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Technology update Trends in mounts and enclosures


It comes as no surprise that InfoComm, like ISE before it, was awash with new flatscreen displays, projectors and video walls. It is a tes- tament to the integrated nature of the industry that there is rarely a significant delay between the release of the display and the availabil- ity of appropriate mounts and enclosures. Bryan Denyer considers the latest releases at recent trade shows and the trends they indicate.


As AV applications increase in variety, scale and number, the demands on manufacturers of mounts, brackets and enclo- sures are ever increasing. In addition, there are sure signs of growth in the outdoor market, and this will increase as parts become more standardised and there is more choice on the market. Keith Dutch, Managing Director, Peerless-AV EMEA, concurs: “With our Xtreme High Bright


Outdoor Displays, we are ahead of the curve offering easy to install, low maintenance solu- tions with the highest tech specs to meet the requirements of any professional application, and that allows entry into new niche markets such as electron- ic vehicle charging stations and smart city kiosks. EV charging stations provide free electricity usage to customers while cre- ating the ultimate revenue gen- erating advertising solution for


retail centres.”


“The Smart City kiosk is an- other exciting niche, that can combine advertising, free Wi- Fi and telephone calls. Current developments will allow these kiosks to also be able to record sensory data such as car fume analysis, or detection of loud sounds (for example, gun fire or blasts), that can then trigger an alert to local authorities or law enforcement.”


Growth in kiosks


I'm not sure why, but I thought the market for kiosks would de- cline as dedicated outdoor dis- plays became more common- place. In fact, announcements at recent shows suggest that kiosks are even more popular than ever. Keith Dutch, con- curs:


“Kiosks are most definitely in- creasing in popularity. At RDSE this year, nearly every exhibi- tor’s stand featured a kiosk of some design or other. A kiosk can make digital signage stand out and look distinctive – both in terms of positioning and ap- pearance. It doesn’t have to be a permanent fixture, releasing a display from the constraints of being mounted on a wall and allowing it to be positioned where it will have the most im- pact.”


The Peerless-AV KILH5 Indoor Landscape Kiosk is ideal for way-find- ing and restaurant menu displays.


Profile Product profile Nureva and the evolving workplace


There’s no doubt about it, the rate of change in working practices and cultures is increasing. From remote working and dispersed teams, to agile working practices and the flexible use of physical space for activity-based working, the workplace of today is a very different en- vironment to the traditional office set up of even 10 years ago. But is it technology that is fuelling the rate of change, or is it simply develop- ing in response to the new needs that these transformations demand? According to Jon Knight, Commercial Director of distributor Ascentae, the question isn’t quite that simple.


“In my experience, organisa- tions often invest in technolo- gies that demand teams learn new ways of working, and then wonder why they are not get- ting the results they had hoped for.


headquarters of one of the country’s most famous ac- counting practices. A team there, was in the middle of a brainstorming session using Scrum methodology.


As the


But often, there’s nothing wrong with the principles be- hind the original methods. In- deed, it may be a system that has served the company well for years. What can almost always be improved, however, are the tools used to support those systems, making them as productive and effective as possible.


A great example jumped out at me on a recent visit to the


P8 AV News May 2018


need for more space increased, the writing became smaller and eventually they moved from the wall to the recently purchased Surface Hub. This £20k piece of kit was covered in post-it notes! Now the Surface Hub is a great product, but the com- pany had bought one without really understanding whether it could help support their pro- cesses or not. In this case, the space that had been designed


P10 AV News July 2018


was just not appropriate for the activity that was taking place.”


Technology enablers


So, moving back to the original question, the answer is maybe a bit of both. Cultural changes drive new ways of thinking, but in many cases these can only be realised thanks to the avail- able technology.


Certainly, we


can identify some key trends that have huge implications for the workplace, with a resulting demand for supporting technol- ogy, such as:


• Employees will increasingly


The new follow me feature for the Nureva Span Workspace focuses the attention of a distributed team on specific areas of a Span canvas during a real-time collaboration session.


work in dispersed workplac- es such as at branch offices, supplier or customer locations, home or even other countries. Organisations will still need a centralised office, providing an environment to support a wide variety of needs such as activ- ity-based working, and enable collaboration between the em- ployees.


• The need to keep such workers engaged and connected. Phys- ical distance can be a barrier to working together effectively. To ensure a fragmented workforce


feels part of the team, compa- nies need to develop strategies to link together social and work interactions. And crucially the deployed technology should al- low remote workers to use fa- miliar methods of working.


•The change in the makeup of the modern workforce. With predictions that the Millennial generation will make up 35% of the global workforce, and Gen Z 24% by 2020, compa- nies need to understand their requirements.


Often vaunted as “entitled” it could be argued


that workplaces need to change to meet the needs of this huge section of the workforce. A generation who has been exper- imental and tech savvy almost from birth, it’s no wonder that they get frustrated by rigid and outdated working practices that don’t allow them to use their skills.


• As a result of the above, a move towards more agile ways of working, creating a flexible and productive environment. By creating different working areas within an office, the or-


“The kiosk body can be customised in a number of different ways to reinforce a customer’s brand or to match surrounding aesthetics, includ- ing vinyl logos, custom paint


colours and full vinyl wraps. Also, as the kiosk only requires a power cable to operate, there is flexibility in location with it being a simple task to move the unit to a new position either temporarily or permanently.” There is also an economic argument in favour of kiosks. Dutch continues: “Back-to-back kiosks can also maximise ROI on every square foot, in high traffic retail envi- ronments for example. Showing content both outside and inside the store in window settings ef- fectively doubles the amount of screen ‘real estate’ from the same footprint size. To further save space and make our kiosks as unobtrusive as possible they have been designed with a slim footprint and a sleek low-profile body for a modern aesthetic.” But the calculation of any economic advantage has to fac- tor in the initial capital cost of the outdoor display versus the cost of the kiosk: “There isn’t much of a cost difference between a kiosk and an IP-rated display. However, if integrating a non-IP rated display in a kiosk enclosure there are more potential failure points as additional heating and cooling components, filters and fans would be required.” “Clearly


flat panel displays


are going to produce heat and when enclosed within a kiosk unit it is important to regulate this to maintain an optimum operating temperature. To achieve this Peerless-AV builds thermostatically controlled fans


into each unit to effectively ex- haust excess heat and control the internal conditions.”


New kiosk releases


Recently, Peerless-AV an- nounced the availability of the KILH5 Indoor Landscape Ki- osk. With its curved edges and shapely enclosure (pictured), the kiosk offers new and im- proved aesthetics that will open opportunities in a wider range of verticals where an appealing and attractive design is a major requirement. These are said to include museums, retail stores, restaurants, hotel lobbies, cor- porate receptions and more. Available in gloss black and silver, the KILH5-EUK models have a premium powder coat finish that protects the unit and extends the product lifes- pan. A choice of aesthetic op- tions is also offered, including multiple colours, vinyl wraps, logos, and more, to align with end customer brand guidelines or blend into the surrounding environment.


Delivered pre-assembled for a simplified install, the new landscape kiosk fits most 40"- 55" ultra-slim LCD panels and interactive displays less than 89 mm deep, with a maxi- mum load of 34 Kg. Adaptor brackets are attached to the back of a display and hooked onto the internal mount then the display cover is placed on top to protect the display edg- es. Height adjustment on the mount provides 12.5 mm of up


and down post level adjustment to achieve the ideal screen po- sition. An internal component tray in the kiosk body neatly stores a media player and ca- bles for a professional finish, and quick access to power or cabling at the rear enables easy maintenance and servicing. The kiosk’s unobtrusive flat base can be free standing or bolted to floor, allowing for placement flexibility, safety and security in any indoor setting. If free standing, the kiosk has passed the UL 1667 Dynamic Tip Test to give the installer and end customer peace of mind. For theft protection, the kiosk features hex pin screw locks.


Concierge and queue management


Kiosks have found a growing application in greeting and managing customers. For ex- ample, The Santander Work- Café, a one of a kind type of bank branch in Chile, turns a common branch into a com- munity space: half bank and half café. It has now been im- plemented in 20 Santander branches, and is going forward to introduce 20 brand new of- fices by the end of 2018. The General Director for the Commercial & Retail Banking Division, Matías Sánchez, stat- ed, “WorkCafé Santander trans- forms the way we connect with customers, non-clients and the community. It is a reflection of the changes that we are seeing in our relationship with cus-


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