WELCOME & CONTENTS
The power and weakness of audio EDITOR’S COMMENT
I HAD an interesting chat recently with Stephen Patterson, regional manager, Western Europe at Biamp, basically reprising his presentation at Imago’s Business Breakthrough event at the end of May. He made a connection between the unusual nature of audio, and what happens to it in installation projects. The ability of the human ear and brain to perceive audio is amazing. We can hear sound over ten octaves – whereas we can only see a range of one octave in light – and the quietest sound we can hear is one-trillionth the level of the loudest. The brain’s limbic system – which is associated with, among other things, the generation of emotions and the ‘fight or flight’ reflex – interacts with the auditory system more directly than with the optical system. So sound can affect us at a basic, primal level. There are also some well-rehearsed anecdotes about how people
‘Audio doesn’t always get the
respect it deserves in the design of AV installations’
perceive audio within the overall sensory experience. For instance, experiments have shown that people believe that a video clip has improved visually when it is shown again with better audio. And on a more pragmatic level, Stephen made the point that if the video fails during a videoconference, the meeting can continue – but if the audio fails, it can’t. Despite all this, though, audio doesn’t always get the respect it deserves in the design of AV installations. This happens for a number of reasons. First, architects are often more interested in designing a space that looks beautiful rather than equipping it to fulfil the function for which it has been created. Second, it’s not only architects that can be guilty of not properly considering the use case. One multinational company reused the design of its US conference room in one of its European offices, without asking whether the facility would be used in the same way. Third, end users aren’t always aware of the limitations of equipment. So,
for instance, they don’t realise that the sound picked up by ceiling mics in a huddle room may be audible to people in a well-equipped videoconferencing room half a world away, but not to one of the participants a few miles away on a mobile phone. Finally, too many projects proceed without any consideration of the audio environment. One example of this was a high- profile business academy that was built on open-plan office principles – and had to be revamped at great cost when this arrangement proved to be unworkable in practice. What needs to be done? Well, as an industry we need to be more vocal, as
it were, about the importance of audio and the need to consider it properly – even if it does mean increased spending on audio consultants and better kit. And clients should be more insistent about hearing audio samples through the equipment that they are considering purchasing. You can’t see sound, but that doesn’t mean you should overlook it.
Paddy Baker, Editor, Installation –
paddy.baker@
intentmedia.co.uk
NEWS 3
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14 16
News
Appointments InstallAwards: a look back to a spectacular night Expos and events Industry data: medical AV
SHOW REVIEW InfoComm 2014 p18
PEOPLE 20
22
Phil Yonge of AES on the rise of the AES67 networking standard Ronnie Guggenheim, CEO, Barix, converging digital signage and audio
FEATURES 24 28 32 36
EVENTS 38
4K: supply and demand Medical AV: tapping a growing sector Conference venues: security concerns Regional voices: Norway
InstallMarket: register now for our September event
TECHNOLOGY 40 45
SOLUTIONS 48
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54 56
New products Showcase: large-venue loudspeakers
Gruppo Credito Valtellinese, Milan: financial group invests in impressive AV
Birmingham Christian Centre: a lively church needed audio with a kick Stefan Jaracz Theatre, Olsztyn: EU cultural heritage programme prompts system upgrade Hamburg Planetarium: immersing visitors in audio as well as video The iPro Stadium, Derby: unveiling a new IPTV and digital signage solution
Cover image Trinity College Dublin, courtesy of Crestron
www.installation-international.com
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