Meeting room tech to the fore at ISE 2016

WORLD: The first four day ISE has opened with a focus on meeting room technology and 4K in the A/V environment. Crowded halls were the theme of the opening day, although the audio-centric hall 7 was a little quieter, and the throngs of visitors were greeted by a variety of new releases.

A key theme that developed during the day was technology designed to enhance the meeting space. Chief amongst these launches were a pair of ceiling microphone arrays. Sennheiser unveiled a ceiling solution as part of its Team Connect family, while Shure presented its own ceiling mic array as part of the MXA range. Staying in the meeting room, solutions from the likes of AMX and Kramer also grabbed the attention of integrators in this specific field.

Away from the meeting room, manufacturers on the visual side seem to be embracing 4K as part of the A/V infrastructure. To date, the technology has found a home in the broadcast market, but manufacturers including AJA, Exterity and Calibre UK are championing its use with a new line of products.

While these themes accounted for a large share of the technology on offer, other notable launches also took place. Among them were JoeCo’s BlueBox and Tendzone's open architecture DSP, both of which are enjoying a pre-release outing during the show. Additions have also been made to almost every major line in the Bose range. On the visual side, Christie launched its new Velvet Apex Series of LED tiles, while Barco highlighted the latest in laser phosphor projection.

While the technology has rightly dominated conversations at the RAI, a further notable aspect has been the volume of Asian manufacturers exhibiting in Amsterdam despite Chinese New Year festivities. In his pre-show address, ISE managing director Mike Blackman stated that 142 exhibitors have made the journey from China to take part in the event, alongside 52 from Taiwan and 23 from South Korea.

With three days still to go, ISE 2016 has plenty more to offer. Integrated Systems Europe continues at the RAI in Amsterdam until Friday February 12th.

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