the entire IT infrastructure must run securely and reliably 24/7, 365 days a year. 

In order to take account of the changed interface architecture and the latest computer technology, the KVM systems were recently inspected, and after eight years of reliable service, renewed with more modern equipment. Without interrupting the work of air traffic controllers, the equipment was replaced during normal operations, which placed additional demands on safety and reliability. DFS and G&D worked hand in hand to implement the complex redundant infrastructure. The new equipment ensures that the system is always available, thus providing maximum security for flight operations. 

Guntermann & Drunck has specialized in ATC applications for many years and has been able to gain extensive experience in setting up redundant KVM systems for mission-critical environments. The systems are used in all mission-critical areas such as center and tower are also included in DFS’s remote towers. Both companies, G&D and DFS, benefit greatly from their close cooperation. This enables G&D to work together even more closely with the ATC industry and to further adapt their portfolio to the industry’s requirements. This way, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung is also able to discuss new products and requirements directly with the KVM manufacturers. Thus, both the efficiency and the reliability of the constantly improved systems will continue to benefit from the use of KVM.

Opened in 2018, the Istanbul Airport in Turkey is projected to have the world’s largest passenger capacity following completion of all construction phases. Today, the airport greets travelers in its main terminal—the world’s largest airport terminal building under one roof—with vertically-oriented video walls and displays throughout the large, open spaces. Navori QL digital signage software powers all dynamic media content, including digital out-of-home advertising to monetize the network.

Mediaport Marketing, Istanbul’s digital advertising operator, selected an on-premise QL software solution based on its technical benefits, including multi-player synchronization and third-party software integration. For content delivery, multi-player synchronization provides a seamless experience for travelers with several video walls and displays in their fields of vision as they move through the terminal’s open spaces. Ads are delivered within a mix of dynamic content (videos, images, multi-layered templates, data feeds) that bring news, weather, entertainment and promotional content to travelers.

Related: Technology Manager’s Guide to Networked Digital Signage

Professional rendering ensures that common media is synchronized across all 726 Samsung SoC displays—with built-in Tizen 4 or Windows-based QL Player software—down to 1/20th of a second. Navori enables the professional rendering through its “time stamp streamer” innovation, which synchronizes each QL Player’s clock with Navori’s QL Server, regardless of the player’s OS. The QL Player software ensures a pleasant viewing experience through seamless transitions between video, multi-layered templates and other dynamic HTML5 content.

Beyond connecting with external data feeds for screen content, Navori’s broad third-party software integration capabilities extends to audience measurement systems. These integrations, along with detailed content playback reports, help Mediaport evaluate campaign success—and build future media plans—based on ad impressions and other audience criteria.

The on-premise server architecture optimizes performance and security through a high-availability configuration with load balancing, failover capabilities, and end-to-end content encryption. While Mediaport preferred the on-premise architecture to meet these stringent requirements, operators can remotely monitor performance, update content, and maintain systems—including device OS and media player software updates—through a user-friendly web-based user interface.

“Navori provides us with the best solutions and tools for our business needs,” said Mehmet Emre, director of digital operations, Mediaport. “We needed a flexible, scalable, agile, and multiplatform solution that empowers us in our business processes. Security is very important for us since we are operating in airports, and Navori delivers. Navori’s partnership is very strategic in growing and developing our businesses mutually.”

“Mediaport required a digital signage network that can reliably serve as many as 200 million passengers annually once the entire airport is open, and sought a Samsung-certified digital software solution,” said Jerome Moeri, CEO, Navori Labs. “As the main terminal building occupies a 1.4-million-square-meter area alone, the early phases of the rollout have offered a reliable proving ground for their exacting network requirements. Through close collaboration with our partners at Mediaport and Samsung, we carefully customized an ad-driven network solution that will scale to their needs, and deliver the reliability and technical capacities they desire from a wide-scale digital signage software solution.”

Dubai International (DXB) in the United Arab Emirates is the world's busiest airport for international passenger traffic, handling more than 88 million passengers a year. Dubai Airport’s new Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) houses several teams managing airport operations 24/7. Dubai audiovisual integrator Aesthetix was appointed to design and integrate a state-of-the-art audiovisual solution for the new AOCC control room. The objective was to provide a user-friendly, flexible video wall solution for operators to view live visuals and data for monitoring and collaborative decision making.  

Aesthetix selected RGB Spectrum’s MediaWall V 4K display processor to power the AOCC’s massive 55-screen video wall. The MediaWall V processor was chosen for its image quality, real-time performance, and embedded architecture, which reduces the vulnerabilities of hacking and tampering of PC-based processors.

Related: Preparing for AV-over-IP Control Rooms

The AOCC MediaWall-based video wall centralizes an extensive volume of visuals and data to enhance situational awareness. Operators can collaboratively view information for daily management and planning.

The MediaWall V processor receives input from surveillance cameras, and computer system displays covering dynamic flight information, passenger and baggage status, check-in and boarding information, weather, access control, and other data. The MediaWall V processor consolidates these diverse sources and displays them in windows of any size, anywhere on the video wall array. The processor’s advanced features include overlapping images, window borders and titles, and pan and zoom, allowing an operator to view items of particular interest. 

The processor is controlled by RGB Spectrum's VIEW Controller, which simplifies the video wall operation. The VIEW Controller's graphical user interface (GUI) provides drag-and-drop selection and routing of any source. Live thumbnails of all sources provide visual aids for managing workflow. Sources can even be previewed prior to routing. Operators can choose from up to 60 preset window layouts. VIEW Controller does not require custom programming, so it is both quick to implement and cost-effective. It provides access based on user privileges that allow or restrict access to features, supporting multiple users with configurable levels of access.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, nearly 2.8 million passengers flew into and out of U.S. airports every day in 2019. Like the commute to work that can be done practically blindfolded, most business travelers move quickly through terminal labyrinths to get to gates and baggage claim.

But the U.S. Travel Association states that 80 percent of domestic trips are for leisure purposes. That’s more than 2.2 million people every day in 2019 fumbling to remove forgotten liquids from carry-on bags, figuring out how to get the car seat onto the belt and through the scanner, then stopping once they get through the TSA line to gather the kids, look for their gate, look for food, and listen for P.A. announcements regarding flight delays or gate changes. And on the other side, they want to quickly find their bags and ground transportation to begin their vacation.

Airports are prioritizing just that, installing technology that will help move travelers through airport terminals as quickly as possible.

Recent events, unfortunately, are drastically reducing the number of people who travel by air (and sea) for both work and pleasure, though those who do find themselves in a transportation hub no doubt appreciate being able to see and hear important announcements and safety messaging, as well as being able to find their way smoothly and efficiently.

Getting to the Decision Maker

Identifying and working with key stakeholders in different vertical markets has its share of nuances, but the transportation market might be among the most nuanced. “The biggest challenge we see is getting the right information to the airport executives, and past the purchasing departments,” said David Weibel, senior division sales, Ford Audio-Video. “Most times, large capital projects require multiple RFPs, bids, and solicitations.”

The process often starts with current system operators, who may or may not be up to speed on the latest technologies and design. “They are asked, ‘What do you think we need?’ and then consultants may be brought into the mix,” said Weibel. “Many consultants are experts and major contributors to our profession.” Once a specification is offered, the level of the specification will determine the costs, and the level of quality. “Then the final question: Does the low bid win? I bet it does,” he opined.

Getting from Point A to Point B

The easer information is to obtain, the smoother things run for everyone.

At a high level, the solutions are simple. “Large, visible signage with excellent software, a large enough font to be seen at a distance, and great content in multiple locations are key,” said Weibel.

The architectural design trend that’s creating challenges in remodels and new construction of corporate buildings—bright and open—is only exacerbated in airport terminals. “Many new areas are bright with lots of windows, which can make it difficult for users to read typical electronic displays,” said Weibel. 

Builders can tame the light, shaping it for their purposes, when they pay close attention to screen placement, install displays that are bright enough, and use fonts, colors, and design that will stand up to the harsh glare of the sun.

Speech intelligibility is as important as visual information to ensure passengers arrive at the correct gate and on time. Massive windows not only make display choice and placement a challenge, they can render a P.A. system useless. “P.A. systems must be intelligible,” said Weibel. “In this age of large rooms with glass and hard surfaces everywhere, audio intelligibility can be very difficult and expensive to achieve, let alone keep aesthetically pleasing.” If you don’t have acoustical expertise in-house, it is important to team up with acoustical consultants that can work with project architects, engineers, and your team to ensure success.

“Digital communications allow for many more design opportunities regarding audio and video in large spaces,” said Weibel. “This allows for easier physical wiring and provision in large spaces, and almost infinite design and configuration possibilities.”

Revenue Boost

When it comes to generating new revenue at Cenero, Frank Milesky, Southeast area director, said, “We’ve gotten creative about how and what we position from a digital canvas and audiovisual perspective.” Transportation hubs and centers are actively looking for new ways to design static areas of their facilities with either revenue-generating or experiential opportunities, and Cenero has created some turnkey solutions.

“For experiential spaces, we are no longer just the ‘AV team’ that just does the ‘medium’ or the ‘technology,’” said Milesky. Cenero works closely with local digital retail ad firms, recruiting them to become affiliates so they can provide a cohesive package. “We’ve partnered and aligned with three digital content shops who help us provide the client with storyboards of how we may be able to use these spaces to provide a different experience,” he said. Including the content teams right from the beginning ensures the technology medium matches the intent of the space. “We use our partners to help comment on which technologies may best deliver the requested experience,” said Milesky.

[Taking a Chance with AV Art Installations in Transportation Hubs Pays Off]

“We’ve heavily leveraged AVaaS and leasing to provide opex [operational expenditure] models that mirror cash out-flows for the equipment outlay, as well as cash in-flows with advertisers,” said Milesky. “We’re able to reduce the need for a client to come up with significant capital to purchase these solutions. Via leasing or AVaaS, we’re able to get them the technology they want and finance the payment over time.”

Integrating audio and visual communications solutions enhances the effectiveness of wayfinding, paging, emergency notification, and evacuation information. “Integrators who may have only offered audio-based communications can boost revenue by layering in visual messaging solutions such as digital signage,” said John Massaro, vice president engineering and operations at MKJ Communications.

MKJ is doing exactly this by adding digital signage to a Dante-compliant GLOBALCOM.IP audio communications network. Massaro added, “MKJ was able to implement innovative visual messaging solutions that complement audio broadcasts. For example, to help travelers with hearing impairments, digital signage automatically displays messages being broadcast audibly.” This same signage can be used for wayfinding applications, such as directing people to the nearest exit during an emergency.

Further Streamlining

Airports and other transportation facilities don’t have the luxury of closing while undergoing renovation; since they must remain operational, changes are implemented in phases. “One airport terminal might receive a facelift, while the remaining terminals go untouched,” said Massaro. “Consequently, newly added communications systems must be able to interface with the older, existing communications networks. Products like Dante-CobraNet interfaces can facilitate this link between old and new technologies,” he said.

[Trends in Transportation AV]

Systems with automation features help streamline the boarding process. For example, gate agents need press only one button on an automated communications station to activate prerecorded boarding information. “The boarding sequence, through parameters programmed into the communications system software, can be timed perfectly for the type of aircraft at the gate,” said Benny Ameti, senior engineer at MKJ. “The system knows how long it takes to board each group of passengers specifically for the type of aircraft at the gate. The entire process is streamlined significantly.”

Near Future

Digital signage for wayfinding has been deployed for more than a decade. It’s the transition to mobile wayfinding and information-gathering that Ford AV’s Weibel sees as the next frontier. “Mobile wayfinding will someday become generally available; however, the airport administration’s expectation that all users will be comfortable with downloading apps specific to particular airports, configuring apps, creating accounts, managing passwords, and dealing with connectivity issues may be a bit too far on the future’s edge,” said Weibel. “Until then, the simple, tried-and-true information distribution via Multi-User Flight Information Display Systems [MUFIDS] and other visual alerts, combined with high-intelligibility P.A. systems, are key for keeping passengers informed.”   •

When MKJ Communications started engineering and installing critical communications systems in large public transportation hubs such as LaGuardia Airport, the most current audio distribution solution utilized CobraNet technology to deliver audio and video signals over IP networks. For many of these projects, MKJ relied on AtlasIED’s extensive portfolio of CobraNet-compliant communications products.

“AtlasIED GLOBALCOM.IP mass communications ecosystem provides us with a full range of CobraNet-compliant products that meet the stringent paging, messaging, and emergency notification demands of public transportation facilities,” says John Massaro, vice president engineering and operations at MKJ Communications.

Airport Renovation Opens the Door for Dante

While MKJ’s affinity for AtlasIED GLOBALCOM.IP communications solutions hasn’t changed, today, the company’s choice audio-over-IP mass communications system follows the newer Dante protocol. “Not that there’s anything wrong with CobraNet,” says Massaro. Many of MKJ’s large transportation projects still function admirably via the CobraNet-based communications platform. But when airports and other transportation facilities update or add new terminals, it’s the ideal time to migrate to a new and more modern audio-over-IP standard like Dante. “The technology has strong backing of more than 2,000 products from more than 400 manufacturers, including AtlasIED, and any new products developed in the future are likely to adhere to Dante,” Massaro says. Moreover, the transition to Dante as the de facto audio-over-IP standard may eventually leave systems integrators with fewer and fewer CobraNet options.

CobraNet Keeps Communicating at Existing Terminals

Still, CobraNet has its place—and that place currently is throughout many of the existing terminals at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, continuing to seamlessly connect microphone stations, processors, amplifiers, and speakers for efficient multichannel distribution of digital audio. “In the few existing terminals left at the airport, CobraNet continues to facilitate distribution of critical communications for boarding, paging, and emergency notification,” says Massaro. “In transportation facilities like LaGuardia, where upgrades happen infrequently and systems are used for 20 years before they get replaced, CobraNet is still relatively popular. But when areas of the airport do undergo a major renovation, it makes sense to install that latest technology, which today is Dante.”

Uniting Legacy and Leading-Edge Audio-over-IP Platforms

Fortunately, the two protocols can be easily integrated via a network bridge, which MKJ deployed in its $4 million-plus overhaul of terminals B, C and D. Equipment comprising the new gate paging and flight announcement systems installed in these terminals are all Dante-compliant, and from AtlasIED’s GLOBALCOM.IP portfolio. Thanks to the networking bridge, the Dante systems can interoperate with the CobraNet equipment used in the other existing terminals and concourses, creating one unified communications network.

“To airport personnel, the only noticeable difference between the two systems is the lower latency of the Dante network and the intuitiveness of the Dante controller’s graphic user interface,” says Massaro. “Digital audio signals traveling from microphone to speaker happens with near-zero latency and airport staff are able to master the communications controls faster.”

Innovative Airport Messaging

Dante also provided MKJ with the opportunity to provide audible messaging for the hearing impaired. In the upgraded terminals, MKJ installed inductive hearing loops, which interface directly with the Dante communications system and AtlasIED’s GCK 3.0 notification software.

The GCK 3.0 software also supports customization and automation of messages. “Through the software we can steer announcements to certain amplifiers, play back recorded messages in any language, automate the boarding process, and convert text messages to speech, for example,” says Benny Ameti, MKJ senior engineer. This helps with ADA compliance, a feature unique to GLOBALCOM.IP.

Because Dante facilitates the distribution of both digital audio and video signals, MKJ was able to also implement innovative visual messaging solutions that complement audio broadcasts. For example, to help travelers with hearing impairments, digital signage automatically displays messages being broadcast audibly. This same signage can be used for wayfinding applications, like directing people to the nearest airport exit during an emergency.

Phasing in Dante, Keeping CobraNet

Legacy and leading-edge technologies like CobraNet and Dante can co-exist peacefully, as MKJ demonstrates in the initial phases of its communications upgrade of several terminals at LaGuardia Airport. For markets like the transportation industry, which roll out expansion projects in multiple phases, being able to bridge old and new communications networks keeps the facility operating at full capacity while the upgrades are rolled out. No matter which Dante-based AtlasIED amplifiers, microphone stations, controllers, and communications endpoints MKJ installs, audio broadcasts can be shared seamlessly between the existing CobraNet-based network and new Dante network.

AtlasIED unified communications (UC) for transportation environments

AtlasIED GLOBALCOM.IP

Bannister Lake has entered into a partnership with Brooklyn-based data aggregator and distributor, Roadify Transit. Roadify specializes in capturing live multimode transit and mobility data from transit authorities, bike share programs, and car and ride share services from around the world. Bannister Lake has developed and implemented a data parser for Roadify data that ingests schedule and real-time transit data directly into its Chameleon data aggregation and management solution. 

Within Chameleon, users will be able to customize Roadify location-based data with other real-time data feeds, and use BLADE, the product’s RESTful API, to distribute data to specific endpoints for visualization. By targeting and extending transit and mobility data to online, mobile, OTT, and web widgets, Chameleon users will be able to create new data products that reach more viewers and generate new revenue.

[Bannister Lake Chameleon Drives Data Aggregation at the US Open]

The addition of Roadify data will allow Chameleon clients to be able to create location-specific live transit displays for arenas, public events, and corporate campuses. The data can also be used by broadcast users to provide viewers with up-to-the-second mass transit information informing commuters of service alerts and on-time status. The combination of Roadify data and Chameleon software will provide a complete view of multiple area transit and mobility system conditions while supporting sponsorships, advertising, and other supplementary editorial content such as school closings, events calendars, local news, and traffic.

“Reliable, consistent transit information that includes car and bike sharing is critical to commuters,” said Georg Hentsch, president, Bannister Lake. “Managing that data through Chameleon and making it readily available to any screen, anywhere, is an important public service, and we are thrilled to be working with Roadify to fulfill this mandate.” 

“As transit and mobility options proliferate, Bannister Lake will make it easy for riders to find out what’s going on around them right now, simply by looking up at a display,” said Scott Kolber, CEO, Roadify. “We’re especially excited that Bannister Lake will be making RoadifyTV, our new integrated data selection and deployment tool, available through Chameleon. RoadifyTV is specifically focused on digital signage services, and Bannister Lake will be among the first wave of our partners to use it.” 

Attendees of Passenger Terminal Expo 2019, March 26-28 in London, will get an in-depth look into the ways audiovisual solutions can improve the travel experience. David Labuskes, CTS, CEOr of AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association, will host a session titled "The Audiovisual Future of the Passenger Terminal Experience," with speakers from Houston Bush International Airport, Miami International Airport, global design and architecture firm Gensler, and multimedia studio Moment Factory, whose audiovisual installations engage travelers from Los Angeles International Airport to Singapore Changi Airport.

"Integrated audiovisual experiences are becoming a mainstay in virtually every venue of daily life, including transportation hubs, through which millions of travelers pass," said Brad Grimes, senior director of communications for AVIXA. "At Passenger Terminal Expo, we'll specifically explore airports that are at the forefront of creating a new kind of travel experience — one that is compelling, immersive, engaging, and increasingly grounded in audiovisual solutions."

[AVIXA Promotes Dan Goldstein to Chief Marketing Officer]

Passenger Terminal Expo is the world's largest annual airport exhibition and conference, attracting 7,400 attendees, 300 exhibitors, and 1,800 conference participants. It takes place this year at the ExCeL London.

According to AVIXA's Industry Outlook and Trends Analysis (IOTA), transportation industry spending on pro AV products and services will grow 8.8 percent annually between now and 2023. That is significantly greater than the robust 5 percent global growth of the overall pro AV market.

At Passenger Terminal Expo 2019, AVIXA CEO Labuskes will be joined by Maurice Jenkins, chief information officer of Miami International Airport; Jesus Saenz, chief operating officer of Houston Bush International Airport; Keith Thompson, principal at Gensler; and Andrew Merkin, producer at Moment Factory.

"I look forward to joining this great group in discussing not only how audiovisual solutions enhance the passenger experience, but also how they can improve operational efficiency and business outcomes," Labuskes said. "Moment Factory, an AVIXA member company, has been working in some of Skytrax's top-rated airports. Together, this panel will open eyes to new ways of applying technology to airport design."

The talk will also center on ways airport operators, architects, and technologists can best collaborate to reimagine terminal spaces. The panel will conclude with an examination of emerging technologies and their potential impact on the airport industry.

"By the end of the discussion," Grimes said, "attendees will gain a powerful understanding of how integrated audiovisual solutions are shaping tomorrow's airport terminals."

Travelers on India’s newest Metro system, in the Northern city of Lucknow, are buying travel tokens through Zytronic projected capacitive touch sensors. Mikroelektronika, a Czech kiosk specialist, is supplying 84 touch-enabled kiosks using Zytronic touch sensors to the network.

Zytronic touch sensors supplied Mikroelektronika with 17in. diagonal touch assemblies including 1cm toughened glass for protection. The modules are controlled by the ZXY100. Travelers can purchase RFID tokens for travel using coins, notes, contactless or PIN-enabled credit cards through the kiosks. The touch modules supplied work reliably in the very high summer temperatures of up to 40°C encountered in Lucknow.

Commenting, Ing. Jaromír Synek, Product Manager, Mikroelektronika said, “Lucknow Metro is a prestige project – a major new network in a fast-growing economy. The customer sought a completely reliable, intuitive touch interface which could withstand all aspects of the city environment, including moisture and spillages, physical attack, humidity and heat. Zytronic supported us fully in delivering this.”

Mikroelektronika supplies ticketing kiosks based on Zytronic projected capacitive touch technology to transport networks throughout the world. Successful installations based on Zytronic sensors include over 200 machines for the Swedish national railway network, 30 machines in La Paz (Bolivia) as well as installations in Prague (The Czech Republic); Lima, (Peru); Klaipeda (on the coast of Lithuania) and Sofia (Bulgaria).

Jaromír Synek continued, “We have partnered with Zytronic since 2007 due to the flexibility of its manufacturing service and the exceptional indoor and outdoor performance of its touch technology. Ticket machines are typically rolled out in comparatively small numbers, often 10-50 at a time. Zytronic is always able to supply exactly the number of modules we need with the right specification for our specific project. We offer customers a choice of 10”, 15” or 17” screens depending on their requirement, and Zytronic is able to support us here also. The performance of the touch sensors in the field is exceptional. We have experienced no failures in this time, and they work reliably whatever the environment. This can range from the coldest Swedish winter to hot Indian summers.”

Ian Crosby, Sales and Marketing Director at Zytronic, added, “We were delighted to be able to support Mikroelektronika in winning this prestigious project. Their success in Lucknow underlines their position as a world leader in this sector. Our long-term relationship with Mikroelektronika is based on our ability to supply them flexibly with touch assembles of the specification they need, when they need them. The range of climatic conditions encountered by their machines is truly staggering, and is a tribute to the go-anywhere capabilities of Zytronic touch sensors.”

Mikroelektronika ticket kiosks provide transport networks with a comprehensive solution for cash and electronic payment. Depending on the customer’s requirements, the kiosks can accept coins and banknotes and give change in either if required. They can also accept credit cards either using contactless or PIN-verified payments, and dispense printed tickets, receipts or (as in the case of Lucknow) tokens. Mikroelektronika machines can be entirely cashless if required.

Lucknow Metro in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh began commercial operation over 8.5km on 5 September 2017. Once Phase 1 is completed, the Lucknow Metro will have two lines with a total length of 33km. 

Americans travel for work, pleasure, and adventure—and we’re traveling in record numbers. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport welcomed an astonishing number of passengers in 2016—more than 104 million—according to Airports Council International. Global passenger traffic is expected to grow 4.5 percent every year through 2040. However, as options increase and consumers become more demanding, transportation hubs need to stay relevant and competitive. Today’s passengers want personalized travel that is tech centric, app enabled, and stress free. It’s a tall order, but audiovisual technologies are playing vital roles in improving transit experiences. Interactive video walls, IoT-connected signage, and immersive AV experiences are helping to refresh transit hubs and bring some good, old-fashioned comfort into the modern journey.

IOT INSIGHTS REDUCE BOTTLENECKS

For Al Lyons, HOK’s senior director of IT and communication engineering—and an expert in 21st century transportation design—Bluetooth low-energy beacons and IoT are proving to be valuable implementations, even before an airport or rail station are open.

“Beacons and IoT can monitor and provide a good record of how people use facilities before construction starts,” Lyons said, “and then throughout the construction process, you can see how people’s experiences are connected and affected.” Real-time metrics on passenger flow, asset movement, and occupancy can become tangible evidence that AV/IT and facilities managers can leverage during planning and performance reviews.

IoT-connected digital signage systems—for wayfinding and revenue-generating advertising—are other elements of a smarter transit design.

INFORMED WAYFINDING, ENHANCED UX

Transportation hubs are ecosystems with many moving parts: restaurants, stores, spas, and hospitality services are all vying for passenger attention. The growing complexity necessitates more dynamic digital wayfinding.

Eduardo Valencia, vice president and chief information officer of Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), the organization that provides coordinated aviation services throughout the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Twin Cities metropolitan area, agrees.

“We invest heavily in what matters the most to our passengers, and that includes wayfinding,” Valencia said. Any static signage must be crystal clear, and digital signage must be “dynamic, with the ability to change quickly, related to optimized flow, and optimization of potential escalators, elevator banks, or exits.” Valencia explained that AV continues to be a powerful tool of engagement and enhancing the user experience (UX).

SMARTER HUBS SAVE MONEY AND PROVIDE BETTER SERVICES

A smarter transit infrastructure with connected AV can also save money beyond revenue streams from advertising. Technology managers would need to collaborate with operators to embrace the technology, and then agree on creative means of deployment, but insights gleaned from IoT and IP cameras, for example, can encourage agencies like the TSA to adjust their staffing based on real-time needs.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR STREAMLINING LINES

According to Paul Redding of NEC Display Solutions, AV in customer-centric transport environments should remove guesswork and take the anxiety out of traveling.

“AV should make the overall customer journey more satisfying,” he said. To that end, NEC offers a suite of enterprise-grade and touch-enabled digital signage solutions to display flight information and enrich the waiting experience with high-resolution entertainment.

NEC also believes that artificial intelligence (AI) can help streamline operations, and it’s invested in advanced facial recognition software that can help move people through passport control lines more efficiently and securely.

AI-enabled, mobile-connected asset tracking solutions are growing in popularity, as well as the interest in self-service baggage options, another area where NEC is innovating. There are more than 100 integrations of self-baggage solutions and self-boarding units deployed around the world, according to the International Air Transport Association. In 2017, JetBlue worked with United States Customs and Border Protection and SITA, an IT company serving the airline industry, to test a cutting-edge, automated self-boarding process based on biometric information.

Efficient movement is critical in transportation, and every second counts. The pressing question is, “How can we move people in and out of lines faster?” Redding said. “How can we help travelers get where they need to go, as well as spend their free time enjoying retail options?” In this regard, duty free digital signage and other digital merchandising tools add value for commercial tenants and help point passengers to areas of interest.

AV COHESION

Future-forward, AI-enhanced technologies, synced with displays that can be updated on the fly, can provide a cohesive experience as passengers navigate a transit hub. Electronic visual information display systems (EVIDS) are deployed at many airports and train stations with the goal of keeping people safe and updated.

“When we interface EVIDS with what we call an airport operational database, or a station operational database,” Al Lyons explained, “one can coordinate updates of visual information with audible information so that the public address and EVIDS coordinate with each other.”

ACCESSIBILITY

The passengers of tomorrow will be increasingly mobile, so it’s important to build into a 21st-century hub the capabilities to push content to peripheral devices of every make and model. This requires a broader strategy, with input from IT, AV, facilities, and security. Lyons argued that there is value in a more “universal design” with accessibility benefits.

“It is about the ability to integrate different systems so you can support people carrying everything,” Lyons said, “or you can focus on using mobile technology to help people find places and if they cannot hear.”

AV CAPTURES ATTENTION

It’s hard to capture someone’s attention when they are staring down at their phone. Tying large-scale, dazzling LED and LCD walls to content on mobile devices is helping commercial tech managers address the attention challenge.

Lyons shared an anecdote from a recent stadium project with relevance in the transportation vertical. “In that stadium, you have an amazing amount of data that people are putting through on their mobile phones or tablets,” he said. “There are also huge multimedia boards—more than a thousand visual displays. It’s incredible AV technology, but there’s more, in numbers, of tablets and peripherals. These tech-enabled user experiences—the ‘fan experience’ in sports—will migrate over to transit because as people become more familiar with the technology and comfortable using their handheld devices coordinated with installed displays, we will find new ways to bring them together.”

FIBER WILL HELP FUTURE HUBS SOAR

To support the growing appetite for bandwidth-intensive AV content, IP cameras, networked entertainment feeds, and real-time data flows, Al Lyons urged AV/IT managers to invest in fiber.

“Go with fiber everywhere and get rid of the Cat-6 cables,” he said. “Think about the passive optical network or D-PON, and you can get rid of a whole lot of infrastructure. It takes significantly less energy and space to go with passive optical network technology.”

ELEVATED EXPERIENCES

It’s a tricky balance: technology should not distract or impede movement, but it should also make an impression. This is the driving force behind DOOH (digital out-of-home advertising), but it relates to a newer trend in transportation: elevated experiences.

Experience designers are working closely with AV installers to bring more meaning to folks on the go. A compelling example of this is “The Long March,” a 27-tile Planar Mosaic array installed at the recently renovated Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport. The Planar Mosaic video wall incorporates depictions of movement, migration, and marching from different eras in Alabama history, such as the Civil War and Selma Marches.

The long horizontal row of Planar Mosaic video tiles track to the center of the wall where they form a dazzling kaleidoscope the shape of a camellia, the Alabama state flower. The digital camellia acts as a “repository of past and present motion that represents the flowering that grows out of movement,” according to a Planar statement. The kaleidoscopic installation, made in collaboration with the CAUSE COLLECTIVE, illustrates how AV can enrich the traveler’s journey, explore identity, and honor history in new, interactive ways.

REMOVE PRESSURE POINTS

For MAC, which oversees the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport, the ideal passenger experience is one with exceptional customer service and a seamless feel—not fraught with conflict.

“We strive to create positive and memorable experiences,” Valencia said. A pleasant journey is one that is “free of the pressure points” and negativity often associated with travel. “From the time a passenger enters our facility, perhaps from a mass transit environment, there are a number of steps that we have to assist them,” Valencia said. Those passenger steps include offering pre-book parking options, knowing exactly where to find the ticket lobby, learning accurate wait times, and ordering your favorite caramel macchiato for which you received a digital coupon because you parked on the facility. It also includes access to entertainment you can enjoy on a mobile device that your boarding zone announced on the airport’s paging system.

“We do everything that we can do to create a cohesive, seamless experience with technology throughout the passenger journey—even before you visit us,” Valencia said.

Embrace the Passenger-centric Model
“Capacity constraints coupled with unprecedented growth in aircraft and passenger traffic, as well as competition and the promise of new non-aeronautical revenue streams necessitate a transformation in airports’ value proposition, by leveraging emerging technologies and transitioning from a process-centric to a passenger-centric business model.”
—Renjit Benjamin, Senior Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan

Airports Join the Blockchain
“Blockchain, which functions as an online recordkeeping system maintained by a group of peers rather than a central agency or authority, also offers new business opportunities in tracking bags and flight delays.”

More Online

AIRPORTS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL: STATS ON GLOBAL AIR TRAFFIC
aci.aero

CAUSE COLLECTIVE
causecollective.com

GENSLER RESEARCH INSTITUTE REPORT: AIRPORTS WITHOUT WAITING?
gensler.com/research-insight/gensler-research-institute/near-future-airport

HOK: GLOBAL DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, AND PLANNING FIRM
hok.com

LEYARD
leyard.com

METROPOLITAN AIRPORTS COMMISSION
metroairports.org

NEC
necdisplay.com

Kaptivo to offer a free Kaptivo Whiteboard Camera to any airport around the world. With this offer, Kaptivo helps reduce the risk of airport technology failure for both air travelers and airport personnel.

In the last two months, two of the largest airports in the UK - London Heathrow, and London Gatwick - have experienced failures with their flight information systems that caused massive confusion, frustration and missed flights. Both airports were forced to provide flight information to passengers by manually writing on dry-erase whiteboards distributed throughout the terminal, a process which passengers described as “chaotic.”

The Kaptivo whiteboard capture system provides a solution when flight information goes down. The camera captures and enhances the whiteboard content to remove glare and people blocking the board, and then streams the writing to monitors around the airport in real-time. Kaptivo enables airports to share updates instantly from a central control room to the monitors around the airport where flight information is typically displayed, thus causing less disruption and stress for passengers. This video illustrates how airports can use their free Kaptivo system should the flight information system fail.

“We’re proud to help airports provide a world-class experience to travelers, even in the face of unexpected technology failures,” said Nic Lawrence, co-founder and chief customer officer of Kaptivo. “Of course, airport flight information is just one of the many uses of the Kaptivo system. Anyone who uses traditional dry-erase whiteboards can use a Kaptivo to collaborate and share information digitally.”

The offer expires on Dec. 31, 2018. Airports interested in this offer should email hello(at)kaptivo.com.

Audiovisual technology is profoundly transforming the modern travel experience, turning traditional wait times into times of engagement at forward-looking airports around the world—most recently at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which just completed a $200 million renovation and expansion of its Concourse A. The nine-gate, 229,807-square-foot addition is the first completed project under the Destination CLT initiative, a $2.5 billion capital investment program to renovate the concourses and expand CLT's roadways, curb front, airfield, and terminal.

The Concourse A expansion features ENGAGE Series and Performance Series LED displays from NanoLumens and renowned digital artist Refik Anadol’s unique “data sculptures” that turn the airport’s invisible patterns of data into captivating content featured on the three NanoLumens displays. This alluring installation, dubbed “Interconnected,” is a part of a total commitment by the airport to reimagine modern travel through the eyes of compelling and immersive digital experiences.

Frank Milesky of Cenero, the integration firm that from the beginning approached the installation as a fusion of technology, art, and design, explained that, “The goal here was to seamlessly integrate digital artwork that reflects the movement and traffic of the airport, essentially the airport’s data culture, into the architecture of the new concourse. This install isn’t merely about displaying content, it’s about changing the entire passenger experience at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.”

• To properly communicate this unique artwork’s intended message, the install required one NanoLumens 2.5mm ENGAGE Series LED display and two 4.7mm Performance Series displays.
• The airport was originally considering projection technology for this project but from previous experience Anadol knew that only LED display technology could properly handle what is being described as one of the largest data sculpture visualizations in the world.
• “Once we picked Refik as the artist to do this project we presented the NanoLumens solutions to him and he immediately knew their displays would be perfect for this project and for his artwork,” said Marcus Mitchell, program director for the Arts & Science Council, the organization that ran this project on behalf of the airport.

The centerpiece display for Interconnected is a 2.5mm NanoLumens ENGAGE Series LED display that sits inside the airport’s Concourse A and stretches 140 feet wide by 10 feet high. Mitchell added that the details surrounding exactly where this display was being placed also played a major role in the decision to go with NanoLumens.“The largest display runs down a big part of the new Concourse A, which has windows lining the other side, so it can also be seen by people driving past as well as walking up to the airport from the outside,” he said. “The fact that NanoLumens displays provide such a high-definition image viewed up close, as well as the brightness to be seen outside by people in cars whizzing by, provided us with the greatest possible impact.”

Dave Hunt, president of DG Hunt & Associates, the project management company that worked as the liaison between Refik and NanoLumens for this project, added, “Refik’s art was such a great fit for NanoLumens, not only because of the way the NanoLumens products capture the richness and depth of the art, but because there needed to be this collaborative partnership in place to develop this finely tuned display that would perfectly match the specs of Refik’s work, and the NanoLumens team just excelled at making sure this harmonious relationship existed.”

Another challenge for Cenero was making sure a screen this large would display a seamless image without bezels and also handle all daytime ambient light coming in through the concourse’s many windows.

Cenero installed two additional 4.7mm NanoLumens Performance Series displays in oddly shaped corners in the gates located at the end of Concourse A that are also visible both inside and outside the airport. The trapezoid-shaped displays measure approximately 28x15 feet in one corner and 40x19 feet in the other corner.

Each of these displays also run 24 hours a day and is synchronized with the larger concourse display as each has its own distinct visual chapter.

“This installation is grabbing travelers’ attention before they even enter the airport, as it is clearly visible from the parking garage and street across from the new concourse,” said NanoLumens Southeast regional sales director, Arch Nelson. “We have clearly moved beyond the days of what static signage can do and this project is a perfect marriage of Refik’s amazing digital artwork and the state-of-the-art display technology from NanoLumens.”For the more than 44 million travelers who move through Charlotte Douglas International Airport annually, Refik’s Interconnected will surely leave a lasting impression.

As for the artist himself, Refik added, “The artwork being displayed is constantly changing and evolving as it responds to the ever-changing flow of data, creating a living snapshot of the invisible patterns that surrounds us as we travel to, from, and within Charlotte Douglas International Airport.“

Photo Credit: Rich Taylor Photography | www.richtaylorphoto.com | @richtaylorphoto

• The modern travel experience is changing, and airports in particular have been embracing this change with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to transform the passenger experience. To help airport architects and designers stay ahead of the curve, NanoLumens has developed a new certified course to be offered through the American Institute of Architects’ Continuing Education System.
• According to Dan Rossborough, NanoLumens director of special projects, NanoLumens wants to help airport architects implement effective LED display technology into their designs. “Large-format direct-view LED displays are applicable for the various stakeholders doing business inside today’s airports worldwide; from DOOH advertisers, to concessionaires, airlines, and the airports themselves, so it is our responsibility to provide useful information and training to the architects and designers who shape these spaces.”

The course, titled LED Display Canvases for Airport Wayfinding, Information Displays, Place-Making, Art and Entertainment (AIA Course NL-103-2018 CEU 1 HR Credit), is now available for registration and will present to participants examples of various digital signage applications, ranging from simple FIDS, BIDS, RIDS displays, to iconic large-format public art and sculptural installations. These examples will be shown in the context of how they are initiated and funded, designed into the new or existing structure, installation requirements, support requirements, and more.

Participants will also learn infrastructure impact and requirements for successful LED display design and integration, including the use of sustainable materials and efficient electronic systems; unique structural and materials breakdown of bespoke visualization systems; key design drivers for large-scale airport projects (Sustainability, Smart Airport Initiatives, Public Art, etc.); and differentiators in products and business models in the large-format visualization industry.

To schedule an in-person training, interested parties can contact NanoLumens directly through a submission form.

The What: Clear-Com has debuted COMduit, a new fiber based solution for audio and video transport between booth, field, production truck, and any other remote location.

The What Else: The demonstration solution is built into three flight cases and supports fiber transmission for a typical remote sports or news broadcast, or any other situation that uses dark fiber between multiple sites. The cases, named ‘Truck,’ ‘Booth’ and ‘Field’ only require electric power and two duplex single-mode fiber cables. The BroaMan devices are configured so that multiple fiber and IP networks are multiplexed for transport using a single duplex fiber cable; one cable from Truck to Booth, and one from Truck to Field.

The Bottom Line: COMduit provides a template for a range of products needed for remote broadcast production. The solution is based around Clear-Com’s ProGrid audio and video transport products, LQ for intercom over IP and BroaMan’s MUX-22 signal multiplexer.

Brightline, a privately owned, operated, and maintained intercity passenger train, has selected ANC as its premium service provider for the 325 LCD/LED displays in MiamiCentral, the 11-acre mixed use development and transit hub in downtown Miami. This new partnership provides Brightline with consulting services, account management, and production of brand and sponsor-related content for this transportation and real-estate focused project.

The new MiamiCentral transit hub features more than 325 LCD/LED displays that will display sponsor content; food and beverage information; and train details, updates and alerts. The consulting services include advisement on signage usage and content placement for the displays.

ANC Client Services will manage, schedule, and coordinate all digital content running throughout MiamiCentral, with ANC’s Creative Services team creating sponsor and branded content for the displays.

“We are excited to partner with Brightline and play a role in one of the most innovative transit centers in the United States,” said Colleen Brace, senior vice president of sales and venue services, ANC. “ANC will work closely with Brightline to develop intriguing and engaging content that will inform and entertain the company’s guests, as well as ensure the content runs seamlessly through the mobility hub.”

Phase 1 of MiamiCentral's rail system, launched in May 2018, connects the downtowns of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. Phase 2 will connect Orlando and Miami in about three hours with construction expected to start this year.

MiamiCentral is a fixture of Miami’s downtown redevelopment, helping to stimulate new retail, commercial, and residential ventures in the area. MiamiCentral will feature downtown’s first food hall, retail shops, Class A office space, and Park-Line Miami—two residential buildings consisting of 816 rental units.

“After becoming familiar with ANC’s work around the country, we knew ANC was the ideal choice to help us manage the digital signage throughout MiamiCentral,” said Ravneet Bhandari, Brightline’s chief commercial officer. “ANC’s team will ensure seamless operation and help us develop content that will help us build excitement about this state of the art transit center.”

Peerless-AV will showcase its latest and most advanced display at APTA's 2018 Rail Conference, June 10-11 at the at Colorado Convention Center, Hall A, Booth 202.

The Peerless-AV Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display is capable of year-round outdoor digital signage with an IP68 rating and a patented Dynamic Thermal Transfer system; the display also offers an operating temperature range or -31 degree Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display can be used in a variety of transportation services, like on a subway platform or inside of a monorail car. According to the company, it features the highest environmental rating in its class, optic bonding, and an IPS and High TNI panel; the display is designed to work in direct sunlight without compromising the life of the panel or its color accuracy.

Peerless-AV will be showcasing its new Xtreme™ High Bright Outdoor Display at the 2018 Rail Conference, June 10-11 at Booth 202.

Siemens Rail Automation is a supplier of signaling systems to the rail industry worldwide. The signaling system is fundamental to the safety of a rail network as it maintains safe separation and prevents collisions. Thorough initial training and regular refresher courses in a realistic environment is essential to maintaining the signalers’ competency and knowledge of operating procedures. Siemens collaborated with Matrox to implement an IP-based simulation environment for their European rail-network client with an innovative use of streaming and recording of multiple video feeds.

A simulator allows a trainer to vary scenarios—changing the weather, introducing obstacles on the line, incidents in stations, broken-down trains, or other things that affect the scheduling of movement of rolling stock. The trainer needs to monitor a trainee’s reaction to a particular scenario as it transpires. To be able to view the entire session later for analysis and pinpointing areas of improvement, each individual trainee’s performance needs to be recorded as well.

The trainee operator’s signaling desk contains multiple monitors for the signaling application that shows, among other things, the state of the signals, dynamic speed limits, state of points on the track, and train positions. Additional screens from other collaborative applications, such as timetabling, are also displayed for the trainee. Trainers too have multiple screens where they define and manage the training scenario.

Siemens Rail Automation met their client’s need by leveraging Matrox’s video wall and enterprise encoding portfolio as building blocks to create an end-to-end, IP-based simulation system—all on the client’s 1-Gigabit Ethernet network.

At the individual trainee stations, “operator” workstations host a Matrox multi-display graphics card to power an eight-monitor, 4x2 desktop configuration. In the same PC system are two Matrox Maevex 6100 quad 4K enterprise encoder cards. Capable of simultaneously capturing, streaming, and recording up to four 4K inputs, Maevex 6100 in this case captures quad 1080p inputs, composites them as a single 4K signal, and streams them to a collaborative video wall. Doing so ensures that the time correlation between the individual screens is not lost; a cursor moving across a desktop from screen to screen is seen as it happens. This is important for the trainer to get a realistic picture. A jerky or delayed cursor movement could be construed by the trainer as indecision or hesitation on the part of the trainee. If the cursor movement by the trainee—including between screens—is smooth, it is imperative for it to be seen live and recorded as being smooth.

In addition to the above are three dual-monitor timetabling workstations and a quad-monitor trainer workstation, each with a Matrox graphics card and Maevex 6100 encoder card to stream desktop content to the collaborative display wall. The timetabling workstations are used by trainee timetable planners to make on-the-day changes. One of the training objectives is to support the team working between the signalers and planners.

On the video wall are 12 monitors in several arrangements that enable the trainer to control the simulation environment and monitor trainee signalers and planners. The video wall can also be used collaboratively to replay and review the training session. This is all from a single, low-footprint Blue Chip Ultima 2M system that hosts a combination of Matrox Mura IPX decoder cards and Matrox Mura MPX input/output video wall cards, which work together to decode and display the various incoming streams. The rail network uses Matrox MuraControl for Windows video wall software to manage the incoming IP sources, presenting the information on the wall in a way that looks like the original setup at the trainee’s desk. These “video wall copies” allow trainers and other decision makers to remotely and instantaneously see the trainee’s reaction to a given situation. Desktop views are easily switched between trainees. Additionally, Maevex 6100 allows training sessions to be simultaneously recorded to network storage from where the simulations are played back on demand to the individual trainee, or to other interested parties.

To complete the offering, Matrox provided product and configuration training for Siemens personnel onsite at Siemens Rail Automation’s headquarters.

Siemens Rail Automation has deployed the IP-based signaling simulator as part of a major project in a leading European-rail-network organization where it is performing in line with the rail industry’s stringent standards. Similar deployments for other clients are being planned.

“Using Matrox’s video wall and streaming and recording technologies has been instrumental to the successful implementation of this pioneering IP-based signaling simulator in our client’s organization,” said Andy Powell of Siemens Rail Automation. “Without Matrox, this clearly wouldn’t have been achievable.”

Using the standard network to stream the various elements of the simulator in real time has offered many benefits to the client. The video wall displays copies of the trainer’s own screens, as well as a selected trainee’s screens. This IP-based implementation is easily scalable and allows multiple trainees to be participating in the same training session—with the trainer able to select which trainee to be overseeing at a given time.

On Auckland Anniversary Weekend, Auckland Harbour Bridge was transformed by the launch of Vector Lights—featuring a renewable energy technology powered light show that ignited imaginations and demonstrated a smarter way to power the city.

The installation was designed, managed, installed, and programmed by Sydney-based design and production company Mandylights, vividly demonstrating the new lighting capabilities and a smarter way to power Auckland as part of a ten-year smart energy partnership between Vector Limited and Auckland Council.

The audiovisual performance is made up of three chapters—the first references Tama-Nui te Ra (the sun), the original source of energy; the second Hikohiko (electrical energy) representing it as energy and technology, and the final Hei te Ao Marama (the future world of light) as an acknowledgement to the diversity and culture in Auckland.

“We approached this architectural project in the same way as we approach any light artwork, concert tour, or special event design” said Richard Neville, managing director of Mandylights. “Put simply, we wanted to make it look cool. Our design, pitch, and attitude has always been to eschew the traditional mathematical, paint-by-numbers architectural lighting design approach in favor of coming up with a highly spectacular design that turned the bridge into its own unique light show.”

Vector was looking for a way to illuminate the Harbour Bridge in a highly energy efficient manner. Plus, the design had to be sympathetic and able to communicate New Zealand ideals and values.

“We needed to be able to show how we would communicate Maori designs and traditional patterns through whatever we did on the bridge,” added Neville. “Another important creative element was to emphasize the connection to the water. The bridge sits very low down to the harbor, which is unusual. Of course, it had to be cost effective too.”

Mandylights spent a lot of time looking at the physical architecture of the bridge. One of the first things Neville did was fly to Auckland to spend a night sitting in various locations around the city taking in all aspects of the structure. He imagined ways to accentuate what is already there, especially the unique structure of girders that sit under the road.

“There’s a fascinating level of detail in all the girders beneath the road deck so we were quite keen to light that up,” he said. “We had to consider that people can get very close to the bridge and can see into all the gantries just sitting beneath the road deck, so that meant multiple views. Close up and personal, or from Waiheke Island 30 kilometres away, you can still see the lighting. It was a big challenge to come up with something that had multiple levels of engagement and offered viewers a unique experience at different sites.”

Environment was the biggest challenge for Mandylights, located in the middle of the harbor, with the crew getting blasted by winds in excess of 40 miles an hour. Add to that salt spray, and in some locations, the fixtures are only 19 feet away from the water.

“There was constant hammering from water and wind, plus Auckland has temperatures well into the 86 degree Fahrenheit range, so you need UV protection,” commented Neville. “Also, the installation has to last for 10 years, so exposed cables were a massive consideration as well. On top of that, the bridge is constantly moving with the vibrations from traffic.”

The outside lanes of the bridge were added after the main structure was built in 1959, with the four clip-on lanes added in 1969. In a matter of seconds, this road deck can move by up to three feet as the load on the road decks above change.

Another technical challenges was access—many of the places where lights were installed were incredibly difficult to get to. Rise Pacific, a specialist rigging company from Sydney, designed and built a completely unique access system to get the Mandylights crew specifically to where they needed to go.

During the lighting installation, the whole bridge power system was being reconfigured to run the bridge off a solar and battery grid.

From the beginning Neville was clear that he wanted to light the Bridge with three types of LED fixtures in three very distinct styles. A wash light was required to light the internal structure of the bridge, a linear strip to outline the entire exterior perimeter of the structure, and finally, an LED dot fixture for the 170 diagonals and verticals under the bridge.

“We wanted to highlight the internal structure of the bridge by lighting the girders, and also pointing some lights down to reflect off the water,” explained Neville. “We wanted the most amount of color and reflection we could off the water to emphasis the connection with the water. With the linear strips we wanted to outline the road deck and the arch as I don’t think people realize what an arced, sweeping shape it has. Finally, we used LED dots to turn the outer girders of the bridge into what is effectively a low-resolution video surface, made out of the bridge architecture itself.”

Mandylights looked at a few variations of applicable LED fixtures, but found they gravitated towards Martin by Harman due to the reliability of product and the incredible support offered by Harman Professional Solutions country partner, Show Technology.

All of the Martin equipment runs off the Martin P3 System Controller, which is fed video by two media servers. The entire system is controlled by an MA2 network so at every distribution board installed on the bridge, there’s an MA2 4Port Node; additional Nodes are in the control room.

“We wanted to put an industry standard control system in place so if we decided to do something different, such as add searchlights for NYE, we have distributed DMX points all across the bridge that are ready to go,” added Neville. “Similarly, if we need to integrate the bridge with other projects in the city it can all jump on one huge citywide network and essentially there’s no reason why a waterfront concert can’t integrate the bridge too.”

The bridge lighting can be remotely managed by Mandylights who will design custom content for special events such as the upcoming Chinese New Year and also Waitangi Day.

AVIXA has announced the expansion of its multi-year, multi-market industry awareness campaign to the transportation industry, through an integrated program in cooperation with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE).

"AVIXA's effort to raise awareness of the impact of integrated audiovisual experiences in a range of customer segments continues to expand," said AVIXA CEO David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD. "Some of the most innovative, forward-looking audiovisual solutions are emerging in the transportation sector, in general, and the airport industry specifically. The program we are implementing with the American Association of Airport Executives represents an important step in creating new conversations between industries with the goal of using AV technology to transform the travel experience for passengers everywhere."

The United States Department of Transportation estimated in 2016 that some 300 million people use the country's transportation system every day of the year. Growth in air travel is particularly strong. The Federal Aviation Administration forecasts that U.S. airline passengers will increase from 840.8 million in 2017 to 1.28 billion in 2038, an increase of more than 400 million.

"Airlines and airport authorities, along with the associations that represent all segments of this growing industry, could benefit by focusing more time and resources on how to best integrate audiovisual experiences in ways that improve the passenger travel experience and generate better business outcomes for every stakeholder involved in modern travel," Labuskes said.

As part of the program with the AAAE, AVIXA sponsored the 2018 AAAE Airport Customer Experience Symposium (March 6-9 in Dallas). It will also take part in the 2018 AAAE Annual Conference and Exhibition (April 15-18 in San Diego), hosting an industry roundtable discussion at the event, and participate in the 2018 AAAE Airport Innovation Forum (July 16-18 in Atlanta). The agreement also includes ongoing outreach and communication with decision-makers in the airport industry.

"AAAE and airport executives across the country are searching for innovative approaches to enhance the passenger experience at their facilities," said AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli. "The creative utilization of audiovisual technology is a key element in delivering that enhanced experience, and we look forward to working with AVIXA and its members in advancing our shared goal of identifying and delivering solutions at airports that will better serve our communities and the traveling public."

It’s not just about the destination—it’s the journey. This is a phrase we hear often in everyday life, but it’s now being taken to heart in the world of transportation. Gone are the days of humdrum waiting rooms at airports and bus and train stations. Now, you’re entering a new world catering to a travelers’ every need, and transportation hubs are using AV to make it happen.

“To take advantage of the unique positions they hold in their local economies and cultures, modern transportation hubs must do more than simply move travelers from place to place,” said Joe’ Lloyd, vice president of global marketing, NanoLumens. “Often the first thing a traveler sees when they arrive in a new city, transportation hubs serve an important role in communicating and celebrating the culture of the region they service. To accomplish each of their varied goals, many of these locations are turning to adaptable AV technologies that can serve multiple purposes simultaneously.”

A smart terminal is the ultimate entrance to a smart city, and Nick Screen, Harman Professional’s director of transportation solutions, believes we are at a tipping point. “There is a lot of discussion with regards to ‘smart’ terminals and the seamless journey. There are already software and technologies being deployed that are enabling operators to take big steps to becoming ‘smart’ and to creating the seamless journey, which are providing both operational benefits and improving the customer experience.”

Visible but Not Overwhelming

One of the biggest challenges transportation hubs face is managing the user experience. Venues need to use AV to provide quick, easy access to information. How do integrators accomplish that without overwhelming weary travelers?

At any given point in time, passengers want to see “the status of their itinerary, the location of amenities, or an entertaining glimpse at local culture. How do you deliver so much information to such large and mobile audiences?” mused Lloyd.

As an answer to this question, Lloyd pointed to Terminal Four of New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, through which one out of every 12 people entering the U.S. from an inbound foreign flight passes. “The importance of communicating varied information [to arriving passengers] quickly and clearly cannot be overstated,” she said.

The airport management team faced the issue of communication to the sheer volume of passengers, along with the location in the space—airport travelers aren’t known for having the patience to stand around looking for information. The team solved the problem with a double-sided, 30-foot by 10-foot NanoLumens LED display, which provides travelers with a host of information that can be seen “clearly from anywhere in the room.”

“This is how you refresh the passenger experience,” Lloyd said. “You use AV technologies to present the information that travelers need in a big, beautiful way, and then let them be on their way.”

The Road to Audio Success

Visual information is everywhere, but how many of you “speak conductor”? You know what we’re talking about—you’re on the subway platform and you hear an unintelligible announcement. If you’ve taken the subway long enough, you start to “speak conductor” and are able to actually understand the information being communicated. But we shouldn’t have to learn a foreign dialect just to get where we’re trying to go.

Harman’s Screen had a great analogy about this topic: “You wouldn’t send an email with half the words missing as it wouldn’t be a professional or effective means of communication,” he said. “So why should/would you accept a public address (PA) that cannot deliver a clear and understandable message?”

He claims there are three key aspects to speech intelligibility in transportation: direct-to-reverberant ratio; signal-to-noise ratio; and distortion from the PA system. If designers pay close attention to each of the factors above, they will be able to deliver a clear and understandable message to passengers, he said.

Another consideration Screen pointed out is that transportation PA systems are now being used for both public addresses and emergency announcements, which means venues have to comply with local regulations for emergency sound systems and/or voice alarm systems.

The Speech Transmission Index (STI) measures physical characteristics of a transmission channel and expresses the ability of the channel to carry across the characteristics of speech signal; the STI is measured numerically on a scale of zero to 1, with 0.75 to 1 being “excellent.” For most PA systems, according to Screen, “an STI of 0.5 with the maximum background noise present is required.”

One last thing to consider, Screen said, is the source of the message, as “paying attention to the small simple things can bring large benefits.” Screen suggested ensuring that staff is trained on how to use a microphone and how to pace speech to ensure that a message can be understood. If at all possible, he added, ensure that “pre-recorded announcements are professionally recorded and paced for the environment into which they will be delivered. If the reverberation time is high, then the speed of the speech needs to be lower.”

Paying close attention to all of the audio factors above, Screen said, will put you on the road to success. “Of course no one is ever going to run up to you in a train station and pat you on the back and say ‘Great announcement!” but you will get the satisfaction and reward when you see and hear the terminal operating and knowing that you have delivered intelligibility. And, more importantly, you will have a happy customer who will return to you again as they will recognize you as a subject matter expert who can add value to the operation of their terminal.”

Going Hack-Proof

Nobody wants a debacle like the May 2017 hacking of a large touchscreen display in Washington, DC’s Union Station, where visitors were exposed to more than three minutes of adult videos in the terminal during rush hour. Not only were passersby offended, but the screens remained off for several days while an investigation took place—frustrating travelers who lacked access to public service announcements, and getting in the way of valuable ad dollars for the operators. With so many AV systems relying on internet connections, what extra steps can integrators take to ensure their stuff is “hack proof”?

John Pescatore, director of emerging security trends at the SANS Institute, reminds professionals of the basics: ensuring information display systems are continuously updated and security controls are only accessible by authorized users. For sensitive systems, he cautioned, “authorized users should be required to use strong authentication, and not just reusable passwords.”

“Quite often, phishing attacks target system administrators and obtain their passwords—and the attackers are off to the races,” said Pescatore. “Strong authentication can be as simple as requiring receipt and entry of a text message in addition to a password, or require the use of a hardware token, like a USB key.”

With a combination of secure video, clear audio, and a carefully planned user experience, you can do your part to ensure a happy traveler’s journey.

5 Steps to Ensure Security

John Pescatore, director of emerging security trends at the SANS Institute provided fives steps to help ensure security with AV equipment.

1. Always change the passwords on all video monitoring equipment and management software—never use the default password
2. Choose video systems that support encrypted communications between cameras and servers, as well as support for strong authentication for administrative access.
3. Ensure manufacturers have a documented process for providing software updates, and make sure you have a process for rapidly installing the updates; generally, these should be installed in one week or less.
4. Do not directly connect camera systems to the internet or to network segments that are directly connected to the internet.
5. Keep all cameras and servers on an isolated network segment that uses a firewall to provide only the minimum access and that logs all connections.

The What: Leyard and Planar have launched the Planar Simplicity Series 4K, expanding the Planar Simplicity Series line of LCD digital signage displays to include five new Ultra HD models.

The What Else: The Planar Simplicity Series 4K comes in a wide variety of sizes (43, 55, 65, 75, and 86 inches), and feature built-in speakers and integrated signage tools, such as USB playback with scheduling and LAN distribution, eliminating the need for third-party hardware. They feature a quiet, fan-less design, and feature native 4K resolution at up to 60Hz to support smooth video and mouse tracking.

“We’ve expanded the Planar Simplicity Series LCD display line to address the growing need for simple, robust, and affordable signage displays that fully exploit beautiful and engaging 4K content that is now so readily available,” said Steve Seminario, vice president of product management, Leyard and Planar.

The Bottom Line: Designed with simplicity and affordability in mind, the displays deliver superior image quality and video performance, enabling Leyard and Planar to meet the full range of signage needs with the Planar Simplicity Series. The displays are well suited for retail, museums, corporate communications, quick-serve restaurants, and small companies with a limited budget that would like to capitalize on the benefits of digital signage.

• Last week's Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) at the Amsterdam RAI drew record numbers of exhibitors and attendees from around the world for four days of business, education, and networking. It was the largest show in ISE's 15-year history. Below are event details and official figures released today by the Integrated Systems Europe team.
• "Throughout 15 halls, visitors experienced a vibrant showcase of the latest AV and systems integration technologies, products and solutions as ISE confirmed its position as the international destination of choice for AV professionals.
• The number of exhibitors totaled 1,296, of which 294 were exhibiting at ISE for the first time. Combined, they filled 53,000-sqm of exhibition floor space. Floor space already confirmed for ISE 2019 currently stands at 103% of the total booked for ISE 2018.
• The number of registered visitors by the end of the show had reached 80,923, an increase of 10.3 percent on the 2017 edition. Importantly, almost 20,000 visitors attended the last day of the show. On a distinctly positive note, over 30 percent of the total attendees were visiting ISE for the first time, a key benchmark for exhibitors in their quest to develop new sales leads.
• Mike Blackman, Integrated Systems Events Managing Director, commented: “It’s been a great show that has delivered on all fronts. I’m delighted to report that visitor numbers and exhibitor satisfaction have both been very high. On behalf of ISE, I’d like to thank all our attendees, exhibitors, partners and our co-owners AVIXA and CEDIA. This combination has made ISE what it is today and ensures that we are able to build on our successes year on year.”
• Highlights of the show included: an Opening Address from architect and inventor Carlo Ratti that explored the evolution of smart building and ‘Senseable Cities’, nine dedicated B2B conferences covering a wide range of AV topics from innovation and design to theme park ‘night-time spectaculars’, a Stand Awards competition, ‘Tech Tours’ to three leading AV installations including the Amsterdam ArenA and five days of professional development programming curated and delivered by AVIXA and CEDIA.
• ISE 2018 also saw the debut of the World Masters of Projection Mapping competition, a joint venture between the Amsterdam Light Festival, RAI Amsterdam and ISE. The competition saw leading video artists’ project video artworks onto the EYE Filmmuseum in the centre of the city. The competition culminated in Florian and Michael Quistrebert receiving the winner’s award for their artwork Stripes 5 on the last day of the show.
• Many exhibitors once again used the show as a launchpad for hundreds of new products, technologies and solutions. Technology and business trends included: a growth in IP and the crossover between broadcast and AV; commercially viable virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies and solutions; the increase of devices for the smart home; the divergence of digital signage with both smart systems and ‘plug and play’ gaining traction; the increase in small pitch LED displays; 4K everywhere; IoT everywhere; the growth of projection mapping; networked audio and the continued progression of the collaboration market.
• For both AVIXA and CEDIA, the show provided a unique platform for the associations to reinforce recent initiatives and to cement their key role as providers of exemplary professional development programmes.
• ISE 2019 will be held at the RAI Amsterdam from 5-8 February 2019."

Pictured: The Security Control Centre at the French terminal in Coquelles includes a 20sqm Leyard TWA Series LED, ultra-fine pixel pitch of 1.8mm video wall. Ask Jeff Von Horn, sales and engineering manager, and Joe Jackson, market manager of AVI-SPL’s Control Room Group what's the biggest AV game-changer for command and control rooms in 2018, and they both agree. “The biggest change I see is that direct view LED (DV LED) offerings from several big-name brands are becoming more prevalent and cost effective,” said Jackson. “This technology eliminates the bezel in traditional tiles or TVs in a video wall layout.”

Von Horn concurred and added more detail. “The current state of the art is 0.9 millimeter pixel pitch,” he said, “and then I have seen some below that.” A finer pixel pitch translates to better resolution but with an increase in cost. “Customers must consider the application for their design in order to determine which technology best suits their particular need,” added Jackson.

Compliance Matters

While there are various manufacturers producing DV LEDs, Van Horn explained, “we don't do much business with them if they're not TAA compliant,” something all government and some business clients require. The Trade Agreements Act (TAA) requires that the U.S. Government may acquire only U.S. made or designated country end products.

The Far Side

A finer pixel pitch means higher resolution and a higher cost. So why would a fine pixel pitch DV LED be useful for a video wall in a command and control center if operators are sitting several feet away? They wouldn’t necessarily need an ultra-fine pitch, so there would be a cost-savings if a video wall was spec’ed with 2.5 mm pitch (and everything in between).

But depending on an organization’s budget, future-proofing for higher resolution content is a reasonable consideration. “We're seeing a lot of partner activity with our wall processors supporting large LED wall applications,” said Bob Ehlers, VP of Business Development for RGB Spectrum. “Who would have ever thought that they would get so large, that 4K would blow up that large?”

One of the most obvious benefits a DV LED video wall is that it appears virtually seamless because the panels or tiles do not have bezels. Depending on the vendor, tiles can accommodate any size or shape wall, and they are not constrained to the shape a tiling of 16:9 panels would create. DV LEDs also have a high refresh rate, a wide color gamut, and they achieve “true black.”

Ehlers added, “When you have the luminosity, and a gigantic room with somebody sitting 100 feet away in the back of the room, and the screen size is so large, that 4K does still matter.”

The Near Side

Concurrent with the trend in fine pixel pitch is a dramatic decrease in the cost of 4K resolution monitors, which is helping operators in smaller command and control centers go UDH. “We're actually seeing designs now where people are coming to us and saying, ‘Well, I don't have a video wall, but I've got four workstations where I want wall functionality on those workstations,’” Ehlers relayed. A multi-windowed display on a larger format 4K display can supplant four 1080p monitors. "With OLED and MicroLED, and some of these new technologies coming along that have really true color depth and luminescence, to where you can go in and look at an image and see a black object in a black background, and discern it — it is pretty incredible.”

In applications such as video surveillance, Ehlers explained, “They use dynamic range (WDR) and are able to discern different light levels. So if I have a camera that's looking at a dark area, and I have dark objects moving through, now I can actually see it.” This type of clarity couldn’t be discerned with lower resolution displays. “The display technology keeping up with the image technology on the transmit end is enabling the use of high dynamic range (HDR),” he said. Optimizing luminescence and brighter colors is increasingly meaningful for commercial applications.

Where does 4K have the most impact right now? “On the desk, right in front of you, 4K matters probably the most,” Ehlers concluded. “But then when I get gigantic displays, 4K seems to be taking off.”

Cindy Davis is a contributing editor of AV Technology. Photography courtesy of Leyard and Planar.

The What: Peerless-AV has begun shipping its newest kiosk, the Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosk (KIPC35 Models).

The What Else: Peerless-AV can integrate an Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosk with a wide array of components such as a flat panel display, media player, touch technology, camera, and software from various digital signage partners, including NEC Display Solutions, Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic, Philips MMD, LG, AOpen, and more.

In addition to a slimmer design, the new line of Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosks offer a robust set of features, including eight-way, tool-less adjustment to quickly position the display within the kiosk window for a flush alignment; enhanced security through hinged rear doors with combination locks, allowing access to parts requiring maintenance; customization through a range of aesthetic options, including multiple colors, and vinyl wraps to meet the needs of any environment or brand; and ADA compliance.

“Our new Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosks offer self-service configuration, or we can offer turnkey installation and hardware integration, all from one manufacturer,” said Brian McClimans, vice president of sales, Americas and APAC, Peerless-AV. “With these kiosks, we are able to minimize the design and build time for integrators, while still offering a completely custom solution.”

The Bottom Line: Featuring a sleek, preassembled design with lean frames and a small footprint, Peerless-AV’s Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosk serves as a digital signage solution for applications including corporate, education, transportation, retail, and more.

SIGNET Electronic Systems, Inc. has become ISO 9001:2015 certified; the internally recognized ISO 9001:2015 standard sets out requirements for a quality management system (QSM). SIGNET is one of only a few systems integrators in the US with this certification, which is based on the idea of continual improvement, and helps businesses and organizations become more efficient and improve client satisfaction.

SIGNET initiated the process of being audited against the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 standard after consistently encountering potential clients in the transportation space that required the certification. “As business leaders, we are always looking to add value to existing business and spirit new initiatives,” said Greg Sparrow, SIGNET’s vice president of transportation solutions. “The ISO 9001 really opens up opportunities for us in the transportation industry.”

The auditing process was spearheaded by Tom Bowder, senior project manager, SIGNET Transportation Division. An accredited, third-party certification body performed a rigorous audit to determine that SIGNET’s quality management documentation was in compliance with the standard; the third party will also ensure, on an ongoing basis, that SIGNET’s services and offerings continue to meet the ISE 9001:2015 requirements and standards.

“SIGNET lives up to the standard in our pursuit of continuous improvement on the whole,” said Bowder. “We are aggressively expanding into new markets, growing our role with current clients; nurturing HR programs to retain the best talent; bringing in consultants to improve efficiency; measuring client satisfaction with surveys and feedback; and applying metrics to monitor, adjust, and continually improve performance.”

In addition to meeting the transportation industry requirement, the certification brings added value to all verticals served by SIGNET, including health care, communications, and government entities. “SIGNET has been serving our clients well and providing our industry with solutions for 44 years,” said Bowder. “But with the ISO certification, we strive to further improve quality and client satisfaction.”

In addition to new business opportunities and value add for existing clients, the certification process yielded another unexpected benefit: “the internal audit created and nurtured a culture of involvement,” said Sparrow. “People across the organization from all aspects of the business worked together toward a common goal, and, in the process, gained an appreciation for what others do. This cross-pollination was an interesting outcome we had not anticipated.”

In the professional AV industry, from ISE to InfoComm, systems integrators get a lot of fanfare. Rightfully so. One peek at SCN’s Top 50 Integrators List reveals a staggering array of talents and tenacity, not to mention the billions of dollars of value in complex AV projects. But the readers of AV Technology understand that there is much more to the AV installation story than the integrator. Day to day, hour to hour, the tech manager is the gatekeeper of AV system performance and content. The in-house tech director is in charge of the upkeep and uptime of the wireless AV and collaborative tech that helps users work, learn, collaborate, and thrive.

Margot Douaihy

We’re proud to be one of your tech manager forums. AV Technology’s mission is to bridge the knowledge gap between the AV and IT disciplines and equip you with the information you need to make the best technology decisions for your organizations. Our mission is exemplified by our January 2018 cover story, the stellar Julie Johnston, director of learning spaces Indiana University’s IT division, University Information Technology Services (UITS). In her portfolio, Julie leads the Learning Space team that consists of Student Technology Center, Technology Center Consulting, Learning Space Design, Collaboration Technologies, and Classroom Technology Services and Support. Julie has become a formidable force in the edtech world, and her Mosaic Initiative is now synonymous with exemplary active learning. Her creativity, technical rigor, and passion will inspire you. We are thrilled to share her story.

And don’t miss our January guide devoted to real-world scenarios for remote monitoring. As our contributing editor, Cindy Davis, argues: “It is no longer ‘good enough’ to have all of your audio and video equipment and systems on the network.” AV connected to the network should provide actionable information in real time for immediate troubleshooting, diagnoses, or analysis. If not, then it’s time to take a fresh look at your monitoring. Dive into this special guide on page A1.

We explore the opportunities and challenges faced by AV pros as they phase into IP broadcast. We always keep a practical side to our coverage, evinced by Nestor Amaya of Coveloz. “We’re definitely not taking the position that it’s go IP or go home. Different distribution platforms require different post-production workflows, and these are more easily implemented using software-based post production applications running on IP.”

IP was central to the AV conversation in 2017, in 2018 the AV/IT convergence story promises to be even more important. I hope you see your own questions, challenges, and passions for technology reflected in our coverage. What do you want to see more (or less of) in 2018? Tweet me @AVTechnologyMag. Best wishes for a rewarding 2018.

INSIDE
• AV Monitoring Gets Real in 2018: Analysis by Cindy Davis
• Quality Monitoring of Remote AV over IP
• Parametric Analysis
• Mission Critical: The AVOC
• Five Case Studies That Make the Case
• Solutions Showcase

Click here for our January 2018 Technology Manager's Guide to Remote Monitoring.

Peter Jackson, CEO of Bluescape (bluescape.com) On December 14th, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission repealed “net neutrality,” the 2015 Open Internet Order that classified broadband service as a utility covered by Title II of the Communications Act. The goal of the 2015 net neutrality order was to protect the “open internet.” The objective of the 2017 repeal, as stated by the FCC, is “restoring internet freedom.” Both are worthy goals, so why is everyone up in arms?

Imagine the internet is the system of roads we use every day to get to work, run errands, visit family and friends, etc. Now that the internet has been “freed” a third party can decide which roads you can use and which you can’t. In this case the third party is likely to be a handful of broadband companies including AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, among a few others. They can now create bundles of internet access services much like how we purchase cable TV today: North and South interstates are included in the basic package, but if you want to go East or West—or on any local roads—you’ll have to pay more. Imagine subscribing to a bundle of social media sites for $20/month and another $50/month for streaming video and $35 for a bundle of news sites…you get the picture. How much are you, the consumer, willing to pay?

Let’s dig into the business and economic impacts of the repeal further. For years, businesses have been rapidly adopting cloud-based applications ranging from accounting software to content collaboration and ideation systems. Some of these systems are aimed at improving employee productivity, and some are designed to enhance the customer experience. Regardless of what the applications do, the reversal of net neutrality will directly affect the ability of companies of all sizes to meet the continually evolving expectations of their customers.

For smaller businesses and those in the growing gig economy, this decision could be devastating. The “open internet” essentially leveled the playing field and enabled business of all sizes to compete, globally. With the so-called “free internet” (as the FCC is billing the repeal decision), instead of providing an equal opportunity for all to reach potential customers, the internet becomes an expensive channel only big business can afford. Entire business models of today’s fastest growing companies could soon no longer be viable.

One of the arguments in favor of the recent decision is that prior to the 2015 regulation none of the service providers engaged in the practice of throttling access. And some providers have pledged that they will not change their practices and begin blocking or throttling websites as a result of the FCC’s decision. That’s great, but we all know publicly traded companies are beholden to their shareholders and continually under pressure to increase profits. What happens if they change their minds and decide to leverage their position of power? There is nothing to stop them unless the FCC is willing to engage in reactive policing.

There is no question that the massive changes in how we communicate, consume content and interact with each other do require some policy changes to stay current, just not this one. Internet access can’t be a political football that is punted around by every new administration.

Despite fiery rhetoric on all sides, too few will ultimately gain from the repeal of this legislation and as the financial, economic and employment impacts are realized, people will rise up. It’s time to update legislation to meet the realities of the twenty-first century before it’s too late.

The What: Adder Technology, the IP-based KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) specialist, will be unveiling its latest innovation at next year’s Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) event in Amsterdam. The existing Adder solutions on show at ISE 2018 will include the Adder CCS-PRO8 command and control switch, which allows operators to control up to eight machines across eight (or more) displays using one mouse and keyboard.

The What Else: The Adder CCS-PRO8 also features FreeFlow technology, which enables users to move from one display to the next simply by moving the mouse across a screen border. The new AdderLink XDIP will also be on display. Ideal for small to medium-sized extension and matrix installations, the solution uses existing infrastructure to provide extension and switching between different computers. The AdderLink XDIP can also be used in multiple configurations, features intelligent EDID and a local feed through port.

The Secret: Adder Technology will also be using ISE 2018 to unveil a new, yet-to-be-announced product, the details of which will be released in the build-up to the event. Attendees at ISE 2018 will be the first in the world to see the product and view live demonstrations.

The Why: John Halksworth, senior product manager at Adder Technology, says: “ISE is one of the biggest annual events on our calendar, and we’re looking forward to showing the thousands of attendees how high performance, IP-based KVM technology can bring a wide range of benefits to control rooms and working environments across different industries."

INFO: ISE 2018 will take place on 6-9 February 2018 at the RAI Amsterdam. For more information around Adder Technology’s product range, check out www.adder.com and visit the team at ISE 2018 on stand 10-P182.

Should command and control centers be equipped with 4K and 8K video systems—and how should you go about it?

Cutting-edge command center design courtesy of CINEMASSIVE (cinemassive.com)

Take it from a long-time veteran who saw engineers use vector scopes to dissect problems in SD broadcast centers, and who required major doses of caffeine to track icons on monitors at a Sprint Net Ops facility without incurring migraines.

Today, I support mobile command centers, social media control centers, storm centers, and corporate media centers. What they all have in common are dedicated stations to allow SME’s to focus on their own specific duties, and a large display wall that supervisors and directors can scan, switch content to and manipulate layouts so everyone can succeed.

Focus intently on monitors like these all day, and tell me you don’t want the highest possible resolution that’s easiest on your eyes.

We are all familiar with this very odd graphic comparing the three high-def resolutions.

This graphic really used to bother me. It is very easy to misunderstand. Are we looking at three different size displays? Can’t I have a 4K monitor larger than a 8K monitor?

The way I came to understand it was I could have a 25-inch HD monitor, for example, with a decent looking 1920x1080 (Full HD) image. With 4K resolution, I could have a 50-inch monitor and still have the same clear picture without any pixelation. And if I had an 8K monitor, I could have a 100-inch display with the same picture quality of the two smaller displays. The secret is each one of these monitors has approximately 88 PPI (pixels per inch), as you can see on my illustration below.

Or check it out in an excel spread sheet:

Or check out www.IsThisRetina.com or www.CarltonBale.com/does-4k-resolution-matter/

Now about those pixels (Picture Elements): The human eye, assuming 20/20 vision and under the right conditions, can discern between two 90 micrometer dots at 1/60th of a degree at a viewing distance of about one foot. After some whiz-bang mathematical formula that only my 18-year-old son can work out, we can calculate that humans can see about 286 pixels per inch—again, at about one foot away. Now put some regular viewing distances between yourself and the monitor, and as Carlton Bale states, “The benefits of 4K and 8K are marginal.”

Renowned broadcast engineer Mark Schubin of www.SchubinCafe.com, puts the pixel story into perspective. “People don't normally detect resolution. No one looks at a 4K or 8K image and says, ‘My! Look at the increased resolution!’ Under the right conditions, one might say, ‘Wow! Look at the sharpness!’”Just as loudness is not the same as sound-pressure level, sharpness is not the same as resolution. “But human vision has a contrast-sensitivity function. We can see stars because they have tremendous contrast against the night sky. As contrast goes down, we lose both higher and lower resolutions (with the higher disappearing faster).”

So how can 4K and possibly 8K resolutions benefit command and control centers? “It’s about quality at different viewing distances. The operations personnel can get a clear and broad view of content, yet the guys in the trenches can walk up close to any display without the image pixelating in their eyes and brains.”

This is awesome if you have mixed content of image and text—and quite necessary if you are looking at high-def surveillance streams. This is also why 4K is critical for multiscreen displays used Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) companies and their doctors. Doctors can sit at home and watch all kinds of vitals on multiple and simultaneous operations as neurosurgeons work on brains and spinal cords. When stats indicate pending trouble, they can immediately notify the surgeon to back off, saving lives and malpractice lawsuits, because it’s all recorded.

In command and control rooms, we can make things interesting by adding video wall processors. We can place content wherever we want within our media canvas. Although command and control is serious business, typically one could get by with less than a dozen source and destination presets that allow the command center supervisor to help personnel do their jobs.

The contrast sensitivity that Mark Schubin addresses is a crucial consideration when designing command and control spaces. If you have a room that needs or has a large amount of ambient light, emissive displays (monitors) are a good choice. If you have a darker facility (bunker) you can capitalize on using reflective technology (projectors). I personally find projection easier on my eyes, though this may be because I’m assaulted all day with monitors in smaller rooms and my own laptop.

Monitors and projectors each come with pros and cons. A power plant control room where vibration could be factor requires very stable projector mounting solutions. Be aware of line-of-site issues as you add technology If you are adding conferencing ability, you may be limited in the placement of hanging mics.

Also consider that when using a monitor-based video wall, install, repair, and firmware upgrades can be a challenge. So can the build-out of sturdy blocking.

If you are working with command and control centers, you should definitely consider upgrading to 4K and 8K displays—the technicians sitting at them will welcome it. Also consider the room’s conditions and needs in choosing display types and whether to have video walls.

Brett Cohen, CCNA, CTS, DMC-E-4K, is an industry veteran, playing lead roles in satellite communications, transatlantic fiber operations, and almost everything in between, including being an inventor and a chauffeur. Currently, he is an AV Project Coordinator at a large corporate facility. He holds Cisco CCNA and CTS certifications. Connect with him via linkedin.com/in/bretthcohen.

• AdMobilize, an artificial intelligence and physical-world analytics company that is developing audience, crowd, and vehicle analytics solutions for the OOH and DOOH markets, has introduced its Vehicle Recognition Engine.
• According to the company’s co-founder and CEO Rodolfo Saccoman, AdMobilize’s Vehicle Recognition Engine is the culmination of three years and tens of thousands of collective engineering hours invested in developing proprietary AI and machine learning algorithms sufficiently sophisticated to both detect and recognize vehicles in motion, in real-time, with accuracy. In December, AdMobilize will begin initial vehicle recognition deployments with current customers, as new partners are signing up for implementation in early 2018.
• “Today marks an important day as we officially launch our Vehicle Recognition Engine out of our AI Lab,” Saccoman said. “In 2016, AdMobilize pioneered and introduced vehicle detection technology for large-scale installations and now, we add vehicle recognition to the mix; solidifying our clients’ trust in our ability to solve their global market needs.
• “The sheer computing power and the deep algorithms required to track, identify, recognize, and display hundreds of cars per minute, with exceptional accuracy, is enormous. Our Vehicle Recognition Engine, like all of our solutions, is designed for scalability—running on low processing-power devices, ensuring minimal capital expenditures and maximum measurement accuracy.”
• Less than two years ago, AdMobilize launched its Vehicle Detection platform, which has since been adopted worldwide through various partnerships with top OOH advertising companies. AdMobilize’s Vehicle Detection solution can count cars, assess peak traffic periods, gauge vehicle speed, and then feed this real-time data to a dashboard within 10 milliseconds. AdMobilize’s new Vehicle Recognition Engine encompasses the Vehicle Detection functionality, while now also offering a suite of more sophisticated analytics such as vehicle type—e.g. sedan, SUV, bus, van, minivan, or motorcycle—and vehicle brands.
• “AdMobilize’s Vehicle Recognition Engine is the industry’s first plug-and-play solution that provides OOH advertisers with a way to capture actionable insight, based on granular vehicle data,” Saccoman said. “With this insight, advertisers have a keen understanding of who’s been exposed to their billboard ads, the number of times per day, and at what hours each day. It’s an enormously beneficial solution that provides advertisers with a level of audience insight previously unavailable to the OOH market.”
• Using the information gleaned from the Vehicle Recognition Engine, OOH advertisers and media companies can more effectively target their billboard ads based on captured vehicle analytics. For example, luxury brands looking to target a wealthy clientele can now do so with greater accuracy than ever before by placing their ads on billboards regularly exposed to those driving luxury cars. Alternatively, family brands looking to target parents with young children can do so by placing ads on billboards regularly exposed to those who drive, say, minivans. If the same billboard reaches both demographics yet at different times of the day, the content management systems with which AdMobilize integrates can automatically and dynamically deliver targeted ads based on the time of day.
• “A recent MAGNA Intelligence study reported that the out-of-home advertising market in the U.S. is now valued at $29 billion, and its revenue is expected to grow by 3-4 percent per year in the next five years to reach $33 billion by 2021,” Saccoman said. “Brands are investing heavily in OOH advertising, and are expected to increasingly do so in the years to come. Yet, despite this enormous channel spend, audience targeting and campaign performance metrics provided to brands have historically been relatively elementary; that is changing, though, with the introduction of new technology platforms and the rapid evolution of overall industry collaboration. It’s our goal with AdMobilize’s Vehicle Recognition Engine—along with our various other audience and crowd analytics platforms—to provide OOH and DOOH advertisers with the targeting capabilities and performance metrics necessary to adequately justify their ad spend and return on investment while growing their overall ad spend in these channels.”

• Focusing on OLED and display innovation, LG showcased its latest solutions at its New York Roadshow during New York Digital Signage Week. The well-attended event gave AV pros the chance to test drive LG’s latest suites and meet LG’s partners, like TSItouch, Chief Manufacturing, Appspace, and Ping HD.
• Cool Factor Required

As display technologies advance and prices drop, average designs just won’t cut it, so the first floor of the Roadshow was filled with LG’s most innovative solutions. “As digital signage evolves, people are looking for ‘unique,’” said Clark Brown, the company’s vice president of sales. And he believes LG has the broadest breadth of unique products. For example, LG screens use IPS technology to create color accuracy and off-angle viewing.

Forecast: OLED

LG offers myriad display technologies but the main talking point this quarter is OLED (organic light emitting diode) technology. From video walls to store windows, to wayfinding, LG has a solution with OLED. For example, the dual-sided, ultra-slim OLED panel within a glass pane (55EG5CD) creates a unique opportunity for retailers like boutiques and art galleries to utilize the often-missed window space.

“LG doesn’t own OLED, but we are one of the few manufacturers who can mass-produce this technology for commercial use,” said Brown. “Right now, this is game-changing technology, but, soon, this will become what we think is normal.”

The What: Datapath has begun shipping the VSN982 and VSN1182 next-generation video wall controllers. These controllers follow the introduction earlier this year of the VSN972 and VSN1172.

The What Else: The new VSN series features switched fabric technology, which enables each Gen3 PCIe slot in the backplane to deliver high-resolution bandwidth from a range of capture cards to multiple outputs. The controllers can also be supplied with either 240GB or 480GB SSD drives that provide a much quicker, quieter performance over traditional hard-disk drives. Modifications to the chassis design also help improve airflow, which again serves to reduce temperature, fan noise, and increase reliability.

“These latest additions to our VSN series mean these powerful and versatile controllers can run at optimum efficiency with no cooling concerns—important to a stable, reliable system and vital in 24/7 command and control environments,” said Ben Dale, product manager for Datapath.

The VSN982 is available now as a nine-slot system, with the VSN1182 as an 11-slot system, both with a single Xeon processor, 32GB of RAM, dual SSD drives, and an RPSU power supply.

The Bottom Line: Established and proven in command and control room environments, VSN controllers have received a number of important upgrades that deliver greater efficiency than the previous-generation product. With more power, improved cooling, and quieter operation, the scalability of the controllers makes them suitable for a wide variety of markets, including security, military, utilities, airport, and traffic management.

• NewBay's AV/IT Weekly Update team puts the latest industry news in context for IT and AV professionals. This week [10.13.17], AV operator Alesia Hendley reports on product news from Listen Technologies, ATEN, and Absen.

The AV/IT Weekly Update is sponsored by Datapath. Learn more about Datapath's award-winning video wall controllers, video capture cards, graphics cards, streaming, collaboration, and compression solutions at https://www.datapath.co.uk/.

NEW YORK, NY (October 2, 2017) – The AV/IT Leadership Summit, being held in NYC November 9-10th, sets the stage and indelibly solidifies AV/IT convergence with its opening keynote, IT Helps Drive UX in AV, delivered by Jeffrey Fairbanks, Global Head of IT Operations, AV & Media Technology for Bloomberg.

Jeffrey Fairbanks, Global Head of IT Operations, AV & Media Technology, Bloomberg

“Many would look at Fairbanks’ title and assume he is only concerned about the ones and zeros of how AV impacts the network,” said Cindy Davis, AV/IT Summit producer and editorial contributor to AV Technology magazine. "Think again."

During a recent conversation with Davis, Fairbanks said, “Context and data matters, but we can’t lose sight of the end user experience.”

In his keynote, IT Helps Drive UX in AV, Fairbanks will examine the AV/IT ecosystem and forecast the next-level of AV/IT for user-focused solutions. "UC is not a product but the confluence of IT/AV technologies informed by UX first, last and always,” he said.

This isn’t speculation, Fairbanks has walked-the-walk. The IT Operations Group within the Information Systems Group (Infosys) at Bloomberg supports nearly 19,000 employees, 28,000 PCs, more than 120,000 network connections, and 500,000 guests in 73 countries around the world through the designing, deploying, and supporting of Bloomberg’s internal IT systems. Fairbanks has been responsible for building an international, award-winning global AV team supporting 4,900-plus VIP events annually, and managing more than 8,000 digital signage assets across the world.

Fairbanks domain comprises the global corporate service desk, global technician deployment, end user hardware installation and support, management / distribution and licensing of 400-plus software titles, global mobile technology strategy / support and carrier relationship, business intelligence, incident response, and global AV services. He was instrumental in the creation of a centralized AV management portal distilling the enterprise AV landscape into a single management dashboard.

Fairbanks is a subject matter expert in corporate audio visual and communication systems. He was voted Bloomberg's global manager of the year in 2015 and he was named AV Magazine's Audio Visual Professional of the Year in 2017.

Join us as Fairbanks passionately and candidly connects AV and IT domains.

AV/IT technology managers, directors, and CIOs, apply for an invitation today. Seats are limited.

Check out the full agenda of the NYC AV/IT Leadership Summit (www.avitsummit.com).

NewBay Media’s AV Technology magazine invites technology managers and C-level decision-makers to submit proposal abstracts for the AV/IT Talks Series convening during the AV/IT Leadership Summit in New York City, November 9-10, 2017. The Summit will take place at the stylish Stewart Hotel in Manhattan.

If you are a technology manager or AV/IT user working within institutions of higher ed, corporate, health care, government, transportation, entertainment, and other commercial enterprises facing the challenges of converging AV/IT technologies, please submit a 100-word (max) abstract.

Successful Ingredients of a 10-minute AV/IT Talk:

• Anatomy of an AV over IP Project (We want specifics! The more specific your talk, the better.)
• AV/IT-Related Challenge / Solution
• AV/IT Action Plans (i.e. Networked AV Security, AV as a Service, Data-Driven Designs)
  
• Pain Points and Real-World Remedies
• Great Images to Illustrate Your Points
• Exceptional Case Study of AV in Action
• Lessons Learned and Hard-Earned Wisdom
• AV/IT Technology & Storytelling. What is the EQ (Experiential Quotient) of This Project?
  
• Call to Action! Inspire us. Challenge us to see and think differently about AV/IT.

How to Submit an Abstract

Email your 100-word (max) proposal abstract,* a brief bio note, and two low-res images to support your proposal to Margot Douaihy, editorial director, AV Technology , and Cindy Davis, events producer, AV Technology . Use the subject line: AV/IT Talk Abstract. The AV Technology Advisory Board will review final proposals.

Abstract Deadline: September 5, 2017

*This Call for Speakers is for AV/IT users and technology managers only.* Stay tuned for registration info.

On any given day at Fulton Center in Lower Manhattan, you will find people waiting on line for their Shake Shack burger or commuters rushing off to catch their trains, but opera singers? That’s not something you see every day at the center, which recently hosted A Marvelous Order, an opera based on the lives of Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs—ideological opponents and central figures in the development of New York City in the 20th century—as part of the River to River Performance Festival.

The Center embarked on another first by utilizing the digital media landscape and control system at Fulton Center as an integral part of the production. ANC worked in partnership with Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, which has presented the festival for the past 16 years, MTA, and Westfield Partners to create an immersive theatrical and digital experience for the transit center.

“Each year we have taken a larger step in terms of complexity of the performances in the space,” said Andrew D. Harrington, president, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

Tying directly into ANC’s vCOMM operating system, ANC technicians could control and launch content on displays at 53 locations throughout the center, turning the digital signage network into its own live event. ANC technicians tied into the network with a hidden ethernet cable that plugged directly into a laptop to control the display network during the performance. The system also was responsible for feeding live and pre-recorded audio, which was sent wirelessly to the production’s sound mixer and distributed throughout the venue through an onsite speaker system.

Director Joshua Frankel’s imagery was reformatted for the LED and LCD screens during the performance of two scenes from the full-length opera, which included an ensemble of singers and a live orchestra. Frankel provided content for all 50 screens with a two-sided audio track that was transmitted wirelessly from ANC’s main laptop. One feed featured clicking to help keep the orchestra and singers in time with the video screens and the second feed was pre-recorded audio that was pushed directly to the screens. Eight to 10 large speakers were brought in for the event, which ANC tied into the event wirelessly.

An ANC operator was on headset throughout the performance and the entire production ran off queues based on the screens. The stage manager for A Marvelous Order made calls directly to ANC, the performers and orchestra, and other members of the production team. The performers made exits and entrances throughout the multiple levels of the transit center, interacting directly with commuters and visitors of the transit center, who become incidental audience members as they come upon the performance.

“We’re inserting our opera about Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs into a ballet of the streets,” Frankel said.

The screens were carefully synchronized with the live band and singers, creating a seamless collaboration between art and technology.

“There are videos of these people’s mouths singing that are in perfect sync with the live band and live singers,” said Daniel Sturdivant, lead technician, Westfield World Trade Center and Fulton Center, ANC. “It actually looks like someone is videotaping the singer’s mouth live and they’re all singing around it.”

Celebrating its 16th season, River to River offers more than 100 performances over 12 days of dance, music, theater, and visual arts at 31 unique sites.

“After 9/11, the American Express companies, the Downtown Alliance, Chase Manhattan Bank, and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council all banded together to create a festival to really tell people it was safe and ok to come back downtown,” Harrington added.

When selecting venues to participate in the festival, LMCC wanted to tap into spaces that had not been used previously as performance or visual art spaces, like parks and transit centers like Fulton Center.

Fulton has participated in River to River for the past three years and A Marvelous Order is the largest and most complicated piece in Fulton to date. It is the first time the digital signage network within the center has been utilized as part of a public performance, which highlights the benefits of a system capable of being flexible for live performances.

Harrington hopes this collaboration is the beginning of big things for the festival at Fulton Center. “MTA, Westfield/ANC were very cooperative with us in making this happen and without their 100 cooperation, this would not be happening.”

Creativity has pretty much always been at the core of audiovisual solutions, but recent industry trends have presented an interesting divergence. In the enterprise and education verticals most notably, there have been distinct moves to standardization and repetition, which some veterans have struggled to adapt to and remove the artistry from the highly custom nature that was traditionally a selling point.

To this, I’d counter that even in the face of repetition in systems designs, there is still plenty of value in employing creative strategies, just in a different application. InfoComm of course has been championing this concept through its exceptional experience campaign the past few years, leading a shift in the presentation of AV services. They’ve continued this push at this year’s show with the TIDE conference and Center Stage presentations.

Beyond the corporate and classroom demands, a few newer areas of opportunity have emerged in providing entertainment spaces, beyond the traditional performance arts venues. Big name brands and institutions are putting big dollars into creating multimedia experiences for marketing campaigns, attracting young hearts and minds. Millennials are proving that they are eager to be drawn back into physical spaces, lured by the possibilities that digital technologies can create only in person.

With all of these developments in mind, we present this year’s installment of The Nine—experience design companies that AV integrators need to know. We’ve chosen to profile these cutting edge experiential technology firms briefly in words, emphasizing the project images because, as we all know, seeing tells the story much better.

Company: Deeplocal

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Established: 2006

Digital Locations: Twitter; Deeplocal.com; Facebook; Instagram

Why You Need to Know Them: Technical meets physical in the Deeplocal innovation studio, where the sound of power tools intermingles with talk amongst engineers of the mechanical, electrical, robotic, and software variety. Spun off from Carnegie Mellon’s STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, this firm translates intangibles into objects and makes what was once digital more palpable in the real world. Hacker roots and a knack for interpreting the impossible as just a schematic away from reality have endeared Deeplocal to mega advertising agencies looking to deliver an experience instead of just another commercial. Their partnerships result in visually and tactilely redolent works, such as the first implementation of Google Creative Lab’s AnyPixel.js, for which Deeplocal helped to create an installation that used 5,880 off-the-shelf arcade buttons to create a sensational video display.

Seriously, They… have patents and products, and can provide strategic data-driven guidance on connecting an audience with a brand through experience.

—KN

Company: Float4

Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Brooklyn, NY

Established: 2008

Digital Locations: Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Vimeo; Float4.com

Why You Need to Know Them: The built environment serves as wireframe to this multidisciplinary interpreter of spaces. Founded on the responsive multimedia environment visions of video game developers, Float4 produces site-specific multimedia installations informed by a broadly collaborative group of designers and makers.

In cultivating custom interactive walls and digital experiences, the studio has developed a number of real-time data sharing mechanisms and other technological tools, including its proprietary RealMotion platform. From conception through to realization, the Float4 team collaborates with clients to elaborate on the architectural vision of their spaces.

Seriously, They… attract and engage on a multitude of levels with tailor-made solutions that deliver differentiation to clients.

—KN

Company: Britelite Immersive

Location: San Francisco, CA

Established: 2013

Digital Locations: BriteliteImmersive.com; Twitter; Facebook; Instagram; Vimeo

Why You Need to Know Them: Extending the capabilities of the farthest-reaching technologies, Britelite Immersive builds from the edge where expected use becomes unanticipated potential. With immersive environments and interactive installations as baselines for building a story, this band of insiders cleanly connects all the much-hyped next-level tools in a transparent interpretation that makes experience all. The factual effects of motion capture, AR/VR, game design and gestural technologies become truly authentic and engaging storytelling occurrences in the hands and minds of Britelite Immersive. When playback and interaction becomes this seamless, it’s possible to persuade with more than techno marvel—these are stories come to life.

Seriously, They… are working with culture-shifting brands on activations and content experiences that will soon be sought by many others looking to produce memorable impact.

—KN

Company: Rezin8

Location: San Diego, CA

Established: 2016

Digital Locations:Rezin8.com; Twitter; LinkedIn; YouTube

Why You Need to Know Them: A collaborative creative lab extension of AV Concepts founded by the team who began the holographic resurrection phenomenon when it gave Tupac a posthumous encore on stage at Coachella in 2012, Rezin8 rightfully declares that it can help brands and agencies produce unforgettable experiences. The creative approach taken by Rezin8 begins with a comprehensive cultural analysis of the client and the message they want to deliver. Then those perceptions are applied across an entire experience, immersing audiences not just with stagecraft, but also with a kind of mesmerizingly integrated full-platform expansion of imagery and sensation. Environmental and technical design chops meld with R&D prowess and content production capabilities to create experiences you have to feel to believe.

Seriously, They… Use the word “disruptive,” and they mean it, wrapping an environment in a comprehensive storytelling spectacle.

—KN

Company: AV&C

Location: New York, NY

Established: 2000

Digital Locations:av-controls.com; Twitter; Instagram; LinkedIn

Why You Need to Know Them: Meticulously toiling away for nearly two decades in their artsy-scientist studio space in lower Manhattan, AV&C imaginatively melds design, engineering, and coding skills to create sumptuously memorable and evergreen implementations of media and technology. This team harks from the future, conforming previously untamable technology to enhance the built environment with thoughtful interactive, generative, and responsive systems. Their clients are big brands, star architects, museums, and highly individual artists, and their annual contributions to the Day for Night festival are jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Human factors here are not just ergonomic, they are emotionally immersive. Translating the experiential and interpretive across a broad range of retail, hospitality, corporate, data visualization, and location-based scenarios, AV&C will make you forget technology and just soak in the effects it can realize.

Seriously, They… are building beyond shapes and media into the full sensory experience of moving images and light.

—Kirsten Nelson

Who: frog

Physical Locations: San Francisco (plus studios in Seattle, WA; Austin, TX; Brooklyn, NY; Boston, MA; and seven others across Europe, Asia, and Australia)

Established: 1969 as Esslinger Design in Germany; 1984 rebranded as Frog Design in California.

Digital Locations: frogdesign.com; Twitter; Instagram; LinkedIn; Vimeo

Why You Need to Know Them: The frog approach envisions a holistic ecosystem of brands, advancing the human experience of products and services spanning physical and digital perspectives. The unique heritage of frog traces back to electronics product design—the iconic Sony Walkman was one—and in the 80s, Steve Jobs ushered the firm’s arrival in California, resulting in Apple’s landmark Snow White design language, which resides in the permanent collection at the Whitney Museum of Art. Reimagining industries is a recurrent exercise for frog today. In a partnership with Intel, frog prototyped a digital signage system of interactive kiosks that enhance content in brick and mortar retail. The seven-foot touchscreens personalize shopping through wayfinding and engaging product context. The project highlights Intel’s high performance chips that conserve 70 percent more power to minimize costs and environmental footprints.

Seriously, They… know how form follows emotion and use it to chart the future.

—LA

Who: TAIT

Where: Lititz, PA; Boulder, CO; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; London, UK; plus two others internationally

Established: 1978

Digital Locations: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Vimeo, TAITTowers.com

Why You Need to Know Them: Awe-inspiring live spectaculars are the signature solution at TAIT, bringing artistic visions to larger than life manifestations. Founded as a rock n’ roll staging company while on tour with the band Yes, TAIT’s technical innovations have aligned with pop culture icons from Michael Jackson’s first moonwalk to Beyoncé’s elaborate Formation World Tour. Along the high-tech journey, TAIT constructed the first tracked LED video display debuted on Janet Jackson’s Velvet Rope Tour, and they’ve even gone to space with NASA and U2, designing elements for a video shoot on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. While the live event accolades continue to break barriers and receive recognition—most recently with the largest kinetic light display in touring history for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and being named as one of the Most Innovative Companies in Live Event by Fast Company—TAIT brings show-stopping expertise to permanent installations at the likes of Disney’s Global Theme Parks and Cirque du Soleil, among corporate events and brand activation. TAIT’s Navigator show control platform is the superhuman power behind the scene, enabling complex three dimensional flights and integrating I/O control for comprehensive, scalable automation.

Seriously, They… amplify the visual senses by reaching out and transforming the audience’s experience.

—LA

Who: Moment Factory

Physical Locations: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Established: 2001

Digital Locations: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, Vimeo, MomentFactory.com

Why You Need to Know Them: The creative bounds may have no limits at Moment Factory, but they converge on destinations for the noble purpose of entertainment—be it at a concert, a retail store, or public space—inspiring wonder and connection. Their unique turnkey process bridges the disciplines of content, scenography, and systems to mediate between the digital and physical environments. In a world where mobile devices have led social venues to intangible spaces, Moment Factory functions upon the vital need to bring people together physically, through pioneering multimedia creations. AURA is one recent example that went public at the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, an immersive display bridging the city’s architectural heritage with the future. The AURA experience lights a path drawing visitors into the Basilica where they are bathed in projection mapped images, lasers, and sounds.

Seriously, They… have a beta lab where they incubate quirky animations, touch design, 3D mapping, and everything else within the realm of creative exploration.

—LA

Who: Intersection

Where: New York, NY

Established: 2015

Digital Locations:Intersection.com, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn

Why You Need to Know Them: Intersection partners with brands in the explicit purpose of urban renewal—using technology to solve problems that cities face—to enrich the way people live. Perhaps the biggest demonstration of this mission in action is the LinkNYC program, a network of digital kiosks delivering free 1 gigabit encrypted Wi-Fi, access to city services, maps, free phone calls, USB charging ports, and various other apps and services rolling out on an ongoing basis the next several years. The beta program constantly receives feedback to further customize the experience. Ultimately, LinkNYC not only provides New Yorkers with super fast free Wi-Fi for the masses, but it gives the city the ability to participate in the digital economy and monetize assets with DOOH advertising. At least 7,500 Link kiosks will be installed across all five boroughs over eight years. As of press time, the count stood at 718 active Links with another 153 installed, awaiting connection.

Seriously, They… use beacons and geo-fencing, and have thus carved out a space as a leader in integrating mobile out of home advertising solutions.

—LA

AdMobilize (booth 784) will showcase the AdMobilize Crowd Analytics capabilities of its audience measurement platform at InfoComm 2017.

“AdMobilize’s audience measurement, vehicle analytics, and crowd analytics solutions are being adopted by leading B2B and B2C brand marketers around the world,” AdMobilize co-founder and CEO Rodolfo Saccoman said. “At InfoComm 2017 we will be putting the spotlight on the unique capabilities of our Crowd Analytics solution, which allows customers to quantify any space anywhere utilizing customized audience measurement, report aggregation and audience triggers in distinct environments like retail, shopping malls, airports, other transportation centers, arenas, as well as in outdoor public spaces.”

According to Saccoman, the AdMobilize Crowd Analytics solution is compatible with all major IP/security camera systems and enables clients to leverage the company’s proprietary computer vision technology to analyze any space to count people using a variety of disciplines. The solution’s dashboard metrics include Person Count, Real-Time Area Volume, Zone Counting (In/Out), Session Time, and Heat Mapping. Data can be viewed either in real-time or in aggregate.

Customers also have the option of working with two versions of the solution. AdMobilize Crowd Edge is a hardware kit combined with a camera that runs all of the included software on the processing unit, providing real-time data capture capability within a small form-factor device. The AdMobilize Crowd Cloud option enables customers to connect Crowd Analytics to any IP camera to acquire the same metric information. Areas and zones can be set up from the dashboard using the camera’s video stream.

Over the last two months the company has entered into eight new partnerships with a broad range of companies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Arab Emirates. New partners include Creative Realities (U.S.), Convergent, Beta DMS (U.K.), Mizun (UAE), Vada (NZ), MediaEdge (Japan), UBI Communications (Canada), and Grupo EDM (Mexico).

“AdMobilize bridges the gap between the digital revolution and disruptive computer vision analytics, ultimately infusing machine learning into formerly flat and lifeless displays,” Saccoman said. “Our turnkey technology allows clients to activate their digital signage equipment and installations into sophisticated audience tracking devices enabled with interactivity and dynamic triggering. Our growing portfolio of partners reflects the new reality that every vertical market can benefit from computer-vision enabled digital displays. Our customers include leaders in digital signage, manufacturing, advertising, higher education, travel and leisure, tourism, banking and finance, consumer product marketers, and leading out of home companies.”

Depending on one’s usage and installation environment, the AdMobilize platform can, in real-time, track ad performance and customer engagement; capture people, vehicle, and crowd analytics; segment campaigns and content by hour and site; validate viewership; target by both audience demographic and emotion; optimize store traffic flow; locate popular zones; view store activity; and more. All captured analytics are fed to a cloud-based dashboard or API that allows end users to assess results and performance, identify trends, and make any necessary adjustments to content.

• AdMobilize has entered into eight new partnerships with a broad range of companies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Arab Emirates.

Examples of adMobilize's analytics technology

The partnering companies include Creative Realities (US), Convergent (US), Beta DMS (UK), Mizun (UAE), Vada (NZ), MediaEdge (Japan), UBI Communications (Canada), and Grupo EDM (Mexico). According to CEO Rodolfo Saccoman, these partnerships solidify the growing worldwide adoption of AdMobilize’s technology to capture, analyze, and utilize audience demographic data.

“More than 100 leading clients now rely on our proprietary technology, and it’s inevitable that this type of intelligence will soon be prevalent in all of digital signage,” said Saccoman. “AdMobilize bridges the gap between the digital revolution and disruptive computer vision analytics, ultimately infusing machine learning into formerly flat and lifeless displays. Our turnkey technology allows clients to activate their digital signage equipment and installations into sophisticated audience tracking devices enabled with interactivity and dynamic triggering…”

Depending on one’s usage and installation environment, the AdMobilize platform can, in real-time, track ad performance and customer engagement; capture people, vehicle, and crowd analytics; segment campaigns and content by hour and site; validate viewership; target by both audience demographic and emotion; optimize store traffic flow; locate popular zones; view store activity; and more. All captured analytics are fed to a cloud based dashboard or API that allows end-users to assess results and performance, identify trends, and make any necessary adjustments to content.

“As we look to the future, we forecast continued adoption of our products and native technology by more and more companies in an even broader range of industries,” added Saccoman. “The bottom line is this: the integration of artificial intelligence into your roadmaps today reminds us of when companies embraced the internet in 1995; those companies with vision proceeded to dominate their competitors while exponentially growing their revenues.”

In This Edition:

—Tech employers, for one thing, often use generous compensation packages to attract top talent to their organizations. But money still isn't growing on trees. So when an employee comes asking for a raise, how should you react?

—As the ISE show continues to impress with its growth, key product launches are following suit there, and there's a great opportunity to take advantage of seeing the latest technology innovations on display a full four months ahead of North America's big AV show.

—Dana Corey discusses how Avocor is working on next-generation visual solutions that are simple, standardized, and that maximize scale for users

—This past ISE broke attendance records again, particularly a significant increase in the amount of Americans traveling overseas to attend. What's changed to make 2017 what looks to be something of a turning point in this regard?

We can all agree: there are few things in this world more exasperating than a bad commute. Traffic jams, train delays, and crowded buses not only put us in a bad mood, but rob businesses of countless hours of productivity.

Fortunately, Hitachi has launched a new platform that’s aimed at alleviating this vexation, as well as bringing a higher level of analysis to public safety, security, and even retail applications. Announced in February, Hitachi Video Analytics (HVA) from Hitachi Insight Group—the company’s IoT division—combines computer vision and analytics to extract insights from IP-enabled cameras, with the goal of allowing cities, transportation agencies, and businesses to run more smoothly and safely than ever before.

Hitachi’s scenario-based code can differentiate between different types of vehicles, providing cities with insight into street usage and traffic patterns.

“It starts with the concept of the video camera,” said Justin Bean, director of smart city solutions marketing at Hitachi Insight Group. “We’ve all seen this as a source of images: to be able to see what’s going on, visually, in the real world. But today, because of computer vision and machine learning, video cameras are now IoT sensors. They can be a source of a wealth of different insights and alerts that can help with things like operational intelligence, business intelligence, as well as security.”

HVA analyzes video feeds to provide a wide variety of insights. For example, traffic cameras can count vehicles, analyze traffic patterns based on vehicle type, and recognize license plates. Other cameras can provide people counting, queue detection, and activity analysis. Combining information, a bus rider can know, for example, that the bus that’s arriving next will be full, and that an empty bus is on its way a few minutes behind. Urban planners can see how roads are being utilized, so they can restructure lanes and intersection to improve traffic flow.

For security, HVA’s object detection technology creates a three-dimensional reconstruction of images that uses perspective, velocity, path deviation, and other measurements to recognize suspicious packages, intrusion into restricted areas, and can even provide facial recognition information to public safety departments.

HVA can also provide insights to businesses in retail and advertising. For example, it can provide companies with data on how many people browse certain shelves in a store, or how many people pass by or linger near an advertisement.

Analysis such as people counting and queue detection allow for facilities such as airports to move people through their premises as smoothly as possible.
Essentially, the platform takes a device that is already found all over cities, facilities, and businesses, and enables it to serve as a generator of vast amounts of information. “With traditional IoT sensors, typically you’re getting one type of data from one sensor,” Bean said. “But with a video camera, you’re now able to get many, many different insights and alerts from the same sensor. So it’s a great evolution of this technology.” According to the company, any IP camera that is ONVIF compliant (an open standard protocol for camera communication) can feed into the HVA platform.

HVA works using scenario-based code, a factor Bean said differentiates it from competing platforms, which suffer from false positives and low accuracy. “This is built specifically for the use case that it’s being used for,” he said. “So if you’re counting people, you have a people-counting code. If you’re counting traffic, you have a traffic-counting code.”

Of course, such calculated visual observation naturally raises concerns about privacy. According to Hitachi, HVA’s Privacy Protector feature automatically detects and protects entire human figures, as opposed to other technologies that only blur people’s faces. In addition, it tracks and records all access to video data to help support transparency and help combat misuse. This feature can also be crucial for organizations like hospitals and schools, where the privacy of patients and minors is vital and protecting personally identifiable information in video data can help to reduce risk and liability.

HVA is one of three components of Hitachi’s Smart City and Public Safety portfolio, along with its Video Management Platform (VMP)—a virtualized storage and networking platform on which video can be stored separately from other data, for increased security—and Hitachi Visualization Suite, which serves as a dashboard for monitoring all of the video and analysis, as well as merging information from other disparate sensors and systems to provide a map-based, unified view of all activity.

Rolling this all into one system makes things simpler for customers, Bean said. “What cities and a lot of other organizations are challenged with right now is that they have 15-20 different systems, and each one has a separate login, and they don’t know who’s using what. Instead, they can get this scalable system that starts with the police department getting it for keeping people safe, then the transportation department can log on as a new user with a different set of layers to see the transportation data, then the sustainability department can see the environmental data and all the other stuff there.”

The platform’s consolidation also makes it easier for integrators to specify and install, and its structure opens pathways for revenue streams, as well. “There’s a software as a service model, so that’s the recurring revenue, and then we can split that with integrators and partners that we go to market with,” Bean said. “And there’s the service fees that come along with that if they need to go and support the infrastructure or something in some way.”

According to Bean, Hitachi is currently working on training and certifying select partners and systems integrators who will support the platform.

Once it becomes operational, the benefits the platform can bring to improving the safety and efficiency of commuting are nearly endless. “You can help with everything from bikes, to parking, to shipping, to commuters, to trains and buses, to airports and ports,” Bean said. “There’s this huge ecosystem of transportation that this one technology can help in many ways, and in generating that huge volume of granular data for insights, I think there’s a really big potential for improving the operations and customer service in all these different areas.”

It’s no secret that we’re pretty proud here at SCN to compile the Top 50 Systems Integrators list each December. Part of the reason for that is that we’ve been doing it now for over 10 years, and it continues to be an important bellwether of the commercial audiovisual industry, beyond simply who is on it where and for how much. There’s so much reading between the lines to amass in this data goldmine.

And it’s precisely that rich trove of numbers that led us, for the first time, to dig into the nuances of the Top 50 over the past decade. It was a fun project, and we’ve really just scratched the surface of all there is to learn from exploring this history.

Looking back at 2006, about 20 integrators remain on the list 10 years later. Looking at the top 10 in 2006, six remain in the top 10 today. Two of those became one with the 2008 merger of AVI and SPL, effectively securing the top position on the list every year. One stopped submitting, yet by all accounts still successfully exists, and just one of those filed for bankruptcy, in early 2012. There is one newcomer to the list this year that made the top 10. Of the companies occupying the positions 30-50 in 2006, just one remains on the list today. In general, there has been a rotating cast of characters when it comes to the second half of the list.

Mergers and acquisitions are evident throughout the chart these past 10 years. This year’s list reflects that most significantly with Digital Networks Group’s acquisition by Avidex and Technical Innovations’ sale to Diversified.

From a commercial installation projected revenue perspective, the determining ranking figure, the list peaked around $130 million in 2006, cutting off at just over $4 million. Today, that number just tops $600 million, running down to $18 million. Combined, projected revenue from commercial installation of the Top 50 2016 comes out around $3.82 billion.

If there’s one thing you take away from the SCN Top 50 list, let it be the fact that there is a wealth of opportunity; ensuring integrators both large and small can secure a slice of the pie.

As always, Top 50 submissions are voluntary. The chart ranks those willing to share their internal numbers to establish an industry snapshot. While the bottom line is important, the Top 50 is just one way to view an industry where success is determined by more than mere numbers. There’s much left to learn, and we look forward to continuing to explore the inner workings of this business throughout the year.

Click here to read the full list.

Commentary from top systems integrators:
Market Forecast
2016 Challenges
Managed Services

Interesting Installations by Top 50 Firms

• 1.AVI-SPL
• 2.Diversified
• 3.Whitlock
• 4.AVI Systems
• 5.CCS Presentation Systems
• 6.HB Communications
• 7.Avidex Industries
• 8.Ford Audio-Video
• 9.Solutionz Conferencing
• 10.Electrosonic
• 11.Yorktel
• 12.IVCi
• 13.Video Corporation of America
• 14.Tritech Communications
• 15.CompView
• 16.Communications Engineering (CEI)
• 17.Anderson Audio Visual
• 18.Solotech
• 19.Washington Professional Systems
• 20.Alpha Video & Audio, Inc.
• 21.Corbett Technology Solutions
• 22.SoundCom Systems
• 23.Adtech Systems
• 24.Unified AV Systems
• 25.Carousel Industries
• 26.Spinitar
• 27.Parsons Technologies
• 28.Red Thread Spaces
• 29.Verrex
• 30.Sensory Technologies
• 31.Sharp’s Audio Visual
• 32.Advanced AV
• 33.Data Projections
• 34.Spectra Audio Video Design Group
• 35.Tierney Brothers
• 36.Level 3 Audio Visual
• 37.Communications Engineering Company (CEC)
• 38.IES Commercial
• 39.USIS Audiovisual Systems
• 40.ProMotion Technology Group
• 41.Sound Image
• 42.Vistacom Inc.
• 43.Audio Visual Design Group
• 44.Vision Technologies, Inc.
• 45.Presentation Products, Inc.
• 46.Constant Technologies, Inc.
• 47.GENCOMM
• 48.Genesis Integration
• 49.Total Video Products, Inc.
• 50.Interactive Digital Solutions

In This Edition:

—The AES Convention returned to Los Angeles in October, sporting a theme of "Immersed in Audio" and it fit.

—In his role as president of family-owned Stewart Filmscreen, Shannon Townley is learning to wear many hats as he leads the nearly 70-year-old company.

—Northwestern University recently completed a stunning new 400-seat concert hall for its music school along the shores of Lake Michigan, with the help of Kirkegaard Associates.

—The AV and IT industries have developed separate cultures over time, but as the disciplines converge, they increasingly have to work together. Can they get along?

—A change in working culture is prompting businesses to accommodate variations on the traditional workweek schedule, and causing difficulties in ensuring that work actually gets done.