av technology - february-march

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A V N E T W O R K . C

O M

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F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 6 | V O L . 9

N O . 2 THE IT MANAGER’S GUIDE TO NETWORKED AV

T H E A V R E S O U R C E F O R T E C H N O L O G Y M A N A G E R S A N D U S E R S

Is the Internet of Things changing thehigher education technology landscape?

IOT 101

MEET YOUR IT MANAGER:

CARLISLE B. WILLARD,DUKE UNIVERSITY

BYTE-SIZED LESSONIN IP-ENABLED AV

ROUTERS & ROUTING

+ 6 WAYS TO

MONETIZEINTERACTIVEDIGITALSIGNAGE

I S T O CK / T HI NK S T O CK

+ New AV Products forSavvy Tech Managers


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Technology that works

the way you workUnproductive meetings and wasted resources cost organizations a fortune: in the U.S.alone, an estimated $37 billion * every year. Problems with room scheduling, AV, setup,and environmental systems are major contributors. Crestron has the solution.

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All brand names, pro duct names, and tr ademarks are the pro perty of t heir respecti ve owners. Cer tain trademar ks, registered t rademarks, and t rade names may be used in t his document to ref er to either the entities cl aimingthe marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. ©2016 Crestron Electronics, Inc.


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The Contents

F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 6 | a v n e t w o r k . c o m 4

perspective

5 CONNECTING THE DOTS

Big Ideas

8 BYTE-SIZED LESSON IN IPIP routers and routing

9 DIGITAL SIGNAGE INDUSTRYTRENDS IN 2016

Expect iterative & breakthrough

improvements this year.

MEET YOUR MANAGER

10 Q&A WITH CARLISLE B. WILLARD,PH.D., DUKE UNIVERSITY

AV in Action

28 SMARTER MEETINGSWhen a financial firm decided to move

their annual client meetings to their office

building, they knew they needed to upgrade

their AV.

The Guide

A1 THE IT MANAGER’S GUIDE TONETWORKED AV

The Goods

56 NEW & NOTABLE AV PRODUCTS

how it’s done

58 BACK-TO-SCHOOL TECH SHOPPING

Features

14 6 WAYS TO MONETIZEINTERACTIVE DIGITAL SIGNAGEMeeting room signage & interactivity

offer a facility much more than ‘wowfactor.’

18 THE CAMPUS: WHERE AVMEETS IOTRead why IoT is changing the educa-tional technology equation.

22 BLE & IOT LEAD DIGITALSIGNAGE TRENDS IN 2016No longer confined to a rectangle box,tech managers are using digital signagein remarkable new ways.

24 14 ESSENTIALS OF THECONNECTED CLASSROOMGiving your higher ed tech end users theedge. 18

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AV Technology (ISSN 1941-5273) is published monthly except combined February/March and July/Augustby NewBay Media LLC, 28 East 28 Street, New York, NY 10016. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY10199 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send addr ess changes to AV Technology, PO Box 8692,Lowell, MA 01853-8692


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Perspective

Connecting The Dots

For GenXers like me, a stroll down memory lane bringsthe term “computer classroom” to mind. How far we’vecome. Long gone are the days of relegating technology tothe library basement; technology is now woven into thevery fabric of our higher education learning spaces. In our feature “14 Essentials of theConnected Classroom” (page 24), Kirsten Nelson, NewBay Media’s Editor at Large, exploreswhy and how traditional lecture-based rooms are being supplanted by student-centeredcollaborative hubs. In Carolyn Heinze’s long-form feature, “The Campus: Where AV MeetsIoT” (page 18), she investigates how universities are using bleeding-edge advancements suchas the Internet of Things to analyze metrics, connect with audio and video components,and create ef iciencies.

Just off the heels of an energetic Integrated Systems Europe conference in Amsterdam,

it was clear just how influential users and tech managers are becoming in the pro AVecosystem. That’s why we devoted our “Meet Your Manager” section (page 10) in this editionto Carlisle B. Willard, Ph.D. Dr. Willard is the IT Manager of Trinity Technology ServicesClassroom Support at Duke University, a division that supports nearly 300 media-equippedclassrooms, conference spaces, and auditoriums. Virtually everywhere at Duke has accessto WiFi connections and any classroom at Duke has AV/multimedia capabilities. I wasimpressed with Carlisle’s perspective on building an in-house AV integration team. Even ifyou are working in verticals other than higher ed, I know his insights will resonate.

Another highlight in this issue is our “IT Manager’s Guide to Networked AV” (page A1).

As our contributing editor Cindy Davis explains, during the past three years, a plethoraof networked AV devices have come to market designed to be “on the network.” As Davisopined, “The umbrella of networked AV is in its infancy, but it is quickly earning its place,”by design and necessity. Our guide—the irst of its kind in the industry—is not intendedto sermonize to the IT choir about how to con igure a network to include AV. Instead, thishallmark digest is intended to offer IT directors useful perspectives and best practices forthe relatively new category of networked AV.

As always, our editorial initiatives are only as successful as the tech managers whocontribute. Please let your voices be heard. Share your thoughts on networked AV, campusIoT, and everything in between. Find us on Twitter @AVTechnologyMag.

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February/March 2016 vol. 9 no. 2

EDITORIALMargot Douaihy Editorial Director

[email protected] Davis Contributing Editor

Lyle Bunn, James Careless, Phil Hippensteel, CarolynHeinze, Brian Nadel, Kirsten Nelson, Garen Sahagian

Contributors Phil Hippensteel, Jan Ozer, Paul Parrie, Kevin McLaughlin

Joe Schuch, Ronnie Anne Spang, Steve Vonder HaarAV Technology Advisory Board

SALES & MARKETINGSue Horwitz Publisher

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NEWBAY MEDIA CORPORATE Steve Palm President & CEO

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n the last Byte-SizedLesson of AV Technology ,

we looked at Layer 2switches. Now, we’ll con-

sider the function of a router and whathappens when Layer 3—the NetworkLayer—relays packets. If your collabora-tion system is on a VLAN and needs to beaccessible from the rest of the enterprise,

you’ll need a router. If you’re using a cam-

era, encoder, or other AV device that picksits own address by browsing the localEthernet segment, you’ll need a router tolimit where it broadcasts its queries. And,the easiest way to create new subnetworks

without getting tied up in complicatedsubnet masks is to separate your subnets

with routers.Each TCP/IP packet contains a header

(field) that includes the source and des-tination IP addresses. These are almostalways assigned by software in the send-

ing and receiving computers. The IPaddress is composed of two parts, one

which indicates the network of the deviceand another that singles out the particularcomputer on that network. In a future les-son, we’ll delve into how those two partsare defined. For now, we only need toknow that the router relays a packet basedon the part of the address that shows thedestination network.

Let’s consider what steps a routertakes when it receives a packet on anincoming interface. First, it strips awaythe Layer 2 header containing the macaddresses. These addresses are no longerneeded. Their only function was to getthe packet across the previous physicallink. Then, using an error check valuein the IP header, the router checks theintegrity of the header to be sure ithasn’t been corrupted during its transit.Next, it decreases a value in the header

called the hop count by exactly one to indicate that thepacket passed through the router. The hop count is a

value, set by the sending station, which determines themaximum number of routers a packet can pass throughbefore the packet is judged to be lost. Next the routerdetermines the destination address to which the packetis headed and seeks that network address in a list calledits routing table . Each entry in that table will have listeda corresponding outgoing interface to use to send thepacket towards its destination. Finally, the router placesa new Layer 2 header on the packet and sends it usingthe proper outgoing interface.

So, a key element in this process is the routing tablethat contains the known destination networks and out-going interfaces. How is it created? Routers periodicallyupdate each other on which routes they are connectedto and which they can reach. The particular method by

which they do this is called the routing protocol. There is a significant difference between Layer 2

switches described in the last lesson and the routersexplained here. A Layer 2 switch simply reads hardwareaddresses and forwards the data frame out of the properinterface. However, a router reads the packet, does anintegrity check, changes the hop count and re-calculates anew error check code. Maybe that is why routers are oftenmore expensive than switches.

Phil Hippenstel, PhD, is a regular columnist with AV Technology . Read all of his “Byte-Sized Lessons” on www.avnetwork.com.

Big IdeasBYTE-SIZEDLESSONS IN IPIP ROUTERS AND ROUTING

By Phil Hippensteel

I

“If you’re using a camera,encoder, or other AVdevice that picks its ownaddress by browsingthe local Ethernetsegment, you’ll need arouter to limit where itbroadcasts its queries. And, the easiest way tocreate new subnetworkswithout getting tied up incomplicated subnet masks

is to separate your subnetswith routers.” T H I N K S T O C K


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rinity Technology Services (TTS) is an office within the Trinity School of Arts & Sciences at Duke University. Theunit is tasked with IT support for all A&S offices, depart-ments, and programs, providing wall-to-desktop sup-

port and working with the Office of Information Technology to sup-port infrastructure needs within the college. This includes computer

desktop support for all Trinity faculty, website support, computer pur-chasing, and IT support for various research laboratories. AV Technology recently interviewed Carlisle B. Willard, Ph.D., about Duke’s broader

vision for AV/IT convergence and collaborative learning.

AV Technology: What is the current state of audiovisual integrationand wireless access at Duke University?Carlisle B. Willard: Duke began its commitment to multimedia anddata availability in the classrooms in 1994 and by the first part of thecurrent century has developed between 277 and 300 media-equippedclassrooms, conference spaces, and auditoriums. Virtually everywhereat Duke has access to WiFi connections. Any classroom at Duke hasmultimedia capabilities.

Initially, this change was greeted with a degree of skepticism andunease, but over the last 15 or so years, multimedia in the classroom hasbecome the standard. Faculty played an initial role in establishing a setof basic standards for the classroom, and those standards have evolvedas technologies changed. Faculty rapidly adapted to the use of multime-dia and now regard it as one of their essential instructional tools.

What AV/IT problems have you solved recently?Carlisle B. Willard: At the moment, we are in the middle of a longproject to convert all of our classrooms into HDMI-capable sys-tems. Generally speaking, the cost for a basic multimedia classroominstalled by contractors ran to about $13,000 each. I quickly realizedthat the only way to accomplish the upgrade of the classrooms, givencurrent budget realities, was to develop an in-house integration staff.

Fortunately, the companies developing digital equipment were also

making them easier to program and integrate, and the company weuse for control systems provides programming training that has ledto our being able to take over the bulk of our own integration needs.

Over the last four or five years, the in-house integration hasbeen very successful, graduating from very simple control sys-tems to fairly sophisticated setups, while saving Arts & Sciencestens of thousands of budget dollars.

Part of our support process has been to develop a set ofremote management tools and system standards designed tosimplify both support and training needs. We use the CrestronFusion system to help gather maintenance data, provide remotecontrols allowing us to offer assistance online, and provide

advance notification of system needs, such as lamp and filterreplacements. We are working with other Duke schools anddepartments to develop a common set of control system andmultimedia installation standards that will help us supportsystems more effectively and efficiently.

What types of new tech or products do you want to learn moreabout?Carlisle B. Willard: One of the more interesting development

has been the growing introduction of streaming systems andthe BYOD needs for classrooms. Originally we had designedmultimedia setups to permit the addition of new technologies

FIRST-PERSON PERSPECTIVESFROM LEADING TECH DIRECTORS

CARLISLE B.WILLARDQ&A WITH CARLISLE B. WILLARD, PH.D., IT MANAGER,TRINITY TECHNOLOGY SERVICES CLASSROOM SUPPORT,

DUKE UNIVERSITY, DURHAM, NC

T


Meet Your Manager

Carlisle B. Willard, Ph.D., Duke University


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(such as when DVD players began to over-take VHS systems), but in the last several

years, equipment needs have been movingaway from onsite playback systems to vari-

ous forms of streaming playback and frompresentation to collaborative systems. There are a number of systems that offer

the chance for participants in a class to con-nect anything they have which has WiFi orBluetooth capability. Each has their advan-tages and disadvantages, and it is apparentthat the standards for these systems is stillin the process of settling down. The primaryoptions we have explored to date includeconsumer-end systems like the Apple TV andsystems like Crestron AirMedia or the morerecent Solstice Pod systems.

The realization of the ability to connect wirelessly is a very fond goal for anyone who has had to deal with changing cablingdemands and the current tangle of adaptors

which tend to be product-specific, makingproviding them a nightmare in a university

situation where we have little control over what someone decides to bring into a class-room.

What AV/IT do you hope to buy in the nearfuture?Carlisle B. Willard: We are currently starting aproject to renovate our experimental teachingsuite, a set of classrooms referred to as “TheLink” that were designed several years agoas high-end technology classrooms. We aretransitioning the rooms from analog to digi-tal spaces and are planning to make wirelessBYOD systems a standard part of the design.

The other issue, of course, is to decide which of the various emerging technologiesshould be showcased and experimented with.

We are planning to distribute the Mersive cor-poration’s Solstice Pod in several of the rooms

as an initial step in this experiment, but weare always on the watch for other systems.

Our focus and primary interest in thesesystems is flexibility and adaptability. Forexample, although we have been workingat the digital refit of our classrooms for five

years now, budgetary constraints have left usjust under 50% of the way through, but thedemand for digital systems is more insistenteach year. What we need is a quick way toenable an analog room to support at a mini-mal level HDMI source materials, buying us

time while we upgrade all the rooms. TheSolstice Pod may be a partial solution, but weare always looking for other options as well.

If applicable, how to you procure/purchase your AV for in-house installs? Distributor,manufacturer direct, in bulk, other?Carlisle B. Willard: Relatively few manufactur-ers will provide direct purchase, but since weare doing our in-house integrations, we arefunctioning much like an integration firm. Atpresent we use a host of sources for purchas-ing, including integration firms willing to actas our “box suppliers,” and various onlinesources such as distributers or online directpurchase. Since we are an educational institu-tion, we can access education discounts, andDuke is an A+ Partner with Crestron, whichallows even better pricing.

In addition, Duke as an entity has variousinstitutional agreements with several othercompanies involved in multimedia, network-ing systems, and conferencing systems, whichallows us both to standardize our purchasesand access better pricing that we would likelyget from integrators.

Where are tech manufacturers getting it wrongor missing opportunities?Carlisle B. Willard: In many cases specific

technology will have been developed witha specific, sometimes highly focused marketin mind. Smart Corporation makes theirSmartBoard largely with a K-12 focus on itsfeatures and functions.

Ironically, this focus works against themin higher education for a very odd reason.K-12 teachers have to maintain teaching cer-tificates that require annual training and arean audience which has both the time andinclination for training because it is part oftheir job. Consequently, the very complex

controls are less of a problem and the pleth-ora of pre-made materials are a rich resource.

Higher education teachers have less freetime for detailed training because of research

demands and prefer to use their own materi-als, and have little use for the bundled mate-rials because they are less relevant. Highereducation instructors need simple, depend-able systems with easy access to materialsand find the complexity of the Smart systemsoff-putting. These systems are designed with a

very clear focus on K-12 and have spent littledesign study on how best to fulfill highereducation needs.

Another peculiarity is the differencebetween “consumer-grade” products and“commercial-grade.” Consumer-grade sys-tems tend to be designed to have greater flexi-bility in terms of sources that can be accessed,

but they are designed for an assumed lighteruse. Commercial-grade tends to wear some-

what better, but since it is designed with theassumption that it will be incorporated intoswitching systems, it tends to have fewersource options, which makes it more expen-sive to integrate.

When we are designing systems, it issometimes useful to have media systems likeflat-panels or projectors which have multipleinput options, enabling fairly simple rooms

to use lower-end control systems, therebyincreasing their flexibility of use. Just becausea flat panel is going to be placed in an inte-grated structure does not mean that havingmultiple HDMI or USB ports would not bedesirable.

What is the biggest obstacle to collaboration? What are your collaboration strategies?Carlisle B. Willard: The biggest challenge tointegrating technology with instruction, letalone technology with collaboration is sim-

“Each school or department has its own wayof doing things and as new systems comeonline, unless the school takes a central focusfrom the start, each office that starts usingthings initially comes up with systems thatsuit their own specific needs, without regardfor whether anyone else would be interested.”


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plicity. Highly complex collaboration systemscan do many things, most of them well, butteachers (and students) have to be willing toinvest a not-inconsiderable amount of time totraining before they can access the majority ofthe advantages of those systems.For AV to be able to respondeffectively to an informationtechnology need, we must havea clear picture of how the faculty

work and what they need. Thus we have to work with faculty ina consultative role to help themdefine what they are workingtoward so that we can build aneffective response into the tech-nology.

As a rule, the more training

that is required before a systemcan be used directly, the less like-ly faculty are to commit to usingit. The fewer options of usagethere are, the less flexible theequipment is. The best approachseems to be to look for systemsthat are simple to use but aredesigned so as to support morecomplex options.

Collaboration within theinstitution of various offices isproceeding, but any institution

will face a similar issue: who setsthe standards, for whose ben-efit? Each school or departmenthas its own way of doing thingsand as new systems come online,unless the school takes a central

focus from the start, each officethat starts using things initiallycomes up with systems that suittheir own specific needs, withoutregard for whether anyone else

would be interested.However efficient this is in

the short term, the siloes of pro-cess that this approach creates

will eventually become a stum-bling block. Ultimately, com-mon interest will overcome each

entity’s desire to have things “my way,” but theprocess is a long one.

To ensure collaboration between disparateschools within the university, the first step isto come to an acceptance that there are, in

fact, common needs. When that is realized, itbecomes easier to establish a common set ofstandards and then build from those standards.Common standards can drive costs down, or atleast help control them.

”Relatively few manufacturers will provide direct purchase, but sincewe are doing our in-house integrations, we are functioning much likean integration firm. At present we use a host of sources for purchasing,including integration firms willing to act as our ‘box suppliers.’”


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1.) “AIM TO MESMERIZE, NOTMONETIZE”It turns out that digital signage content doesn’t haveto be all about “Half Off” and “For a Limited Time

Only,” and it doesn’t even have to “promote umbrel-las when it starts raining outside.” Ideally, in thecurrent marketing climate of “customer engagement”and “creating brand intimacy,” it’s more importantto use cool video technology to create a remarkableimpression—you know, like video was meant to do.

Think robots, think interactivity, think multi-touch,because no one wants to walk up to an invitingscreen and find that it doesn’t do anything when youtouch it.

Darren David from Stimulant said it best in AdAge: “Aim to mesmerize, not monetize.” Builder

of “smart spaces” to enhance branding, David alsoemphasized “creating authentic engagement witha brand.” That means it’s time to think beyond thesame old 16:9 rectangle and aim for wall-wrapping,

mind-bending projection mapping or tiled video wall configurations. If you’ve seen the Christie Digitalbooth at InfoComm, you know what I’m talkingabout.

2.) MOVE MORE THAN PEOPLETHROUGH CORRIDORSCorridors are opportunities for excitement. Thinkabout stadiums, airports, parking garages and maybeeven that old dinosaur of an experience, the shoppingmall. There’s a lot of walking (or hoverboarding) thathappens in those spaces, and a few have even added

6 Ways To MonetizeInteractiveDigital SignageMeeting room signage and BLE beacons offera facility much more than “wow factor.” by Kirsten Nelson

There are lots of new ways to talk about monetizing digital signage. Not too longago, in the primordial phases of digital signage, many focused on impossible-to-measure delivery of “impressions,” but as it turns out, the ROI on dynamicdisplays is quite nuanced. Marketing has evolved to encompass a number of“engagement” tactics, and they don’t all have instant results. Sometimes you’rebuilding a brand, and the uptick in sales will take time. Or in the case of higher

education or the enterprise, sometimes the goal is to create a positive impressionor boost productivity over the long term. But for those who need to see instantresults, digital signage also offers proximity marketing and on-screen order-taking to boost sales.


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some nice light and music shows to accompany the

journey.Maybe it’s time you transformed an empty wallinto something worth looking at. That’s what thegood people at UNLV did with the “Rebel Rec”Student Recreation and Wellness Center. The schoolbought itself some serious engagement with a newPlanar Clarity Matrix LCD video wall system. That’scertainly a captive audience that’s leaving with a posi-tive impression.

3.) USE ROOM SCHEDULING SOFTWARETO ACTUALLY MAKE MONEY

Wait, do you have a room full of people in a meet-ing scheduled to end at a certain time? Do you havesomething to sell in a coffee shop, copy center, localrestaurant or maybe a yoga studio and meditationcenter for blowing off steam? Well, MGM Resorts hasan idea for you. Meeting room signage, paired withBLE beacon technology, to use the power of digital

persuasion. Tap into that revenue stream and maybemake conferences more fun in the meantime.

4.) WE’RE ALL STARING AT SCREENSALL DAY, ANYWAY Do you work at a company, university, museum oranywhere that purports to have a “contemporary”image? Maybe it’s time to use digital signage for morethan lunch menus and RSS news feeds. And maybethe content should move beyond video walls andflat panel displays to the direct line of sight of people

working within a space.

It’s time to usher in the new level of the “con-

nected desktop.” Study up on X2O Media’s newenterprise-evolving X2O.Join technology and turnthose desktop displays into an enterprise-wide visualcommunication network. It might even be possibleto pull people away from social media feeds and getthem to look at dashboards showing key businessmetrics, if they’re delivered in real time in a dynamic

way. The technology also allows for sharing employeesurveys, video from events like town hall meetings,and important live announcements such as emer-gency notifications.

5.) PROXIMITY MARKETING IS FORCLOSERSEveryone got excited when Apple legitimized theBluetooth Low Energy (BLE) location beacon idea

with the release of its iBeacon proximity messagingsystem last year. Suddenly, dreams of “proximitymarketing” were coming true, and it was possible to

beam enticing menu options or specials directly toconsumers’ mobile devices as they passed through ageographical bubble around a business or inside of astore. But, naturally, that led to the follow-up questionof how to use BLE beacons, which also exist in the

Android landscape.Fortunately, digital signage manufacturers were

already on the case, and now it’s possible to addsome hardware to activate some software in the cloud,et voila , we have proximity marketing. Samsung ison it, even bringing the ever-so-appealing “Internetof Things” into the equation. The screen manufac-

turer recently partnered with Zebra Technologies ona proximity marketing test run, embedding RFID tagsinto wine bottle labels and connected them to digitalsigns, prompting relevant customer reviews and foodpairings to appear on screens when customers pass by

with a tagged bottle of wine.

6.) SKIP THE LINESeen in action by this intrepid reporter most recentlyin a fast-food joint in the south of France, it turns outthat when you put an interactive digital sign into arestaurant, people order from it, even when there arehuman order takers present. (Even in the south ofFrance!) Frequently, in watching this process happen

over and over again, it appears as though they ordermore than they usually would, lingering over theirselections without the embarrassment of having tosay their order out loud.

We’re all getting used to ordering food via screens,and as more restaurants add them, it’s easy to proveROI simply by pointing to sales metrics from beforeand after installation. “Interactive ordering drivesincremental volume,” noted Gene Ornstead, director

of product marketing for digital signage at ViewSonic.“Some of the drivers for this trend is the customer’sspeed of ordering without waiting in ordering lines.

Another is digital signage advertising can stimulateordering through attractive imagery, video and pro-motional messaging.”

Kirsten Nelson is SCN’s Editor at Large .


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Read why IoT is changing the educational technology equation.

The Campus:Where AV Meets IoTBy Carolyn Heinze

Last July, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA,announced that Google had granted it an initial roundof $500,000 in funding to develop a robust platform tosupport Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. GIoTTO, theplatform, will include sensors and middleware for appdevelopment, as well as security and privacy manage-ment. The university hopes to launch the first version ofGIoTTO sometime this spring.

“Essentially, what Google wanted us to do was build an open infrastructurefor the Internet of Things,” explained Anind Dey, project lead and director ofCMU’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute. “Lots of companies—includingGoogle—have great technologies that can contribute to an Internet of Thingsecology, but having one company that owned everything just didn’t seem tomake sense.” After all, proprietary systems are limiting: “If you have to buy intoall of one company’s products, it’s not going to work because people want tobe able to pick and choose and combine products together to have the systemthey want.”

Dey relays that in conjunction the deployment of GIoTTO, CMU is makinga considerable effort to engage potential users—namely students, staff, and fac-ulty—with the goal of enhancing how each group does its work. “The students,


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I think, are most interested inlearning more about it so thatthey can leverage it in theircourse work, [and] in theirresearch,” Dey said. “The staff,I think, are probably moreinterested in how it can helpthem on a daily basis, and Ithink the faculty are interestedprimarily in how it can helpthem on a daily basis, butalso how it could impact theirresearch.”

At the classroom level, Dey believes that GIoTTO

offers the potential for improved audiovisual experi-ences. “[There is] the use of sensing technology todetect changes in the environment, [where] you may

want to change the audiovisual settings in a class-room, to detecting where people are in a classroomto change audiovisual settings, to even detecting:

why is my projector not actually projecting on thescreen?” he illustrated. This last use case can speed uptroubleshooting, therefore decreasing help desk calls,

he added. “Building on that, obviously we have tonsof seminar rooms and other rooms that are meantfor specific audiovisual needs, and you can imaginethat putting additional sensing technology in thosespaces would enable us to be more creative in under-standing how those spaces get used, and how we canimprove those spaces at the same time.”

That said, control systemsmanufacturers have beendeveloping technologies thatachieve this well before theterm “Internet of Things” wascoined. “We put an Ethernetport on a control systemand had it monitored by oursoftware at the University of

Wisconsin in 1997, so it’sbeen almost 20 years nowthat we’ve been doing the

‘Internet of Things,’” saidDaniel Jackson, manager of

research and development at Crestron ElectronicsInc. in Rockleigh, N.J. The concept has simplyevolved thanks to technological advancements com-bined with user demand for more sophisticated fea-tures, and he points to Crestron’s Fusion EnterpriseManagement Platform as an example.

“As we’re putting in different devices, we’re moni-toring them, we’re managing them, we’re letting youknow what’s going on with them, and we’re provid-ing you remote access to them so that from a support

and management perspective, these schools can be alot more efficient and make the people who use therooms feel a lot better because the stuff is always upand working,” Jackson said. And, back at the helpdesk, technicians can troubleshoot and solve prob-lems without having to travel either across campus, orto a satellite location.

Jackson also points out that solutions like CrestronFusion help tech managers gain an accurate depictionof space utilization, both in terms of how often a spe-cific room is occupied, and how much the equipmentin it is actually in use. “That’s important for people,because how do you really know if you made goodspending decisions if you don’t know how much stuff

is being used?” he said. “When you can track that, you canreally get a better understand-ing of whether or not you’remaking the right decisions.”

“The way we see it, theInternet of Things is reallymultiple devices that eitherhave sensors or some type of

communication with themthat are coming back to a cen-tral hub, and that are being

managed or monitored via a cloud-based applica-

tion,” said Michael Peveler, vice president of globaleducation sales at AMX by Harman in Richardson, Texas. AMX has offered these capabilities for years,

Anind Dey, projectlead and directorof CMU’s Human-Computer InteractionInstitute

Daniel Jackson,manager of researchand development atCrestron Electronics

Inc

Connecting to theIoE? For ‘Shure’Audio manufacturer Shure Inc. recently joined

the Cisco Solution Partner Program, stepping up

its e orts to address the Internet of Everything.

As a result, Shure Micro ex Wireless enterprise-

class microphones will integrate within the Cisco

infrastructure. “Customers gain the bene t of

Shure wireless technology with the Cisco codec,”

said Brian Hayes, senior design engineer at IVCi,

an AV systems rm. “Customers gain the bene t

of Shure wireless technology with the Cisco

codec. Both products are rock solid and have

proven themselves in applications ranging from

small conference rooms to mobile carts, divisible

spaces, and multipurpose room types.”

Michael Peveler, vicepresident of globaleducation sales atAMX by Harman


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with the main difference being that its ResourceManagement Suite now runs in the cloud rather thanon a server. “Today, we really see more of our custom-ers continuing to do the same thing they’ve alwaysdone with the exception that the number of devicesand the types of devices continue to change as we goforward.”

And herein lies the issue: when you’re manag-ing 200 rooms, realistically, how much informationabout them can you process? “It’s a massive amountof energy, and in most cases, [tech managers] arestruggling to have the resources just to manage whatthey have, much less the ever-changing environmentas professors go, ‘oh, I could do this if I just had this

connected,’” Peveler said. “Everything can be mea-sured, so then the question is, what do you measure,how do you measure it, and how do you managethose constant changes?”

From an AV perspective, one of the challenges Deyforesees his team facing is getting AV-centric devices toplay well with everything else that’s on the network.“I think it’s the huge set of protocols that each of thedifferent players in this space uses—that’s probably

one of the biggest things that we have to address,” hesaid. This is especially challenging because many AVinfrastructures are closed systems, “so we either haveto find partners that are willing to open those sys-tems to interact with our infrastructure, or hopefullysomebody’s found a way to put a wrapper aroundthose systems so that we can use them.” Latency isanother concern: “If it takes an extra half a second formy lights to turn on, that’s OK. But if it takes an extrahalf a second for my audio to catch up to the video,then that may be more of a problem. Trying to makesure that things are as reactive as possible is something

we’re still looking at.”One would hope that the IoT will serve to ease

a number of burdens tech managers contend with,however at first, this may not be the case. “Theamount of diversity in terms of devices that they lookat is just going to explode,” Dey said. Not only willtech managers be tasked with managing traditional

BYOD devices (phones, tablets, and laptops), butother consumer appliances users want to incorporateinto campus life. “To bring an Amazon Echo onto theCarnegie Mello campus actually took a fair amount ofdoing. You just want to put everything on the secure

wireless network and that’s not the way Echo works.So just dealing with small and simple things like thatis going to be challenging due to the heterogeneity ofthe devices.” And speaking of security, Dey acknowl-edges that there is still a way’s to go. While end usersare concerned with maintaining their privacy, techmanagers are charged with locking down environ-

ments where, once again, the number of devices isincreasing exponentially. Not only that, but theymust keep things locked down while at the sametime enabling systems to function in an efficient,meaningful way.

Dey says that when it comes to the IoT, there is alot to be excited about, but he tempers his enthusiasm

with some healthy skepticism. “People are callingit the next trillion-dollar industry, and so I think it’sreally exciting. I do worry that there’s a huge danger ofit falling off the curve in terms of too much promiseand not enough delivery,” he said. One area that hebelieves shows great promise is the development ofsmart buildings and smart cities, because these appli-cations will use a similar infrastructure to the one thatis being developed at CMU. “But I also think thatthere’s got to be delivery on something that’s more

than just an app and a device soon, or people aregoing to say, ‘wait. What are we spending all of thesebillions and trillions of dollars on?’”

Carolyn Heinze is a regular contributor to AVTechnologymagazine.

AMX

www.amx.comCARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY –HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTIONINSTITUTE

www.hcii.cmu.eduCRESTRON ELECTRONICS INC.

www.crestron.comIBM’S WATSON INTERNET OFTHINGS

www.ibm.com/internet-of-things/

SHURE INC.www.shure.com

info

An IoE Game-Changer in 2016?BY CINDY DAVIS

The trend towards open standards and easier access to technologies seems to be gaining ground. Could

IBM’s Watson Internet of Things (IoT) be poised to be one of the biggest disruptors and/or enablers for the

AV industry? The convergence of AV and IT might start sounding like child’s play.

According to a December 2015 release, IBM announced the opening of its global headquarters for Wat-

son IoT, and launching a series of new o erings, capabilities and ecosystem partners designed to extend

the power of cognitive computing to the billions of connected devices, sensors and systems that comprise

the IoT. Through the IBM Watson IoT Cloud, the company’s global platform for IoT, these o erings will be

made available to business and developers.

IBM also will deliver Watson APIs and services on the Watson IoT Cloud Platform to accelerate the de-

velopment of cognitive IoT solutions and services, helping clients and partners make sense of the growing

volume and variety of data in a physical world that is rapidly becoming digitized.

Siemens Building Technologies announced that it is teaming with IBM to bring advanced analytics capa-

bilities together with IBM’s IoT solutions to advance their Navigator platform for energy management and

sustainability.

Four families of Watson API services are available as part of a new IBM Watson IoT Analytics o ering:

• The Natural Language Processing (NLP) API Family enables users to interact with systems and

devices using simple, human language.

• The Machine Learning Watson API Family automates data processing and continuously monitors

new data and user interactions to rank data and results based on learned priorities.

• The Video and Image Analytics API Family enables monitoring of unstructured data from video feeds

and image snapshots to identify scenes and patterns.

• The Text Analytics API Family enables mining of unstructured textual data including transcripts

from customer call centers, maintenance technician logs, blog comments, and tweets to nd cor -

relations and patterns in these vast amounts of data.

Simple interaction with systems and devices, automation, video and text analytics—that sounds like a

recipe for some great innovations coming from the AV/IT industry.

Cindy Davis is a contributing editor ofAV Technology . Follow here on Twitter: @custommediaco


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Xtensys TM Video OnlyUp to 16 x 64 in 2U chassis.Up to 8 x 32 in 1U chassis.Auto equalization and skew compensation.Distance up to 1000 feet.Switchable from serial port or OSD.Miniature transmitters and receivers.

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UltraVista TM Plus Video Wall ControllerSplits 1 DVI input into 4 outputs.Input resolution up to 2560 x 1600 (dual-link DVI).Programmable cropping, scaling, rotation, and gap.Expandable up to 32 monitors.

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BEACONS

Combining social media feeds with specific con-sumer viewing, BLE-enabled software provides a bea-con function available for all iPhone and AndroidSmartphone models that permits the user to control

connectivity to company messages and order prod-ucts. The beacon will identify who you are, and data-bases will be searched to present relevant content to

you consistent with the type of store you are visiting.It is initially delivered to consumers by embedding itinto a firm’s application. Optional settings permit thecreation of links, which can provide product informa-tion as well as order forms.

In contrast with Near Field Communication(NFC), which requires the consumer’s device to be

very near an embedded coil or point of sale device,Beacons with Inaudible Audio Signal: Patented inau-

dible-sound mobile notification technologies andBLE standard (full support for iBeacon and AndroidBLE) to wirelessly interact with end users throughmobile apps—regardless of whether Bluetooth isturned ON or OFF—even in the absence of GPS,

Wi-Fi, or 3G. This enables end user targeting withoutdraining phone batteries by way of sending inaudiblemodulated codes through existing infrastructure dis-tribution points, i.e., standard audio speakers andplayback systems, such as digital signage, video walls,kiosks, public address systems, TV, and radio. BLE canreach fans both in-venue as well as watching the gameor event at home.

On the API side, Google is launching two new APIs for developers who want to use beacons fortheir apps. The Nearby API for Android and iOS nowmakes it easier for apps to find and communicate

with devices and beacons that are nearby. That maybe an art exhibit or a bus stop. (Google and TriMethave already worked with the transport authoritiesin Portland, OR, to implement low-energy wirelessbeacons in 87 light-rail stations.)

Back-end data and analytics are also collected inreal time. For example, when used in a sports venue,a solution that aggregates and integrates disparatedata systems to create a complete view and compre-hensive understanding of fan behavior and from

which detailed analytics can be leveraged to not onlyevaluate historical fan behavior but to create strategiesthat influence fan behavior going forward. Seamlesslyintegrate, normalize, and cleanse data from separateticketing systems, POS (Point of Sale) systems, CRM(Customer Relationship Management) systems, BI(Business Intelligence) tools, email marketing plat-

BLE & IoT Lead DigitalSignage Trends in 2016No longer confined to a rectangle box, tech managers are usingdigital signage in remarkable new ways.By Bob Killmeier

There are two new technology trends that will help growthe digital signage industry even as they evolve. First isthe use of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) in beacons andthe second is the advent of bi-directional audio employ-

ing avatars in digital signage, each technology fosteredby IoT. The Internet of Things (IoT) is having a directeffect on digital signage. IoT, in the broadest terms, isthe connectivity of everyday devices via cloud-basedcommands that provide feedback via the Internet. Thedevices, such as smartphones and smartwatches, willenable connectivity between that specific consumerand a digital signage device. This connectivity will allow

messages to be targeted to that specific consumer’s inter-ests in exciting new ways.


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forms, and social media sites.

AVATAR BI-DIRECTIONAL AUDIO

No longer confined to a rectangle box, digital signage video and bi-directional audio communicated byan avatar will become ubiquitous in venues suchas airports, train station, and bus stations deliver-ing directional information in multiple languages.

Greeters in bank lobbies will be supplemented withan avatar. Instructions on how to use ATM featuresand functions will be presented to consumers. Avatarsare available in several styles, either as a fixed location

with avatar in a static position, or as a pop-up “assis-tant” that is a great option for an exhibition, event, oreven a temporary location. This avatar is totally free tomove around, attract people and give direction. Avatar

technology with bi-directional audio can also turnany wall or surface into an intelligent ambassador.

In addition to presenting information, avatarsystems also collect real time analytics includingmood measurement, face detection and customeractivities. These attributes can assist venue operatorsin determining traffic flow, customer questions andcorresponding answers.

Bob Killmeier is founder & president of ComputerControlled Designs, LLC, parlaying his 16 years (priorto retirement from Wells Fargo in May, 2013) as anEnterprise Project Manager and Web Applicationdeveloper at Wachovia Bank (a Wells Fargo compa-ny). Previous to that he was also a former Chairman

of PeopleSoft Financial Services Industry User Group(FSI-SIG), and for several years, served as head ofIT at Piece Goods Shop a 400-store coast-to-coastretail chain. Author Bob Killmeier is also a memberof the Digital Signage Expo Advisory Board and willbe attending DSE 2016 March 15-18 at the Las VegasConvention Center. For more information on any ofthe educational programs offered at DSE 2016 or tolearn more about digital signage, go to www.dse2016.com.

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“Combining social media feeds with specificconsumer viewing, BLE-enabled software providesa beacon function available for all iPhone and Android Smartphone models that permits the userto control connectivity to company messages andorder products. The beacon will identify who you areand databases will be searched to present relevantcontent to you consistent with the type of store youare visiting. It is initially delivered to consumersby embedding it into a firm’s application. Optionalsettings permit the creation of links, which can provide product information as well as order forms.”


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1 NOT JUST ELECTRONIC POLLING, ELECTRONICDISTANCE POLLING The statistic most often cited to support classroom polling is that the averagehuman’s attention span begins to fade after 20 minutes. Few could pass a quiz on

where this metric originated, but it is generally accepted that a focus refresh every20 minutes can improve knowledge retention. Thus, the electronic poll has arisen

as an engaging method of mental rebooting and simultaneous assessment of whatsubjects need more explanation. About a decade into the wide use of hardware and software polling in class-

rooms has shown that students really do like it. Several free classroom pollingplatforms exist, and educators say that services such as Kahoot, which connectmobile devices for a real-time group survey, are ideal for the “BYOD, mixed deviceclassroom.” But the next level on this is to connect to other classrooms via GoogleHangout, Periscope, Skype or virtual conference, and play with students anywherein the world.

Where do you go from there? Polling plus distance, plus collaboration. Inaddition to enabling wireless E-polling and connection with remote students viaembedded third−party video conferencing and office apps, hardware like Kramer’s

VIA Campus offers collaboration with up to six user screens on one main display,or up to 12 screens on two displays. From any laptop or mobile device, studentsand teachers can view the main display, edit documents together in real time, shareany size file, or turn the main display into a digital whiteboard.

2 PLEASE, NO SURFING PUNS WITH WAVE 2 WI-FI You’ve heard of Wi-Fi. But have you heard of better, faster, connectivityboosting 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi? Some universities are already replacing theirentire network infrastructure with the faster stuff, hoping to outpace their upgradecycle with at least one solid component to carry an institution through many atechnology to come. Others are rolling out Wave 2 in key locations to keep con-nectivity buzzing in classrooms, student gathering places and major event spaces.

Word on the street is, no one will really get the full benefit of Wave 2 until smart-phone, tablet, and laptop manufacturers catch up.

3 SHARE THE PEDAGOGICAL SPOTLIGHT The flipped classroom twists one more degree of rotation with teachers tak-ing a cue from abundant online learning options and the success of MOOCs. Inaddition to in-classroom learning, instructors are providing curatorial guidanceto online courses, conferences, and myriad other online materials. To keep theexchange even, and to support the flipped classroom approach of online lecture

viewing and in-classroom collaboration, lecture capture has taken on new pre-cedence. Technologies from Lumens, Sony, Sonic Foundry and more can handle

both sides of the equation, streaming or recording live lectures. Recordings canbe distributed automatically online for distance education, assistance for absentstudents, or supplementary course material.

4 BYOD-CASTING IS A THING Touchscreen teaching has existing in the wild for quite some time now, andeducator feedback runs wide and deep. Essentially what the people want is an all-in-one collaboration tool for video conferencing, whiteboarding, web browsing andsaving/sharing information or ideas. The 2.0 version of these tools will go whereall education is going—beyond the classroom and campus to collaborate freely

with other educational entities. For InFocus, going to the next level in this marketmeant gathering customer feedback and implementing more than 200 product

14 Essentials of theConnected ClassroomGiving your higher ed end users the edge.by Kirsten Nelson

There is much change afoot in classroom technology and online learning. It’s where the two connect and overlap thatwill provide the most opportunity for a refresh in 2016.

Kramer’s VIA Campus


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improvements to its Mondopad. Thenew Mondopad 2.0 gives universi-ties and colleges access to standard

Windows apps that have been in usefor years and allows customers to use

virtually any videoconferencing service or third-party solution includingSkype for Business. This all adds upto what InFocus called “BYOD cast-

ing,” which is a term that may catch on morebroadly, as Mondopad 2.0 works with other mobile devices, enabling display cast-ing and control capabilities from PCs and Macs or iOS or Android smartphones.

5 OMNIPRESENT TELEPRESENCE

The telepresence classroom has evolved into a fairly consistent layout ofsmall groups of concentric-circled desks linked into a full orbit of a classroom

via bi-directional video technology. Lines of sight were the first consideration inthis set up, but what also came along as a pleasing byproduct of the structure isincreased engagement among students who sit facing each other on and off screen.

Additionally, the audio reinforcement and microphone setup necessary for far-endcommunications has serendipitously enabled every student to easily be heard.

The next step in optimizing this room-to-room global chat is to give students fullpush-to-talk capabilities alongside document sharing on a device like the TaidenPaperless Multimedia Conference System from Media Vision. Elevate students’engagement while simultaneously preparing them for the real world of meetingsand conferences.

6 SPECIAL GUESTS IN THE CLASSROOM EVERY DAY Specialist training is critical for fields of study both old and new, but thenumber of specialized educators is declining as a result of resource challenges andan ever-increasing intensity of focus within curricula. It takes a lot to be an expertin some fields, and subsequently there aren’t a lot of experts in some fields. To helpachieve critical mass between the number of interested students scattered aroundthe country and those who can educate them, new specialist distance learningcompanies are evolving. Companies such as iLaw, which connects law schools withthe nuanced professors required to provide degrees in fields of specialty, are con-sidering distance learning technology to be fait accompli at universities. Make sure

your setup is current, with connectivity that is as specialized at the course materialthat will be piped through it.

7 BIGGER BANDWIDTH BY THE BOOKS

Homework was redefined when professors started sharing lectures online. And proof of positives outcomes recently came from MIT, where the percentage ofstudents obtaining a final scoreof 90 percent or above in anintroductory class in mechani-cal engineering, jumped from10 percent in the fall semesterof 2012, to 56 percent three

years later, with the same profes-sor covering the same materialbut with the addition of MITxonline content. Similar results

Virtual Video Matrix

VidCasterIP is made by

VidCasterIP PC Control Interface Shown

The InFocus Mondopad 2.0

Utelogy’s system


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have been seen at all levels of higher education, and universities are beefing uptheir backends to enable better out-of-classroom experiences. Leveraging the exist-ing IT infrastructure, technology provider Utelogy has gained traction with its inte-gration of voice, video, lecture capture, distance learning and other academic and ITtechnologies. Utelogy Enterprise software sits on a virtual server in a college’s datacenter to control, monitor and remotely support smart classrooms, boardroomsand conference facilities across campuses.

8 NEW AND IMPROVED: THE HUMAN VOICE With so much focus on new communications technologies on campus,it might be easy to forget what started it all in Socratic times. The human voiceis not just important in a traditional pedagogical setup, it’s also key to distancecommunications and the multitude of digital tools that enhance learning today.Don’t give professors the equivalent of a choppy and jarring satellite phone feed

for their lectures. Make sure they have a good wireless setup for live and recordedpresentations.

9 HANDLE WITH CARE The ever-present classroom video display, while not requiring as muchcleaning as chalkboards, does require at least a little attention now and then. Manyschools are going lampless in the projector department, and hanging many a short-throw option right above the ubiquitous white board. Meanwhile, flat-panel videodisplays get thinner and higher-res by the moment, requiring constant replace-ment. So how you hang it up, whether it’s the hang and forget infinite life of laserprojectors or the constantly in motion old stand-by mobile video cart that canroll in the newest 4K concoction, make sure it’s built for that specific school use.Security, ADA compliance, plenum rating and a multitude of form factors continueto improve for today’s aptly rebranded “interactive mounts.”

10 THE VITAMIX OF BLENDED LEARNING You can bring the online learning to the classroom, but you can’t makethe students think. It turns out that until recent upgrades in technology, the addi-tion of online course material in an interdepartmental move made by Imperial

College London was ineffective. Engineering students were offered business cours-es online five years ago, but they didn’t take the bait until true collaboration wasintroduced. It seems that students demand collaborative tools that allow them toamplify collective efforts. Particularly when they are together in a classroom takingonline courses, students are more engaged when they have collaborative learningtechnologies, like FSR’s HuddleVU, to enhance the way they absorb, retain, interact

with and relate to information and to each other. Designed specifically with educa-tional environments in mind,FSR’s HuddleVU collaboration

products can be configured fora variety of educational spaces,are intuitive to use, and builtto last in high-use, studentcentered areas and that don’trequire software downloads or

wireless access.

11 THE BIG PICTURE IN GAME DESIGN According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), today thereare 496 post secondary game design programs found in colleges and universitiesacross the U.S. This field of study is serious business, both in terms of boost-

ing enrollment and helping toensure that students graduateinto a viable career track. Withthis demand comes a need forupgrades to individual desk-top displays in the classroom.Make students want to show upfor class with displays like LG’snew 21:9 34UC87M-B CurvedUltraWide Monitor. This work-station dazzler goes big with its 3440x1440 QHD screen, providing 2.4 times the

work space than a standard 16:9 Full HD model. A four-screen split feature allowsusers to divide the screen into four sections at eight different screen ratios, so userscan prioritize windows by size and location instead of having to manually resize

and position each window individually.

12 “CHANGE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES” IS THEACADEMIC PHRASE FOR UC As a business entity, institutions for higher learning must manage distributed teamsacross campuses and multiple locations. Why not give them the gift of UnifiedCommunications? Some schools might have to designate the budget as fundingfor “change management activities,” to meet academic lingo standards, but really

what the RFP is requesting is an end to the frustration created by disconnectedcommunications technologies.

13 SMARTER VIDEO MANAGEMENTStudents expect to find their video classwork as easily as searching YouTube. Ramp Video Management lets students search for videos based on theircontents or jump to an exact keywordin the middle of a lecture for a pertinentpiece of information. Videos stream tothe student’s desktop, tablet and smart-phone. With a systems-based API, Ramp

Video Management can integrate withany learning management system, andthe video content is secure, controlled,and measurable.

14 PERSONALIZEDLISTENING The ListenWiFi Personal Listening System lets colleges offer a personal listening/ viewing experience by streaming audio content from any TV or audio source direct-

ly to their student’s smartphones and tablets using a Wi-Fi network. The Universityof California Riverside chose the ListenWiFi System for use in its student recreationcenter to broadcast audio from multiple TV channels or other audio sources usingdigital WiFi transmission. Using the free ListenWiFi App available from the Apple

App Store or Google Play, students can bring their own WiFi-enabled deviceand headphones or ear budsand easily switch audio chan-nels with the flick of a thumb.ISP connectivity also providesInternet access for customersconnected to the ListenWiFinetwork.

FSR’s HuddleVu in action


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Open or download your QR scanner app. Scan the code — unleash the experience.


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his company requires a cutting edge AV system that matchesthe quality of their services” That’s Mark McPherson, vicepresident of the Advanced AV integration firm, explaining

why the company was recently tapped by a financial orga-nization to design and install a massive AV system upgrade. The complexproject saw enhancements to the financial firm’s executive boardroom,auditorium, conference room, classroom and four meeting rooms. “Wedelivered a stunning, yet easy-to-use presentation system that each employ-ee can truly rely on,” McPherson said.

For the users and stakeholders on the client side, consistency across

all of the building’s systems was key. That’s why the Advancedintegration team installed SMART interactive displays and theCrestron AirMedia Presentation Gateway into the executiveboardroom, conference room, and four meeting rooms.

“While we aim to impress our clients, we also want to ensurethat the new technology is relatively simple for our employees tomaster,” said a company representative. “We want to be able to

walk into our conference room, turn the SMART board on, and

confidently deliver stunning presentations to our clients. Theirfunds are important to them, and this shows that they’re impor-tant to us as well.”

With AirMedia, any employee can wirelessly present on adisplay from their personal laptop or mobile device; it’s as easyas connecting to a Wi-Fi network. “We knew this was the idealpresentation software to employ in every room of the building,”McPherson added. “The input works in such a way that any pre-sentation content is optimized. No matter what resolution thepresenter originally inputs—from, say a mobile device or a lap-top—the content is instantly scaled to the native resolution of theprojector. They no longer need to worry about the presentationlooking pixelated. Plus, it’s as easy-to-use as ever.”

AV in ActionSMARTER MEETINGSWHEN A FINANCIAL FIRM DECIDEDTO MOVE THEIR ANNUAL CLIENTMEETINGS TO THEIR OFFICEBUILDING, THEY KNEW THEYNEEDED TO UPGRADE THEIR AV.

By AV Technology Staff

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THE IT MANAGER’S GUID


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THE IT MANAGER S GUID

NETWORKED

from the editors of

Featuring:

sponsored by

ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK


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Aren’t you tired of the industry hype and PR puffery around “convergence”? The union of AV and IT departments, and their respective technologies,

is old news. What remains mysterious and worth analyzing are the misunderstood terminologies on both sides. The definition of “network” in the

world of IT is definitive, but it can be a matter of interpretation in the world of AV. Our IT Manager’s Guide to Networked AV , created by our contrib-

uting editor Cindy Davis, with insight from notable leaders in the field, is the very first of its kind in the B2B industry. It was designed to share the

subtleties and complexities of networked AV with IT experts. From security provisos to audio encryption woes to an AV/IT paradigm shift in action,

we hope you enjoy this important deep dive.

Editor’s Notes .........................................................................................................................................................................A2

FEATURES

THE NEW NORMAL .................................................................................................................................................................A2

NETWORKED AUDIO AND VIDEO PERSPECTIVES DEFINED ....................................................................................................A3

STREAMING AV ON THE NETWORK .........................................................................................................................................A7

FOR THE LOVE OF STANDARDS & PROTOCOLS .....................................................................................................................A14

THE IT ROI ............................................................................................................................................................................. A15

IN THEIR OWN WORDS—NETWORKED AV PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS ...............................................................................A16

IMPARTING SECURITY BEST PRACTICES TO YOUR AV TEAM ................................................................................................A19

Editor’s Note

Table of Contents

Email me at [email protected]

A2T H E I T M A N A G E R ’ S G U I D E TO N E T W O R K E D AV | F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 6 | a v n e t w o r k . c o m

[Margot Douaihy , Editorial Director, AV Technology ]

By Cindy Davis

In addition to planning complex enterprise network infrastructures, ITmanagers and directors have configured and managed VoIP and VTC,and low-bandwidth-consuming AV room control and automation solu-tions on the network for many years.

During the past two to three years, a plethora of “networked AV”devices, appliances, and solutions have come to market designed to be“on the network.” Demands are increasing as CIOs, executives, profes-sors, employees, and students want to “stream” real-time content incommerical verticals as easily as they can from their sofas at home. Addto this an industry born of garage bands, audio and video designers andengineers that have been catapulted into ones and zeros by way of the

analog sunset. What’s the result? IT departments faced with real andmetaphorical crosstalk.

For more than a decade, AV manufacturers have been hiring the bestIT engineers to team with AV engineers to develop and deploy network-able, enterprise-grade audio and video technologies and components.

Forward-thinking AV consultancy and integration firms have hired ITexpertise to ensure in-depth offerings. In addition, audio and video stan-dards and protocols are coming from long-established as well as newlyformed organizations. By all admissions, the umbrella of networked

AV is in its infancy, but is quickly earning its place on the network—bydesign and necessity.

NOT A HOW-TO GUIDE

This guide is not intended to preach to the IT choir about how toconfigure a network to add AV functionality. This series of articles isintended to provide IT managers with some perspectives into the rela-tive newcomer, “networked AV.” The voices in the following articles willbe from the IT folks responsible for helping to develop networked AV

products, developing standards and protocols, specifying AV/IT systems,and peers. We’ll introduce them to you.

We welcome you to share your perspective. Find AV Technology onlineat AVNetwork.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Cindy Davis is a contributing editor for AV Technology magazine.

THE NEW NORMAL

NETWORKED AV

WA


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A3 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 6 | a v n e t w o r k . c o m | THE IT MANAGER’S GUIDE TO NETWORKED AV

A few years ago the terms “over Ethernet,” “A overIP,” “AV over IP,” and “networked AV” entered the

AV world and has some IT-wary AV managers talkinga new language that is unfamiliar to their IT man-ager counterparts. These terms are as black-and-white,“on,” or “off” as can be to IT folks, but differing per-spectives are shaping the AV/IT vernacular.

For the benefit of IT managers and directors need-ing to interpret an AV manager’s language, we asked anumber of highly regarded IT experts within the AVindustry to provide their perspectives.

WHAT IS “NETWORKED AV?”

With no stake in any one technology or manufacturer,and a coming from a straight IT background, tech-nology consulting firm The Sextant Group’s systemsdesigner, lead IT Telecom and Security, David GlennRCDD, CTS-D, LEED AP BD+C, described, “Theeasiest way to say it is that, networked AV is packets

of data that need to be moved across the network. Yesit’s video, and yes it’s audio; this is a new type of mate-

rial or content going across the network, but it stillboils down to; it’s still packets of data that need to bemoved across the network that they can manage, theycan configure, and they can route via their—hopefullyup-to-date—network infrastructure.”

Before joining Crestron as the technology man-ager of Control Solutions, Toine C. Leerentveldearned his engineering degree in Information Science,and among others was the manager of SystemsEngineering, Global Media Services at Credit SuisseFirst Boston. When asked to define networked AVLeerentveld responded, “It’s the ability to control,manage, and monitor AV equipment over an IP net-

work. This includes SNMP, Crestron Fusion, SSH, andother network control and management protocols.

This enables an enterprise IT manager to have insightinto their globally deployed systems and devices,allowing the IT manager to deploy new code, managefirmware, and see basic overall health of the devices.”

With a deep history as a product manager at lead-ing audio manufacturing companies, and a degree

in music engineering technology, Biamp’s productmanager of Audio Products, Justin O’Connor relayed,“Networked AV: An AV system where both audioand video signals are converted to data packets andtransported across an Ethernet network. An additionalprotocol such as AVB/TSN is used to ensure that thepackets get to the right place, in the right order, andquickly.”

SVSi by Harman Professional’s President, Andy Whitehead (Ph.D., atomic/molecular/optical phys-ics) clarified the category this way: “Networked AV isaudio, video, and control signals that are convertedto independent IP packet streams. Once converted,they propagate as data packets on either an enterprisenetwork or a physically separate network.”

Networked AV includes terminologies from video and audio disciplines. AVA Networks, medianetworking consultant, technical working groupchair of the Media Networking Alliance, develop-

ment task group leader for AES67, and inventor ofCobraNet, Kevin Gross said, “Rather than using the

NETWORKED AUDIO AND VIDEOPERSPECTIVES DEFINEDBy Cindy Davis

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A5 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 6 | a v n e t w o r k . c o m | THE IT MANAGER’S GUIDE TO NETWORKED AV

term networked audio, I tend to use ‘media network-ing’ when I talk about it, because that includes non-IP solutions.”

WHAT IS “AV OVER IP?”

“One of the challenges that everybody faces, is notspeaking the same language,” said O’Connnor.“While AV over IP is technically correct, it’s also not,because an IT person might hear “IP” and think aboutthings being routable and things actually touchingInternet traffic. In Pro AV the use of “IP” as a term isreally to differentiate which part of the protocol is onLayer 2 and which part is on Layer 3. In reality, there isno protocol for low latency, deterministic media that

is routable. It’s still relegated to local area networkingas opposed to Internet traffic, and there are distinctdifferences there.” From his perspective, “When wesay, “IP” in the AV industry we simply mean that thephysical devices have Layer 3 IP addresses,” notedO’Connor.

“AV Over IP is also known as streaming video, AV-over-IP is a video signal with or without synchro-nized audio that is converted to a single IP packetstream,” said Whitehead. “Once converted, it propa-

gates as data packets on either an enterprise networkor a physically separate network.”

WHAT IS HDBASET?

An area of confusion among AV managers is the dif-ference between AV over IP, and HDBaseT.

HDBaseT is a proprietary interface developed by Valens Semiconductor who exclusively manufacturesthe chipsets used in HDBaseT products. More than130 manufacturers have implemented products thatuse the Valens chipset for HDBaseT extension.

Although IEEE has ratified an HDBaseT standard(IEEE 1911), the standard only covers interoperabilitybetween manufacturers who implement the Valenschipset. IEEE 1911 compliance is not required andinteroperability between HDBaseT products must beevaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Harman Professional’s, manager of EnterpriseSolutions, Paul Zielie added, “The total available

bandwidth for HDBaseT is 10Gbps and the physicalinterface is very similar to 10GBaseT. If HDBaseT

is terminated in an AV switcher, the various signalsrevert to their original formats and are switched/routed in those formats via conventional AV switchingand is routed to standard interfaces or re-converted toHDBaseT for subsequent legs.

“HDBaseT is a point-to-point connection overCAT5E/CAT6, with uncompressed audio and video,”explained Crestron’s Leerentveld. “AV over IP is dis-tributed, and typically uses compressed audio video.

AV over IP can also be content and audio and video, where HDBaseT is limited to audio and video. Froman implementation point of view, HDBaseT requiresno added infrastructure, and no configuration.”

Networked AV media is packetized and follows

Ethernet switching and often IP routing rules fordistribution to the endpoint(s) and is only convertedback to the original signal once it reaches it’s destina-tion.”

ALL CLEAR?

Probably not—at least yet. It wasn’t that long agothat email traffic and allowing access to the Internet

were some of the biggest challenges faced by ITmanagers. Networked AV products and solutions

are in its infancy, as is the vernacular used bydifferent AV manufacturers based on its offerings.Everyone agrees that all parties will continue tobenefit from an ongoing dialog, listening to specificneeds, and exploring new options available.

“The most confusion happens when we talk aboutconferencing”, said University of Nebraska MedicalCenter’s senior instructional designer of Information

Technology Services, Melissa Diers, M.Ed, DMC-D.“Software-based codec is where everything is over theInternet using your resident computer as a processor,

where hard codecs are using a dedicated device. We dohave some connections for Telemedicine to outlyinghospitals where we directly connect, network-wise,from one to the other; and there’s a total misconcep-tion of what it is, what’s on the backend, and how

we’re doing it.”Diers said when she has explained networked AV,

“I typically tell them that there’s two different mecha-

nisms of delivery, or two different paths or highwaysthat you can send data down; but it’s dependent upon

what you want, and how you want it to get there.Quality of service, but also security and sensitivity ofinformation, is dependent upon which type or whichroad you go down.”

This convergence has internal IT teams turningto consultants that have a depth of expertise in bothIT and AV. Additionally, while most AV manufactur-ers do not sell direct to end users, invitations to thenetwork planning table are becoming more com-mon to better understand products and solutionsavailable.

Tucson Airport Authority’s IT&T supervisor, GlennHamblin, is in the research phase to find new prod-ucts and services for the airport’s paging system,

which is due for a refresh. “I don’t know what theideal system is yet, which is why I would like to hirea consultant that isn’t party to any particular firm,”said Hamblin. “I would like to find a consultant thatunderstands the fundamental aspects of IT and band-

width, the fundamentals of audio, and the executionparts of it. You have to find someone that is passion-ate about audio and got into IT, or someone whois passionate about IT and got into audio. It would

be the ultimate if you could find someone that waspassionate about both.”

ROI SpotlightThe pressure is always on for colleges and

universities to be positioned as cutting-edge. In

addition to the campus infrastructure, IT depart-

ments are playing an increased role in supporting

pedagogies that use integrated technologies.

Scott McGarrigle, CTO of Utelogy Corporation,

said institutions are starting to see how IT is

relevant when it comes to meeting ROI goals.

“Using technology to show how you increase

enrollment and enhance retention rates is the

next exciting step in ROI,” noted McGarrigle.

“Today’s higher ed wants to use the technology

to increase student learning outcomes, make

college more relatable to young stu

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