Integrated Systems Europe 2024 a 20-year look at pro-AV technology development

The Pro-AV technology showcased at the Integrated Systems Europe 2024 (ISE2024) event in Barcelona, Spain, reflected two decades of innovation and addressed the industry's growing awareness of changing market needs and environmental responsibility.

ISE2024 is officially behind us. This 20^th anniversary edition of the tradeshow proved to be a great success in terms of attendance and organization. The annual increase in the number of visitors bears clear testimony not only to the huge interest in the proAV and systems integration industry, but above all to the constant changes in technology and the business itself. The official announcement from the organizers speaks of 73,891 unique verified attendees from 162 countries. This represents an increase of more than 20% on last year's post-pandemic edition.

Navigating the shift

Is it really the case that the ISE, whose home for the past three years has been sunny Barcelona, is the place where groundbreaking solutions are presented? Does the accentuation of one’s presence really determine the 'to be or not to be' of companies in the industry? Where does the interest actually come from? Talking to many attendees, but also exhibitors, one can hear similar voices. At this year's event there were no spectacular innovations in sight. As someone said – how many times can you knock down the same door and reinvent the wheel. Technology develops relentless. Such are the laws of the market and our ambitions as a human kind.

However, this is a path of evolution rather than revolution. At best, we could speak of a revolution in the time of transition from analogue signals and electronics to digital form. Everything else is a consistent and mostly well planned strategy of product and solution development, closely correlated with the changes and needs of specific markets.

Advancements in hybrid work solutions

The reality of the pandemic has forced us to change the way we work. That is obvious. Tools supporting hybrid work, remote meeting systems, have their time. Videoconferencing software companies have moved from the small stands they occupied only few years ago to large spaces, cocreated with solution focused partners. Device manufacturers present their products emphasising the compatibility and certification of systems such as Zoom, MS Teams or Google Meet. The logos of software manufacturers appear side by side with those of hardware manufacturers. Collaboration of this kind entails another aspect – the standardization of hardware solutions.

After all, the user interface should not depend more on the hardware manufacturer than on the software used. This is what we expect – it has to be simpler, faster and as identical as possible.

Around this branch of technology, new products are being developed. Pro posals from various companies in the field of cameras or video conferencing microphones were noticeable. The clear idea is to move towards not involving the user in system control. The video conferencing ecosystem should be as unobtrusive to meeting participants as possible. Solutions such as speaker tracking, intelligent framing, multicamera systems, and beamforming matrix microphones serve this purpose. Furthermore, manufacturers are adapting their answers to the change from HDMI and USB to the unified USBC standard, looking for solutions to the limitations of the technology.

The development of imaging de vices' quality and software content production solutions has led to a significant increase in the product known as a virtual studio. It is already possible to build an automated space with tremendous functionality that can serve as a broadcast studio, a space for recording podcasts, or corporate presentations. These systems function almost as off the shelf products, personalised primarily in terms of size and number of additional features.

We also observe the development of signal distribution technologies. Standardization in this field is still to come, DANTE AV, SDVoE, Digital Media, H.26x, JPEG2000, VCx solutions abound, each with its own advantages and disadvantages both in terms of signal quality, its latency and the network security of specific hardware solutions.

Digital security

The programme of technical conferences could not lack topics touching on cyber security. ISE2024 showed that this is an important point of interest for manufacturers, IT department and system managers, integrators but also regular users. Experts in the industry claims that due to the importance of this topic, the ubiquity of networked solutions and the amount and type of information processed, we should move away from the term 'cyber security' to simply 'security'. We cannot take digital security any more lightly than personal security. Education in this area is ongoing.

Towards sustainability

Integrated System Europe is also a place where a change in approach to ESG issues can be observed. Ecology always comes to the fore. This is the easiest topic to identify and can also prove to be the most spectacular in terms of results. The largest equipment manufacturers, such as Samsung, Sony, or Philips, emphasize their actions towards reducing the carbon footprint of their products, reducing energy usage, or even changing user habits. Recycling and reusing raw materials or creating new, more environmentally friendly ones is already a standard.

Furthermore, energy downsizing does not have to mean a loss of quality. Certain well-known solutions had to be redesign to increase energy efficiency. Already now, Sony displays with a brightness level around 700 cd/m2 require less energy than an older, classic screens with a brightness level of 500 cd/m2. In addition to changes such as reducing the weight and dimensions of product packaging, not only do we minimize emissions related to the transport section but also optimize its costs. Manufacturers' plans are ambitious. Divided into stages, the "Road to Net Zero" process is highly emphasised at the booths of the most conscious manufacturers.

Social and Governance side of ESG were also present. Topics covered included issues such as improving the accessibility of modern office space, using existing tools to increase inclusivity for people with disabilities and integrating building systems to improve employee wellbeing. Already available systems allows us to make our space more human friendly and develop creative atmosphere for diverse teams. All we need is aware and experienced system designer.

The collection, processing, securing, and presenting of data in a way that facilitates quick and accurate decision making is covered by several unique products. Despite the still relatively low popularity of such solutions, organizers recognized one of these products from Element One with the "Best of Show, AV Technology" award. This demonstrates the importance of this area, the development of which we should continue to observe.

Bridging the gap: the integration of AV and IT worlds

The integration of the AV world with the IT environment is becoming increasingly evident with each edition of ISE. System monitoring, well known for years in IT, is boldly entering multimedia technologies. Remote management, troubleshooting, and detecting faults before the end user notices them are a breath of fresh air and a great solution for companies in the PRO AV industry. Maintaining implemented systems can eventually become a profitable business process for the organization.

However, there were only few surprises and amazements at the 20th edition of Integrated System Europe. Breathtaking products were few and far between.

Creativity in the use of known solutions comes to the forefront. Combining mechatronic components with AV pro ducts or using well known and significantly re fined displays in new ways, creating new needs –these are the most spectacular of all the presented solutions.

Beyond innovation

Impressive, well-prepared mapping at Casa Batlló, a building rebuilt in the original style of Antoni Gaudí, speeches by individuals associated with the artistic industry (Sharmeen ObaidChinoy, Sofia Crespo, Jeroen van der Most) clearly demonstrate the merging of the technical and creative worlds. Discussion panels on education, digital advertising, intelligent building installations, and office equipment show that there is plenty of room for the proAV world.

Innovative business models like Multimedia-as-a-Service and related software started to appear between well-known AV brands. The circular model for the use of AV systems and the shift from delivering devices to delivering functionality and value are positive signs in relation to ESG principles. However, there is still much to be done in this field.

The Integrated System Europe trade show ended on February 2, 2024 with a definite sense of insufficiency. It is a good sign for the next edition, which is planned again at Fira Barcelona Gran Via from February 4 to February 7, 2025. We will be eagerly watching which direction future technology will take.

Author: Przemysław Nestoruk, AV/DS Design & Build Expert, Maasck

This article comes from magazine:
FOCUS ON Business #15 March-April (2/2024)