AMSTERDAM. ISE 2014. Television is returning to its public roots this week in Amsterdam at ISE 2014, the Integrated Systems Europe show.
Like the early television transmissions in the UK and Germany from the nineteen thirties that took place in theatres and other public venues, Integrated Systems Europe is all about hardware and ‘solutions’ for Digital Signage, Retail, Rental & Staging, Hospitality and the education or classroom markets.
From its humble beginnings, barely filling half a hall in 2005, ISE has grown to fill all of the Rai Convention centre for the first time this year. With over 45,000 trade visitors expected to visit, the eleventh Integrated Systems Europe is starting to rival IBC as an audio-visual communications trade show. With most TV manufacturers making a loss, the tremendous growth of the show for commercial and public applications of television, audio-visual communications, shows there is still money to be made in AV and electronics.
Panasonic was barely showing any TVs at last month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, focussing on commercial displays, instead, following the closure of its Plasma Television division.
Introducing an 6000 lumens, single DMD DLP LASER projector, that showed nice rich colours, but contrast can allways be improved upon. The same is true for the 12K lumens three DMD chip Laser projector from Digital Projections (DPI) that uses two arrays of standard blue LASERS that excite yellow phosphor on a spinning wheel, splitting the yellow light into red and green light that is reflected from the DLP chips onto a screen. The LASERS replace the regular lampsource in one of DPIs existing projector chassis.
A renewed focus on rental & staging at Panasonic saw a model treading up and down a small catwalk all day long to show of the capabilities of Panasonic’s 4K video equipment from Varicam Camera to large display. Following the closure of its famed Plasma display factories last year, Panasonic is focussing exclusively on LCD panels, with 84″ and 98″ 4K displays all over the manufacturers stand.
Andrew Mills, Samsung’s VP Enterprise Business Europe told a press conference that “commercial display solutions grew by 21% last year, with Samsung Commercial Displays growing by 49% globally and 47% in Europe.” Samsung is staking its claim as market leader, with 2013 being “the fifth year of market leadership in commercial displays.”
Key to continued growth is integration, as exemplified by Samsung’s Magic info and Digital info software for the second generation Samsung Smart Signage platform. That features increased computing power built-into the display, now supporting multi-touch touchscreen overlay, without the need for a separate pc. And in-room television features the same interface as other devices. A large number of displays in retail stores makes customers spend more time in the store, engages them with the brand, and “sales are off the hook” according to Graham Long, Samsung’s VP Enterprise UK.
Samsung showed its third generation Interactive LCD Panel, more precisely panels, as it allows for touchscreen functionality over multiple displays, moving objects between screens. The Whiteboard solution is promoted for Corporata Collaboration. Sharp is also showing its second generation interactive display panel, using 70″ and 80″ multi-touch LCD displays, with integrated computing power to run Windows applications, such as Windows paint, as part of a digital office. The new version with upgraded software will be shipping in April.
However, it is also demonstrating its Interactive Flat Panel Display for the classroom market. Interactive Whiteboards using ultra short throw projectors have entered many if not most European classrooms the last few years, replacing the trusty old green chalkboard that replaced the blackboard in the eighties.
This is the key market for Turkish display manufacturer Vestel, it has already installed its 65″ Interactive Flatpanel Display into 85,000 Turkish classrooms, and according to Ali Gürhan Gür senior sales manager, Vestel “has just been awarded a second tender for another 345,000 classrooms to be installed.”
The display also enables interaction with pupils’ tablets and electronic collaboration among pupils. The complete project, implementation, and servicing is provided and managed by Vestel. Vestel is now also making its own tablets, as used with the classroom display. At a higher price point the touch panel display is also available in 4K 84″.
The project extends to all parts of Turkey, so 4,000 out of the 85,000 installed classrooms are underserved by ADSL or fiber, so these are receiving their internetconnectivity and hook-up for the interactive display via Eutelsat’s KA-sat, Markus Fritz, director of commercial development at Eutelsat told Broadband TV News. Fritz has been advising Vestel through his consulting company for a number of years, even before joining Eutelsat.
LCD display and panels powerhouses Samsung and LG were trying to outbid on screensize, LG claiming it was showing the largest 4K display at 105″ screen diagonal, with Smamsung having an 110″ on show.
They were both beaten by a couple of LED display vendors. SiliconCore Technologies was showing an 268″ 4K (well slightly upscaled to around 5K), 1.5mm pitch modular LED display at 2000 nits (CD/M2). ‘This is a million Dollar TV, at retail’, the 20 square metre screen therefore comes to $50K per square metre.
Leyard was showing an even larger screen, having a list price of $36,000 per square metre. Somewhat cheaper, but also one-third the brightness and marginally larger dot pitch at 1.6mm.
It’s interesting to note that all LED display manufacturing now takes place in China, even by US and European companies.