ISE 2023 - A Universal Perspective

ISE 2023 in Sunny, albeit cold Barcelona and Universal AV this year we’re represented by the Sales team.

Manager Mark Atkinson and Technical Account Manager Duncan Cave. The boys decided to walk to the event arriving right on time at 10am only to be greeted by long queues caused by the imminent arrival of King Filipe VI of Spain.?

Once in the event space, our intrepid two headed straight to meet with Laurie Moss of Huddly. They were taken to a private meeting space to see the launch of Huddly Crew, the new multi camera system designed to make video meetings more engaging for all participants. The three cameras use AI technology to analyse audio and video to choose the best “shot” just like a TV director. Huddly claim this creates an inclusive experience where all meeting participants are given screen time and not just the dominant speakers. Atkinson commentated “at first the experience was a little strange as we are so used to having a Teams meeting with one camera positioned at the front of the room. However, once you got used to the cameras cutting from one shot to another it did become more engaging. With multiple people in one room, when you are on the far end of a call you can often feel like an observer instead of a participant. With the cameras cutting from shot to shot you could see all the faces in the meeting, making the experience more natural. Some of our larger corporate clients, who are using Teams and other platforms on a regular basis, are now looking at ways to improve the user experience and encourage technology adoption. This system will be a welcome addition to the solutions we can offer them.”

Next on the agenda was a trip to 海康威视 and a meeting with our good friend Ioan Williams. Universal AV Services relationship with the Chinese based manufacturer is still in its infancy but we have already delivered several LCD and LED video wall projects. Traditionally based in CCTV, their products are reliable and cutting edge. They had on display several large screens including a sneak look at their soon to be released 0.6mm pixel pitch LED which delivers superb image reproduction.?

Next call was our long standing partners Kramer Electronics Europe . The boys met up with Ken Sclater and Andrew Martin who took us through some of their latest innovations and releases. Duncan Cave was guided through their redesigned control software, which has been made so much easier with its drag and drop programming interface. Cave said “the control software looks really easy to programme. The support from the guys at Kramer is always impressive which makes specifying Kramer solutions for our customers a strong choice.”

Perdee Gould from distributor Northamber was our guide for the next hour, introducing our representatives to first Airtame and then ViewSonic . The former manufacturer was ably represented by Ryan Mcelvaney who demonstrated the Airtame Hub, a conference device which allows for wireless connection to a camera and microphone system for Teams and Zoom calls. The Hub provided wireless sharing, digital signage and hybrid conferencing in a single box. Users connect to the Hub via a simple app; the Hub then hosts the call, taking over from the laptop. Cave mentioned “The Hub is an interesting solution, offering a BYOD and TeamsRoom experience in a Single solution. I can definitely see an opportunity for this with my customers and I will be looking to test the Hub in more depth once I get back to the UK.”

ViewSonic have been a major player in the flat panel market for decades. Ricky Kumar hosted our team and guided them through the various offerings in terms of interactive touchscreen displays, passive flat panels and LED panels. One such product was a folding LED screen designed to be moved around and a 21:9 ratio 105” Viewboard boasting 5K resolution.?

Our two boys then split up and visited Seada in Hall 5 and Hisense in Hall2.?

Mark commented “I headed over to see Seada and their range of videowall control solutions. I have a couple of opportunities that I am working on and I wanted to look at their SolarWall and AVoIP solutions.”

Meanwhile Duncan met up with Roy Martin at Hisense Europe . “This year in Barcelona we have a live demonstration of our latest High Bright solutions.” Roy told him. “Our expanding range of advanced outdoor displays are perfect for a host of digital infrastructure applications.”

At this stage, the feet were beginning to ache, but not to be put off, our two salesmen headed to Q-SYS and met up with Matthew Farrer and Simon Jones. Q-SYS is a cloud-manageable, software-driven audio, video and control platform which enables an entire Partner Ecosystem. “The Q-SYS system has been a real winner for us” commented Atkinson “ with several of our key customers recognising the benefits the solution offers. The stand tour was really cool, taking us through several scenarios such as Teams Rooms or Education lecture theatres where Q-SYS can offer a really positive solution. They integrated their products with other manufacturers such as AudioTechnica,Epson and Sennheiser.”

The final appointment of the day was with Optoma Technology and Joanne Davies. Optoma have a strong and impressive range of touchscreen display, passive screens and projectors designed to fit any application and budget. Cave told us “I have always used Optoma products and we have recently had good activity with their range of interactive touchscreen panels.”

With the end of a long day, the boys headed to the Sony | Professional Corporate Solutions Europe stand where they joined other integrators from across Europe and the world at the Sony ISE Partner Event. Drinks and food were served to celebrate the start of ISE at the exclusive Hilton Diagonal Mar, Barcelona.?

Atkinson said “Sony are a key partner of ours and it is very important to us to support the UK team. The Partner Event is a great opportunity to network, catch up with friends and colleagues and enjoy a drink or two.”

Day two will follow shortly. For those of you not getting to ISE this year - we are bringing ISE to you in the shape of our technology event in LEeds on March 2nd. You will see all the key manufacturers - do not hesitate and register today here.