Vol.

19
Issue
1
Oct-Nov
2019

[COVER] The 'First (of His Kind) Guru'

STORY
Mapped in Technology
Systems
Integration
Asia


Vol.
19
Issue
1
~
October
-
November
2019

Feature: The Future of Meeting Rooms Interview: Blake Augsburger InfoComm India: From
of LEA Professional Excellent to Exceptional

w w w. s y s t e m s i n t e g r a t i o n a s i a . c o m
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CONTENTS
Vol.
19
Issue
1
~
Oct
-
Nov
2019

Immersive Experience
for a Technologically
Futuristic Town 76

04 FIRST WORDS 54 FEATURE 70 INSTALLATIONS

06 NEWS

70 INDIA: COVER STORY Adiyogi - The 'First

The Future of Meeting Rooms
(of His Kind) Guru' Mapped in Technology
56 TECH TALK 76 CHINA: Immersive Experience for a
Technologically Futuristic Town
20 SOLUTIONS UPDATE
78 UAE: CT Installs 'A Palace in Motion'
at Qasr Al Watan
80 INDIA: The Piano Man Jazz Club, Gurgaon
'TAP' into the New Meeting Room Solution
82 INDIA: Vesta Tech Collaboration Centre
58 TRADESHOW PREVIEW Finds New Vistas of AV
26 SONY ADVERTORIAL

86 NIXT!

ISE MD Mike Blackman on the Show's

Navigating Archived Assets with Sony
Widening Appeal

28 EVENT REVIEW 60 INTERVIEW

BOSCH: The Three Layers of Smart
Building Solution

88 VOICE BOX

SI India Awards - Launching Indian AV

60 Niclas Brattberg, Biamp: Mapping Market
on to A New Horizon
Strategy with Aggression
34 TRADESHOW REVIEW
62 Blake Augsburger: LEA Brings A Differentiated
Value Proposition The Changing Landscape of AV

64 Swadesh Khetawat, Green Sources: Value-Adding

the Client Service Audio-Visually 90 ON OUR WEB
34 Integrate 2019: Interviews from the 66 Paul Fouracre: avt Charts its Course with its
Show Floor Eyes on the Future
42 IFI 2019: From Excellent to Exceptional
68 Nvincy: Customizing AV Applications, Experience
 4
FIRST WORDS

The third edition of Systems Integration India Awards (SIIA)

was definitely larger in scale in a few aspects than our previous
editions. To
accommodate the
nearly 350 guests, we
took up all the halls
of the Grande Hall.
We are also pleased
that more brands
joined our efforts
as we expanded
this year from our
original six partners
to 11 partners. A total
of 12 Awards were
presented from as
many as 36 submissions from 22 systems integration companies.
DANIEL NGIAM
SIIA has also gone annual from this year and we look forward to MEDIA Rep for Spinworkz Pte Ltd ART / LAYOUT
an even more grander 2020 edition. Tel: +65 84410258 Shankar Venugopal
first_dm@hotmail.com
CREATIVE CULT
InfoComm India continues to exceed expectations. There was a
17% increase in visitors and according to the organisers nearly
50% of the visitors were end-users. There certainly was a large OUR COLLABORATORS
contingent from the Higher Education segment comprising India’s
Elissa Nadine PV Anthony
top 35 Universities. Where solutions were concerned as many as Server and IT Security Guru
Web Content and Social Media Specialist
86 ‘new-to-market’ products or technology solutions stretching
the whole big spectrum of AV-ICT, and allied industries were Rosalind Tan Halim, TrueDesignLab.com
Website Management Wizard HTML Design and Coding Maestro
showcased amongst the 200 or so exhibitors.

This issue seems to be inundated with interviews - we were just

eager to hear from so many of the movers and shakers in the
industry. We hope you will enjoy reading the thought process of
our interviewees.
PUBLISHED BY
Enjoy the read. Spinworkz Pte Ltd
71 Bukit Batok Crescent
#06-13 Prestige Centre, Singapore 658071
Thomas Richard Prakasam Tel: (65) 63162716 www.spinworkz.com
Publisher / Editorial Director
PRINTED BY
thomas@spinworkz.com
Stamford Press Pte Ltd

Disclaimer: Systems Integration Asia is published 6 times a year. All rights

reserved. No part of this magazine is to be reproduced, whether mechanical
or electronic without the prior written consent of the publisher. Views
expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or
the publisher. Unsolicited contributions are welcome but the editor reserves
the discretion to use them. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy
and honesty in both editorial and advertising content at press time, the
publisher will not be liable for any inaccuracies.

Please be informed that products and company names mentioned in this

publication may be protected with tradenames, trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners. Our non inclusion of such symbols
is not an indication of us not recognising the copyright but rather to have
a common look across our articles. Misuse of tradenames, trademarks or
registered trademarks is strictly prohibited. It is the obligation of our readers
to check if company names and products are protected with tradenames,
trademarks or registered trademarks.

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

 6
NEWS
AVIXA Announces 2019 India Award Winners
INDIA: AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated
Experience Association, has announced
the winners of its first India Awards, which
recognise outstanding AV professionals for
their achievements and commitments to
the AV industry in India. The winners in the
six categories were named and celebrated
during the awards ceremony held in the
evening of the first show day, Sept. 18, at
InfoComm India in Mumbai, in partnership
with the System Integrations Awards, which
honoured projects of the year.
A dedicated awards committee selected the
winners for the following categories, after
reviewing nominations from across the AV
industry: India Young AV Professional of
the Year, India CTS Holder of the Year, India
Women in AV, India Educator of the Year and
India Distinguished Achievement awards. The
winner of the Volunteer of the Year Award
was selected by AVIXA staff.
“The winners of our first awards program in
India are accomplished AV professionals who
have each made significant contributions to
help grow the industry,” says Jonathan Seller,
Senior Director of Development, Asia-Pacific,
AVIXA. “Behind each nominee and award
winner lies an inspiring story of passion,
determination and leadership. The winners
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
of the AVIXA India Awards inspire their peers
and represent examples of how this region
continues to grow fast thanks to individual
commitment and achievement.”
The 2019 AVIXA India Award winners are:
• India Volunteer of the Year
Award – Rakesh Kumar, CTS-D, CTS-I
• India Young AV Professional
Award – Nitin Manjunath
• India Women in AV
Award – Sonali Singh, CTS
• India CTS Holder of the Year
Award – Leo Thomas, CTS-D, CTS-I
• India Educator of the Year
Award – TS Gopalakrishnan,
CTS-D, CTS-I
• India Distinguished Achievement
Award – Manmohan Gupta
www.avixa.org
S I A
dnp Supernova at the
Belt and Road ASEAN
Big Data Laboratory
CHINA: The Belt and Road ASEAN Big
Data Laboratory researches cooperative
development and innovation in politics,
economy, national defence and diplomacy
in the China-ASEAN context. Regarded as
a reference for future conference rooms,
their new lab is designed with flexible
podium and research spaces. And it
follows the principle that users should be
unaware of the technology supporting
them. The rostrum area is used for big
data visualization, decision-making and
reporting. Its scale demands a very large,
very high-resolution screen, which is why
Wincomn recommended and installed a
massive dnp Supernova Infinity Screen. At
12.6 m x 3.6 m and with 8K resolution, this
modular front-projection screen delivers
crisp and vivid high-contrast images
unaffected by the bright ambient light.
The research spaces have multiple zones,
each with an ultra-short throw projection
dnp Supernova STS 100” 16:9 Screen.
Optimized for standard viewing angles,
these cost-effective screens offer high
contrast and image quality for demanding
user environments - ideal for collecting,
editing and publishing big data. The dnp
Supernova Screen offers LED-like saturated
colours while avoiding the eye fatigue
caused by long-term exposure to bright
active LEDs. It is also fully in line with the
institution’s objectives for saving energy
and protecting the environment.
www.dnp-screens.com
 LivePremier series ™

The most powerful 4K/8K live presentation systems

for high-end staging and premium system integration

Modular Scalable Versatile Reliable

www.analogway.com
 8
NEWS
Absen Delivers ACE Training in New Delhi
INDIA: Absen held the 93rd ACE (Absen
Certified Engineers) training session in
New Delhi from Aug 28-30, India with 20+
technicians and engineers representing their
different customers attending the training.
As a free-value added program for Absen
customers, the training covers the basics of
LED displays and expands to include more
advanced technical knowledge and know-
how. Participating engineers and technicians
had the opportunity to learn and master
advanced LED display technologies, with
hands-on experience troubleshooting real-life
scenarios. Only the participants who passed
both the written and hands-on exams were
recognized as qualified Absen Certified
Engineers (ACE).
Absen provides not only high-quality
products but also excellent service
support, demonstrating its committed to
providing maximum value for its customers.
ACE training is a critical aspect of this
commitment to service and support, as it
ensures the human capital necessary to
resource after-sales service in India and
across the world. To this end, Absen has
held 93 ACE training sessions that have
produced more than 1300 certified engineers
worldwide.
According to Rajesh Patkar, Absen’s sales
director of Indian market, “The first training
session by Absen in India has been a success.
It was attended by our partners in rental as
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
well as SI market. We plan to have at least
3-4 training sessions every year for the next
three years so that we can help improve the
knowledge level in the service industry. This
is a start Absen will certainly benefit from.”
As a trusted LED display supplier, Absen
has a proven track record globally, and has
occupied the position of leading Chinese
exporter of LED displays for ten consecutive
years. Absen has a 12 years’ history of
exploring Indian market and also a close
relationship with all their partners. According
to Brian Cao, the sales director of Absen’s
APAC market, “After years of innovation
and development, Absen leads the way in
LED display standards. We not only provide
our partners and customers products of
solid quality, but also service. We value the
ecosystem of this industry and maximize
customers’ value by providing professional
and prompt service to our customers when
collaborating on a project. Absen’s ACE
training is part of the service systems, we
also provide door-to-door maintenance
service all across India.”
To know more about Absen’s ACE training
schedule, follow @Absenled on Facebook
platform.
www.absen.com
S I A
Leyard and Planar
Named No. 1 Global
Leader in Narrow Pixel
Pitch LED Video Wall
Market
GLOBAL: Leyard
and Planar,
global leaders
in visualization
products,
announced
the company was named the No.1 market
share leader in the $2.6 billion narrow pixel
pitch LED video wall market according to the
2019 Video Wall Display Solutions Report by
Futuresource Consulting.
The highly anticipated annual Video Wall
Display Solutions Report by Futuresource
Consulting was published in July 2019. As
a result of recent industry innovation, the
report defines narrow pixel pitch LED as a
display with a pixel pitch of 2.5 millimeters
or less, a decrease from 3 millimeters in
previous years.
In 2018, the narrow pixel pitch LED
market, pioneered by Leyard and Planar,
demonstrated a 33 percent growth on the
previous year. “Earning these market leading
positions in LED is a true testament to our
extensive portfolio of video wall products
available today,” said Zach Zhang, CEO of
Leyard International. “Being named the
No. 1 global leader in narrow pixel pitch
LED for three years in a row, reinforces our
commitment to introducing industry-leading
display innovations that deliver the best
visual performance, reliability and customer
service, while setting a path for others to
follow.”
The report by Futuresource Consulting
follows major LED video wall product
announcements from the company, including
the introduction of the new Leyard TVF
Complete, a family of LED video wall solutions
optimized for Full HD and 4K resolutions and
available in 109-inch, 137-inch, 164-inch and
219-inch diagonal sizes.
www.leyard.com
WORLD’S st
DisplayPort I/O
Standalone Matrix Switchers

lightware.com
 10
NEWS
Vega Indonesia Celebrates 3rd Anniversary
INDONESIA: PT Vega Technology Indonesia
celebrated its 3rd Anniversary at Wyl’s
Kitchen, Veranda Hotel – Pakubuwono with
the theme Vega for Indonesia.
In its brief three years of being in the AV
scene in Indonesia, the team has already
conferred several milestones proven by its
track record of delivered projects for both
local and multinational companies in the
region.
In his speech at the Anniversary Dinner,
Melvin Halpito, Vega Indonesia’s Country
Manager, thanked all the employees,
partners, and clients for the joint effort that
lead to Vega’s success in Indonesia. Staying
true to its slogan “Communications made
easy”, Melvin hopes to elevate further the
level of solutions and services that they
provide for their clients.
The Anniversary Dinner was supported by
Vega’s partners lead by AMX by Harman,
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
Shure, and Epson. Kramer Electronics, ECS
Indo Jaya, and Samsung also expressed their
support for the event.
A total of 75 people consisting of Vega
Indonesia employees, loyal customers, and
partners, as well as distributors, attended the
3rd Anniversary Dinner of Vega Indonesia.
www.vega-global.com
S I A
Ayrton Chosen for
Church of Our Saviour
SINGAPORE: Ayrton MagicBlade-FX and
Mistral spot luminaires were recently
supplied to the Church of Our Saviour
in Singapore by Ayrton’s exclusive local
distributor, Total Solution Marketing Pte Ltd.
The Ayrton fixtures were chosen for this
very special space for a number of reasons,
as technical director, Ron Chiam, explains:
“Because we only have a small space,
we needed fixtures that were small and
compact, but at the same time powerful
Ayrton MagicBlade-FX and Mistral add colour to the Church of Our Saviour in Singapore.
enough to create a vibrant atmosphere.
It was the first time we had heard about
Ayrton, but soon realised that these were the
fixtures to go for in the space that we had.
They are used during moments of worship
and are also used to create 3D-like lighting
for our camera crew, so that they can capture
what is on and off stage with ease.
“We have four MagicBlade-FXs rigged up on
our flybars in a V-shape, so that we can fan
them out to create some eye candy effects,
or close them in for that extra breath-taking
moment when there are solo performances.
Two Mistrals are situated on the floor on top
of boxes at our stage lip. These help to colour
and project patterns to the roof and side
walls. Another two are hung out on our side
bars to give the audience some colour.”
Chiam was delighted with some of the
special features and ease of use of the
Ayrton fixtures. “One of the moments where
these lights stand out is when you can blend
two gobos together to create some sort of
texture, without it looking like a messy array
that distracts the congregation. Instead, each
gobo is blended with another in different
rotations to create a certain type of mood
that makes it special and unique. The prism
and gobos work well in the Mistral, and the
MagicBlade FX’s tightness of beam and the
ability to have different colours on each pixel
is great.
“These fixtures are straightforward and easy
to use so my volunteers got the hang of them
in less than an hour and, using an MA Dot 2
lighting desk, they were able to programme
the most creative and alluring displays.”
www.ayrton.eu
 12
NEWS
BAP Technology Consultants Holds Successful Showcase Event
HONG KONG: Occupying 7500+ sq. ft and
featuring the latest AV solutions from 12
leading manufacturers, BAP’s showcase event
held on 15 and 16 August 2019 in the Crystal
Grand Ballroom in Holiday Inn Golden Mile,
Tsim Sha Tsui was a great success.
12 exhibition booths showcased a wide
range of latest Audiovisual and lighting
solutions, including laser projector, LED wall,
conference system, 4K signal processor, AI
video content, streaming and recording, and
collaboration furniture. The international
brands represented included Absen, Aoto,
Bosch, Epson, Extron, Lutron, NEC, Panasonic,
Poly, Reach, Sony & TeamMate.
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
Targeted at end-users, designers, architects Panasonic zero offset lens range; Poly G7500
and contractors, guests were not only content and video conferencing solution;
treated to the solutions showcase but could Reach Bee3 Plus lecture capture solution;
participate in focus group discussions and Sony REA-C1000 artificial intelligence-based
seminars which were hosted by industry video analytics solution and TeamMate
professional who possess a wide variety motorized height adjustable lectern.
of expertise, knowledge, and practical
www.bap.com.hk
experiences.
On showcase was Absen CR Series narrow
pixel LED; Aoto Mini LED;
Bosch DICENTIS wireless conference system;
Epson’s new BrightLink EB-1485Fi interactive
ultra short-throw, ultra-wide laser projector;
Extron NAV Pro AV over IP solution; Lutron
– myRoom guestroom control system; NEC
– new 65 inch professional 4K UHD Display;
1.8 mm/ 3.5 mm Ultra-Narrow Bezel

High/ Low Brightness Products to Cope

with Environments

Centralized control for Cost Saving

Stable and Easy-to-use Operation

 14
NEWS
Clair Brothers Provides Unconventional Sound
System Upgrade At Sokcho Art Center
SOUTH KOREA: Located in the far northeast
of South Korea, Sokcho City (population:
84,000) is part of the Gangwon-do Province,
which lies north of the 38th parallel only
an hour south from the DMZ. In fact, until
1945 and the end of the Korean War, the city
belonged to North Korea. This fact is one that
makes the presence of an educational center
for art and culture all the more important
in the region; and why Clair Brothers takes
special pride in playing a role here, with its
multiple loudspeaker sound reinforcement
system key to the delivery of music and
cultural education in a part of the world
where such things were once denied.
Sokcho Art Center recently underwent a
major renovation in its main hall/auditorium
that involved interior upgrades to lighting,
seats, acoustic wall treatment and the
installation of an entirely new Clair Brothers
sound system. Interestingly, the sound system
is designed in a very specific manner that
would be unexpected in most other markets,
with the subs deployed in the middle of the
main P.A. line array. J.J. Song, VP of sales,
Clair Brothers Korea, explains that, “While
this configuration is used on a case by case
basis, it exists because of the size of our
buildings and the available amount of land
they sit on, especially in the center of the
city, where to handle the necessary amount
of people the rooms are designed to be taller
and shallower than typical theaters. In these
cases, the subs in the middle of the line array
usually face toward the edge of the balcony
and divide the top section of the array from
the bottom. The key with this set-up is to
have the ability to control and process the
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
PT. ENE Indonesia Moves
To New Building To
system as two line arrays in one cluster.”
Support Growth
The main P.A. is made up of nine Clair
Brothers C8 line arrays per side; four flown
CS118 subs; two stacked CS218 subs; three
CAT115s as center fill; two kiT15s for stage
fill; four 1AM stage monitors; and four 8CXs
under the balcony – all powered by Clair
Brothers/Lab.gruppen amplifiers. For this
600-seat room, considerations were made
with regard to the quantity of speakers in
each array as part of a determined speaker
cluster’s location and height, and the
system’s ability to fit within a set budget. An
Allen & Heath dLive S5000 mixing console
was also installed.
INDONESIA: Electronics & Engineering Pte
How did it come to be that Clair Brothers was Ltd (E&E) is pleased to announce the recent
specified for this install? Seong Keun Ahn, relocation of their Indonesian branch PT. ENE
chief engineer, Clair Brothers Korea explains: Indonesia office in Jakarta. The
“In 2018, we did a C8 line array demo for a
new 4-storey office space provides ample
selected group of audio engineers in Korea.
capacity and brings together customer
They were impressed and praised the quality
support, sales, engineering, and a showroom
of the sound and the high SPL out of a such
to showcase products to potential and
a compact box. Especially noteworthy in the
existing clients.
C8 speaker design is the ‘integrated passive
crossover network’ that can reduce the amp ‘’We were fortunate to find such a well-
channel count required while functioning served space. Our new location and enhanced
as a bi-amped three-way speaker. We must operations efficiencies will help us continue
give a great deal of credit to Josh Sadd, Clair to grow and develop to keep pace with our
Brothers chief design engineer, for designing clients’ needs,’’ commented Mr. Ronald Goh,
technology that saves client budgets without Managing Director, Electronics & Engineering
compromising sound quality. Here in Sokcho, Group of Companies.
we held a competitive system demo right PT. ENE Indonesia is now located at Jl.
in the art center – Clair Brothers versus two Gunung Sahari Raya No. 1, Mangga Dua
other top brands. The demo took place in Square Blok A No. 9, Jakarta Utara 14420 and
front of Sokcho Art Center officials. Of course, can also be reached via email at: eneindo@
they chose Clair Brothers!” eneindonesia.com
Hyo-Seong Song, technical director and chief www.enepl.com.sg
sound engineer at Sokcho, elaborates, “Our
Clair Brothers system is like an extremely
well-built car. It drives as you drive without
compromising quality.” This is saying a lot
given the dynamic range of performances
taking place in the auditorium, everything
from city conferences and dramas for kids,
to classical music, Korean traditional music,
K-Pop performances, and even heavy metal
bands. “We are enjoying every bit of it!”
S I A
www.clairbrothers.com
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 16
NEWS
Tripleplay and ONELAN Unite to Create Digital Signage and IPTV Powerhouse
Steve Rickless with Jeff Hiscox, Uniguest CEO
UNITED KINGDOM: Tripleplay, a leading
developer of IPTV, digital signage, and video
streaming solutions has been acquired by
Uniguest; following its acquisition of ONELAN
in June 2018. Merging Tripleplay into the
Uniguest portfolio provides mutual access
to technology, expertise, and partners as the
digital signage industry continues to undergo
a period of consolidation amongst providers.
As part of Uniguest, this new division will be
a key component of a global organisation
that enables Tripleplay and ONELAN to
leverage the group’s financial and support
infrastructure to drive significant global
HARMAN Professional Solutions Raises the Curtain at the National Academy of
Performing Arts
PAKISTAN: Pakistan’s National Academy of
Performing Arts (NAPA) recently partnered
with KYAF Corporation (KYAF) to upgrade
the performing arts studio experience with
world-class HARMAN Professional Solutions
audio systems.
KYAF Corporation equipped the studio with
JBL Professional speaker systems, including
VRX932LA line array systems, PRX818XLF
subwoofers and EON 612 portable speakers.
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
expansion and service plans.
With ever-increasing demands to deliver
live TV and video as part of a digital signage
solution across key verticals, combining the
respective strengths of the two organisations
ensures customers can confidently access
the best-in-class IPTV and digital signage
as a complete solution from a single global
organisation to meet their customers’ specific
requirements.
The newly formed group of Tripleplay and
ONELAN shares a common customer-centric
approach, are culturally complementary, and
will be able to exploit the significant levels
of technical skills, sales, research, marketing,
and product sets from both organisations,
thereby benefiting clients and partners
globally.
The acquisition presents the strategic
opportunity for Uniguest to market
Tripleplay’s award-winning IPTV and
interactive portal to its own hospitality and
senior living clients, while extending its reach
with a complementary partner base for
The team powered the speakers with Crown
XTi Series amplifiers. To ensure clarity
and balance throughout the venue, KYAF
Corporation supplied a wide range of AKG
microphones, including WMS420 wireless
microphones, D5 vocal microphones, P4
instrument microphones, HM1000 hanging
stage microphones and a Drum Set Session 1
drum microphone set. KYAF Corporation also
provided a Soundcraft Si Impact digital mixing
products; specifically, in the stadium, large
enterprise, and banking verticals.
The combined Tripleplay and ONELAN
organisation will be led by Steve Rickless,
Tripleplay’s CEO, with the support of the
Tripleplay and ONELAN executive teams.
Tripleplay and ONELAN will continue to
operate from their respective offices with
their current team members.
“This acquisition is a game changer
for Tripleplay and will bring significant
advantages to our valued customers and
partners,” Rickless said. “Our market-leading
solutions combined with the ONELAN
product set will be one of the most powerful
combinations available in today’s market,
and the partnership will allow us to deliver
innovation and enhanced service. Backed
by the strength of Uniguest, this gives us
the opportunity to deliver our aggressive
strategic vision for the business.”
www.tripleplay.tv
S I A
console to ensure professional mixes and dbx
processors to further refine the sound.
“At NAPA, we host a wide range of world-
class performances throughout the year by
artists from around the globe,” said Ashad
Mehmood, Engineer, NAPA. “We required
a high-end audio system that delivers
impeccable sound without the aid of a rental
company. KYAF suggested a comprehensive
HARMAN audio solution to meet our diverse
requirements and we have been very
impressed with the results.”
“It’s been our pleasure to collaborate
with NAPA and bring engaging audio-
visual experiences to the forefront of their
program,” said Ramesh Jayaraman, VP
& GM, HARMAN Professional Solutions,
APAC. “We thank KYAF for their unwavering
confidence in HARMAN products, delivering
quality sound during engaging lectures and
immersive performances.”
www.harman.com
 18
NEWS
India’s First Integrated Control & Command Centre Goes Live
INDIA: India’s hard rolling Smart City Mission
received a major boost as the central Indian
State of Madhya Pradesh recently launched
the country’s first Integrated Control and
Command Centre (ICCC) for all seven Smart
Cities to be developed in the State. Madhya
Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
and Union Minister for Housing and Urban
Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the
ICCC at a glittering programme recently.
The ICCC – set up at the Bhopal Smart City
Development Corporation Limited (BSCDCL)
edifice at Barkheda area of the State capital
Bhopal – essentially runs on a cloud-based
Universal Internet of Things (UIoT) platform
developed by IT giant Hewlett Packard
Enterprise (HPE) who custom devised the
end-to-end solution comprising industry
leading servers, Edge compute systems, HPE
PointNext services and a broad ecosystem of
partners.
The UIoT platform functions by virtue of a
multitude of discrete GPS sensors installed
in all public utility services and vantage
points, across the seven cities’ locations
and networked to the dashboard of ICCC. It
thereby effectively captures the real-time
data from across those locations in diverse
areas such as traffic management, transport
management, waste management, water
management parking, street lighting, and
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
public safety besides the weather situation,
and generates on-the-spot data. The
authorities, therefore, can remotely monitor,
manage and control various citizen services
via the single dashboard.
The authorities, therefore, can take pro-
active measures and informed decisions
towards a smart administration.
Commending the authorities for the
prestigious ICCC commissioning, Hardeep
Puri said the ICCC would keep an eye on civic
amenities in the chosen Smart City areas
like the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).
It may be reckoned that Bhopal, Indore,
Ujjain, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Satna, and Sagar
have been selected for development of Smart
Cities under Mission in Madhya Pradesh.
These seven cities are part of the 99 cities
approved by the Government of India at a
budgetary outlay of approx. US$ 30 billion,
as part of the country’s most ambitious
development programme ever.
Launched in 2015, the Government of India
has already approved as much as ₹98,000
crore (approx. US$ 14 billion) for the 50:50
Centre-State partnership programme. About
1,300 projects are said to be underway.
S I A
Xtreme Media, BOE Join
Hands on Digital Signage
Sanket Rambhia, Managing Director, receiving
the Certificate of Strategic Partnership from Guo
Chao, VP-Global Sales Platform, BOE
INDIA: Leading Indian LED display solutions
provider Xtreme Media, and Chinese
intelligent interfacing solutions major BOE
Technology Group have entered into a
strategic alliance towards forging a new
formidable digital signage solutions business.
Xtreme Media has a legacy in LED displays
and digital signage solution with many
prestigious projects and noteworthy client
portfolio. This partnership with BOE will not
only expand the product portfolio of Xtreme
Media but will also help them provide a
turnkey solution to its clients.
Xtreme Media is known for its web-based
software which is currently powering over
20,000 displays worldwide while BOE is
globally recognised for its innovative display
design and manufactures professional panels
of 4K resolution with ADS technology. For
any large-scale project, the smooth execution
with reliable service and support is as
important as the product itself. This is where
Xtreme Media’s versatile experience play an
important role.
“Xtreme Media and BOE partnership
brings together best of both worlds,” said
Sanket Rambhia, Managing Director of
Xtreme Media. “Revolutionary ADSDS
display technology meets the powerful
XtremeSignage software,” he said. “This
expands Xtreme Media display portfolio to
LCD displays and standalone displays such as
kiosks.”
Xtreme Media with BOE will be able to
execute turnkey projects with an end to
end responsibility of designing, supplying,
installing, commissioning and maintenance
of professional displays providing world class
solutions.
www.xtreme-media.in
www.boe.com
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 20
SOLUTIONS UPDATE
Lightware Introduces Three New VINX Models
VINX 110AP-HDMI-DEC
Lightware VINX series devices are popular
products ideal for gigabit networks. They
can also run in point-to-point configuration
and have diverse application possibilities,
especially recommended for applications
where scalability, flexibility and rapid
deployment are in focus. They are simple to
install and to operate, and have numerous
built-in services. The open API of the VINX
devices allow easy integration with third
party systems.
The three new models are the VINX-110AP-
HDMI-DEC, VINX-120AP-HDMI-ENC and the
VINX-210AP-HDMI-ENC. The operation of
the models can be expanded from a simple
point-to-point application to unlimited
endpoints for the ultimate in virtual
matrix switching, digital signage and signal
extension. The extenders include Advanced
EDID Management system and the decoders
are capable of scaling the video signal up to
the maximum supported resolution of 4K
UHD @ 30 Hz. RS-232 and IR control channels
are supported. The built-in USB ports support
KVM function and can also handle USB 2.0
mass storage. The units are HDCP compliant.
These models feature options for fiber optical
transmission in the form of an SFP port, audio
embedding and de-embedding, and also
return audio features. These VINX devices
can be powered by PoE remote powering.
Contrary to common belief, PoE systems, like
VINX, can run on much less power than PoE+
devices, contributing to carbon footprint
reduction and energy saving. Nevertheless,
VINX devices can also receive power from
PoE+ sources as well. While VINX-210AP-
HDMI-ENC has a direct VGA input port,
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
VINX-120AP-HDMI-ENC features a local HDMI
output port for monitoring.
One of the most popular of unique features
of VINX is the Video Wall setup, reducing
the time needed to install a video wall to
a fraction of the time needed with other
systems. The feature options include gap and
bezel adjustment, which can be performed
in batch.
The efficient design of all VINX models
allows passive, fanless cooling that ensures
noiseless operation, fitting even the most
silent application environments.
VINX series also features crosspoint view:
available in both the free Lightware Device
Controller (LDC) management software and
the built-in web in the devices, the crosspoint
view shows the available input and output
ports of all connected encoder and decoder
units, and allows switching the signals across
them. The signal can also be switched to a
video wall output assembled from several
VINX units and acting as a single display sink.
A special keyboard combination can be linked
with various sources to switch signals.
The built-in, selectable Video and Graphic
Modes optimize streaming and compression
to match the transferred media. The
Variable Bitrate feature provides an even
more accurate adjustment option for smart
bandwidth management, adjustable between
10 Mbps and 800 Mbps.
lightware.com
S I A
B-Tech Unveils New
and Improved Screen
Mounting Interfaces for
their System X Range
B-Tech AV Mounts, has announced a series
of performance enhancing updates to its
System X VESA 400 interface arms with micro-
adjustment (both the standard and pop-out
variations).
Ideal for assembling videowalls, menu boards
and other multi-screen applications, the
range provides customers with a clean and
uncomplicated solution for mounting any
medium to large size screen (up to 50kg) to
B-Tech’s System X horizontal mounting rails.
With universal compatibility, tool-less micro
adjustments for perfect alignment of displays
(in either landscape or portrait orientation)
- coupled with its simple ‘hook-on’ design
for a quick and easy installation, the System
X range has become the go-to choice for
integrators.
Developed further by B-Tech’s leading design
team using invaluable feedback from the
market, the company has recently added
some significant enhancement to its standard
(BT8390-VESA400MAF) and pop-out (BT8390-
VESA400MAP) interface arms.
Updates to both models, which are now in
stock and available, include increased height
and depth adjustments using thumbwheels
with directional guides to assist with the
micro-adjustment, a more compact design
allowing for a closer to the wall installation
and improved lateral movement of the screen
once mounted. Screen size compatibility has
been expanded and the interface arms now
feature two rows of interface holes for a more
user-friendly attachment to screens.
www.btechavmounts.com
 21
SOLUTIONS UPDATE

Canon Unveils Three New LCD Panel Projectors with Long-Life Lamps
Canon raises the bar of high-performance
projection by adding three new models with
LCD panels to its LV Projector series. Each of
the three new LCD models —
the LV-WU360 WUXGA, LV-WX370 WXGA
and LV-X350 XGA — features a newly
designed, long-life lamp with a lifespan of
approximately 20,000 hours in Eco Mode
operation, twice the capacity of other
comparable projectors.
These new LCD projectors are amongst
the most in-demand machines for daily
use — from corporate meetings and other
professional occasions, to classroom
lectures and workshop demonstrations.
These projectors are also commonly used in
digital signages for retail outlets, to meet a
wider and more diverse range of customer
requirements.
New microlenses 1 on the RGB LCD panels
of both the LV-WU360 WUXGA and the
LV-WX370 WXGA models enable the use of
a 3-primary-colour LCD shutter projection
method that results in improved light-use
efficiency and greater brightness. In terms
of brightness, the LV-WU360 WUXGA (1920
x 1200 pixel resolution) achieves 3,600lm,
while the LV-WX370 WXGA (1280 x 800)
achieves
3,700lm and the LV-X350 XGA (1024 x 768)
achieves 3,500lm.
The new LCD projectors also come equipped
with improved colour balance of projected
light, resulting in bright and vivid image
projection. All three projectors are also
equipped with an Auto- Keystone function
that automatically corrects distortions in
projected images.
With improvements to the drive system, in
addition to the long-life lamps in the three
new LCD models offering 20,000 hours in Eco
Mode, the projectors also provide 10,000
hours of lamp hours in normal operation
mode, meaning lamp replacements will be
less frequent, saving on maintenance costs
for users.
On top of overall projection efficiency, the
three new projectors are also highly portable
and lightweight, with dimensions of 345
mm (W) x 99 mm (H) x 261 mm (D). The
LV-X350 XGA and the LV-WX370 WXGA weigh
approximately 3.2kg, while the LV-WU360
WUXGA weighs approximately 3.3kg.
www.canon.com.sg

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beyerdynamic Asia Pte. Ltd. • 66 Tannery Lane, #01-04H Sindo Building © Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
347805 Singapore • Phone +65 62844980 • E-Mail: jannavie.dhillon@beyerdynamic.com
 22 SOLUTIONS UPDATE
Christie Announces World’s First True HDR 4K RGB
Pure Laser Projector for the Pro-AV market
Christie continues to push the boundaries
of projection technology with the launch of
Christie Eclipse, a 4K RGB pure laser projector
featuring Christie RealLaser illumination, true
HDR and an unparalleled colour gamut for
the Pro-AV market.
Christie Eclipse is capable of a degree of
detail and depth of colour that has never
been possible with any Pro-AV projection
system. With true HDR, Christie Eclipse can
process and reproduce HDR content on
screen, in 4K resolution, at both high and low
brightness levels. The result is a contrast ratio
of up to 20,000,000:1, which ensures that
the finest details are visible, even in extreme
black and white ranges.
With an expansive colour gamut approaching
the full Rec.2020 and Rec.2100 colour space,
Christie Eclipse produces highly saturated
colours for truly immersive experiences and
exceeds the Rec. 2100 200,000:1 contrast
ratio specification by 100 times. With
RealLaser illumination, 4K resolution and
high frame rate capability of up to 120fps,
Christie Eclipse can deliver smooth, dynamic
content without distracting blur, which is
critical for planetariums, giant screens and
themed attractions such as dark rides and
flying theaters.
Christie Eclipse offers the flexibility to
customize the brightness level to suit the
environment, from 2000 lumens up to
30,000, features Christie TruLife electronics
for 4K at 120Hz performance, and Christie
Twist software for warping and blending
capabilities. An optional Christie Terra input
card is available, which offers more efficient
AV integration and connectivity solutions for
Christie projectors with TruLife Electronics
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
and can connect directly to a Christie Terra
SDVoE system.
Christie Eclipse also supports Christie
Mystique an automated, camera-based
warping and blending tool that simplifies
the deployment and maintenance of multi-
projector arrays.
www.christiedigital.com
S I A
Tripleplay Launches
Trio of Brand-new UIs
for all IPTV and Video
Streaming Solutions
Tripleplay has announced a major revamp
and relaunch of its IPTV and video streaming
solution, with full redesign of front-end
user interfaces with a focus on enhancing
user experience and creating a unified,
professional platform for delivery of
enterprise video.
The revamp brings a brand-new interface for
the Tripleplay Enterprise IPTV Portal, Mobile
Media App (MMA) and Media Portal for its
MVP desktop app; a trio of solutions that
when aligned with Tripleplay’s TripleSign
Digital Signage creates a full, end-to-end
enterprise video platform.
Tripleplay’s enterprise video solutions allow
businesses and organisations to deliver
video everywhere its needed, across an IP
network, wherever and whenever on the
device or display its needed.
Working with expert UI and UX
designers,Tripleplay has created three new
user interfaces, ensuring Tripleplay’s platform
remains at the pinnacle of the enterprise
video industry and continues to deliver a
quality experience for clients across the
globe. The platform is optimised for use as a
video communications and training tool for
use by day-to-day employees, not technical
experts. This redesign allows Tripleplay to
deliver a solution more akin to what the
end user expects, with an experience that is
simple and intuitive and an interface that is
modern, eye-catching and professional.
Tripleplay’s new Enterprise Portal is available
on Samsung, LG and Philips Android Smart
TV, Amino STB and BrightSign Media Players,
on Windows, Mac and Citrix for desktop
delivery and on Android and iOS for mobile.
www.tripleplay.tv
S I A
Audio-Technica New
Low-Profile ATW-A410P
UHF Powered Wideband
Antenna
Audio-Technica’s ATW-A410P UHF Powered
Wideband Antenna, is a low-profile UHF
(470-990 MHz) antenna that mounts to
a wall or ceiling. It features a 4-position
switchable amplifier (-10 dB/0 dB/+6 dB/+12
dB) to compensate for cable loss, along with
an LED indicator to display the current gain
setting. To accommodate various installation
environments, the antenna’s BNC cable can
be configured to exit from the top, side or
rear of the antenna. Mounting bracket and
screws are included.
www.audio-technica.com
 SOLUTIONS UPDATE
23

Symetrix Composer 7.2 Adds Email Notification, Amp Monitoring, and More
to-text gateways, SMS text messages may In-place copy transfers all processing, control
also be sent. assignments, and SymVue control screens
that are not connected to physical device
Amplifier monitoring and control has
I/O. This makes every design file a viable
been added for the Powersoft Duecanali,
template.
Quattrocanali, Ottocanali, X4, and X8
amplifiers, and for Panasonic WP-DM9XX Composer 7.2 adds a host of other features.
amps. This enables Powersoft amplifiers to The new UpDown fader type changes any
communicate current, alarms, thermal, and fader images to create user-friendly touch
Symetrix, has released Composer 7.2 for
impedance stats directly to the DSP for real- controls for incrementing or decrementing
Windows, the latest version of its powerful,
time display on portable and fixed devices. a parameter. You can edit text in place for
yet intuitive programming software for buttons, label, and text objects, which is
The number of simultaneous TCP/IP
Edge, Radius NX, Prism, and Solus NX DSPs. faster and more intuitive than using the
connections Control Server can host has
Composer enables integrators to program a Properties pane. A hot key enables changing
been dramatically increased from 6 to 1,000,
complete end-to-end DSP signal path using font size when designing control screens.
allowing far more simultaneous users and
just one application. A reorganized Toolkit in Site View lines up
control interfaces.
audio, network, and control tools logically by
Version 7.2 adds several important features.
A new right click Change Unit Type option has type. In matrix selectors, the display of the
The new Emailer Module enables sending
been added that transforms a site file DSP selected input now shows the input name
email notification directly from the DSP
into any other Symetrix DSP hardware type, instead of the channel number.
hardware, triggered by any event in the DSP
making it easy to convert a design from, for
design. By using commonly available email- www.symetrix.co/products/composer-
example, a Radius 12x8 EX to a Radius NX.
software

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 24 SOLUTIONS UPDATE
Sony Releases NextGen NUCLeUS, Smart Imaging Platform for Hospitals
Sony has released a new, more user-friendly
workflow version of its vendor-neutral
medical imaging platform, NUCLeUS.
The next generation will offer hospitals a
streamlined digital imaging workflow and
create valuable efficiency improvements. It
can also easily deliver key information, such
as video and audio wherever and whenever it
is needed across the whole hospital campus.
NUCLeUS offers hospitals a host of new
revolutionary benefits. From enhanced
training and education tools to cost-
effective networked medical image content
management. It can boost the performance
of all imaging applications and service
offerings in interventional suites, operating
and examination rooms. It also
provides users with a real-time transmission
function, which helps clinicians and
management teams make more informed
decisions.
A new world of smart medical applications
is emerging, and Sony is committed to
helping healthcare organisations streamline
their imaging workflows, so clinical staff
can provide the best professional offerings.
NUCLeUS aims to be the ‘operating
system’ for medical imaging in hospitals by
contributing to operational efficiency, safety
and quality improvements and providing
tools for better informed clinical decisions.
The secure and ultra-fast connectivity to
an almost unlimited on or off-premise
computing power, a toolbox for signal
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
processing and new AI technologies bring
OR integration and real-time data processing
in hospitals to a completely new level of
workflow efficiency in healthcare.
NUCLeUS showcases the continued Sony
investment in providing a flexible and future-
proof software-based environment for the
healthcare industry. It introduces a new
suite of NUCLeUS smart applications and is
designed to utilise existing hospital network
infrastructures as much as possible ensuring
a fast return of investment.
The new additions and improvements
available in the next generation of NUCLeUS
include:
Workflow-orientated features for clinicians
include:
• Ability to handle multi-format, multi-
standard and any resolution up to 4K.
• Enhanced streaming and recording of
high-quality audio and video, powered
by advanced video switching and routing
capabilities.
• Improved image routing and viewing
options, enabling smoother imaging
workflows through all phases of a
surgical intervention, from the planning
stage to post-operative patient reviews.
• Updated education and teaching
broadcasting capabilities by using
real-time communication tools such as
smarter annotation features.
• Workflow enhancement through
NUCLeUS smart applications such as
rotation correction.
IT-oriented features:
• Fully scalable solution which can be
easily extended to other rooms or
hospital buildings at any time.
• Provides IT managers with a secure and
encrypted way of remote and preventive
solution maintenance, including self-
monitoring capabilities.
pro.sony
S I A
Just Add Power
Introduces New Instant
Install Application
Just Add Power (J+P), a leader in Ultra HD
over IP video distribution has expanded its
Just OS firmware ecosystem with the addition
of the Instant Install application.
With the Instant Install app, installers can
easily incorporate any gigabit switch that
supports jumbo frames — managed or not
— into their J+P matrix. They simply connect
their devices anywhere on the switch and
click a single button, and their devices are
found and configured, and a driver is built —
all in less than two minutes.
In addition to the Instant Install app, the
Just OS ecosystem comprises J+P’s Plug-
Play-Present logic control for intuitive and
reliable connection and switching of sources;
the Switch Please web application for matrix
switching of any J+P device from any web
browser; and the Every Switch Supported
firmware, which allows integrators to build
any size 4K matrix on an existing network
without having to change switches.
www.justaddpower.com
 26 ADVERTORIAL
Navigating Archived Assets with Sony
With the explosion of data, the importance of timeless data
management is crucial where assets are managed effectively, stored
safely and utilized along with older assets effortlessly. Choosing the
right archive workflow is the only way to protect and extend the life
of your valuable assets.
Being well prepared in advance is the best data management policy.
As an industry standard concept, the 3-2-1 backup rule ensures that
data survives any likely harzards. It requires users to have at least
three copies of the data, with two copies stored on different media
and the last copy located offsite. The multiple copies required by the
rule provides a safety net for users from losing primary data together
with backup copies – mutiple locations ensure that there is no single
point of failure.
Applicable to most industries, the 3-2-1 backup rule is a way to
protect valuable assets from loss or corruption. A good example of
media would be the Optical Disc Archive (ODA) solution from Sony.
A tapeless high capacity digital archive system suitable for both
nearline and deep archive application, Inter-generational compatible
and scalable, ODA from Sony ensures data are stored securely with
its future-proof technology and reliability. With a low total cost
of ownership, the solution involves the use of multiple bare discs
contained within a very robust cartridge, and a dedicated disc drive
unit with an associated software. Setting the benchmark with its
speed and dependable access, ODA ensures business continuity for
now and in the future.
Archive application software features
Apart from the hardware aspects, operating the system is equally
effortless with a variety of content management software applications
from Sony. The Optical Disc Archive Software is a basic tool that allows
users to copy and paste files from a computer connected to disc drive
unit.
With the Content Manager, users are equipped with the necessary
tool to streamline the storage, retrieval and management of data and
content with a simple to navigate user interface. Complimentary with
every purchase of the drive unit, the software offers a wide array of
features including:
• Perform quick, easy browsing, search and retrieve of content for
both shelf-managed cartridges (offline) and cartridges inserted in
drives (online)
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
• Efficently manages assets, using metadata extracted and
recorded in a database that displays a list of archived files,
thumbnail images, and proxy video for preview
• Advanced powerful searches is possible using speech-to-text
and/or face recognition
• Retrieves archived files on cartridges to a computer
• Manages a range of offline features such as printing of cartridge
labels
• Supports Checksum Archive functions
Content Manager allows users to effortlessly manages their assets
A list of supported format for creating metadata is set out below:
File Format
XAVC MXF
MPEG HD 422 MXF
MPEG HD 420 MXF
MPEG HD MP4
ACVHD MTS, M2TS
MPEG IMX MXF
HDV M2T (Windows), MOV (MAC)
DV AVI (Windows), MOV (MAC)
ProRes MOV
DNxHD MOV
Retrieving archived assets through the Content Manager is definitely
a breeze, where users can rely on the information such as text, dates,
people as search criteria.
Quicker than tape and more reliable that hard drives, ODA solution
offers user super-fast access to archived content whenever it is
needed. With the 100-year rated media life and no special storage
requirements, assets are always secure with the future-proof and
scalable archive solution that can be easily integrated into existing
workflow, thanks to its open-platform and vendor-neutral nature. For
more information, please visit pro.sony
TOGETHER, WE CAN
CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE
EXPERIENCE THE WORLD.
AVIXA™ members believe
audiovisual technology can
change how people communicate
and experience the world.

Find out how top AV companies in

India are using AVIXA membership
and resources.
Visit avixa.org/membership2
 28
EVENT REVIEW

SI India Awards Going Places, Scaling New Highs

Launching Indian AV on to A New Horizon
SIIA – India’s one and only Professional AV systems integration awards programme – is arguably going places, scaling new
highs of excellence and value adds to the industry. The 2019 edition – the event’s just third outing – which was organized at
the Grande Hall of Bombay Exhibition Centre on 18 September evening was a veritable show piece in terms of its size and
scale. Larger space, larger stage, larger setting, and larger stakes. An SIA snapshot by Ram Bhavanashi:

THE WINNING SMILES: Winners of Systems Integration India Awards 2019

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

‘Make it large,’ – the otherwise popular phrase among a section of
people – came in for a full larger view last evening at the Bombay
Exhibition Centre’s Grande Hall where the third edition of Systems
Integration India Awards (SIIA) was organized last evening, amidst a
high degree of excitement and elation.
The larger spectrum of the prestigious awards initiative came
resplendent in:
• The event’s occupying the full venue space of three halls- A, B, &
C of the Grande Hall
• The event’s AV fraternity audience being a nearly 350-plus
strong gathering
• A single largest contingent coming from Higher Education
Segment comprising 35 top Universities of the country
• The event having as many as 11 Partners, apart from the
industry’s association AVIXA joining as its Awards Partner, with
its own unique set of Awards
• Larger number of Nominees, and Awardees as well
• As many as 12 Awards were presented to winners from as many
as 36 submissions from 22 integration companies
• One integration firm creating a ‘hat-trick’ of Awards in under
Government Segment
The third edition of SIIA set an ‘Indian’ tone to the grand setting with
the traditional lamp lighting, and the Invocation rendition of Ganesha
Stotram by the charismatic MC Mihir Joshi.
This, followed by presentations of two sets of Awards – Awards
of Individual brilliance from Avixa, and Awards of Institutional
Excellence from SIIA – truly presented a ‘larger’ perspective of Indian
audio-visual industry.
The presentation of the Awards – shown on a grand, 55-feet stage,
featuring 19 x 9 feet large LED screen, and in front of 350-strong
industry fraternity, spread over the combined space of Grande Halls
of A, B, and C appeared truly big.
One of the many hallmarks of this, third edition of SIIA is its single-
largest contingent of higher education segment – comprising top
Universities of India – presented the immensity of opportunities that
the segment offers to AV industry.
While Mihir’s seasoned hosting skills ensured a smooth flow of
29
EVENT REVIEW
the programming even as he characteristically maintained the
momentum of winning excitement, it had a matching verve of musical
performance of The Family Band whose stunningly young exuberance
enthralled the professionals of AV to the hilt.
The young Dhruvi Singh, accompanied by her team, simply pulsated
the audiences with some refreshingly new verve. They practically
enlivened those few hours with a scintillating performance.
Much in line with the tradition, Thomas Richard, Managing Director
of Spinworkz Pte Ltd, presented a perspective of the Awards
2019 initiative- the numbers, combinations, judges, the company
methodology etc.
Ram Bhavanashi, Spinworkz’s Editor for India & Middle East Region,
and Director of Shyamindira Media Networks, which is a new start-up,
and Co-Organizer of SIIA 2019 felicitated the event’s Partners before
the Awards presentation took off.
Judges for this third edition included Owen Ellis, Chairman, AV Users
Group; Richard Morrision, ANZ Information and Communication
Technology Practice Lead, AECOM; Paul Cullum, Director, Asia-Pacific,
Vertex; and Chadi El KFoury, Founder-Director of Kuwait-based Smart
Entity Telecommunication System & Material Co.,WLL.
The 90-plus-minutes of SII Awards presentation – simply put – was a
journey through Celebration of AV Excellence. It was a very pleasant
and reassuring combination of some big-ticket winners, as well as
new fresh flavours, together offering the diversity that the Indian AV
industry symbolizes.
David Labuskes, CEO of AVIXA in his Closing Remarks to the event,
observed that it was a true celebration of AV excellence for its
expanse and spirit of participation. While congratulating the winners,
he exhorted the participating SIs to get inspired for tuning in for their
turn in the next, or near future editions.
“Every one of you (here) should feel proud of what AV is doing
to change the way people experience the world. That’s what we
celebrate tonight; that’s what we celebrate when we come together
as an industry, as a community,” Dave said. “Looking forward,
somebody in this room will win an award next year; or five or 10 years
in time; they would be looking at you, and the work you have done as
an inspiration for them,” he said. “An inspiration to drive our industry
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
 30
EVENT REVIEW

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION INDIA 2019 AWARDS

AWARD CATEGORY SEGMENT WINNER PROJECT
₹ 1 Crore to 5 Crore Government Lux & Decibels Son et Lumiere at Sri Varasiddihi
Vinayaka Swamy Varit Temple at Kanipakam
₹ 5 Crore to 10 Crore Government Bharat Radio Centre SITC of Audio Video System for UP Vidhan Parishad,
Lucknow
₹ 10 Crore & Above Government AV Science &
Technologies Pvt Ltd NASC, ICAR, Pusa, New Delhi
₹ 1 Crore to 5 Crore Education Collaboration & AV Design and Build for Global Indian
Communication Pvt Ltd International School
LESS THAN ₹ 1 Crore Corporate Actis Technologies Pvt Ltd Covestro – Navi Mumbai
₹ 5 Crore to 10 Crore Corporate Online Instruments
(India) Pvt Ltd Amazon HYD13 Multipurpose Hall – Cafeteria
₹ 10 Crore & Above Corporate AV Integration
Distribution (India) Pvt Ltd Large Global Institute
₹ 1 Crore to 5 Crore Entertainment Guardian Media & Multimedia Laser and Fountain Show – Swadesh
Entertainment Pvt Ltd Darshan Project
₹ 10 Crore & Above Entertainment Pyramid Technologies 3D Projection Mapping and Laser Show at
Statue of Unity, Gujarat

forward; an inspiration (to perhaps take a chance they wouldn’t
have taken), to track talent…We at AVIXA – having joined Thomas &
Ram for this prestigious platform – share the obligation to help the
industry move forward.”
THE SIIA 2019 AWARDS:
As if taking the right cue from the auspicious Ganesha Vandana in the
beginning of the event, the first Award of SIIA 2019 evening was won
by a project of grand AV weaving around the sacred Kaanipakkam
Vara Siddhi Vinayaka temple in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
The Government Segment project with the budget range between ₹1
crore and ₹ 5 crore was a design-build credential of Chennai-based SI
firm Lux and Decibels. The Award was announced and presented by
Richard Yang, General Manager at AOTO Display Business Group, to
Shiva Pillai, Managing Director of Lux and Decibels.
Second Award of the evening too was a record of sorts- with the
Lucknow-based Bharat Radio Centre making a hat-trick of Awards
with its prestigious AV deployment at Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Parishad
in Lucknow winning the Best Application of AV in Government
Segment with a budget range ₹ 5 crore - ₹ 10 crore.
Amidst wide cheers of applause, Epson India General Manager for
Visual Products Harish A K presented the Award to Vikram Sabharwal
of BRC.
The Best Application of AV in Government Segment with Premium
Range of ₹ 10 crore and above has been won by the New Delhi-based
AV Science Technologies for their excellence of AV deployment at the
National Agricultural Science Complex of Indian Council of Agricultural
Research in New Delhi.
The Award was presented to Gopiram Malik, Managing Director of
AVST by Yual Kramer, Director-Audio from Kramer Electronics. While
this project had its AV design done by the Bengaluru-based 3CDN
Workplace Tech Private Limited its Managing Director Mradul Sharma
could not make it to the event. (It was later handed over to him in his
office in Bengaluru.)
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
Another record for this year’s Awards was the Education Segment, as
it scored its first Award with the ESCO Group concern and Mumbai-
based Collaboration and Communication Technologies (COLCOM)
making a winning entry in the budget range between ₹1 crore and ₹5
crore.
Brian Cao, Absen Holdings (Hong Kong)’s Director of Sales for Asia-
Pacific did the honours of Award presentation to COLCOM’s Vice-
President Soheb Siddiqui for their AV design& build project at Global
Indian International School.
Next in line was the Entertainment Segment that had competition in
two segments. In the budget category ranging between ₹1 crore and
₹5 crore, the Award was won by Guardian Media and Entertainment
Pvt Ltd for their stunning multimedia and laser show at India’s first
saline water multimedia laser show at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
The honours of presenting this Award was taken by Logitech
Electronics India’s Country Head & Director-Video Collaboration
V Srinivas Rao, while the Award was received by K Eeshwar of
Rhino Engineers who had done the AV design consultancy for the
project. The firm’s Managing Director Narendra Naidu received the
Consultant’s Award from Ram Bhavanashi, Shyamindira’s Director and
SIIA’s Co-Organizer.
The premium category Award of ₹10 crore and above in
Entertainment Segment was one by the big-ticket project of Statue
of Unity at Sardar Sarowar dam executed by Pyramid Technologies.
Christie Digital India’s National Sales Manager Rishubh Nayar had the
honours of presenting the Award to Pyramid’s first couple- Ajay and
Aarti Parwanay.
The Corporate Segment had a stiff competition in three segments.
The starting budget category of less than ₹ 1 crore project Award was
won by Actis Technologies for their integration expertise at polymer
major Convestro India’s Navi Mumbai establishment.
The Award was presented to Sachin Prabhudesai and Sukrut Parb
of Actis by Shivanand Mahashetti, MD of Online Instruments, the
Promoting Company of Logic Displays.
 32
EVENT REVIEW

Consultant Awards
AWARD CATEGORY SEGMENT WINNER PROJECT
₹ 1 Crore to 5 Crore ENTERTAINMENT RHINO ENGINEERS PVT Multimedia Laser and Fountain Show – Swadesh
LIMITED Darshan Project
₹ 10 Crore & Above GOVERNENT HEWSHOTT INTERNATIONAL Large Global Institute
₹ 10 Crore & Above CORPORATE 3CDN WORKPLACE 3D Projection Mapping and Laser Show at
TECH PVT LTD Statue of Unity, Gujarat
This segment did have an entry with a budget range between ₹1 Sr. Director for India & Sri Lanka.
crore and ₹ 5 crore, however, the principle of average percentage
The project had the design consultancy rendered by Hewshott
points weren’t enough to win the Award for the SI. The next level
International, and the Award was presented by Green Sources
project under the same segment was one by Benglauru-based SI
Managing Director Swadesh Khetawat to AVID itself, on behalf of
Online Instruments (India) Pvt Ltd, while the Award was presented to
Hewshott, as the Consultant could not make it to the event.
Shivanand Mahashetti by beyerdynamic CEO Edgar van Velzen.
The third edition SII Awards, has therefore, launched the excellence of
The Premium range (₹ 10 crore) project Award in this segment
Indian AV onto a new horizon of celebration.
was won by Bengaluru-based AV Integration Distribution (AVID);
the Award for the same was presented to AVID’s Director Mahua Watch out for SIIA 2020.
Mukhopadyay by Harman International (India)’s Prashant Govindan, www.siindiaawards.com

Rhino Engineers Lux&Decibels AV Science Technologies

JUDGES COMMENT

“It is gratifying to see in India a vibrant and

active AV industry which produces such
excellent and diverse projects. I could see
that all contestants had exerted all efforts
to provide successful customer-oriented
solutions overcoming many challenges.
Without doubt every contestant deserved
Pyramid Tech to be selected for competing for honors in Bharat Radio Centre
this prestigious award programme”.

“Judging performances and efforts from

a remote vantage point is never an easy
task. I am certain that the true nature of
the work process with all its contribution
components to reach a successful handover
to an appreciative customer can never be
captured in such detail that would be more
deserved”.
Guardian Media COLCOM

AVID Online Instruments Actis Tech

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Integrate 2019: Interviews from the Show Floor

There was a 7% increase in visitorship to Integrate 2019 held in Melbourne compared to when it was held in the same city in 2017. A total
of 6,764 visitors attended the three day exhibition with almost half of them visiting the exhibition for the first time. Impressively 40% of the
attendees were end-users. Needless to say exhibitors were satisfied with the outcome. SI Asia walked the show floor and spoke to some of
the key exhibitors.

avt Creates a HARMAN Experience Conceptualised by avt, the JBL

Sound Experience room had
Centre at Integrate 40 different JBL loudspeakers,
powered by 40 Crown DCi
and CDi amplifier channels,
controlled with BSS Digital
System Processors running Dante
and Harman BLU-Link for digital
audio distribution, programmed
and operated using Harman
Audio Architect with a wireless touch screen user interface.

Also on display were the latest releases from AKG including the
DMS 2.4GHz Digital Wireless Microphones and CBL conferencing
microphones with user selected pickup patterns; from BSS the 555
four room Conferencing Processor, and JBL Blue-tooth connected
commercial amplifiers.
It might sound dramatised but the HARMAN room on the top floor of
the Melbourne Convention centre was every bit more an Experience
Centre than a demo space.

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

More than just a pretty face

For more information on TurboRay, visit

highend.com/turboray

etcconnect.com | highend.com

etcconnect.com | highend.com
 36
TRADESHOW - REVIEW

Benjamin Page, Brand Ambassador,

Harman Professional Audio for avt
Exterity Confident of Continued Growth
comments, “The idea behind the SI Asia had a brief chat with Jamie Hind, Regional Director, Asia
room is to get the end-user around Pacific for Exterity on the Integrate show floor about the ANZ market
the product in a way that they would and its strategies.
be doing that themselves in their
“The Australia and
own space. So instead of us say
New Zealand market
sending a product to them to have
for Exterity is now
a play within their own back room,
fairly robust and
we are inviting them to come in here
resilient. It’s one that
and play with all of them, pick a track
we’ve been in for a
and have a listen to it. Feel it and be
while now and we see
organic around it. They can even see
consistent year-on-
how the speakers are mounted to the
year growth. I think
wall and how it all comes together to
that’s due to our high-
make the system work. We have a huge range of speakers in the room
quality products and
and they are all wired. Every speaker in the room is connected so you
also our relationships
can select any loudspeaker and compare it to the other loudspeaker
with the system
or decide on different combinations of either full range boxes with
integration teams
subwoofers or for comparison between each individual subwoofer.
we work with. We’ve
We’ve selected a lot of products that are relative to daily use case
also invested heavily
scenarios. So in everyday scenarios of boardrooms or function spaces
in local pre and post-
or small performance spaces or even stadia, there’s a representation
sales support.
of all those boxes in this room and also all the amplification that you
would use in each application and all the control processing as well. We’ve very much
gone with the idea of investing in service. So, we not only want to
We also got the EASE software on demonstration. This is to highlight
innovate by product, but also innovate by service and make sure
that if a client comes to us and they’re looking at a particular project
that the service we deliver to our partners is second to none. We see
or particular design, we can help them on the journey of their
manufacturers in the same disciplines as us as reducing the number
modelling design.
of local staff or not having any direct presence in the market at all;
Our microphone segment in this room allows visitors to choose a we’re actually investing in people to make sure we deliver the service
microphone and listen through the headphones. All this is quite a bit expected of us. It’s important for people to know that there is local
of work. This is the first time we have done this at Integrate. It took expertise to help them if they need it. There are six of us managing
three of us 36 hours and about a kilometre of loudspeaker cables on the ANZ market.
top of other network cabling to create this Experience room.
From an HQ perspective, innovation is constant, and the roadmap
Visitors to the room could walk around with a programmed touch is growing all the time. As examples, our solutions now integrate
panel to select any speaker to listen to. It is truly meant to help the with meeting room booking systems and offer support for built-in
visitor experience the speakers in its totality.” Chromecast with Sony and now Philips. We are also working on
www.avt.tech point-of-sale system integration. Overall, we are in a strong position
to deliver digital signage and IPTV into many vertical markets across
the region. We are already seeing our solutions penetrating more
in military, government, corporate and stadiums. We’re deploying
systems to casinos now too and that’s helping us grow in Asia. The
cost-effective ‘high availability’ features that we’ve included to enable
resilient and redundant system architectures have also contributed to
our growth.

From a regional perspective, different markets are at different stages

of their IP and other technology adoption, so we’re spending a lot of
time and effort in educating those markets by meeting with end users,
consultants and system integrators. The remit for the team is to spend
time and ensure that, when we do installations, everybody is happy.

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

MAKING DEEPER CONNECTIONS

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TRADESHOW - REVIEW

That is an important part of what we do. You can’t sell a solution The award-winning Christie MicroTiles LED, launched early this year to
and then walk away; we need to make sure that we are around and critical acclaim actually makes its Asia Pacific debut at Integrate 2019.
supporting people technically and commercially in the long term.” The MicroTiles LED with Christie’s proprietary QuickMount system
www.exterity.com eliminates alignment challenges typically associated with installing
LED by using precisely-machined mounting sheets and wall anchors
that can be easily installed onto nearly any surface. Proprietary
Christie Continues to Shows its Strength cabinet-free Click-n-Go LED tiles can be arranged in near-limitless
ways that let users build their display in virtually any shape or size.
with its Latest Solutions
Smaller, brighter, more powerful, and more flexible, MicroTiles
Michael Bosworth, Executive
LED delivers P3 colour space, fully compliant HDR-10 and patented
Director, Head of Enterprise,
software that keeps the wall calibrated at 97 percent or greater
Asia Pacific, Christie Digital
uniformity. As a direct view LED, it is easily viewable from different
gives a brief run-down of
angles. As a modular system, the modules are hot swappable. If
Christie’s business in Australia
one fails, you just pull it out and replace it. The modules always lock
and what was shown at the
exactly to the same place every time. Once clicked on, the module
show floor.
finds its own IP address, turns itself on, recolours and adjusts to be in
“We have been consistent sync with the rest of the modules.
in our strengths of providing
www.christiedigital.com
products and platforms that
are used in the public spaces
such as projection mapping,
museums and those kind
Gearing up to Taking Barco Ecosystem to
of projects. I think we can a Wider Audience
probably accurately say that
we’ve got the lion’s share of
the market for the Conference Centers in Australia. We have to thank
the Melbourne Convention Center for once again investing in our
platforms as well as the Brisbane Convention Center and the Adelaide
Convention Centre who have also trusted the Christie projection
platform.

We’re also seeing more emphasis on ways people are manipulating

images. So our Pandora Box sales have started to increase along
with the video processing products. In relation to our three-chip
projectors, Christie’s demonstrates its expertise in the way that
we can bend, blend or stretch and fit projective images to actually
fit whatever application requires, this is illustrated on the many
projection mapping events that our projection and image processing
products are used on. An example of this would be Christie has been
selected as the projection partner for the 2020 Expo in Dubai where
they’ve ordered 250 of our latest product the D4K40-RGB which is our
single chassis pure laser product. We are obviously very proud of that
particular achievement. It shows our strengths and what the company
is known for – high brightness with very good colour saturation.
At Integrate we of course have the D4K40-RGB which is our flagship
laser projector and the MicroTiles LED featuring the P3 colour gamut
that offers high contrast and colour saturation. Complementing the
projectors and LED are our image processing Pandora Box software
and Terra video distribution signal that allows us to send video signals
through the internet. We are also showing our second-generation
single chip which is a laser phosphor product.
Newly minted Managing Director for Australia, Claudio Cardile, was
only 8 weeks into his appointment at Integrate when SI Asia spoke
to him to share his thoughts and plans relating to Barco’s Australian
operation.
My appointment to the Australian operation is to support the new
direction and journey that Barco’s embarking on. For us, the business
is evolving in terms of not just our solutions to customer’s but also
our go-to market strategies and our business models. We are still
heavily involved in the traditional spaces such as the control room
market, rental and staging but for us now the solutions that are
being created, can essentially be called the Barco ecosystem that
really resonates into the fixed install market. Barco has commenced
engagement with end customers including education, government,
and key enterprise customers. Equally important are the associated

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TRADESHOW - REVIEW

stakeholders or influencers such as the consulting community
and system integrators. We have traditionally played in specific
markets but we’re evolving in terms of having solutions across many
applications within the market, addressing system integrator channels
and creating that network to facilitate not only the sales component,
but the commissioning and ongoing support.
DeWitt is really driving commercial initiatives about shaping and
morphing our business. So for me personally, he is amplifying what
we want to achieve globally as a company and really have Barco as a
standout from the perspective of us as a technology company and a
partner that you can trust. We provide solutions to support, and we
are responsive to market insights and market feedback.

With regards to the approach from a structural perspective Barco
has created regional business units. We have the region of North
America, Europe and we are in Asia-Pacific. We’ve got a structure
now with Olivier Croly who is our senior VP for Asia Pacific in regional
headquarters that provides product group leaders support, marketing,
engineers and then extending out within each country. So we’re still
investing in each country resources.
We want to have the support in terms of administration, service,
which is really critical and we are bolstering our support programs
here. It’s expanding on what we’ve already achieved in the mission
critical customer base. We’ve got the control room customers,
we’ve got the staging and events customers where obviously it is
mission critical because it’s a show, it’s a live event and now taking
that and having the structure that we have and expanding on the
fixed install market. That’s certainly a much wider audience that we
need to address, and we are targeting specific verticals, in general
the enterprise market, but certainly we’re looking at education,
government and then specifically in particular verticals such as
banking and finance. So very much gearing up to taking the Barco
ecosystem to a wider audience.
Tell us a bit more about the Australia operations.
Barco Australia is a long-standing organization here in Australia and
what they have here are innovated in terms of what they’re delivered
to market, which has actually received some accolades from our
overseas offices and our head office. The business has been quite
consistent. I looked at the last five years and it’s been consistent over
certainly what we’ve seen as market opportunities for growth and if
you look at some of the solutions, if we look at collaboration space,
we’re still innovating with new solutions to Market.
Our focus of addressing pain points - that is our strength. So receiving
the feedback and delivering. It’s one of our core strategies in focusing
on the solution outcomes.
The main office is in Melbourne where we have part of the sales
team, sales engineers, administration and warehousing service. We
also have a Sydney office which has both sales and service service
capability as well. We certainly have an aspiration to grow and we
certainly have some some ambitious targets over the next two years
and with that we look to invest in the operation and growing sales
support service.

We are still very much customer-centric, but then looking at the We of course will continue with our engagement process by hosting
supply chain from the perspective of influencers, the Consultants, the specialists in particular vertical segments, as well as AV consultants
system integrators and getting their support in terms of advocating and of course the channels. Getting our message across and what we
Barco and why Barco. offer as part of the Barco ecosystem.

Our mission statement is still the same in terms of us enabling www.barco.com

broader outcomes from that perspective. Our strategy is still core to
what we do, based on region, based on operation, and individuals.
We lead by Innovation and we drive performance, look at delivering
outcomes and solutions and the big piece to our organization is
sustainability as well. So that’s people and that’s environment. We
also have a corporate social responsibility. We have some ambitious
targets in terms of carbon footprint and so forth from a sustainable
system. We’ve got our values which resonates with what the staff do
regardless of sales, service and installation.

Is there a personal goal for yourself?

As you know I have been with the organisation less than 8 weeks
but I can say that for me it is really to amplify the brand Barco and
what’s our value that we bring to market. What are the pain points
that we address in the marketplace, you know in meeting rooms, in
collaboration and active learning and Barco whilst at the heart is an
engineering company, it has certainly transformed over the last two
or three years. We have a leadership team, our global CEO, Young

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

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IFI 2019: Integrating Technolgy Experience

From Excellent Thing to Exceptional Zing by Ram Bhavanashi

YES. InfoComm India 2019 – the seventh edition of India’s largest professional audio-visual industry platform – sought to push the
envelope up. The game changing proposition it had made in the preceding edition has apparently evolved to an elevated proposition
that integrates technology experiences further up- the way people experience the world around through technology.

Organized at its regular venue of Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai from 18-20 September, the event – with its growing numbers
– sought to prove a point or two in that direction. An SIA perspective:

‘This exhibition is always fascinating; it never fails to capture the
imagination of their subjects.’
That was a passing remark of two seemingly seasoned visitors walking
through the aisles of the event. That, perhaps, reflected the mood of
the visitors that generically appeared ranting the air at the InfoComm
India 2019 exhibition.
Seventh in the row, the three-day convention and exhibition –
organized at the Bombay Exhibition Centre from 18-20 September
– primarily lived upto its reputation of bettering its preceding edition,
and then sought to push the envelope further up. Admittedly, the
show had most of the things an exhibitor or a visitor could ask for,
as it had the numbers and time for both of them. For, it had for the
visitors what appeared a nicely balanced mix of technology solutions
from both audio and video domains, dished out by as many as 200
exhibitors coming from over 20 countries, besides those technology-
simplified seminar sessions while for the exhibitors, the Organizers
ensured the show floor has some serious sizeable footfalls, including a
largest contingent from Higher Education segment comprising India’s
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
top 35 Universities.
Look at the array of offerings that the show presented:
• An AV Forum technology session – for the first time – as prelude
to the convention
• As many as 86 ‘new-to-market’ products or technology solutions
stretching the whole big spectrum of AV-ICT, and allied industries
• Some of those being global launches reflected the growing stakes
of Indian AV on global stage
• While Bart Kresa’s now-signature 3D sculpture Sviatovid created
a new experience, the experience is given altogether new,
elevated and Indiazined expression by AVijit Samajdar’s 3D
genius on Incredible Threads of India
• More incredible products like pocket-sized PCs
• Over a dozen new exhibitors including Absen, Adtechno, AOTO,
AWAN India, BOE, ClearOne, d&b audiotechnik, Genelec, Globus
 44
TRADESHOW - REVIEW

Infocom, Leyard, Liberty,
Peerless AV, Taiden, Vivitek
etc. from mainstream ProAV,
and
had a very good experience with the crowd,” said Wasat Hussain, the
Product Manager – VP at Epson India Pvt Ltd.
Integrating (Technology) Experiences

• ACT Power, Bluestream,

Eyeviz, Hyundai-IT-VDS,
Jabra, Kripa Electronics,
NVincy, Newline Interactive,
Partilink, PlayAV, Vivaldi, Williams AV from allied industry
streams

• New business deals- meaning new technology pathways into

Indian AV While experiencing technology has been the common attribute for
• A good 17 per cent increase in visitor numbers that included the show, it appeared to take the proposition further up to create
a single largest contingent from Higher Education segment ‘integrated experiences.’ This is arguably best exemplified by two
comprising India’s top 35 Universities, 3D projection mapping creations: one- at the Modern Stage Service
booth- done by noted 3D projectionist Bart Kresa with his Sviatovid
• AND more… human head sculpture; and the other at the Epson booth- done by
It was pleasantly notable to find the visitor composition at the show Avijit Samajdar of AXIS 3D Studio, who technologically wove the
this time comprised a wide spectrum of end-user verticals, besides grand Indian textile heritage with 3D projection. (Read separate box:
AV and IT channel representatives. According to InfoComm Asia Pte ‘Incredible (Technology) Theards’ Woven on InfoComm India Show
Ltd, the Organizers of the Show, as much as 50 per cent of the visitor Floor)
footfalls comprised those from End User communities. While these two
A case in a point is provided by Public Works Department (PWD) of appeared to hog a larger
Government of Madhya Pradesh who came searching for LED wall limelight, there have
solutions for their Command and Control Centres being created as been other equally
part of their Smart City initiatives. The State Government – having significant demos as well-
recently become the first Indian State to commission what it called justifying the integrated
Integrated Command and Control Centre to connect and monitor experiences. Swedish
all its seven Smart Cities (in the State) – is apparently scouting media technology
the technology landscape for its Smart City solutions. (Read this solutions major Dataton
separately in the NEWS couumn, P.18) – stepping onto the IFI
show floor directly for the
“What also impressed me was the Smart Classrooms featuring
first time – demonstrated,
interactive video conference that allow teachers to teach in remote
amongst other exhibits,
locations where accessibility is an issue and there is a lack of good
the sensational Adiyogi project which is a first-of-its-kind projection
teachers available,” Chandra Prakash Agrawal, the Chief Technical
mapping install in India, if not beyond.
Examiner of MPPWD, said. “Such technology can also be used in the
medical field and allow better access for doctors to diagnose and That’s not all. The IFI show floor did have a notable number of exciting
treat patients remotely. I am very impressed by the show and the things, some of which were global launches- signifying the growing
exhibitor’s showcase,” he commended. “I saw many new technologies stakes of Indian AV in global fare. Some of those include:

for the first time.” • Aurora Multimedia launched their

Ashok GD Datta, AGM of Security at
the Bank of India observed: “InfoComm
India has allowed us to link-up with
manufacturers and attain relevant
quotations.”
InfoComm India 2019 in Numbers
newest, next-generation huddle
• No. of Exhibitors: >200
room solution AirShare-100, that
• No. of Countries represented: >20
boasts many industry firsts
• No. of New-to-Market solutions: >80
• No. New Exhibitors: >25 • ProAudio giant Yamaha launched
• No. of total Visitors: 11532 (17% up) their latest all-in-one portable PA

“There was a lot of interest in the use • No. Technical Sessions: 74 system Stagepas IK for the first time

of projection mapping in education and • No. of Sessions Attendees: 2512 to an exhibition on a global scale

people were
asking us how to use projection
mapping in real-life applications. We
HIGHLIGHTS: 3D Projection mapping; NextGen LEDs; • ProAudio major Bose Professional
Digital Signage, Meeting Room Solutions; Microphone launched, probably, the widest
Arrays; Steerable Microphones; 8K-ready Switcher & basket of speaker solutions ever in
more… one single go

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

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TRADESHOW - REVIEW

• Indian LED solutions enterprise Logic Displays launched a new ever launch of product outside of USA, and Europe.” According to
fascinating solution- Estilo intelligent LED him, the AS-100 is practically an integration of a bundle of superlative
experiences.
More, there was a particular Indian-global connect on the show floor
to see. Yamaha Corporation had its own share
of honour in this area at IFI this time,
• Emerging Indian AV technology solutions enterprise NVincy
with its first exhibition outing of the
launched its latest CMS solution, besides bringing MultiBrackets’
STAGEPAS 1K- an all-in-one portable
motorised ceiling mount
PA system that allows users to quickly
• Leading Indian LED solutions provider Xtreme Media made a big and easily transform any location into
splash with its collaboration with Chinese intelligent interfacing a stage. Delivering professional level
solutions leader BOE Technology audio performance with a setup so
• Another fast-growing Indian ProAV solutions provider EIS simple it enables aspiring artists to
TechInfra Solutions broke new ground with its collaboration with focus on their music and get the most
French high-end ProAV gear manufacturer Analog Way, besides out of their performances.
many others According to Yamaha’s Manager
Besides these, there has been a host of exciting solutions brought in PreSales Harisha G N, the STAGEPAS 1K
by global majors, following their launches primarily at ISE/InfoComm surpasses other portable PAs with the
Orlando, or commercial roll outs before IFI. Notable among those highest standard of sound quality and sound pressure, lightweight
were: cabinet design, professional mixing functions, and simple operability.
By adopting a concert-quality mixer and speaker, they have defined a
• Absen ICON C-138 LED video wall new standard for portable PA by utilizing Yamaha’s unique experience
• AOTO curved LED video wall and know-how developed over decades of producing innovative,
professional audio equipment.
• Peerless AV Indoor Portrait Kiosk
Bose Professional too sought to make a record of sort when it
• Genelec Smart IP platform
launched a whole big new range of DesignMax loudspeakers that offer
• Elite Group’s pocket-size PC the flexibility and style to deliver outstanding audio and aesthetics
for commercial spaces. With ten loudspeakers and two subwoofers
• Audio-Technica hanging microphone
to choose from – including ceiling-mounted, surface-mounted,
• ClearOne Beamforming Microphone Array ceiling tile and outdoor-rated options – it’s easy to create tailored DesignMax
systems for any application, large or small.
• Sennheiser’s TeamConnect Ceiling 2, AND more…
DesignMax loudspeakers range from 2-inch low-profile models to
Aurora Multimedia India scored a very prideful point in that it
8-inch high-SPL compression-driver loudspeakers. All models deliver
got their AirShare-100 Huddle Room solution almost straight from
Aurora’s R&D lab in the USA, even before it was to be readied for a
planned promo. While it is said to be the world’s first Huddle Room
solution that is PoE-powered, thereby staying free of all external
power supplies, it is an ensemble of many industry firsts. For, it
packages four-each wired, wireless, and built-in mini control systems,
besides a combination of VGA
Input for legacy devices on
instantly impressive sound, with no EQ or DSP required. Enabling
one hand, and 4K scaled HDMI
Bose EQ voicings on select Bose digital sound processors and smart
Output for 4K60 4:4:4. The
amplifiers provides even better sound. SmartBass processing can
system allows user to choose
also be enabled to deliver enhanced sound at any listening level.
and switch between wired
Elegant form factor surface enclosures, sleek, minimum-bezel grilles,
and wireless ports seamlessly
removable logos, and attractive styling allow DesignMax loudspeakers
creating tremendous
to blend with any décor.
flexibility.
“We have been very aggressive in ProAudio space; now we want
Says Nataraju Upputuri,
to get aggressive in ProAV,” affirms Vibhor Khanna, Nantional Sales
Director at Aurora Multimedia
Manager. “The DesignMax can integrate unique experiences, in tune
India: “we, as Aurora
with the space and décor.”
Multimedia India team, are
super excited with our first

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‘Incredible (Technology) Threads’ Woven on InfoComm India Show Floor

The expression of Integrating
Experiences at the InfoComm India
2019, perhaps, found one of its best
interpretations at two places: At the
Modern Stage Service (MSS World)
booth – which brought the noted
3D projection mapping exponent
Bart Kresa’s Sviatovid human head
sculpture – and EPSON India booth
– where Indian 3D projection genius
Avijit Samajdar (AXIX 3D Studio)
wowed the visitors with his weaving
of ‘Incredible Threads of India.’ An
incredible match indeed!
The Sviatovid – as the 3600 projection mapping glitz of human
scalp is named – first greeted the AV industry at ISE early this
year, and travelled through the Polish city of Lubin, followed by
InfoComm Orlando, and New York, before coming to InfoComm
India – was not exactly 3600; it was a 2700 mapping, but with a
difference. The difference is that one quarter of Sviatovid stood
atop a stage flanked by many mirrors in a new 2700 projection
mapping. For the first time, in its journey of seven months and
five cities, the Sviatovid made the visitors an involuntary part
of the creation- as the dazzle of the mirror multitude reflected
the visitors into itself- there by creating an incredibly fanciful
experience.
square blocks,
flanked by two
mannequins of
women, and the
set-up is faced by
three 8000-lumen
3-LCD projectors by
EPSON.
The map of India, with clear demarcation of each State, is
programmed on to the central curvature screen. Each of the
States keep on popping out regularly, and every time a State pops
up, the textile tradition of the respective State wraps around the
(female) mannequins on either side. This is done by means of UV
programming (Unwrapped Vertices).
“There are two important things here,” says Avijit. “One- we
wanted to highlight the richness of Indian heritage, and its
continued relevance with the contemporary world; two- highlight
the immensity of the possibilities in 3D projection mapping,”
he explains. “And what better way than the grand Indian textile
tradition to showcase this blend?”
According to him, Indian textiles are as grand and ethnic as
contemporary they are keeping in pace with the vogue. This,
when highlighted by means of technological brilliance, the
experience is simply wowing- as had been the case with most
visitors to the booth.

Bart continued to use Panasonic DLP projectors for his work.
The Incredible Thread of India 3D projection – on the other
hand – had very distinctively Indian emotion to it. With a view
to ‘projecting three-dimensional visual of India’s rich cultural
heritage, Avijit chose the grand Indian textile tradition as matrix
of his subject matter.
The hardware component of the 3D showcase here comprised
a central concave curvature screen, with protruding miniature
“We drive home the message of immensity,” says Avijit, “both
in terms of Indian heritage and immersive experience with
technology.”
Interestingly, the software component for both these creations
is by Dataton WatchOut/WatchPax media servers. Says
Ashok Sharma, Regional Director-SAARC for Dataton: “These
creations prove the immensity of experiences technology can
weave around people. We pride being part of such integrating
experiences.”

Logic Displays – the LED solution brand of Online Instruments –

launched a brand new product Estilo that promises to combine the
best of interactivity and efficiency to offer a much more live and
involving experiences to customers. Said to be a blend of powerful
vision and intelligence the super large display comes with a cinematic
viewing angle, and can be used in conference rooms, lecture halls,
multipurpose halls, multimedia rooms and studios.

The beauty of the display is that it is capable of integrating with video

conferencing and collaborating; the smart flat panel is compatible
with Android, MacOS/Ios and Windows, making the presentations
simple and impressive. It can be switched from one screen to multiple aspects of a presentation while seamlessly combining it and making
number of screens where the user can simultaneously display various it one. The best part of the displays, however, is its auto-adjustable

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screen brightness from 600nits to 800nits according to the ambient (PoE), the Genelec technology platform includes a proprietary internal
lighting. power supply that delivers much higher SPLs than was previously
possible via any conventional PoE- a world’s first feature.
Bengaluru-based AVIT solutions developer/distributor NVincy
Solutions debuting at the show, showcased Signage Web digital Mounting solutions major Peerless AV was another pleasantly exciting
content management system (CMS) it developed in collaboration with proposition at the IFI. The British company essentially highlighted
a European company. Say the NVincy Director duo of Mohammed two exhibits among its offerings: the award-winning mounting
Haaris and Saugato Siddhanta “the Signage Web CMS is developed to solutions alongside the KIPC2555-EUK Indoor Portrait Kiosk, and
provide users with simple and straightforward tools to build complex, the SmartMount Supreme full-service video wall mount with quick
dynamic and powerful content without the need for expensive release.
custom development.”
The KIPC2555-EUK kiosk features
an aesthetically pleasing curved
design and is fully customisable for
indoor self-service, advertising and
wayfinding applications in corporate,
retail, QSR, transportation, hospitality
settings, and beyond. It also supports
the latest ultra-thin displays and
touchscreen panels ranging from 40”-
55” and measuring less than 101mm
(4”) deep.

The DS-VW775-QR SmartMount, on

the other hand, is designed with the
Powered by three essential components of Control Panel, Sever, and
needs of integrators and end users
Palyers, the Singage Web is said to differ from others by its drag-and-
in mind. It offers innovative, time-
drop Content Editor, animation of Elements, easy-to-connect Live Data
saving installation features, including
Integration, interactive content without HTML coding, and API tool
tool-less micro adjustment, easy hang
for custom application, besides compatibility with Android, Windows,
wall plate for an effortless one-person
BrightSign, LG, and Samsung displays.
install, quick release mechanism and
“This is our global launch,” prided the NVincy Directors, “it integrates reusable spacers for both portrait and landscape applications.
many things into one.” According to them, Indian AV market today has
Hot, Hotter, Hottest…
global connects; the launching here makes for a strong launchpad for
scaling international markets. For some time now, the global markets have been witnessing some
intense, somewhat intriguing, technology bouts- particularly in
NVincy also launched new motorized ceiling mount 32”-55” from
the arenas of LEDs, hanging microphones with steerable picku-up,
MutliBrackets, an ideal mount for TV installations in homes, offices,
beamforming microphone array ceiling tile, not to speak of the
schools or stores. With a flexibility to fold screens down or up -75°- 0°,
1G-10G. InfoComm India was no exception to this.
this under the cabinet/ ceiling mount includes a locking system to
keep the screen in position. As many as six LED players – with as many as five new entrants –
took to the IFI show floor. Absen Holdings (Hong Kong) Company
That aside, Finnish audio giant Genelec launched in Indian market its
highlighted its debut at the show with its iCon C-138 all-in-one
unique open IP networking technology platform. Aimed specifically at
FinePitch 4k/UltraHD LED display that is ideal for conference rooms,
installation market, the open-IP solution promises to deliver power,
reception areas and auditoria where multiple screens can be shared
audio, scalable loudspeaker system configuration, supervision and
via WiFi or Bluetooth while Shenzhen AOTO Electronics – with a fairly
calibration features via a single standard CAT5 cable.
large booth space – highlighted what it called the world’s only curved
According to Arun Kumar, LED video wall solution.
Genelec’s India Sales
“The other curved video walls on the market are LCDs, not LEDs”
Manager, this technology
remarked the AOTO representative on the booth. “Only AOTO makes
will be rolled out over
curved LED video walls.”
a range of Genelec’s
installed loudspeakers, Leyard Hong Kong International Co. Ltd. highlighted its product
commencing in Q4 of demos with what it called the world’s only tamper-free, impact-
this year. Based on IP resistant high contrast LED solution TWA 1.2 ERO-LED, as also the
and Power-over-Ethernet world’s only 100-inch 4K LCD display.

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Xtreme Media – collaborated with Chinese intelligent interfacing

solutions leader BOE Technology Group – to launch a new array of IFI Plays Place for True ‘Liberty’
LED solutions, besides its existing staple of LED video walls and kiosk
solutions.

Steerable pick-up, hanging microphones is another hot area. After

Clock Audio, ClearOne, and Biamp, it’s the turn of Audio-Techinca to
pitch its own version of hanging microphone solution- the ES954. The
four-capsule microphone promises to steer 360-degree to capture
voice from every person in the given environment, with the only
limitation being the capacity of the mixer and DSP in action.

Similar is the situation with Beamforming microphone array ceiling

tile. Even as the marketplace continues to be steamed with the
debate over ClearOne-Shure BMA-CT solutions, Sennheiser brought
into the game its TeamConnect Ceiling 2 solution for apparently
similar environment and applications. It was a big draw of enthusiasts
too on the show floor.

Big, Defining Deals

Two important business deals are among the defining developments
at the InfoComm India 2019:
• One- Xtreme Media’s strategic alliance with BOE
• Two- EIS TechInfra Solutions signing on Analog Way
While Xtreme Media created a big market buzz with a grand
programme on the second morning of IFI, EIS TechInfra made the
big move rather soft and silent. Given the strong positioning Analog
Way enjoys in the image processing solutions domain, and also given
the fast growing and sizeably big Rental & Staging market in India,
besides the ProAV, EIS opened a new vista for Indian ProAV as well as
Rental&Staging markets.
InfoComm India 2019 show, besides being the best of all
its preceding editions, apparently notched up a prideful
achievement. Liberty AV Solutions – the WESCO Distribution
LLC owned American AV gear OEM – debuted at the
InfoComm India this year, and is too happy to be ‘in the
happening place’ for a very special reason.
While the company had been shipping-supplying all its
products from its USA factories all the while, it’s been facing
what it called a ‘counterfeit’ product problem from an Indian
company. Now, its’ coming to the InfoComm show, it was able
to figure this out, and tried its best to prove it is the ‘original’
Liberty.

“It’s both pain and pleasure,” says Suresh Arumugam Pillai,

the company representative on the booth. “Practically every
second/third visitor to our booth asked me if we are the
same Indian company; that’s a pain,” he said. “I have been
explaining them what are we, and how the Indian company
is creating illusion in the market with similar products and
similar-looking LOGO. People seem to be now convinced, and
that’s a pleasure.”

EIS TechInfra Director Prakash DV with Tat Nam Yee, Analog Way AsiaPac
Business Development Manager
“Analog Way is a world-leading designer and manufacturer
of innovative equipment dedicated to the professional audio-
visual industry; associating with them will bring us those unique
competencies which are otherwise difficult to acquire,” said D V
Prakash, Director of EIS TechnInfra. “They engineer a wide range
of cutting-edge image processing solutions; they have developed
unique expertise in delivering uncompromising video presentation
experiences to high-end customers not just for the Rental & Staging
segment but also Corporate, Broadcast, Institutional, Higher
Education and House of Worship markets,” he explained. “Having
According to him, the Liberty AV Solutions sport a sprinter
logo, which has been cleverly morphed a bit by the
‘counterfeit’ company (SIA withheld the name) and selling
products as if they were the real Liberty material. He is both
piqued and delighted for two contrasting situations.
“Coming to InfoComm India show did help me dispel the false
impression,” said Arumugam.
Interestingly, even as Arumugam was explaining his pain, SIA
noticed at least two visitors coming to him asking “are you
the same company? I thought it is you, we buy many Liberty
things.”

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consolidated ourselves in the ProAV domain, we had been trying to boundary layer microphone; Kramer highlighted its 8K-ready 34-port
foray into Rental & Staging domain; our partnership with Analog Way VS34FD Matrix Switcher, besides their own version of Enterprise
will largely augment that initiative.” Room Booking Solution, and upgrades to the VIA platform.

Other Attractions… On the Green Sources booth, Liberty AV Solutions appeared to take
some good attention, alongside the Audio-Technica’s ES954 steerable
InfoComm India 2019 had a sizable number of new entrant attractions
microphone.
from exhibitors such as Digital Projection, Eyevis, Globus Infocom,
Logitech Electronics, and Newline. QSC showcased their QSC-Ecosystem solution while SunInfonet
showed Meyer Sound’s Ultra-X40 speakers, and Shure’s MXA-910
Globus Infocom attracted significant eye-balls essentially with what
ceiling microphone array.
was one of the largest booths on the show floor that was adorned by
its new launches such as 3D Science Lab, Digital Language Lab, and
Virtual Classroom, besides their innovative software solution Digital
Token System designed for banks, hospitals and rail stations.

Logitech Electronics highlighted its booth exhibits with its fancied TAP
solution aimed at Huddle Room video-conferencing environments.
The made-easy, installer-friendly and all-encompassing solution
comprises the Logitech Tap touch controller, a small form factor
computer, a room-optimized video conferencing software from
Google, Microsoft or Zoom, and a Logitech conference Cam.

The small room AV bundle includes Logitech MeetUp; the medium

room AV bundle includes Logitech Rally and Rally Mounting Kit; and
the large room AV bundle includes Logitech Rally Plus, Rally Mic Pod
Hub, and Rally Mounting Kit.
“Traditional AV controllers are expensive, and often require custom
programming by an AV specialist. While tablets are used in meeting
rooms because they’re affordable and can be installed by an IT
generalist, they have their own set of challenges,” says V Srinivas
Rao, Director-video collaboration at Logitech India and SW Asia. “We
wanted to simplify all this. Video conferencing in virtually any sized
room; hence theTap.”
The Regulars….
The regular IFI majors such as beyerdynamic, Christie, Delta, Green
Sources, Harman, Kramer, Panasonic, QSC, and Sun Infonet- all
continued from their respective previous show outings.
Beyerdynamic highlighted the Phonum, Christie projected its
40,000-lumen RealLaser, Harman launched for India its AKG CBL
Integrated Experiences…
The InfoComm India show did appear to be one, as there were one
too many technology experiences that were integrated to create
newer solutions, aimed at creating newer experiential environments.
Says Richard Tan, Executive Director of InfoCommAsia: “in tandem
with the growth of India as one of the most exciting emerging
economies in the world, InfoComm India has soared in seven years.
We are now well-known in India as the platform of choice amongst
exhibitors who want to tap into the promising Indian market, and
amongst business and organizations which want to plug into the latest
experiential technologies from the best companies in the world.”
A rightful assumption indeed!
InfoComm India returns in 2020, on 2-4 September to the same
venue.

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TPV Technology Showcases New Enterprise Philips
Professional Display Models at InfoComm India 2019
Visitors to InfoComm India witnessed five new Q-Line Philips
Professional Display models, targeted at the Enterprise segment.
The screen sizes included the 32-inch, 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch and
65-inch.
The five new models will intensify the signage experience with round
the clock priceless performance. They deliver startlingly clear images
with optimized 4K Ultra HD display. These displays are an innovative
solution for any signage application along with also being eco-friendly.
Using the android feature, customers can run their own app or choose
their favourite app to run. The CMS application lets the customer
take control of the displays and they can schedule what they want
and when they want with SmartPlayer. The SmartPower feature adds
an energy saving factor to the product line-up that enhances the
business functionality of the products.
Commenting on the participation and the new launches, Atul Jasra,
Business Head (India) - Philips branded Professional Display Solutions,
said, “The immense value proposition India holds in terms of business
for signage solutions is growing at a steady pace. In addition to
this, government initiatives such as Digital India have contributed
significantly to the industry. InfoComm India is a valuable opportunity
for us to engage with our existing customers and establish new
relationships by showcasing technologically advanced product range
and its impact on the sector. At TPV, our aim is to constantly provide
our customers with best-in-class products and we’re happy to be
present here.”
Q&A with Atul Jasra, Business Head (India)
Briefly who is TPV Technology India?
TPV is the world’s leading monitor, LED and LCD TV
manufacturer headquartered in Taipei.
TPV technology India Pvt. Ltd. is a subsidiary of the TPV group
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
and exclusively markets and sells Philips professional displays in
India. Philips professional display solutions was established in
2009 through a brand license agreement between TPV subsidiaries
(MMD & TP Vision) and Philips. Subsidiaries of TPV exclusively
market and sell Philips professional displays and Philips monitors
worldwide. By combining the Philips brand promise with TPV’s
manufacturing expertise in displays, TPV uses a fast and focused
approach to bringing innovative products to market. In India, TPV
India Pvt. Ltd., is headquartered in Gurugram.
What is TPV India’s business model for the Professional Display
segment?
We have regional distributors to cover all corners of India. For
very big projects we deal with the system integrators directly.
The reason being there will be better cost efficiency. Generally
distributors carry 49-inch screens and below. System Integrators
require screens that are 89-inch and larger. Thus we have this
flexible business model.
Having said that, I would like to highlight that 70% of the Pro
Display Market in India integrates displays that are below the
50-inch size with the 32-inch and 43-inch sizes being the most
prevalent.
How has TPV performed in terms of growth relating to
Professional displays?
I am pleased to say that we have seen continued growth of
between 10 to 15 percent. In terms of revenue we have been
growing 100% year-on-year between 2016-2017 and 2018 and
expect to finish off 2019 in the same manner. We currently hold
the number three position as far as the professional display market
share is concerned.

What is fuelling this growth?
One is the major digital push by the government. Complementing
that is the more stable power supply that is enabling growth in the
second and third tier cities. Data has also become more affordable
with better speeds. Consumers are also more technologically savvy.
Another key factor is the abundance of software suppliers in India.
These enables us to work with them to create a total solution for
customers. We are able to give the customers what they want be it
analytics, verification or interactive touch points.
When these elements come together, digital signage and
interactive displays play a more prominent role.
A perfect example of this is our supplying of displays to 3,500+
Nextgen Vakrangee Kendra outlets. With the customised software
embedded on our displays, information is controlled centrally with
our seamless cloud solution with real-time data being displayed
instantly.
How does TPV intend to keep up its growth momentum?
We offer various sizes, brightness and connectivity ports to meet
any requirement. More importantly we offer after sales service
effectively should it be needed. But what will help us with our
momentum is more about the relationships that we have built. We
ensure that we deliver on time with minimum fuss and that has
built confidence in our solutions.
In addition to continue to stay relevant we have released the
3110 Q Series, which is an entry level, all features display that has
been specifically tailor-made for the Indian market. Being a large
manufacturer offers us the ability to customise displays at a more
competitive cost and we are confident that these displays will
further our growth.
TPV Partners with Vakrangee to Provide Philips
Professional Displays across rural India
Philips Professional Displays have been installed at 3,500+ Nextgen
Vakrangee Kendra outlets spread across 19 states, 366 districts and
2,186 postal codes. More than 68% outlets are from Tier 5 and tier 6
cities.
In an effort to offer banking, financial and other Retail services to
India’s unserved and underserved population, TPV has partnered
with Vakrangee to provide Philips professional displays across 3,500
Next-gen Vakrangee Kendra outlets in India. The aim of the project
is to create a technology intensive distribution platform for last
mile retail touch points delivering services across Banking & ATM’s,
Insurance, e-Governance, e-Commerce, Financial services and
Logistic services on a real-time basis.
Running successfully and enabling digital content to reach the
deepest pockets of rural India, the Philips professional display
provides a seamless flow of information. Content is curated on
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a central display and is controlled at the Vakrangee head office in
Mumbai. This is implemented through technology-driven real-time
connectivity and intensifying the integration of BFSI Services.
Speaking about the association, Atul Jasra, Business Head (India)
- Philips branded Professional Display Solutions commented, “We
are happy that the Vakrangee management has trusted us for this
partnership for their pilot project. At TPV, we are always looking
at driving innovation and providing the best in class technology to
our consumers. Through this collaboration, we are not only giving
technology solutions to millions of Indians but also helping the
country leapfrog into an inclusive growth by providing the masses
with basic services which will help expand financial services to
the entire country. We look to the next phase of expansion with
Vakrangee, further supporting them to the best of our ability.”
Commenting on the same, Anil Khanna, Managing Director & Group
CEO at Vakrangee, stated “We are moving beyond the 2020 horizon
and expanding our canvas, exploring new opportunities for growth
and value creation. Firstly, our objective is to significantly deepen
our physical presence on a larger scale. Our primary aim is to ensure
that there is a Vakrangee Kendra outlet within walking distance of
each citizen, no matter where he or she lives. This will be made
possible with the support from our partners such as Philips. With the
installation of Philips Professional Displays’s in the Kendras, it has
helped us to enhance the interaction between Customers and Service
Partners through the digital marketing and awareness campaigns for
all our services “
A technology driven company, Vakrangee’s main focus is on creating
India’s largest network of last-mile retail point-of-sale. They have
unparalleled execution capabilities, to potentially enable every Indian
to seamlessly benefit from financial, digital and social inclusion and
Government programs.
The extensive product and services offering at Vakrangee
encompasses across BFSI services, G2C services, B2C services,
governance, and strategic projects.
www.tpv-tech.com
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FEATURE

The Future of Meeting Rooms by Reid Rasmussen

Yesterday’s corporate meeting rooms are evolving into tomorrow’s

collaboration rooms

You do not need a crystal ball to understand what the typical Screen sharing is an important element of the collaboration taking
meeting room in Asia will look like in five or seven years. Instead, place in meeting rooms. Futuresource Consulting conducted an
just look at meeting room trends in North America. The US has end-user survey of executives as part of its recent Global Video
proved to be a global trendsetter in meeting rooms, helped by US- Conferencing Report 2019. The most common type of sessions
based multinationals having offices around the world that respondents connect to on a regular basis from their
and promoting US office trends beyond US organization’s meeting rooms or meeting spaces were
borders. Huddle rooms are a good example. audio with screen sharing, followed by audio and
They started as a uniquely American
The plethora of video. While screen sharing is a key part of the
phenomenon. US-based multinationals cloud- and software- collaboration process, video is definitely on
began rolling them out to their offices
based collaboration, the rise. 84% of the organizations surveyed
around the globe, and huddle rooms in North America and Western Europe
have gained widespread popularity conferencing and screen are promoting a greater use of video for
with local companies outside North sharing solutions and services, communication, with half of those ‘very
America, especially in India. The strongly’ promoting it.
interest in India is driven by the
with new ones constantly
effectiveness of huddle rooms for call being introduced, provide The plethora of cloud- and software-based
collaboration, conferencing and screen
centers. innovative ways to sharing solutions and services, with new
Looking at the meeting room trends in collaborate remotely. ones constantly being introduced, provide
the USA, as well as Western Europe, expect innovative ways to collaborate remotely. Examples
to see corporate meeting rooms in Asia that include TeamViewer, SharePoint, join.me, BlueJeans,
are more collaborative, smaller, more flexible, and RingCentral, Zoom and Amazon Chime. These services are
more aesthetically pleasing. attractive because they require little or no capital investment and
are easy to use.
Meeting rooms are becoming venues for greater collaboration, with
more remote participants, more screen sharing and a greater use of Not only are there more services enabling collaboration, but it is
video. becoming easier to connect to those services. In particular, wireless

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rooms. A large assortment of AV solutions, such as room control,

interactive whiteboarding, digital audio processing, LED displays,
wireless presentation, screen sharing and video conferencing are
providing greater levels of flexibility and efficiency for meeting
rooms. These solutions are all experiencing good growth, and are
increasingly found in meeting rooms in Asia as well as North America.
These solutions make it easier to share and collaborate, whether the
attendees are in the same room or in another continent.

This is good news for AV consultants and systems integrators who

have the expertise corporations need to implement and integrate a
wide range of AV products and solutions into meeting rooms.

Meeting rooms are becoming aesthetically more pleasing, including

a greater use of nature and colour. AV suppliers and channels
presentation technology is an increasingly popular way to enable
worldwide report that interior designers are more involved in the
meeting attendees to easily share and collaborate.
design of meeting rooms, seeking to make them inspiring centres
The survey of executives conducted as part of the Global Video of creativity. Interior designers are looking to better blend AV
Conferencing report also found that audio quality was the most products into the room’s design. For example, a key factor driving
frequently mentioned ‘main problem’ respondents the strong growth of beamforming ceiling microphones
faced when joining a remote conferencing is interior designers specifying beamforming ceiling
session. There is a growing appreciation of the The survey of microphones over gooseneck or boundary
importance of good audio for conferencing, executives conducted microphones. The result is less obtrusive
and a growing frustration with poor
as part of the Global Video microphones and clutter-free tables.
quality audio. As a result, businesses are
not only buying better microphones Conferencing report also found Room design and the ability to blend
for meeting rooms but also buying that audio quality was the most AV technology into a meeting room’s
more of them to make sure people frequently mentioned ‘main problem’ decor will have a growing impact on all
AV products used in meeting rooms.
can be heard. respondents faced when joining a For example, interior designers are
The increased use of VoIP and the remote conferencing session. There also looking for amps and DSPs with a
greater bandwidth as compared to is a growing appreciation of the smaller form factor that can be more easily
landlines and Plain Old Telephone
importance of good audio for installed, and hidden, in small spaces.
Services (POTS) is also encouraging
companies to purchase better microphones conferencing. When it comes to meeting rooms, Asia is
following North American trends, although
to take advantage of that bandwidth. VoIP can
some are further behind in adapting to the trends
handle higher frequency bands and resolution than
than others. Regardless, expect Asian meeting rooms in the
POTS and this has led to increased content-driven demand
future to be more collaborative, smaller, more flexible, and more
for higher specifications.
aesthetically pleasing.
Meeting rooms are getting smaller. A Futuresource report produced
last year, “Corporate Meeting Room: End-User Perspectives Western
Europe & US,” found that most companies in the US and Western
About the Author
Europe expect to see an increase in the number of meeting rooms
they operate over the next three years with only a small percentage Reid Rasmussen, is part of the pro-audio
expecting to see a decline. The growth is strongest with smaller analysis team at market forecasters
meeting rooms, helped by the popularity of huddle rooms. Mid-size Futuresource Consulting. Based in
rooms are largely staying the same and large rooms are decreasing in Singapore, Mr. Rasmussen has over 30
size as they are being re-purposed and made more flexible. years of experience as an AV market
researcher and market analyst covering
Meeting rooms are becoming more flexible. This is happening in
global markets.
two ways. First, there is the increased flexibility of room design. For
example, meeting rooms designed with removable wall dividers, so
one large conference room can be broken up into smaller meeting
areas or several spaces can be merged together to fit a big group.

Second, technology is helping to provide greater flexibility in meeting

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 56
TECH TALK

‘TAP’ into the New Meeting Room Solution

Video Conferencing and Collaboration are the two big things

that have been characterising AV requirements and deployments
at most business establishments world over. There have been a
plethora of solutions from a host of developers and providers,
and most look more or less same with minor variations. Against
this oft-said notion, here is one seemingly distinct solution that
promises to redefine the market dynamic. The TAP, from Logitech.
Announced at ISE and, shown at InfoComm USA, the 10.1-inch
touchscreen tablet device working in tandem other HW & SW, has
already spread fast to dominate the collaboration domain.
SIA interacts with Sumanta Datta, Managing Director and Cluster
Head- India, Indonesia and SW Asia, to know more about it. TAP
into it.

SI Asia: What made Logitech come out with a solution like the TAP
programme?
SUMANTA DATTA: Tech challenges in meeting rooms have continued
to plague workers, with meetings taking an average of eight minutes
to start. The remote controls that are used in these rooms usually
have too many buttons and are not intuitive to use. Meeting control
also often varies from room to room. Traditional AV controllers are
expensive, and often require custom programming by an AV specialist.
And while tablets are used in meeting rooms because they’re
affordable and can be installed by an IT generalist, they have their
own set of challenges. Hence, to cater to these challenges Logitech
decided to simplify the deployment and use of video conferencing in
virtually any sized room, and came up with the idea of Tap.
Logitech Tap delivers the best of both worlds for both AV and IT
professionals. It enables the team to easily collaborate through
features such as pre-configured room solutions for major
collaboration platform such as Google Hangouts Meet Hardware,
Microsoft Teams Rooms (formerly Skype Room Systems), and Zoom
Rooms.
SI Asia: What specific reasons inspired the development of TAP
solution?
SUMANTA DATTA: A recent report by Frost & Sullivan quoted that
meetings today are far less effective than they could and while
business professionals spend 40% of their time in meetings only 50%
of that time is productive. A major reason for this less productivity
is because only 3.6% of meeting rooms have video conferencing
technology.
with IT and AV-friendly features like multiple mounting options, up to
25m of in-wall rated cabling, and robust cable retention mechanisms.
Logitech Tap is a USB-connected touch controller designed for the
workplace. With multiple mounting options, long and strong cabling,
Logitech Tap integrates beautifully into almost any interior location.
DisplayLink technology offers plug-and-play connectivity as an
additional display and opens the door to new applications and user
experiences
SI Asia: What is Logitech’s core competence and contribution to the
whole solution?
SUMANTA DATTA: Over the years Logitech has continued to innovate
and have served an incredible number of global customers. With the
launch of Tap, we aim to democratise teamwork in meeting rooms. As
an integral component of Logitech Room Solutions, Tap couples the
purpose-built utility and robust quality of a meeting room. It is simple
touch control panel which is as affordable and flexible as a tablet.
Tap delivers one-touch video calling and simplicity for users in an IT-
friendly design ideal for deployment at scale.
SI Asia: While hardware part is apparent, what exactly is at its core?
SUMANTA DATTA: Logitech Room Solutions with Tap include all
necessary components in one package: the Logitech Tap touch
controller, a small form factor computer, room-optimized video
conferencing software from Google, Microsoft or Zoom, and a
Logitech conference Cam. The small room AV bundle includes
Logitech MeetUp; the medium room AV bundle includes Logitech
Rally and Rally Mounting Kit; and the large room AV bundle includes
Logitech Rally Plus, Rally Mic Pod Hub, and Rally Mounting Kit.

We, at Logitech, are committed to modernizing the meeting room.
With the inclusion of Tap, Logitech Room Solutions simplifies the
deployment of video conferencing to virtually any sized room at a
global scale. Designed from the ground-up as a touch controller for
the workplace, Logitech Tap combines one-touch simplicity for users
SI Asia: Can you elaborate on your partnership with your Cloud
Video Partners?
SUMANTA DATTA: Cloud software applications are expanding
collaboration to every office, room, and workspace. Liberating
organizations from the high cost and technical difficulty of traditional

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019


video conferencing systems, our cloud video providers offer software
solutions that work beautifully with Logitech ConferenceCams,
webcams, and audio products. Logitech works closely with its cloud
video partners to enhance usability and design product roadmaps to
meet your changing needs.
Logitech is strategically partnered with Google, Microsoft & Zoom. We
are compatible with Blue Jeans, Vidyo, Cisco, Pexip, Fuze, TruConf and
more.
SI Asia: What market verticals and segments is the TAP aimed at?
SUMANTA DATTA: Logitech Tap provides a consistent Teams
experience and are core to helping organizations get the most out of
Teams meetings. Tap is not designed for a specific vertical market - it
addresses the needs of small, medium and large organizations across
a broad range of industries. It delivers reliable convenience from
boardroom meeting to even classroom. It makes collaboration rooms
easy to deploy and use, with pre-configured room solutions for major
collaboration platform providers such as Google Hangouts Meet
Hardware, Microsoft Teams Rooms (formerly Skype Room Systems),
and Zoom Rooms. With Logitech Tap it’s lot easier than ever before
to deliver functions like one-touch start, calendaring, and seamless
content sharing.
SI Asia: Is it available in Asia Pacific region?
SUMANTA DATTA: Logitech Tap is available globally through
distributors as part of pre-configured room solutions for Google
Hangouts Meet hardware, Microsoft Teams Rooms (formerly Skype
Room Systems), Zoom Rooms and other leading collaboration
platforms. For India, it will be available from October onwards. The
major markets of Asia such as Japan, Singapore, Australia, Hong
Kong, etc will also be getting it shortly. USA & Europe Markets has
availability since the past couple of months.
SI Asia: How do you look at the collaboration solutions market in the
APAC, and in particular India?
SUMANTA DATTA: If we look
Video Conferencing domain is still faced with
at the India market, the overall
a slew of challenges. Logitech decided address
Video Conferencing Endpoints
all that, and simplify the deployment and use
Market CY 2018 was ₹505.54
of video conferencing in virtually any size room.
crore and is expected to reach
Hence the idea of Tap.
₹1071.90 Crore by the end of CY
2023 growing at a CAGR of 16.2%
57
TECH TALK
for the forecast period
At the segment level, revenues from huddle room systems for CY
2018 was around ₹161.20 crore and this segment is expected to be
the fastest growing with an estimated CAGR of 27.8% until 2023 The
IT and ITeS companies continue to remain the biggest consumers of
video conferencing endpoint solutions. These businesses prefer board
room kind of setup for their main offices and at the same time have
also been adopting huddle rooms for their main offices and other
locations.
These large enterprises continue to remain the biggest revenue
contributing segment to the overall video conferencing market in
India and contributes around 77% of the overall video conferencing
endpoint revenue as of May 2019.
SI Asia: With 4K and 8ks on one side, and IOT and Cloud or AV/IT
over IP on the other, how do you see the collaboration segment
shaping up currently?
SUMANTA DATTA: The Video collaboration segment is being used
to a very large extent in large and small places to overcome the
geographical gaps and to avoid the hassle of long and tiring business
travels. Cloud technology being one of the biggest drivers in the
video collaboration segment has made it much easier for enterprises.
Logitech’s vision is to see video conferencing in every meeting
room. With cloud-based video and solutions like ours coming at an
affordable price point and are easy to use, we are moving towards
making this vision into reality.
At the same time, AI and computer vision are helping deliver a
seamless video experience so people can focus on the meeting,
not the technology. And while 4K and 8K have yet to take off in the
video conferencing space due to bandwidth requirements, Logitech’s
newest conference cam are future-proofed with support for 4K video.
SI Asia: Where does the TAP can tap into the current dynamic?
SUMANTA DATTA: As mentioned earlier that Logitech Tap delivers
the best of both worlds for both AV and IT professionals. It delivers a
high-quality, beautifully designed, universal controller at a reasonable
price. It provides a sleek form factor with high-performance cabling,
secure mounting, ease of use, versatility, and global appeal.
Logitech Tap delivers reliable convenience in the meeting room. It
makes team collaboration rooms easy to deploy and use, with pre-
configured room solutions for major collaboration platform providers
such as Google Hangouts Meet Hardware, Microsoft Teams Rooms
(formerly Skype Room Systems), and Zoom Rooms. And coupled
with intuitive products from leading collaboration service providers,
it’s easier than ever before to
deliver functions like one-touch
start, calendaring, and seamless
content sharing.
www.logitech.com
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
 58
TRADESHOW - PREVIEW
ISE MD Mike Blackman on the Show’s Widening Appeal
Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, talks about ISE 2020, and why the show has
become the ‘must attend’ event for users of AV technology as well as for AV industry professionals.
ISE has enjoyed year-on-year growth since it began. Will ISE 2020 be
the biggest and best yet?
Unquestionably. At the last ISE, we had over 81,000 visitors – and
we expect more in 2020. In 2019, we had 56,100 sqm of net exhibit
space, and that will increase in 2020 by over 800 sqm.
Two important changes for this year are that the Hall 5 extension has
been made larger and permanent, while Hall 14 will be the home
of a new Innovation Zone – a specially designed area for companies
that are new to ISE to showcase their technology. The ISE Main Stage
theatre will relocate to Hall 14, and will offer a full programme of
free-to-attend thought leadership and best practice sessions from ISE,
AVIXA, CEDIA and AV Magazine.
Following the success of our spectacular projection mapping on the
nhow Hotel during ISE 2019, there will be another exciting projection
showcase on another part of the RAI complex. And we have a dynamic
and thought-provoking Opening Address lined up; we will announce
the speaker when registration opens at the start of October.
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
What’s new in the way of conferences and professional
development?
All the conferences held at ISE 2019 will be back in 2020 – covering
smart buildings, XR, digital signage, digital cinema, hospitality,
visitor attractions, stadiums and pro audio, plus AVIXA’s two What’s
Next... conferences, focusing on enterprise and higher education. In
addition, we have a couple of new ones – the Control Rooms Summit
and the CEDIA Design & Build Conference. Like in 2019, many of the
conferences will be held at the Hotel Okura, near the RAI, which
proved very popular with our attendees.
As well as its conferences, AVIXA is running 20-minute FlashTrack
sessions on its stand. CEDIA has a four-day programme of training
sessions, beginning on the Monday with a workshop on cybersecurity,
as well as hosting free CEDIA Talks on its stand.
What are the challenges presented by the event having become so
large?
One of the biggest is ensuring that visitors can easily locate what
they’re looking for – and relevant exhibitors can easily be found.

One of the ways we’ve addressed that is with the creation of
six Technology Zones – for audio and live events, digital signage
and DooH, education, residential, smart buildings and unified
communication. The Technology Zones mean that visitors can quickly
locate the part of the show where they’ll find the technology and
product trends that are most relevant to their interests.
The ISE app has proved a big hit with visitors, and its wayfinding
features are a key part of that.
How has the average ISE visitor profile changed over the years?
Back when we first started, our audience almost exclusively
comprised systems integrators and other AV channel professionals.
Increasingly, though, the show has become a destination for end-
users; our exhibitors want to engage directly with them, as well as
meeting their existing and prospective channel partners. Today, ISE
has become as much of a ‘must attend’ event for end-users as it is for
the channel.
How have you made ISE more attractive to end-users?
We’ve added substantially to our conference programme over the
years, because end-users have told us they get enormous value not
just from the opportunity to talk directly to manufacturers and to
find out about the products and technologies that will shape their
companies’ AV strategy – but also to network and to learn from
industry experts and their peers.
Our Special Interest Group programme is designed to bring attendees
from specific key vertical market sectors to ISE, helping end-user
technology buyers to meet technology vendors and solution partners.
They’re the result of formal agreements between ISE and a variety of
associations, media partners, companies and consultants, and they’re
tailored to meet the information needs of the visiting executives with
planned stand visits, presentations, networking events and dinners.
You mentioned sessions by AVIXA and CEDIA. What is their role with
ISE?
ISE is owned by AVIXA and CEDIA, two trade associations with a
focus on professional development – so education and training
have always been an important part of the show. Another priority
for both associations is reaching out beyond the industry, to
other stakeholders within AV projects. Establishing and awarding
59
TRADESHOW - PREVIEW
professional qualifications plays an important part in establishing the
expertise of the industry as a whole, as well as demonstrating the
competency of the individuals who work in it.
AVIXA and CEDIA are hugely instrumental in helping deliver the
outstanding visitor and exhibitor experience that ISE has become,
setting the tone and themes for the event and helping us continue
to develop and create ever-more engaging content for our channel
and various vertical market end-users alike. Between them, the two
associations provide a wealth of market intelligence, guidance and
education initiatives, as well as many entertaining and thought-
provoking opportunities for development.
What trends in technology should visitors to ISE 2020 look for?
I think we’ll start to see AI permeate a number of AV applications. It’s
already being used in digital signage, but many see opportunities for
it in other customer-centric applications, such as hospitality. AI is also
being used to improve the quality of meetings and collaboration.
ISE 2020 will, I think, provide evidence of the rise of LED-based
screens. They have advantages over LCD – and prices are dropping
rapidly. It will also be interesting to see the progress that OLED
technology has made. Visitors should look out too for new
generations of application-specific projectors.
On audio: object-based sound will be heard everywhere.
With the move to Barcelona in 2021, ISE 2020 will be the last one at
the RAI. How do you feel about that?
The RAI has been a great venue for us for over a decade now, so of
course, there’s some sadness: I’ll leave with many fond memories of
our time there. It’s served us very well, and has been part of our rapid
growth to become the world’s largest professional audiovisual event.
The downside is that we’ve become too big for a convention centre
even of the RAI’s size and facilities.
However, I’m also excited. The Fira is a fantastic facility and a much
larger space, located in a very attractive destination. The move isn’t
simply about growing the numbers: it’s about delivering a better-
quality experience to our exhibitors and visitors.
www.iseurope.org
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 60
INTERVIEW

Biamp Systems Opens SAARC Office in Bengaluru

Mapping Market Strategy with Aggression
Innovative, networked media systems solutions provider Biamp has become the latest member
of the global OEM league that has made Bengaluru as their regional hub for the entire SAARC
region. While Biamp is almost a household name in the industry with a strong presence for many
years now, the Beverton, Oregon-headquartered AV major’s focus on India vis-à-vis SAARC
explains its new focus.

SIA tries to map it through an interaction with the company’s Vice-President (International
Business Development) Niclas Brattberg, who is a familiar name in India. Excerpts:

SI Asia: What bring you to India this time around?
NICLAS: We had long been planning to open our SAARC regional office
here in India-Bengaluru. As you saw it, we have opened our office
now, in a grand fashion, with all our regional tema members joining
the big cause. I’m here essentially for this reason. I am also taking this
opportunity to both meet and invite some of our esteemed partners
and clients here in Bengaluru, and update them about what all Biamp
brings to them from this office establishment.
I’m delighted I have largely achieved my objective.
understanding of Biamp’s solutions from time to time. This office is
equipped with Conference Room, Training Room, Technical Support
Room, and Demo Area as well, besides normal administrative spaces.
In design and application, this office resembles that of Biamp’s office
in Beverton. So, it imposes that feel of being in sync with the HQ in
application and approach.
SI Asia: Now that you have a fully-defined regional establishment
here, what are your sales and marketing expectations from this set-
up?

SI Asia: What all the functions does this India office handle? What
all it is equipped with?
NICLAS: We will do sales & marketing, product demos, training and
technical support. That’s one type of the jobs handled here. While we
already have a whole big range of Biamp’s products showcased here,
we would soon get to demo the products from our recent acquisitions
such as Crowd Mic, Community, Cambridge Sound, and Apart Audio.
Moving forward, we would have more ranges from the group.
Even as it does all these jobs, this establishment functions like a
Customer Experience Centre where our Partners and Clients can
converse and get to ‘experience’ the Biamp solutions how exactly
those systems work in an ideally installed condition. That’s two.
Third- this office is Biamp’s regional hub for the entire SAARC region.
So, the Biamp team members from this office cater to the needs
of our Partners from across the SAARC, and help them gain deeper
NICLAS: India, in its own right, has always been a very positive
growth market for us. As Biamp continues to pursue its organic
growth by acquiring contributing technologies, India continues to
be one of our top market geographies. So are other markets. That
we are now better equipped in terms of infrastructure and product
supply/solutions demo, we expect to have a better reach and better
presentation of Biamp’s competencies to Partners and Customers.
That this is all happening in the light of some impressive industry
growth for the last few years in the region, we look forward to having
an exciting market path in the times to come.
SI Asia: These are the days of OEMs creating CECs as a conduit to
reach out End Users directly rather than pursuing through channel
distribution. How about Baimp?
NICLAS: I don’t think we have the bandwidth to reach out to the End
Users straightaway; nor we would be keen to. We believe our partners

(Left) Niclas Brattberg opening champaign bottle in style; (right) Team Biamp after the Opening programme

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

 61
INTERVIEW

are competent enough to understand the market better, address the
clients’ requirements efficiently, and bring us business. We would
therefore rather like our partners to bring us business; bring their
customers here, show them our solutions experientially, and create
business cases.
More, we would not want to cause ambiguities among partners and
market by seeking any direct connect with the End User. We’re here
to strengthen our Channel Partners, to equip them with better set-up,
and of course networking.
SI Asia: Having done this, any particular plan on how to take this
forward?
NICLAS: We do have our plans chalked out, and we do it two formats-
one here at the office set-up, and one out on the field. Historically,
Biamp accounts for a smaller part of the big value chain that the
industry is, as its success depends on other OEMs as well. Keeping
that in mind, we encourage our Partners to bring their End User
customers, as also other OEM partners here, showcase our solutions
for their better comprehension and adoption.
answers one part of the question. Silicon Valley of India, as this city is
known, is home for numerous Enterprise segment companies where
Biamp has a strong presence. That’s one. Two- over the last few years,
we have grown with Government business in areas like Transport
segment, and SmartCity projects; we are getting a larger pie of the
segment now.
The challenging segments, per se, would mainly constitute Education,
particularly the low & mid-end. While we are present in higher and
professional education segment that comprise IITs and IIMs, we do
not have a product that can go to low and mid-end education.
The other segment we find challenging is Hospitality. While we have
pretty good presence in most SAARC markets, it is certainly not so in
India. The reason is the market being so cost-sensitive, the standards
of AV deployment are often not followed, which is difficult for Biamp,
as we always stick to standards.
We have been trying our best to educate the market of the
imperatives of a standard AV solution to be competent to face any
challenge. It’s a matter of time.

On the field side, we have already been doing a good amount work SIA: What’s your immediate priority now?
conducting trainings and road shows even in Tier-B and C cities,
NICLAS: After the acquisition of Bimap by Highlander Partners, there
besides the big Metropolitan cities. An important aspect here is
has been a new momentum; things have been happening at some
Bimap’s online training programme where the partners can capture
rapid pace. There have been a handful of acquisition, and there by a
the latest and finer nuances of Biamp applications. The on field
widening of the product-basket. So, the priority, as we see it now, is to
hands-on training and online programme go hand-in-hand in a well-
let the market know the products and solutions that Biamp is bringing
planned manner, and this office does play its role in that aspect.
to it- which is what this office will do, showcasing the product ranges,
demonstrating the solutions and
SIA: In what market verticals explaining to market makers the
does Biamp enjoy strong “We are now better equipped in terms of experience these things will bring
presence, and in what
infrastructure and product supply/solutions along.
verticals it feels challenging?
And why?
demo, we expect to have a better reach and www.biamp.com
better presentation of Biamp’s competencies
NICLAS: Our choosing
Bengaluru as the base of our
to Partners and Customers.”
India operations, perhaps
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
 62
INTERVIEW

Blake Augsburger: LEA Brings A

Differentiated Value Proposition
LEA Professional launched at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in January 2019.
The company showed its product at InfoComm in June 2019. Heading the company is
a renowned figure Blake Augsburger. Blake joined Hubbell as Director of Engineering
in 1994 and in 1999 became VP and General Manager with P&L responsibility for four
business units totaling more than $70m. Later Blake went on to join Crown International
as President in 2001 and grew that business, becoming President of Harman’s Professional
Division and North America Country Manager for Harman International in 2006. Blake
left Harman ten years later. Blake has also been a board member of the NAMM (National
Association of Music Merchants) Organization in North America. SI Asia talks to Blake
about what LEA is bringing to the table.

What prompted you to start this venture (LEA)?
I saw the evolution of amplifier technology and the revolution in
IoT technologies but these movements existed in isolation and no
one was looking at advancing them together. I believed the idea of
coupling the very best in amplifier innovation and IoT connectivity
would yield significant improvements in system performance and
system management but also how integrators designed, installed and
managed sound systems.
I shared the idea with friends and partners — including integrators
and dealers in this region — and received overwhelmingly positive
feedback. I built a team and now it’s much more than me and an idea.
We’ve gone from start-up to established industry player and the idea
that prompted it all is now inspiration for a can-do organizational
culture of innovation and entrepreneurship!
In such a crowded space (Professional Audio), what is LEA bringing
to the table that it is worth considering? Is it filling any particular
gap?
The space for commodity (professional audio) components is indeed
crowded but I see us serving a distinctly different market with a
very differentiated value proposition. The amplifier market has
headroom for innovation and we have the most experienced, talented
engineering team in the business. I also think that the mission to
bring non-proprietary connectivity and control to audio is unique and
compelling and that it’s resonating with dealers, integrators across the
globe and especially here in Asia.
Another gap that I think we are filling is that we’re a new business
with a proven organization and a fresh approach to technology
and business. Our extended team — comprising the factory team
and partners like Generation AV (based in Singapore)— is deeply
committed to the professional systems integration community
meaning we understand the market dynamics and we serve the
professional in ways that prosumer companies cannot ever do.
Please provide us with a brief on each of the models of your solutions
that is currently shipping .
In September we will begin shipping our Connect Series amplifiers
for small to medium size installations. These amplifiers will offer
IoT capabilities as a standard feature by providing remote control
and monitoring of installed systems without having to VPN into
a local area network. We will leverage the AWS IoT Core as the
infrastructure that will safely and securely transmit data to and from
the amplifier.
When our cloud services come online shortly after we begin
shipping amplifiers, the Connect Series will be able to connect and
communicate with the cloud via our LEA Connect Series Apps, which
will also include data analytics capabilities and push notifications.
Our LEA Connect family of amplifiers will include two, four and eight
channel amps with direct HiZ (70V or 100V) or LoZ selectable by
channel with the ability to connect from a built-in Wi-Fi access point,
the venue’s WiFi, or using the FAST Ethernet to connect to any local
area network via Cat5 or Cat6 cable.
Who are some of the key team members and what are they bringing
to the table?
I have been very lucky and I am very grateful for our team. We
founded the business in South Bend, Indiana which is famously a
cradle of amplifier innovation. Jeremy Bules is Vice President of
Engineering & Operations. He spent 18 years at Harman and in doing
so led the development of some of the most successful and iconic
amplifiers in our industry.
Scott Robbins, Vice President of Sales, is also a Harman veteran. We
worked closely together at Crown and at the group level and he was
responsible some very smart programs and sustained growth over
many years.
Matt McLain is Vice President of Finance and Administration and
joined us from Schafer Industries. He’s a great organizer and is
helping us stay lean and agile.
Brian Pickowitz is Vice President of Marketing. He was at Harman
for more than 15 years in engineering, marketing, and business
development roles.
The team and the culture here are among the most positive aspects
of starting LEA Professional! There is deep belief in our mission and
confidence in the products we’re offering and the platform we’re

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imagining! I think the market understands this and it explains the
phenomenally positive reaction LEA Professional has garnered!
What else can we look forward to in terms of product releases from
LEA in the near future?
We had a strong idea for the amplifier as a central building block of
a connected infrastructure platform. That’s already leading to some
exciting ideas and innovations that you’ll see as product introductions
in the near-term.
In addition to new products and platforms
from LEA Professional you can also expect new,
innovative programs! We want this company to
be an organization that integrators want to work
with and is easy and efficient to work with!
I am very bullish on the potential of the global
AV industry to provide comprehensive value
to the technology enterprise and I’m similarly
bullish on the contribution of LEA Professional to the advancement of
the global AV industry.
Please brief us on LEA plans for Asia including distributors who have
already been appointed.
We appointed the newly-formed Generation AV as our
representatives in Asia to provide sales, application engineering
and technical support to all distributors and partners in the region.
Generation AV is led by David McKinney whom I have worked with
SI ASIA_210x140mm橫式01.pdf 1 2019/9/20 下午 04:11:47
extensively and know very well. Both organizations have a shared
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sense of purpose and a shared energy to realize our potential.
Here, again, the timing has been optimal with David starting his firm
just as we were seeking a partner in the region.
Do give us your view about Asia’s potential for LEA as well.
I think the global market for AV has strong potential. Audio and
video technologies serve as end-points and gateways for advanced
networks featuring artificial intelligence
and machine learning engines that provide
amazing experiences. Today, we’re seeing
those experiences in theme parks, universities
and high-end retail but as technology gets
less expensive and even easier to deploy
and operate, you’ll see huge growth of AV in
hospitality, healthcare and the enterprise!
LEA Professional is right there at the cusp of
this innovation and we’re driving growth of
our business and that of our partners and
customers.
The Asia market has considerable potential for growth. There are
many greenfield developments planned; infrastructure spending
is generally strong and there is a broad cultural attachment
to entertainment and sport. We see opportunity in the built
environment here and our partners and systems integrators share this
optimism.
leaprofessional.com
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
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INTERVIEW

Value-Adding the Client Service

Audio-Visually

AV Distribution in India has come of age. It’s been contributing its value-adds to make the
eco-system of OEM-to-End Users in its own right, and continues to do so even as the of
late concepts of OEMS wanting to have their own distribution network. Mumbai-based
Green Sources Private Limited is one leader in the business with many a global brand
of repute characterizing its positioning in the market, as also credentials of business
leadership.

SWADESH KHETAWAT, the company’s Managing Director shares with SIA his perspective of
the business and where the domain of AV distribution as whole is heading. Excerpts:

SIA: Ten years of AV distribution business- can be a milestone in
itself! How would you describe the journey?
SWADESH: As they say, the older you grow, the wiser you become.
Green Sources has had a flourishing and supportive experience in
the AV and now, in IT industry. Last 10 years have been a quick and
replenishing course of journey where we have kept growing as an
organization and building brand associations. A great journey in deed.
SIA: You first had TaxanGulf in the Middle East, then followed it up
with Green Sources. Is there a particular thought process to have a
separate entity for India?
SWADESH: The thought of creating two separate identities has
helped us create a niche and an organized platform to grow in
their respective environments. As the companies are professionally
managed and growing leaps and bounds, at that time it was one of
the best decisions taken.
SIA: What particular achievements you think have defined the
Success that Green Sources is today?
SIA: Ten years is also a big time. How has the distribution scenario
changed or evolved over this period in the country in various aspects
of the business?
SWADESH: First, in terms of demand for new technologies and
availability of such solutions- our associated brands come from
globally specked solutions for many organizations which make them
easily acceptable for System Integrators. Established brands need
distributors of equal reputation. Such new technologies face lesser
resistance when supported by value added distributors such as ours.
In terms of price sensitivity amongst AV buyers- today, India has
become one the largest economies which makes us a price sensitive
market. However, creating a demand and meeting the supply has
been our forte. We believe our customers keep coming back to us
for the value added services which we provide without a doubt. Even
though AV buyers are price sensitive, they are mature enough to
value presales and after sales services offered by us. I think most of
our customers are willing to pay a minimal premium for the comfort
and security provided during the lifecycle of the product.

SWADESH: To start with, we consider ourselves proudly associated
with the A1 category of brands in the AV & IT sectors which give us
the best opportunities in the global outlook. We also believe that the
culture and recruitment of an organization holds equal importance
in today’s world. We strongly credit our success to all our team
members and brands associated with us today.
SIA: What kind of testing times has the company traversed? Could
you explain?
SWADESH: We have had our fair share of challenging situations.
From fluctuations in Dollar exchange rates to the transition period
from VAT to GST. This may also be a common factor for most business
enterprises in India. The VAT era was the most painful. However, the
subsequent One Country = One Tax regime has been nothing more
than a blessing for most businesses.
In terms of policy regimes in different States and probable impact-
this is simply a thing of past. We are in a new era of taxation which is
moving away from regional policies. With the introduction of GST and
abolition of local regional levies like Octroi, the impact is minuscule.
Yes, the customer spends are still is dependent on the policy regimes
in different States. However, the competitive spirit inter-state is
picking up and will only augur well for all businesses.
In terms of tendency of OEMs wanting to have their own
distribution network- AV industry, to a good extent, is both organized,
and unorganized too. Every OEM /distributor would prefer mutual
admiration instead of cutting throats. Some of the mid-level OEMS
are at times quite short sighted and fail to acknowledge the value
add provided by good distributors. It’s not only about the product,
but also the local comfort which plays a great role in winning a case.
No better person than the familiar distributor who can support the
customer in more ways than documented on paper.

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

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SIA: What has been the most impacting technology OR technologies SIA: How do you divide your time between Green Sources, and
that you saw coming to Indian AV in recent times? TaxanGulf, your business concern in the Middle East?

SWADESH: Cloud along with AI (Artificial Intelligence) has been one SWADESH: It is not the most benefiting state when it comes to
of the most impactful technology in the Indian AV industry. Heavy, your social life, but since Middle East is just a 3-hour flight, it’s
power guzzling, expensive and highly unreliable hardware has been quite easy to fly in and out between these offices. Fortunately, both
reduced considerably to minuscule connectors and minimal Green Sources and Taxan Gulf are managed by some very
hardware at a very small cost. That has eased out talented and committed team members. Modern day
many challenges the industry eco-system had technology of video conferencing fills the greys
been living with for many years. The cloud Today, India has become more often than not. The only sore point is my
based solutions seem to be replacing nearly one the largest economies weekends at Green Sources are now work
every other technology today. which makes us a price sensitive days at Taxan Gulf, and this is something
market. However, creating a which will not change in the foreseeable
SIA: What role have you got to play in future.
this techno impact?
demand and meeting the supply has
been our forte. We believe our SIA: Is there a thing or two that you feel
SWADESH: We as a value add customers keep coming back very prideful about the company, and
distribution business could see this to us for the value added its contribution to Indian AV? Please
coming and took the plunge well in
services which we provide explain…
advance to train and prepare ourselves.
That was one very crucial reckoning. It
without a doubt. SWADESH: We do take it as a matter of pride
helped us introduce and support our partners in and great satisfaction of having introduced some
adapting these technologies seamlessly. We believe of the leading AV brands and technologies to the
this is just the beginning, and we plan to further invest in Indian AV markets. Our business ethics and prime focus on
training ourselves and updating our partners regularly. customer satisfaction are second to none.

SIA: Do you think the word ‘Competition’ does exist in your business SIA: Having come thus far, what’s your Next or Near Term priority?
(AV distribution)? If so, of what kind?
SWADESH: Our next or near term priority is to get the AV industry
SWADESH: To speak about it in the right spirit, there is competition a little more organized. We as a company would be investing much
in every industry. Good competition creates the strive to achieve more in training, maybe even look at creating a real AV University.
more, and customer satisfaction. I strongly believe the stronger
www.greensources.co
you grow, more you will face competition and the mindset to grow
the organization. We are happy to work with our competition and
provide more value to our customers.

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

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INTERVIEW

avt Charts its Course with its Eyes

on the Future
avt with its headquarters in Australia, established an office in Singapore in 2018, with the
aim of bringing cutting-edge solutions and its expertise to the Asian market. In Australia
the company represents the full range of HARMAN solutions for the Installation market
aside from other complementary offerings. SI Asia speaks to COO, Paul Fouracre, avt
about what lies ahead for the company.

avt commenced operations in 1987 founded by Kevin Chatfield as
AV Technology. In 1991, AV Technology became the distributor in
Australia and New Zealand for AMX, having previously distributed
York Controls. The company was rebranded to avt in 2016 after
having traded for the prior decade as AMX Australia and AMX New
Zealand.
Today, we proudly continue distribution of the AMX range in Australia
and New Zealand. Additionally, in Australia we represent the Harman
Professional Audio brands of JBL, Crown, BSS, and AKG for the
installation market.
Given the inevitable rise of software platforms entering the
commercial AV landscape, avt also strategically added Utelogy to our
portfolio providing an enterprise software- defined management,
monitoring and control platform to our solutions suite. We also
represent Utelogy throughout Asia via our Singapore-based team and
their expanding partner network.
In early 2018, we capitalised on the opportunity to represent another
global leader in Tripleplay; a software-centric IPTV, digital signage and
video streaming platform. We collaborate with Tripleplay to ensure
effective coverage for the Asian region with the Tripleplay platform.
avt has continued to expand our operations. Our headquarters is on
the Gold Coast in Australia. We also have offices, showrooms and
training facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth as well as Auckland,
New Zealand and we established a presence in Singapore in early
2018.
Tell us a little bit about avt in Singapore. Why did that come about?
As part of avt’s growth strategy, our Founder, Kevin Chatfield decided
to expand our operations into Asia to leverage growth that was
occurring in the Asian economies. Given our broad portfolio of new
and innovative technologies, we were confident that several of the
solutions we were representing were relevant to the region. We
also thought it was a great opportunity for us to leverage our skills
and capabilities around value-add distribution which has made us
successful in Australia and New Zealand markets. Whilst we don’t
have Harman distribution rights in Asia, we certainly have several
key solutions relevant to the AV market that we sell into our channel
partners in Asia.
Was it like a push-pull factor regarding the other brands
representation in Asia?
It was part of our overall growth strategy and thankfully our suppliers
were very supportive of that and we’ve certainly bought on new
suppliers since then and now with the mindset of not only growth in
Australia and New Zealand, but also the vast opportunities that exist
in verticals such as Hospitality, Corporate & Education in Asia is an
attractive proposition for both avt and our suppliers.
Therefore, it has certainly been a multi-faceted approach around
how the av industry is transforming from typically hardware-based
platforms into software driven solutions. Our continued portfolio
investments, attraction of key leadership, sales and technical talent
and our value-add distribution approach will fuel our expansion plan
strategy into Asia.
avt is strictly a distribution company?
That is absolutely the case. We are a value-added distributor. We
distribute world-class audio visual hardware and software brands
across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. We are passionate about
technology and living our purpose which is to lead our industry,
advance our people and partners, creating memorable experiences
every day. So, what does value-add mean? Well it’s because of
services such as our technical support, pre and post-sales, our
audio EASE modelling and design-assist capability and deep product
understanding across all markets. We value working with our partners
whether that is behind the scenes or customer-facing with the end
user.
avt positions with our customers, that we just don’t sell, we support
during the sales process and continue to support them post sales
which is the end-to-end distribution value add service that avt
provides. We also engage with the consultant community as well
to earn specification preference and have discussions around our
technology platforms with the goal of optimising end-user experience
with our technology. Similarly, we engage with end users as well to
share how our solutions can provide positive, seamless and intuitive
experiences to their staff and customers. When a decision is made
to integrate our solutions, our valued partners take the client lead to
complete the sale.

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019


What are avt’s expectations regarding the Asia office in Singapore?
We planned in the first two years, it would be a start-up mode. So,
we understood that, and it remains on track in this phase. But we’ve
managed to sign on a lot of partners as part of our strategy. We are
engaged with several consultants and we’re generating traction in
that market for solutions such as Utelogy, Panacast, Mimo and more
recently with Tripleplay. We are certainly pleased with our progress
and penetration across key customers early in our Asian expansion
phase.
What about the manpower and service support for Asia?
We continue to invest in our technical capability across the business
and have some great talent based in Singapore. That said, we have
technical resources spread throughout Australia, New Zealand
and Asia who have and will continue to support any avt customer
throughout Asia Pacific. We are receiving great accolades from our
Asian customer base, which is the ultimate objective.
Do you see avt further expanding its portfolio any time soon and in
which areas?
One of the things that we are seeing is certainly the role of the major
UC platform providers such as Teams and Zoom and how the mid-size
conference room has essentially been collapsed into a very simplified
video conferencing solution. I think this industry change has impacted
the entire supply chain from manufacturer through to consultants
and integrators because that space was previously a key design and
implementation solution, but now it’s become vastly simplified. It’s a
case of camera, speaker, microphone, a display and a OneTouch start
and there’s your room. That resonates with CFOs and CIO’s who want
low-cost simplified options that deliver a consistent user experience.
avt is looking at ways on how we address that across all our markets.
We also acknowledge that we need to have price-appropriate
solutions for the markets we address. Watch this space for more
interesting announcements in the near future.
I noticed the MezzoCast software integrated with PanaCast. The
software is an avt solution?
Yes you’re right Thomas, MezzoCast is an avt solution and the
second in the Mezzo family. It can be delivered in the cloud or on
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INTERVIEW
an Enterprise Network behind the firewall. The Mezzocast software
ingests the people and object-count capability from the Panacast
camera which through an open API can be interrogated by the various
BI platforms to report on room usage and utilisation. It also delivers
auto room booking capability to room book panels such as Mimo
simply by leveraging the Panacast people count detection capability.
I briefly mentioned Panacast, it is essentially a data appliance which
just happens to deliver an amazing video user experience due to its
native 4k, one hundred and eighty degree field of view. It seamlessly
stiches three, thirteen megapixels cameras together to achieve this
outcome.
The value of solutions such as Mezzocast is to provide data driven
solutions for actionable insights and it’s where I believe the industry
is heading. CIO’s and CFO’s want more value from their investments
and data insights is a key element of this. As a further example if you
look at our Utelogy solution and how you can monitor devices in the
in the room. Utelogy is software defined control, management and
monitoring solution so you can control any device that has an open
API or you can simply monitor that device or do both. The beauty
about Utelogy is you don’t need to be a programmer to set up rooms,
it’s all about configuration instead of hard-core programming. That
said, there is a great opportunity for the programming community to
build drivers and enhance and tailor the solution for their clients.
When you have the capability to have your various conference
room devices monitored and with the recent launch of the Utelogy
U-Manage 2.0 dashboard platform, you can leverage proactive
device reporting capability from the cloud dashboard. That proactive
ability to know when you’ve got a problem with components in
the conference room and reporting on your fleet of rooms is very
compelling. So it’s an evolving portfolio, arguably an eco-system in the
making and we’re connecting the various elements and we’ve got a
solid strategy around this.
On a final note, what’s the buzz around the avt booth at Integrate?
Well we formally announced the representation of two new products.
These are Joan, a low cost, room booking solution for easy scheduling
of office spaces and meeting rooms, built on sustainable and power
efficient e-paper technology; and Airtame, an all-in-one wireless
screen sharing solution with customizable digital signage, remotely
managed in the cloud.
The solutions have generated amazing interest. In regard to Joan, it
has a number of fantastic features but the thing I love most about
it, is that it’s like your Kindle. It’s a low-power energy efficient
solution. It is battery operated and each charge lasts for 3 months
and when the power level reaches 20% a notification is sent so you
can simply recharge the unit. We are all trying to reduce our energy
consumption, so I really like this product and how avt is helping
organisations achieve that goal.
www.avt.tech
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
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INTERVIEW

NVincy: Customizing AV Applications, Experience

AV distribution is as exciting as it is challenging. While it gives an
opportunity to get exposed to multiple brands and their technology on
one hand it takes a particular professional expertise and value-adding
skills on the other to get them taken by the industry.

Bengaluru-based AV distribution firm NVincy Solutions promises

characterizing the both. The company Directors MOHD HAARIS and
HAARIS & SAUGATO SIDDHANTA explain how and why.

On the genesis, purpose, and journey of Nvincy Solutions through On post-AMX/Harman legacy in Nvincy solutions offerings, and
highs and lows... marring this into the distribution business…

HAARIS & SAUGATO: Well, earlier, we had been working with large
OEM organizations and building their businesses from scratch-
helping them to evolve into potentially strong brands in the country.
While we have been in that activity for quite a long time, it slowly got
to our mind that if we could build and run businesses so successfully
for others, why can’t we try and create our own organization, build a
brand of our own, and carve out a space for ourselves in the domain
we have been living for so many years- the AV/IT.
We tried, and hope we made it.
On the name Nvincy, if there is any special significance/symbolism
behind it…
HAARIS & SAUGATO: We started earlier with a proprietary company
named ‘Invincy solutions.’ However, when we
wanted to convert the company into a Private
Limited firm we did not get the required name
for registration. We didn’t want to go for quaint
names; we rather wanted to have name that
similar to the one we had in the beginning so
that the brand recall is almost spontaneous,
and also it is easy on our partners. That’s how
the Nvincy is culled out of Invincy.
I hope both the names sound similar, right?
On the thought processes behind turning from OEM team to
distribution + custom applications business…
HAARIS & SAUGATO: Prior to our OEM background, we were working
for a system integration company, where we had an opportunity
to see and understand the gaps between OEMs and SI companies.
Our strength has been always our ability to understand technology
traits and develop custom applications for clients. We wanted to
elevate and present a new expression to that competence by our own
business enterprise being a ‘value-added partner’ to the Systems
Integration community, rather than being a mere box pushing
distributor.
While our standing expertise gave us a good footing, we built a
strong technical team to consolidate our presence in the market,
by continuously supporting our partners with system designs and
online installation support, as well as custom application and content
creation support.
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
HAARIS & SAUGATO: Admittedly, we have had a very long association
with the brands- almost two decades, which is long enough by any
standards. With such long prideful association in place, it is quite
but natural we will have a legacy, particularly when our experience
coming from such strong technology giants. At Nvincy Solutions, we
use that carry-forward expertise to be a seamless application in our
new solutions for customers. We are happy that we still continue
to associate with them, and try using their latest offerings in our
solutions. We do have a team of professionals to support us and our
partners with design and programming.
On whether it as a strategy to carve a niche in a ‘no competition’
domain…
HAARIS & SAUGATO: We look at it differently.
As mentioned earlier, with our OEM and
Systems Integration background, we had
planned to do things differently. We did want
to get in to distribution as it would give us the
opportunity to introduce a multitude of global
brands to our customers, but we consciously
choose those brands where we could value
add with our technical knowhow so that we
grow together, even as we contribute to the
industry’s betterment with superior solutions.
On what competencies have been built into the company in terms of
team building; technology certifications; brand-worthy installs etc…
HAARIS & SAUGATO: We have been able to create a strong in-house
team for digital signage content creation and custom application
development with our principals. One of the biggest success stories
for us has been with BrightSign. That we are approved and authorized
content Partner for BrightSign we have been able to create many
custom content and application projects involving BrightSign products
for clients in North America and Europe.
In addition, we have developed our own Room Scheduling Solution
on BrightSign Platform that integrates directly to Office 365, MS
Exchange or Google G Suit. This solution was showcased at ISE 2018
at the Brightsign Booth, and it did attract a good attention from
discerning visitors.

On how they make it good with heavily-competed distribution
business in India, and outside…
HAARIS & SAUGATO: First and foremost, we believe India and
SAARC region is a huge market place, with an exponentially growing
potential. So, place for everyone to make it good, provided they
have a good business model and expertise. The market does provide
enough space for all existing, and new distribution players to coexist
and make businesses.
Secondly, every distribution company has their own principals, and
so do we, with our own set of unique technology partners. I say
technology partner because, like I said earlier, we do not merely push
boxes; we rather custom create solution with the products which
we believe is a critical differentiator. That we brand ourselves with a
variety of value-adds based on the product and requirement of the
user, that’s been creating a great variety of opportunities for us.
On what thinking they do while choosing a brand/product?...
technology, price, relevance, ease of install…
HAARIS & SAUGATO: I would say it would
be a combination of all the points you
mentioned. However, having journeyed
through technology traits over so many years,
I may look a little more inclined when I say we
try to bring new and innovative technology
products and solutions to our client’s place.
More, we tend to select brands where we
see some opportunity to add some custom
solution/application so that the combined
offering is both exciting and compelling on
the client. That’s actually we want to grow,
create value to the partners through not just
the brands we bring, but also through our value-add applications.
On whether they would detail a product/brand or two that brings all
the four together…
HAARIS & SAUGATO: I would want to talk about BrightSign in this
regard. It is one good example for filling in all the four criteria you
mentioned. Arguably among the global leaders in digital signage
market, BrightSign brings a very exciting range of solutions that
are cutting-edge in technology, innovative in applications, easy to
deploy and use, and affordable in costs. More, they come with no
complications of subscription, licensing and renewal etc., which go
very well with the integration community as well as end users.
Then we have SIEMON’s IT infrastructure and structured cabling
products and solutions. It may be a point of interest to you that with
an illustrious history of over 116 years, they are one of the world’s
oldest, and leading manufacturers of IT infrastructure and cabling
products. Their leadership is reflected in as many as 400 patents
they have obtained for their structured cabling solutions. They have
a specific focus on the AV Industry and AV projects. Their solutions
include cost-effective AV Racks, cables, and connectors that go into all
kinds and levels of AV projects.
I would also want to talk about the Dutch AV major AVONIC’s that
blends industry-leading innovation with exceptional product quality
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INTERVIEW
and ease-of-use which enables the integrators focus on the delivery
of content, rather than the nightmare of tech-setup. The company’s
fixed install, single-wire cameras mean that regardless of nature of
the function the user can record at highest quality for remote access,
distribution to wider audiences, or simple recordkeeping and review.
It’s great experiential technology take for an AV enthusiast.
We also bring to market the MULTIBRACKET brand of brackets
and AV accessories. The interesting thing this is a brand that is
comparatively cost-effective with most other European brands
without compromising on quality.
Another important solution that we bring to market is the BOOK IT
Room Scheduling Solution. This cost-effective and easy-to-deploy
system can schedule any room on the network from a BookIT touch
panel located outside a meeting room, the user’s mobile device
or computer. The sleek design fits into any décor and the intuitive
interface requires little to no user training. BookIT is directly
integrated with MS Exchange, Office 365 and G Suite (formerly Google
Apps for Work), so no additional server is needed.
On how tech-savvy the Indian AV buyers vis-a-vis
other markets?
HAARIS & SAUGATO: Indian buyers are equally
knowledgeable and tech savvy, if not more than
any other market buyers. In this age of Internet
and explosive information, every nuance and
detail is available for anyone from anywhere in the
world. That makes them more informed and better
positioned than ever.
One observation that helps me say this is till
recently most multinational enterprises building
AV projects here used to ask integrators replicate
the designs of their offices in the West here in India as a standard,
but slowly there is tendency in Enterprise managements reversing
it- exploring newer AV builds here in India, and taking the same to
replicate in their Western offices. That goes to demonstrate the levels
of technology takes in India today.
Last few years we have seen several large Multi-National
Organizations, who earlier used to replicate/standardize technologies
used in their Office in US & Europe to their India Offices are now
looking for New Solutions/Technologies and implementing them
in their India Projects and the same getting replicated in their US /
Europe offices.
ON what’s Nvincy’s immediate priority?/Goal? How strongly it is
positioned to achieve the same
HAARIS & SAUGATO: We have two immediately priorities. One-
further strengthening the brands we are carrying with us, and
two- expanding to the regions we have not been able to concentrate
earlier. We are also continuously looking for new, innovative products
and dishing out solutions that improve our value-adds to the
principals as well as the clients.
www.nvincy.com
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
 70 INDIA
INSTALLATION

Adiyogi: A New Dimension in Projection on an ‘AXIS’ of 3D

The ‘First (of His Kind) Guru’ Mapped in Technology

Every weekend, as the dusk settles thick along the high slopes of Velliangiri mountain range – some 30
km from the industrial city of Coimbatore in the Southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu – there raises a
gigantic Yogi Form, from the plains of Ishana Vihaar inside the Isha Yoga Complex steeped in the foothills
of Velliangiri. Primordial in posture, galactic in scale and ‘Guinness-esque’ in sorts, Adiyogi – as the Form is
etymologically called – is a story as massive as the bust sculpture is.
As many as 24 EPSON 3LCD High Brightness Laser Projectors are made to glow it up three-dimensionally;
powered from inside by domain leader Dataton, and pulsating 5.1 immersive audio by Pulz- together
scripting a first-of-its-kind project in Indian AV, if not beyond.
An SIA exclusive:

By Ram Bhavanashi

On 4 March this year – the big Indian festive day of Maha Shivaratri
(Lord Shiva’s Incarnation) – the Isha Vihaar ground on the premises
of Isha Yoga Complex, given the same name as the festival, bore
an unprecedentedly super surcharged atmosphere. An indefinable
fervour- for all the spirited reasons!
President of India Ram Nath Kovind was to inaugurate the big festive
event Adiyogi Divya Darshanam (Divine Appearance of Adiyogi)
at the world’s tallest bust statue of Adiyogi there. A very
prideful project of Isha Foundation’s Founder Sadhguru
Jaggi Vasudev, and created with clinical attention to
every detail.
More, a first-of-its-kind AV technology blitz was to
vibrate and animate on the massive 112-feet steel
bust of the Lord, to captivate a 350,000-strong
Shaivaite gathering waiting in anticipation.
It did happen, and cast a magical spell on the
devotees. A wonderment for those who
watched it in awe, and a greatly reassuring
fulfilment for those who created it.
It took two years for the Isha Foundation
to design the statue and eight months
to manufacture, while it took five
months to create the AV blitz
around it.
Adiyogi – Primordial Principle of The Self!
Adiyogi– the very name spells magic, transcends common
comprehension, and connotes an esoteric wisdom. Primordial Self
(unto Liberation), one might want to equate it with, but even that
may not fully satisfy one who presumably knows Him. It can be that
cryptic.
Facing south, it is also sometimes referred
to as Yoga Dakshinamurthy the
Ultimate Teacher of Yoga- the
omniscient and omnipotent,
personifying the Ultimate Awareness,
understanding and knowledge. That makes
it still cryptic for some. That’s one.
Two- it’s a bust of Lord Shiva in deeply
meditating posture, made of steel,
weighing 500 tons, and painted black,
with a mercurial finish and polish.
Topography- highly uneven, making it
difficult for anything to settle on.
Three- with 112.4 feet height,
excluding the 147 x 25 feet
plinth, it’s been recognized
by the Guinness World
Records as the
tallest

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The glory of the Lord: Sea of humanity at the Adiyogi on the Maha Shivaratri day

bust in the world. It is also said that the 112 feet symbolize as many According to him, the theme was to narrate the story of Adiyogi
Chakras (nerve circles) that are in human body, and also that many who became Adiguru (the First Teacher), when He first imparted
possibilities of Liberation. the ancient science of Yoga to Sapta Rshis (Seven Sages) – His seven
disciples; to His Consort, Devi Parvati and to His constant companions,
With that subtlety of the matrix, when Sadhguru (Jaggi Vasudev),
the formless Ganas (Shaiva army ranks) in three different ways.
the Founder of Isha Foundation – the parent institution of Isha Yoga
Centre – ideated to weave in the timeless tale of Adiyogi with equal For the content part, Three Dee Studios took on board
subtlety by means of pervasive audio-visual technology, it presented
• Overseas Producer : Sangman Lee
both a prideful opportunity, as well as a challenge of rarest kind.
• AV System Integration, Programming & Project Management:
Team Project Adiyogi
Sirvinder Pal (Lucky) Singh, Purple Vector, from Chennai
Sadhguru – erudite as he is – chose his team with such discretion that
• Projection Mapping : Manesh (Manu) Kadam from Bengaluru
the team composition spoke for it all.
It was a task cut out for each of them. While Sangman Lee – the visual
“The brief itself was amazing,” recalls Avijit Samajdar, CEO of Kolkata-
effects expert who handles Three Dee Studio’s office in the South
based AXIS Three Dee Studios Pvt. Ltd., the Content Creator and
Korean capital of Seoul – produced all those special visual effects
Project Owner for Adiyogi projection mapping. Entrusted with the
for the project from Korean office, the AVSI and projection specialist
task of executing the prestigious project, Avijit produced and directed
worked with Three Dee Studios locally.
the project, assisted by his team, and supported by domain experts.
“We were tasked to create a A good part of the rendering
spell-binding projection mapping was also handled by Lee, and to
on the 112-feet massive statue much appreciation.
to narrate the timeless tale of
For the AVSI, it was to handle
Adiyogi,” explains Avijit, “to create
complete installation of
it in a way that would touch people
projectors and mapping of
deeply within, using state-of-the-
Adiyogi statue- right from rigging
art technology for an immersive
of projectors to configuration
amalgam of light, visuals and
of complete hardware setup,
sound.”
underground cabling, audio and
laser integration with server
Avijit Samajdar with Sadhguru: A genius connect

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systems. The programming part of projection mapping and integration

of lasers with audio was handled by specialist projectionist Manesh
(Manu) Kadam.

“It was an experience of a lifetime as this

project was one of the most complicated
projects that anyone would have ever done
in India,” says Lucky Singh. “First, the black
surface of the bust; second, the environment
that we worked under.”

Says Manu Kadam, a Dataton-certified

projection specialist: “It was a very
unconventional way of projection mapping;
starting with a bust that is unique for both
structure and texture.” According to him,
the size and surface finish of the statue and
placement limitations of projection equipment
posed a distinct set of challenges.
For the hardware part, it was decided to work with:
• Projection Systems: Epson Laser projectors
• Audio Systems: Pulz Electronics Ltd.
• Projection/Media Servers: Dataton (WatchOut, WatchMax)
• Music: Sounds of Isha
“The entire project was a complex coordinated
effort spread across content development,
projection mapping and system integration,”
says Harish A K, General Manager-Visual
Products at Epson India. “Epson had a very
prideful contribution to the project, for the
very way it was fashioned.”
“The WATCHOUT system was chosen due
to its strong track-record in the industry as
a reliable and versatile tool for cutting-edge
mapping applications,” prides Ashok Sharma,
Regional Director-SAARC at Dataton. “As the
first performance of the show was to unfold in
front of none other than the Honorable President of India, there was
absolutely no room for anything less than perfection.”
Adiyogi during daylight conditions
“There is an immense sanctity to Adiyogi; it was not some building
or monument where we could show sudden cracks happening, walls
crumbling, and creepers climbing or striking multi-coloured geometric
forms,” reminisces Avijit. “We had to very cleverly weave these
elements into the story telling, and that’s what we did. That actually
made our story telling deeply immersive.”
The total surface of the statue to be shone in projection measured as
many as 8,000 square feet of highly uneven topography explains the
magnitude of the project.
Mapping Adiyogi
While Sadhguru himself took the scripting and story narrative part,
the content design, and production had to be executed by AXIS, which
was an arguably challenging task, given the intricacies involved.
In order to map the massive task in tune with Sadhguru’s vision, AXIS
team recreated and remodelled an exact replica of the original statue
in their studio in Kolkata, with exact dimensions in 1:16 ratio with
seven feet height.
“We did all our trials and tests on this replica,” explains Avijit. “That
helped us to do any rectifications and plug-ins.”
The Adiyogi is made of steel and the surface is painted black.
According to Avijit, black is never a preferred projection surface for
a simple fact that no colour can be seen (technically, black absorbs
everything; it reflects no colour for the human eye to capture).
So, they had to choose a projection system that will overcome the

Visualizing Adiyogi Subtlety

THE CG TECH TEAM
As the deliberations with Sadhguru went deeper, Avijit quickly
realised that the intended story telling had to transcend all known Studio Head : Ms. Mayuri Dutta
understanding of Time and Space. For, the simple fact that the very VFX, Rendering : Arijit Haldar
concept of Adiyogi itself is beyond all time and space. Yet, it had to be Supervision
created in a way that is lucid enough for everyone to understand.
Creative Design
So, the Content Producer-Director decided to work with the Five & Art Supervision : Priyam Modak
Eternal Elements of nature- Earth, Space, Water, Wind and Fire. That
they embody everything that people see around, it was pertinent IT Supervison : Gautam Mondal
these five elements formed the connecting tread to traverse through
the storyscape.

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FACTFILE
Project Name : Adiyogi Divya Darshanam
Project Location : Isha Yoga Complex, Coimbatore
Project Segment : Infotainment
Project Client : Isha Yoga Centre
Project Owner : AXIS Three Dee Studios Pvt. Ltd.
Content Creator : AXIS Three Dee Studios Pvt. Ltd.
Producer & Director : Avijit Samajdar, AXIS Three Dee
Studios Pvt. Ltd.
Oveseas Producer : Sangman Lee, Seoul, South Korea
Projection Mapping : Manesh (Manu) Kadam
AV Systems Inegrator, : Sirvinder “Lucky” Singh -
Programming & Management Purple Vector
Music : Sounds of Isha

THE LORD LOOKS DOWN ON HIS SUBJECTS: A grand view of the setting from a high point. Observe the lighting fixtures aimed at Him from the ground.

challenge and produces a reflective brilliance that can be seen and
appreciated.
“We chose Epson’s laser projectors of 15,000 lumens, and they
worked brilliantly,” informs Avijit. “It is anybody’s guess that people
want best technology available within the budget; we tested various
brands and types, including DLP and LEDs,” he explained. “But we
chose Epson’s 15,000 lumens EB-L1755UNL WUXGA Laser projectors
for their vivid images and strikingly beautiful rendition of colours.
Especially on a black surface, these projectors worked commendably
well.”
on it. Though this makes it look very beautiful during day and evening
when sun or moon light falls on it, projecting vivid colours onto it is a
real big challenge. Most colours appear differently when they fall on
that surface.
“We devised a unique method of ‘real-time colour cancellation’
by creating a Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colour palette used
as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd layers” the Three Dee Studios chief revealed.
“That’s why the colours on Adiyogi stand out so vivid and vibrant,” he
explained. “All interfering colours of light, reflected off the surface of
Adiyogi get cancelled out in real time by the different layers.”

The black surface colour posed one more challenge. It does give a The very positioning of Adiyogi on the Isha Vihaar plain actually
very deep sheen, and glow beautifully on the statue when light falls required two towers to house the projectors to be ideally positioned

Mission Project Adiyogi : The project teams working out different aspects of the project at different levels

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

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INSTALLATION

in front, or slightly off the centre of the statue. They required to be

permanent structures, but the project team could not do it as it would
obstruct the view of the devotees coming to see Adiyogi everyday.

The projection team, therefore, had to move the two towers far
apart from each other at an angle that would be at 45 degrees to the
surface during projection.

“The location of projector placement towers as advised by the

Ashram team gave us very little tolerances to work with,” recalls
projectionist Manu. “Two towers at 90° apart from the centre of the
bust, with the focal point being off the AXIS of audience view point
was really challenging.”

Explains the SI Lucky Singh: “we had custom designed the projector
frames in order to stack them with interlocking facility. We, however,
used industry standard equipment to integrate the audio and laser
equipment which was a further set-up with the Watchmax Server.”

The projection team therefore worked out a unique stacking layout of

projectors so that they could achieve an optimum angle of incidence
of light without casting any interfering shadows on the surface. The
24 laser projectors therefore are stacked in a 4x6 configuration.
“That’s a total of 360,000 Lumens of light, or as many as 90,000
Lumens illumination on every point on Adiyogi,” recounts Harish.
Epson projector professional tools facilitated surface mapping while
overlaying as many as six images accurately, point wise.”
In essence, two sets of six projectors each are stacked vertically
mapping the upper sides of Adiyogi’s visage on both sides while
another pair of six projectors each are horizontally stacked mapping
the lower sides of Adiyogi’s bust.
“The installation dispelled the popular myth that it is near impossible
to do mapping on black surfaces,” Harish declares. “We did that.”
It was, therefore, multi-layered 4K content at 30FPS and 5.1 Surround
Sound to be distributed across the two towers at great distances.
They needed a hardware that is able to take that whole AV content
forward absolutely seamlessly.
“That’s why we chose two Dataton WatchMax WX9100 servers,”
informs Avijit. “Plus, the WatchOut software enabled mapping and
smooth edge-blending on the highly contoured surface.”
Says Ashok: “the technology competence of Dataton WatchMax,
came up, perhaps, for one of the best showcases ever. The conditions
couldn’t have been tougher, for the very intricacies.” According to
him, the show creators appreciated the easy-to-navigate interface in
WatchOut and how smoothly changes could be implemented, even
on the day of the launch.
While a majority of the focus appeared to be on the projection side,
a matching audio couldn’t be discounted. It, therefore, had its own
challenging ‘ground’ to play and prove. As it is, people famously say
‘half of AV experience comes from sound.’
Chips in Ramakrishnan M K, Chairman of
Pulz Electronics Ltd, the Mumbai-based
manufacturer of audio brand Pulz that went
into the design and install: “We had to
custom-design/develop the audio system for
the Adiyogi project. The very environment of
the setting made it all the more demanding.”
According to him, the open-air nature of the
place, and the exposure of audio systems to the weather vagaries was
one big challenge. It had to be portable, to be able to be moved as
per the Ashram people’s choice, and yet give adequate coverage of at
least 3,000 audiences. Besides, it had to be of compact form factor to
avoid restriction of viewing angles. The spec was to make less number
of units cover the same audience area.

So, Pulz specially designed and manufactured the audio systems

that met the requirement- audio with controlled and well defined
directivity, plus withstand day-to-day outdoor weather conditions.

“We did it with dedication,” informs MK.

The system thus comprised five main speakers IAM12X4 for a

5.1 Surround Sound setting that is augmented by a Subwoofer
channel, powered by nine units of dual 18-inch SIC 218 subwoofers,
strategically positioned in a cardiod configuration, to beam low
The projection stack: A very typical structural array of projectors on the site frequencies to the audiences, and at the same time avoid spreading

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019


The Spirit of Adiyogi: Devotees thronging the site for that grand view at the Lord
of those sound waves to undesired areas. These systems are driven
by Pulz high efficiency DPT Series amplifiers and digital signal
crossovers capable of delivering 40,000 Watts for maximum impact
and dynamics.
“We also worked very closely with the content producers and
integration team, as our audio component was integral to the whole
experience,” explains Anirvan Ghosh, Managing Director of Pulz. “The
system application did demand certain nuances of calibration without
which the experience couldn’t have been immersive.”
Observes Lucky Singh, the integrator: “it was practically a
monumental effort, with so many intricacies and people with never-
before challenges, and more, for the aura surrounding the project.”
The projection mapping, lasting 12 minutes every time, is a visual
depiction of transmission of Yoga by Lord Shiva to His consort,
Goddess Parvathi with a powerful voice over from Sadhguru Jaggi
Vasudev himself. The 350,000 plus audience were spell bound to
witness the wonderment of sound and light on the metal of rare
mettle.
Admits Avijit: “In fact, on that day, of Maha Shivratri when the
350,000-strong audience were screaming in frenzy, to show their
appreciation, awe and sheer wonder, it made every effort of the
over 150 personnel, including our staff, partners, vendors, Indian and
overseas professionals as well as volunteers from Isha Foundation,
who worked tirelessly for over six months, seem all so worthwhile.”
Understandably, the production team from Three Dee Studios played
central to this monumental effort. Staying at the head of all that
was the Studio Head Mayuri Dutta, who handled various areas of
pre- & post-production, including close liaison with the Director,
the Korean and Indian teams. The VFx, compositing and rendering
supervision was done by Arijit Haldar, while the creative design and
art supervision was rendered by Priyam Modak. Gautam Mondal as
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INSTALLATION
the IT supervisor, ensured that the entire production pipeline, for the
systems hardware and software functioned smoothly and seamlessly
in India and remotely in Seoul.
Challenges of Adiyogi Scale
With such efforts going into it, the Adiyogi project was a success in
every sense of the effort. “We did succeed; but the purple patch has
many factors, says the Purple Vector chief- Lucky Singh. “It was an
experience worth a lifetime.”
The main challenge, according to the integrator, was during the
demos, due to the non-availability of infrastructure at the site. They
had just three nights to get all the projectors aligned and be ready for
the launch. With all the other vendors working side by side, it made
the job even more difficult.
“The demo sessions were most stressful,” chips in Manu, the 3D
projectionist. “After every demo, we had to uninstall the projectors
and reinstall again; I had to move around constantly on site to get the
right point-of-view for the alignment.”
Sums up Avjiit- the owner-producer of Adiyogi project.
This project is result of the coming together of some of the best
technologies and finest professionals in contemporary AV technology,
mapping, sound as well as visual creative. It’s a getting together
to create an audio visual spectacle, the likes of which was never
attempted on such a scale, and for a surface with such unique
attributes so far.”
www.axis3dstudio.com
www.purplevector.in
www.epson.co.in
www.dataton.com
www.pulz.co.in
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 76 CHINA
INSTALLATION

Absen 8K HD LEDs Depict 7200 Panoramic View at Tonghu Sci-Tech Town

Immersive Experience for a Technologically Futuristic Town

Tonghu Sci-Tech Town is in a very important geographical location Located withing the “Smart City” control centre of Tonghu Sci-Tech
of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area and in the Town of Country Garden, the LED CAVE hall features 283 sqm of
junction of Shenzhen, Guizhou and Dongguan. Developed by Country Absen’s N 2.5 product (1092 cabinets), offering over 8K resolution of
Garden the vision is to create the the Sci-Tech Town as the “Silicon
Valley in Guangdong,” to test-bed promote and integrate advanced
technologies within an ecological comfortable living space, thereby
becoming the new critical growth pole on the industrial belt in
Guangdong Gold Coast.

The vision for the town has attracted a number of large companies to
move in focusing on technologies such as the Internet of things, 5G,
unmanned vehicle, drone, face-tracking and so forth. So it’s a town
for futuristic and high-end technologies. But the town is still in the
construction phase. To show potential “tenants” how the town will
look like when the whole construction is finished, a CAVE hall was
built. Instead of using 3D models, the CAVE hall offers a naked eye 3D,
7200 immersive panoramic digital experience.

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dynamic 3D content for visitors to truly experience the futuristic town there were many corners to deal with during the installation. To deal
before it is completed. with the 90-degree corners it required high resolution LED display
products, perfectly synced to provide a seamless experience for
The LED Cave Hall
viewers.
In the seamlessly immersed LED giant screen immersive experience
The ceiling screens feature 11x22 cabinets, each weighing 9kg.
space, the audience can watch the panoramic CG (Computer
Obviously safety was a priority. Though the Absen LED module used
Graphics) video, combining scene and sound effects, so that the
magnetic, there was a high probability of the panel falling down due
visitor is completely immersed in a high-level virtual simulation
to gravity. To ensure that does not happen, Absen’s engineers used
environment surrounded by stereoscopic images.
screws to fix the ceiling screens as further precaution.
Through the LED giant screen and multi-terminal control platform,
The Absen N2.5 is a slim flat panel display which enables fast
combined with multi-dimensional huge image display space,
installation and easy maintenance with access to front and rear of
integrated with data visualization and intelligent control technology,
panels. That the entire installation, calibration and commissioning
the CAVE hall can integrate large digital film and a large number of
of the Absen LEDs took only 20 days and only four hard-working
data presentation media to create a smart city image display area.
engineers is testament to the ease of the installation process of the
Challenges Absen LEDs.

Absen’s LED displays needed to provide a Naked eye 3D, 720° The CAVE Hall has certainly achieved the objective of the developer in
panorama view, over 8K HD screen. The seamless design of the 90° creating a stimulating experience for visitors to see the future!
corner screen, the flatness of the whole screen, the ceiling screen, www.absen.com
and the screen on the floor were all challenges during the installation.

The LED screens were installed on all 5 sides of this CAVE hall（the
ceiling, the floor, the front, the left and the righ), which meant that

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INSTALLATION

Panasonic Projectors, disguise Media Servers, d&b Sound Systems, SGM and Philips
Lighting Fixtures and grandMA3 Console Help Create Experience
CT Installs ‘A Palace in Motion’ at Qasr Al Watan

Qasr Al Watan ‘Palace of the Nation’ is the UAE’s newest cultural The Palace in Motion is one of the largest projection installs in the
landmark situated in the presidential palace compound in Abu Dhabi. region. CT was responsive for the design and installation of 52 x
It was opened to the public on Monday 11th March with the aim to 31k Panasonic projectors and 6 disguise 4x4 Pro Media Servers. The
give visitors a deeper understanding of the UAE’s values and traditions
while preserving the heritage of the country. The opening of Qasr Al
Watan is aligned with the UAE’s Vision 2021 to become a knowledge-
based economy.

Palace in Motion: The palace runs a spectacular light and sound show
daily as part of its efforts to showcase the UAE’s culture and history.
The story which is projected onto the façade of the iconic building is
told in three acts about the past, present, and the future vision of the
nation.

Creative Technology (CT) was contracted to provide technical design,

installation and integration of the AVIT systems for the Palace in
Motion show.

Damian Rowe, CT’s Director of Special Projects, explains “CT was given
an original design for the Palace in Motion show which we expanded
on to produce a working solution that fit our clients brief.”
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
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extensive audio solution comprised of a full d&b system and the Rowe states “The equipment was specified by the consultant, during
integrated lighting system consisted of a Grand MA3 lighting control, the early design stages. It was CT’s responsibility to confirm the design
36 x SGM fixtures and 100 x Philips fixtures which added to the overall meets the technical specifications and provide changes to scope as
show experience. required to validate the system.”

The venue production communications are managed with Riedel Rowe goes on to say “We were asked to design the PA systems and
Artist 32 communications matrix, smart panels located within the two lighting systems to be fully removable, with this in mind, CT provided
primary control rooms and a distributed Bolero solution. an integrated design approach which allows full flexibility within the
design while still maintaining the system integrity.”

Andy Reardon, Managing Director of CT Middle East, “We are

incredibly proud to have been part of this project and what our
team has achieved. Damian Rowe and the Systems Integration team
have been committed to this project for 12 months and have done a
fantastic job of bringing the clients vision to life. The Palace in Motion
show looks incredible, and I would highly recommend everyone to go
see it.”

www.ctme.co

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

 80 INDIA
INSTALLATION
Club Features Full Gamut of Harman Professional Solutions Audio and Lighting System
The Piano Man Jazz Club, Gurgaon
Three and a half years, thousands of whisky sours and nearly 1,300
shows later, The Piano Man Jazz Club (TPMJC), a one-of-a-kind live
sound bar/restaurant venue in the country that puts the ‘Music’ and
the ‘Artist’ before everything else is all ready for its second venue
at Gurgaon’s 32nd Milestone with complete new installations of
HARMAN Professional Solutions audio and lighting system comprising
JBL Loudspeakers, Crown Amplification, BSS Processors, AKG
Microphones, Soundcraft Mixers, and Martin Lights.
The owner, Arjun Sagar Gupta, with a background in engineering, a
trained pianist, Fulbright music scholar and restaurateur, and a deep
love for music, was looking to combine his passions to propel the
performances of the artists. So he wanted a comprehensive, well-
designed and holistic live entertainment system that would justify his
commitment to those ideals.
When the three-storey TPMJC opened its doors to the public
in September 2015, one could only guess how a venue that put
together a bakery, a restaurant and a jazz club would fare. However,
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
the opening night nailed out the things completely making it
unquestionable. Arjun wanted to take jazz out of black-tie concert-
hall venues, making it accessible and offering a stage that would
welcome all. So whether it is Indian jazz stars, international brass
band ensembles or young singer-songwriters, The Piano Man stage
is all about showcasing talent. It is one of the best places in Delhi for
jazz music, fabulous music, and live music.
Jazz clubs and the live concerts requires high quality audio and
lightening products with exemplary sound quality and strong technical
competency. The design for TPMJC created a unique set of acoustical
challenges when it came to plotting out and installing the HARMAN
solutions.
THE PIANO MAN takes pride in capturing the artist’s feelings and
emotions during live performances. Getting a rich and warm sound
can sometimes be a challenge, with a lot of artists cupping the mic
and losing the high end, but then HARMAN came into the picture with
more well put heat maps, a comprehensive, well-designed and holistic
live entertainment system that would justify his commitment to those

ideals. They were not generic ones like he encountered with the other
brands, moreover one of the company offered their products free of
cost, and still they choose HARMAN, said Arjun Sagar Gupta, Owner,
‘THE PIANO MAN’. He added that the application team spent 2 full
days tuning light and sound, working meticulously and systematically
to ensure a great output.
Initially, the plan for stage lighting was designed to be minimal,
however, after seeing the simulation of HARMAN’s Lighting
application team, a more elaborate plan was agreed on for its
potential to augment the sound performance of the musicians with a
well-designed visual impact, said Ashish Mahindru, AV Consultant, AM
Integrated. Also The Hazer machine, another suggestion by Harman to
make light beams visible, is used every night to add a little drama to
the performance, everything comes together to elevate the evening
from a performance to a concert.
Arjun Sagar Gupta, hired Vineet Wadhwani, Owner, Crescendo AV to
design and install a complete HARMAN audio and lighting system.
The main HARMAN audio system comprises of two JBL AM7212/00
loudspeakers as the main FOH and four ASB6115 subwoofers, as well
as AC16/18 loudspeakers for side fills and six EON615 self-powered
loudspeakers for stage monitors and two EON618/230 self - powered
subwoofers. Audio is mixed on a Soundcraft Si Impact 32 – channel
digital mixing console, AKG microphones provide exceptional clarity
and perspicuity for live concerts, live music and band shows and
Martin lights that complemented the elegant color schemes which
not only produces a spectacular lighting design, but turns the club
into a unique experience.
‘The Piano Man’ at 32nd Avenue Gurgaon is a wide, oval-shaped
venue – a design that was chosen specifically to achieve a close and
intimate seating plan of the house with respect to the stage. This put
the position of the main FOH cluster in a “tight spot” with almost zero
margin for error.
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INSTALLATION
The application engineering teams at HARMAN helped achieve just
that by offering an elaborate and comprehensive simulation of the
solution enabling a satisfying decision process, said Ashish Mahindru,
AM Integrated Solutions.
“Harman group brings an all embracing mix of sumptuous variety
of products across the globe ensuring that our customers are spoilt
for superiority from splendour to vivacity by brands that are par
supreme.”
Impact
Jazz clubs and the live concerts requires high quality audio and
lightening products with exemplary sound quality and strong technical
competency. The HARMAN solutions work perfectly for the venue, the
efforts being appreciated by every artist who visited and performed
so far, said Arjun Sagar Gupta, Owner, “The Piano Man.” The speakers
are of the quality which makes the audience feel that the voice
impended is directly from the stage making it highly incredible.
We choose iconic brands by HARMAN Professional Solutions because
we wanted the system to transform the customer experience and the
entire scenario by creating a uniquely immersive environment, said
Vinit Wadhwani, System Integrator, Crescendo AV. Harman provided
them with twenty-four martin lights, without being asked for and I
saw the value of those lights, said, Arjun Sagar Gupta, Owner, The
Piano Man. We hope to expand small chains of jazz clubs all over
the country to provide an extraordinary platform to the artists to
showcase their talent and to the customers to listen the best jazz and
feel the most lavishing place with best of the services.
pro.harman.com
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
 82 INDIA
INSTALLATION

BT ‘Convergence’ of Intelligent AV with Aurora, Epson and Logitech Solutions

Vesta Tech Collaboration Centre Finds New Vistas of AV

Vesta Technology Solutions LLP – the Campbellsville, Kentucky-headquartered multi-faceted, ITES provider –
recently set up its India base in Hyderabad that is characterized by a Collaboration Centre with a very intelligent
integration of audio-visual learning application. Hyderabad-based BT Convergence Technologies took the honours
of the integration, in collaboration with OEM majors Aurora Multimedia, Epson and Logitech.
SIA presents an account of the unique install:
FACT FILE
Vesta Technology Solutions LLP – founded as a Joint-Venture by
Project Name : Vesta Technologies Online
Andhra NRI Palla Kiran Kumar with the Campbellsville University
Collaborative Training Centre
– in the historic city of Campbellsville in Kentucky, USA, is a multi-
faceted IT Enabled Services enterprise with a primary focus on online Project Segment : ITES Collaboration
collaborative learning system solutions. Just three years into the Project Location : Hyderabad
professional ITES domain, the company has quickly grown to be a 4+ Project Owner : Vesta Technologies, USA
million dollar company.
Project AV Design : BT Convergence Technologies
With a view to expanding its domain competence as also reaching Project AV SI : BT Convergence Technologies
out to wider audiences in India, the company has recently set-up a
Project Interiors : BT Convergence Technologies
new office establishment in Hyderabad that is characterized by an
online collaborative learning centre featuring two uniquely designed Project Highlights: Kaptivo Whiteboard Camera; 3M
Projection Wall Fills forming an experiential setting Major
e-learning training rooms. Brands Making the Project: Aurora Multimedia; Epson
Projectors; Logitech VC system; Kaptivo Whiteboard
The brief from the client appeared to be simple, recalls Yateendra,
Solution
Director at BT Convergence Technologies, the Hyderabad-based
systems integrator who was taken onboard for the task. BTCT’s track
record of handling similar jobs in challenging ambient situations

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019


apparently added the
credentials for winning this
job. According to the BTCT
Director, the client wanted
a facility that can facilitate
the delivery collaborative
learning system between
remote as well as local
locations in real time.
“The client was essentially
looking for a one-stop
solutions provider who
could build the fully-defined AV set-up, with a proper acoustics and
interiors, and in a very cost-effective manner,” says Yateendra. “It
was more of a turnkey project than a simple AV,” he explains. “In that
perspective, it was challenging- more for the ambience treatment and
décor, than for the technology.”
Having come onboard the project for a design-build-integrate-test-
&commission task, BTCT quickly evolved a design for the two training
rooms which was to be state-of-the-art by specifications. However,
a few rounds of deliberations have resulted in a conclusion that they
wouldn’t need two equally rated set-ups; they would rather have an
advanced system set-up in place for the larger (50-seater) Training
Room while the smaller, 30-seater Training Room would do with basic
system set-up.
That the smaller Training Room has only 30 seating capacity, it
was also tasked to perform as a Conference Room as well, as and
when needed. “We, therefore, had to evolve an interior design too-
featuring the surface furnishings as well as furniture that will suit both
the conferencing and training environments,” explains Yateendra.
The AV set-up model evolved by the designer-integrator, therefore,
essentially comprised:
• Collaborative whiteboards from Kaptivo
• Projection Wall Fills from 3M
83
INSTALLATION
• UST (WXGA) projectors from Epson
• Wireless collaboration from Polycom
• Video conferencing system & Group expansion mics by Logitech
• Audio systems from Audio-Technica, beyerdynamic & ClearOne
(DANTE-enabled), AND most importantly,
• Video distribution & Control System by Aurora Multimedia that
plays central to the whole install.
While every single component has its own role in the install, the most
critical aspect of the whole is accounted by Kaptivo Collaborative
Whiteboards, Projection wall fills and Aurora multimedia Transceivers
and Control System, details the Integrator.
“We haven’t gone for any cost-intensive systems; we have rather
innovated to choose the most cost-effective and experiential AV
gear,” asserts the Integrator, “this is well demonstrated by Kaptivo,
Projection wall fills, and Aurora AV gear.”
The first important player is the Kaptivo Collaboration system. A
transatlantic company innovation that it is, the Kaptivo is simply an
award-winning solution that transforms any dry-erase or glass board
into a real-time collaboration tool. It’s a sleek device – comprising
a camera module and lens, augmented by a computing engine and
polarizer – that sits above a standard whiteboard to seamlessly
capture images, live stream content, and integrate with video
conferencing and productivity software platforms.
The beauty of the system is it allows saving and sharing content over
any browser or video conference.
“In a practical scenario, it creates sessions of the users’ class at
the other end for the trainer giving a real-time environment of
classroom,” explains the integrator, “in essence, creates a web
link – by virtue of internet connection – for students with user
authentication credentials. Any web browser, any smart device, from
anywhere in the world, can join the session. It can, therefore, convert
any plain surface into an interactive screen.”
Further, instead of deploying the traditional whiteboard solution,
BTCT brought in yet another innovation- four units of 8x4 feet
transparent projection wall fills by 3M. “These low-cost transparent
fills will function as interactive whtieboards,” asserts the integrator.
The Large Training Room:
The AV set-up in the 50-seater large Training Room is essentially
characterized by three units of 3M-manufactured 8x4 feet projection
wall fills with two of them equipped with one each of EPSON 3200
Lumens EB-675W (WXGA) Ultra Short Throw projectors while
remaining one projection wall fill is accounted by the Kaptivo.
A Logitech full HD 1080p PTZ Pro2 video camera is tasked to
handle the video capture for VC application while a Polycom Pano
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
 84
INSTALLATION

(now Plantronics) wireless collaboration system is entrusted with
performing the collaboration processes.
The audio configuration here is designed with two-way
communication system featuring six units of ClearOne LS6CT ceiling
speakers that are augmented by four units of DANTE-enabled, ceiling
suspended Ceiling Mic Array capsules. A pair of ClearOne Converge
Pro2 120 DSP mixers, and a 4-channel, 60-Watt Class-D ClearOne
audio power amplifier power the audio application.
The audio capture, on the other hand, is entrusted to one each unit
of Shure SVX wireless hand-held microphone and wireless lavelier
microphone.
The video distribution signal management here is handled by a pair
of Aurora Multimedia VLX-TC1-CF Transceivers, augmented by one
unit of VLX-TCW2V-C-W Wall Plate. All this is again controlled by one
unit of Aurora RTX-10 Control System touch panel delivering similar
functions as in the large Training Room

For handling audio presentation functions, a pair of beyerdynamic “This is again entirely built on IP network – with complete elimination
9.5-inch TG 500 UHF Diversity systems – comprising one TG-L558 of conventional/legacy systems,” asserts the BTCT Director, “it,
lavalier mic, and TG-V550 vocal set hand-held microphone – is also therefore facilitates seamless transmission across the network.”
roped in completing the audio configuration.
According to Nataraju Upputuri,
Video Distribution & Control: The All-Important Element Director at Aurora Multimedia India,
it’s very cost-effective system in that
While the Kaptivo and 3M took one aspect of the uniqueness of this one single unit controls multiple
project, it is actually completed and complemented for a seamless number of devices; it’s also high-
and experiential functionality by the Aurora Multimedia Video performance in that it streams 4K
Distribution and Control System. video content at 1Gbps capacity. For
Two pairs of Aurora VLX-TC1-CF Transceivers with 4K 1Gbps lossless small and mid-sized enterprise set-
streaming capability – augmented by one unit of VLX-TCW2V- ups, it’s the most ideal solution.
C-W Transceiver Wall Plate – handle the entire video distribution “It’s a very ambitious project for
responsibility. The entire programming and commissioning is us, giving us the scope to control
monitored by Aurora Multimedia to ensure the install process is multiple training rooms, both
precise and meticulous. large and small, using AV over IP concept,” Nataraju said. “Despite
More importantly, the video distribution mechanism through the challenges, BT Convergence made it look so easy and simple; kudos
Aurora Transceivers is controlled by one unit of 10-inch Aurora RXT-10 to them,” he said. “However, this being a complex project in terms of
in-wall IP Touchpanel. Running on Android 7.1 OS with ReAX core programming, Aurora has done the complete programming. We are
engine, features one RS-232, one RS-485, four figital I/Os and a home happy that we had such a prestigious client and really glad that we
button with room status lighting- offering a whole set of convenient lived up to the clients expectations.”
controls to monitor and automate the function of video distribution. Palla Kiran Kumar, the Director at
“Aurora Control system is at the heart of the entire signal Vesta Technologies is apparently
management of the install, with desired routing,” explains Yateendra. happy with the install quality. “When
“The system can route either or both A/V content from any source to we decided to come up with an
any display across the network over VoIP,” he elaborates. “That all the infrastructure for Vesta Corporate
AV devices are connected and controlled through the IP network, it Office with multiple training rooms
seamlessly facilitates any remote session.” facilities, we wanted it to be a
technology-enabled space with
Small Training Room: robust systems,” says Kiran Kumar.
“Aurora Multimedia India, along with
The smaller Training Room, with a seating capacity of 30, has more
their integration partner BTCT did a
or less similar set-up, but has one each of EPSON EB-675W projector,
wonderful job during the installation
3M projection wall fill, Logitech video-conferencing camera plus group
and execution of this project,” he commended. “The professionalism
expansion mic, and Polycom Pano wireless collaboration system.
and technical competence to get to the bottom of the situation
The audio is one area of difference though, in that it six units of 6.5- quickly exceeded our expectations and helped us to make this project
inch Apart CM20T ceiling loud speakers, powered by Apart MA120 live and deliver on time.”
mixing amplifier, in addition to one Audio-Technica ATDM-0604 digital www.aurora-in.com
SmartMixer. www.btct.in
www.epson.co.in
www.kaptivo.com

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

 86
NIXT!

BOSCH: The Three Layers of Smart Building Solution

NIXT! is our new column in collaboration with InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd, the organisers of Beijing InfoComm China, InfoComm India and
InfoComm SEA. The acronym stands for Next Integrated Experience Technology. NIXT! took the form of a conference at the 2020 Beijing
InfoComm China. In our first edition (Aug-Sep issue) we spoke to InfoCommAsia Executive Director Richard Tan, who is the driving force
behind NIXT! to find out what is NIXT! about and why it is relevant to our industry. This second column highlights a company that has
integrated AV, AI and analytic thus offering more value to end clients.

things, it does not deter us from having a shared vision of smart

buildings.”

Using the Bosch office building in Singapore as an example of a smart

building, Jason shares the vision of what a smart building can be.

The First Layer

Jason Ong, Senior Officer, Regional Business Development, BOSCH

SI Asia visited the Bosch booth at the INNO Build Asia 2019 exhibition
that was held at Marina Bay Sands in early September. The Bosch
booth showcased a myriad of connected solutions, where we spoke
to Jason Ong, Senior Officer, Regional Business Development to
understand how Bosch is addressing the needs of the building
management sector. Seamless Access Control via Facial Recognition

Bosch looks at smart building as a three-layer cake and the first layer
Jason Ong kicked off highlighting that generally in the smart building
context it means very different things to different groups of people.cake is where a smart operational scenarios are built. One of the
example is the Facial Recognition Access Control where
The building owners concern is mainly about making using face as a credential allows access into areas
Bosch looks easily. There is no need a card nor a fingerprint.
smart decisions on what is happening in the
building. As such they like having plenty of data
at smart building as This is part of an IoT application. A camera at
to better understand the utilization rate in a three-layer cake. The the access control captures the image and
their building. first layer is where smart searches the database to recognise the level
operational scenarios are built. of accessibility. It also logs in access in and
The other group is the facility guys who out time.
The second layer is about the
just want to have an overview of all the
systems, particularly the main systems like
data collected and how it can be Jason highlights that in the Bosch building
HVAC, Surveillance and PA system. used effectively. The final layer they also use a single camera to count
is about providing value- the number of cars in the outdoor car-park
Third,is the everyday user who may just hope for added services. area. Just one single Bosch camera covers 60
the building to be more interactive. to 70 lots. The analytics collected helps Bosch to
understand when is the peak and non-peak period.
Hoping to meet the various stakeholders expectation is the
Building Technology Providers like Bosch who want to make better Another example is the use of camera and PA system at the lift
products for people. As Jason puts it, “Though it means different lobbies. As in most buildings there is a separate passenger and goods

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

 87
NIXT!

lifts. However often they experience users pushing their delivery

Some hotels might have also built a large gym. It is possible looking at
trolleys into the passenger lifts. When the sensors detect the use of
the historical data to see if the usage matches the investment made.
trolleys, an audio announcement informs them to not use the lift for
If not, the hotel could probably lessen the space for re-purposing.
delivery purposes.

So for the building owners, these are really great data from smart
The above examples are the first layer of smart operational scenarios.
scenarios collected through the smart systems collecting a whole
reservoir of information.
The Second Layer

The Third Layer

In a smart building, the data collected can also provide value-added

services to end users. This led to the development of Bosch Assist. It
serves the purpose of getting the building to be more interactive.

Using the data collected, Bosch Assist can offer specific services in real
time for different people within the building. For an every day user, it
offers an interactive process. And with Bosch Assist, one can directly
interact with the building.

Collected data helps make better decisions
Having built the scenarios, there is a need to think
about the second layer. With all these smart sub
systems what comes out of it is data. Data is
For example, when users want to know when is a good time to go for
lunch or the gym. They are able to have access to these information
easily through texting Bosch Assist and make a decision on whether
to go to the gym or canteen and even avoid it if the areas are
packed.
Bosch Assist Another example is a push notification from

the new oil. Data is where one gets relevant
information. Bosch calls the second layer
Connected Building Services.
can offer specific
services in real
time for different people
the Bosch Assist. If a car has been parked too
long in an illegal spot, the camera captures
the licence plate and sends it to the system.
Bosch Assist will alert the security who can

Data is collected from the individual

within the building. then take the necessary measures.

smart systems. The data allows building For an every day user,
management to better analyse how the it offers an interactive The three different layers addresses each
stakeholder’s pain points so that everyone
place is being used. For example, with the process. can enjoy the building. The interactive part is as
cameras installed in the Bosch building at
though the building has come to life.
places like the canteen, gym and car park areas,
they are able to understand the historical usage over
The above are just examples and the tip of the iceberg. You
time. So what does this historical data mean to the building
can imagine using sensors for better lift maintenance and even energy
management?
management throughout the building. It is up to the building owners
to understand what they want to understand and achieve and then
For the car-park it allows them to adjust the car-park rates accordingly
start creating the right scenarios, data collection and the interactive
to maximise revenue and use of the lots by creating dynamic pricing.
aspect.
The rates can be lower when usage is minimal and higher during peak
periods.
Encompassing AV, IoT, Data Analytic and even AI, a building can be
managed far more effectively.
Similarly for the passenger lifts, on the back-end it allows building
management to study the data and try to understand why the
www.boschsecurity.asia
passenger lifts are being used for delivery – could it be that it is more
convenient? It is harder to get to the delivery lift? Or maybe the
signage is not clear?

For the gym and canteen if translated to a hotel situation, it enables

management to know the busy period and plan their staffing better.

© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019

 88
VOICE BOX
The Changing Landscape of AV
By Brad Price, Senior Product Manager at Audinate
Dante Domain Manager management software provides a boost to the fan experience at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota with reliable, efficient and
secure AV streams
In 2019, AV is at a crossroads. While analog has been successfully
supplanted by digital, the devices and products handling digital signal
flows are still expensive and largely single-purpose. They use a variety
of connection technologies that made sense when coming from an
analog background - AES/EBU, MADI, SDI, HDMI, etc. - which were
still designed as point-to-point schemes, just like analog. This means
a cable must go from one device to another, often carrying only one
type of signal. Any further distribution required costly “switchers” to
split and isolate the signals going to different receivers.
A primary change today is the replacement of point-to-point
connections with networks. A network intrinsically allows
communication between any and all connected devices over a
common fabric, allowing any device to send data or signal to any
other with no dedicated connection required. Software dictates
where the signals go.
This change has already had a profound effect upon the professional
audio industry, and is now poised to similarly disrupt video as well.
Purpose built - and purpose limited
Dedicated devices in point-to-point systems are inherently “brittle.”
That means they are very intolerant of changes, and even small
alterations can disrupt system operation. If, for example, my signals
must physically flow from one device to another to another, then
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
any break in that chain causes total system failure. The “purpose
built” nature of such devices and connections makes them easy to
understand, but limited both in the scope of their functionality and in
their ability to use alternate signal paths.
On a networked AV system, all devices are connected to a common
switch that allows any type of data to flow between them - audio,
video, control, and more. There is no “daisy chain” to disrupt, so if
a device is disconnected it does not affect the connectivity of other
devices.
Legacy AV devices employ a variety of different connections, from RCA
jacks to HDMI ports, each of which is dedicated to a single type of
data or signal. This “purpose built” thinking again makes the devices
easy to grasp, but means systems require considerable manual labor
to install and repair - and comes with multitudes of cable running
through installations, each carrying its specific type of signal. It means
maintaining a library of connector types at different lengths, including
older connectors that are no longer current.
Networked AV uses only one connector type: an Ethernet jack and
cable. Any single Ethernet cable can simultaneously carry hundreds
of channels of audio, all control traffic, video, and even email and
web browsing, without conflict or difficulty. Cables can be up to 100
meters in length per leg, and distances can easily be extended using
additional switches or fiber optic cable.

Purpose-built devices will be around for a long time yet, but as AV
moves into networks with nearly infinite connectivity, it makes less
and less sense for physical devices to each perform a single type
of task. Increasingly, it will become clear that networking opens
possibilities for far more flexible, multi-purpose devices that can
handle the jobs of dozens of legacy devices at once.
There’s probably an app for that
In addition to providing easier installation and far greater flexibility
in deploying an AV system, networked AV has another card to play:
software.
A networked AV system is essentially a group of interconnected
computing devices handling audio or video, and those computing
devices can include familiar Windows and macOS computers as well
as dedicated Linux computers.
Software products such as Audinate’s Dante Virtual Soundcard or
Merging’s AES67 for macOS interface allow AV users and designers to
connect audio software products directly to an audio network. This
eliminates the need for dedicated hardware while delivering large
bidirectional channel counts and low latency. Tasks such as multi-
channel performance recording, lecture capture and media playout
are easily done using familiar software tools. In turn, this reduces the
learning curve and allows a single endpoint - a computer - to perform
many different jobs without moving any gear or cables.
The same computers being used to record and playout content
can themselves control the entire AV network, employing easy-to-
use software to route signals, set names of devices and channels,
configure clocking and much more. The native connectivity of
computers to AV networks brings new levels of power, flexibility and
control, all while reducing costs and complexity.
Benefits of software-driven AV
More and more AV products are computer-driven, regardless of their
physical appearance. Most modern digital mixers, for example, are - at
their heart - capable computers running software that is controlled
using the familiar faders and knobs. As AV networking replaces
traditional point-to-point systems, AV products are increasingly likely
to take on roles we consider to be those of computers: creating
and managing network connections, discovering other connected
products, and providing the tools to connect different resources to
the network. By replacing bespoke physical products with software
(where applicable), systems become far less costly to purchase and
deploy, and components are easily updated like standard computer
applications are today.
Where to begin
AV networking is here and is at work in thousands upon thousands of
installations. There are several competing AV networking systems, but
89
VOICE BOX
Dante AVIO adapter in use at Target Field
the key to success is choosing one that not only offers an expansive
number of products across a diverse number of manufacturers,
but also one that is providing a partnership in terms of support and
training.
For end users, this can be accomplished by working directly with the
developer of the enabling technology, with the manufacturer, or with
an integrator. It may also involve a blend of two or three! The point
is to ensure the backbone technology - i.e. the protocol on which
you choose to run a system - is interoperable, scalable, observable,
manageable and comes with a support structure.
For integrators, the advice is extremely similar: make sure you are
both partnering with the technology developers and with your clients
in a way that provides long term benefits. Not only should integrators
be taking advantage of training on networked AV systems, but they
should also be looking to offer support to clients in a way that both
provides troubleshooting and future upgrades.
With the right blend of interoperability, control and support, the
world of networked AV is demystified - and the results are impressive
solutions that improve everyone’s experience in work, school,
broadcast, live entertainment and more.
About the Author
Brad Price is the senior product
manager at Audinate. He
works with the development
team to create solutions such
as Dante Audio Networking,
Dante Domain Manager and
Dante AV. Dante has become the
most ubiquitous networked AV
solution, with more than 2,000
available products from over 430
manufacturers. An up-to-date
listing of products may be found
at https://www.audinate.com/
products/dante-enabled
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
 90
ON OUR WEB
WWW.SYSTEMSINTEGRATIONASIA.COM
Here are articles you might have missed from our web and
eNewsletter coverage
Jabra Showcases Smart Panoramic-
4K Video Conferencing Solution in
Singapore
Jabra has unveiled the Jabra PanaCast,
the world’s first smart panoramic-4K
plug-and-play video solution. This
real-time immersive intelligent vision
system offers 180-degree panoramic
vision which ensures that everyone
in the room can be seen. Providing
wall-to-wall video coverage, audio and
data that are critical to modern video
collaboration, Jabra PanaCast provides
unique value for huddle rooms and
spaces.
VITEC Sets Course for Rapid
Expansion in Middle East
Riding a wave of increased
spending by the military and
defence sector, and bolstered
by the pressing need for Oil &
Gas and broadcast organizations
to streamline operations and
optimize operational costs
through the use of advanced
technologies, VITEC has doubled
down on its investment in the
Middle East.
Visit WWW.SYSTEMSINTEGRATIONASIA.COM to Subscribe
© Systems Integration Asia | VOL. 19 ISSUE - 1 ~ Oct-Nov 2019
Aveo Systems Appoints Jands as
Exclusive Australian Distributor
Aveo Systems has announced the
appointment of Jands Pty Ltd as its
exclusive distributor in the Australia-
New Zealand region. In business
for more than 40 years, Jands
combines design, manufacturing,
and distribution to bring a wide
range of audio-visual solutions to
customers. Offices are located in
Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,
with additional representation
in Adelaide, Perth, Auckland and
Wellington.
Xilica Announces Distribution
Changes in China & Hong Kong
SAR
In a move that both underlines and
reinforces its growing presence
throughout Asia, digital signal
processing manufacturer Xilica
has announced new distribution
partners for the key China & Hong
Kong SAR markets. IAG and Sound
Classy will now handle distribution
for the manufacturer’s new Solaro
Series in China and Hong Kong,
respectively.
RCF Appoints AVenger Electronics for
UAE / Oman Distribution
Looking to establish a new AV
distribution company, and apply their
collective knowledge of the local market
requirement to a well-known audio
brand, Anil Kumar and his team at Dubai-
based AVenger Electronics approached
RCF. “Since RCF had the entire range
of professional audio products in its
portfolio, catering for the installation,
touring, MI and Evacuation segments, we
considered them as our preferred choice
for servicing the markets in the UAE and
Oman,” stated AVenger sales manager,
Joseph Ninel Rebero.
Christie Adds A&L as Distributor for
Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand
Christie has appointed Acoustic &
Lighting System (A&L) as the distributor
of its 3LCD projectors and large
format Secure Series LCD panels for
the Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand
markets. Headquartered in Malaysia
with nine physical premises catering
to diversified markets, A&L has
established itself as an industry leader
in the distribution of professional
sound, lighting and accessories
solutions since its inception in 1994.
Dynacord & Electro-Voice Announce
SVI as National Distributor for
Indonesia
Dynacord and Electro-Voice
have appointed SVI (Suara Visual
Indonesia) as their new national
distributor for Indonesia. SVI is one
of the largest pro AV distributors
and system integrators in Indonesia,
and Dynacord and Electro-Voice join
their portfolio of premium brands.
In addition to AV solutions, SVI also
offer musical instruments, lifestyle
products and music education.
Tripleplay Expands Middle Eastern
Operations
Following a year of significant
growth in the region, Tripleplay
has moved to a new office in
central Dubai to accommodate
its expanding sales and technical
team in the Middle East. The new
headquarters will be the centre
of business for Tripleplay in the
Middle East with purpose- built
demonstration facilities and will
be home to the regional sales and
technical services departments.
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