InfoComm 2018: Projectors, PTZ Cameras Among Video Highlights at A/V Show Several vendors showcased gear targeting the sports-venue market By Karen Hogan Ketchum, Senior Editor Thursday, June 21, 2018 - 12:55 pm
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InfoComm 2018 took over the Las Vegas Convention Center earlier this month, drawing nearly 43,000 to the annual A/V show. And, although much of the technology on display was familiar to attendees who had also attended NAB 2018, many exhibitors took advantage of the new audience to showcase their gear in a new light.
The annual A/V show attracted nearly 43,000 attendees to the Las Vegas Convention Center.
For the sports-venue personnel, consultants, and systems integrators in attendance, InfoComm 2018 boasted much to see: laser and lamp projectors for concourse displays, PTZ cameras to capture content from around the venue, KVM systems to maximize control-room flexibility, IPTV to ensure that fans never miss a minute of the action, and much more. Read on for a recap of what you may have missed on the show floor; for all the news from InfoComm 2018, CLICK HERE.
For an in-depth review of audio at InfoComm 2018, CLICK HERE.
Legrand AV Division
This year's InfoComm marked the first for Legrand's newly formed AV division, which showcased the latest gear from its Middle Atlantic, Chief, Da-Lite, and Vaddio brands. Middle Atlantic showed off the pivoting capabilities of its wall-mounted control-room racks, which are available in a variety of heights and widths and are suited to rooms where access to the back of the rack is needed but space is at a premium. Chief highlighted its LED-video-wall-mounting systems; Da-Lite touted its Design Center, which works with clients to deliver custom installations; and Vaddio promoted the features of its new PTZ camera in a side-by-side comparison with a competitor's offering.
Blackmagic Design
The Blackmagic Design booth featured plenty of A/V gear, including a range of cameras (such as the new Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, introduced at NAB 2018), HD and 4K-capable switchers, and recorders. The company aims to cater to all levels of the industry and featured a number of products at price points attractive to colleges, smaller venues, and others.
Canon
Canon's booth shined a spotlight on its growing portfolio of laser and lamp projectors with short-throw and long-throw lenses for a variety of applications. Featured projectors included the new REALiS WUX7000Z laser and REALiS Wux7500 lamp LCOS models. Visitors to the booth were able to take part in hands-on demos of Canon's professional 4K and HD imaging products, including the popular 4K reference displays, pro camcorders, and cinema cameras and lenses.
Riedel Communications
Riedel's all-new Bolero Standalone Application, a license-enabled upgrade for the Bolero wireless intercom system, delivers several performance enhancements along with standalone capabilities. The company also demonstrated its new 1200 series SmartPanel, which features multiple full-color multitouch displays, 32 innovative hybrid-lever keys, the ability to leverage apps for multifunctionality, and the ability to adapt easily to the various workflows in use today.
Ross Video
Targeting the sports-venue market, Ross Video highlighted its integrated sports-venue solutions: a Carbonite switcher, XPression real-time motion graphics, and Abekas Mira replay server were tied together by the DashBoard control system. In addition, the booth featured many of the products launched at NAB 2018, including the Carbonite Mosaic multiscreen image processor.
Sony
Sony highlighted its full line of display, A/V, and presentation technologies, including the immersive 8Kx4K Crystal LED display system, pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras, and BRAVIA professional displays for digital signage, content creation, simulation, corporate, faith, and higher education.
Adder Technology
Building on its NAB Show momentum, Adder again exhibited its ADDERLink INFINITY 100T (ALIF100T) Zero U, USB-powered KVM transmitter. Complementing the existing ADDERLink Infinity range with a Zero U option, the ALIF100T simplifies the upgrading process of KVM systems from analog to digital, while freeing up crucial rack space - necessary in control rooms where space is at a premium.
AJA Video Systems
At the AJA Video Systems booth, the focus was on its new Hi5-12G, a 12G-SDI-to-HDMI 2.0 Mini-Converter, and HA5-12G, an HDMI 2.0-to-12G-SDI Mini-Converter; each is available in three configurations, with or without fiber SFPs. The new Mini-Converters streamline transmission of high-resolution, high-frame-rate, and deep-color content over long distances.
IHSE USA
IHSE introduced an all-new solution to extend and switch immersive-reality signals over long distances using Draco KVM systems. It addresses growing interest in virtual- and augmented-reality (VR/AR) systems in a wide variety of pro-A/V market sectors: in corporate and education applications, such as product design and prototyping; in situational training and advanced control environments; and in retail and leisure applications, including cinemas, shops, and museums.
NewTek
NewTek teamed with Panasonic to demonstrate NDI signage designed to direct any video and audio source to any monitor on a standard Gigabit network. Combining the power of NewTek's NDI Studio Monitor software with industry-standard signage allows addition of another stream as a separate overlay. Monitors and sources can be managed with a web application from any networked laptop, tablet, or phone. This demonstration showed the capability to direct any A/V source and any overlay to any monitor with ease and efficiency over IP while spotlighting creative possibilities and cost-saving opportunities for A/V customers.
Panasonic
The Panasonic booth touted development of a new 4K integr
