SCN 2020 Products of the Year

(Image credit: Future)

The staff at Systems Contractor News has chosen the most impactful pro AV products of 2020.

1 Beyond Automate VX System

1 Beyond’s Automate VX solution shows the active speaker with seamless automated camera switching between a presenter and an audience or people around a large boardroom table. Up to 10 cameras, including 1 Beyond NDI and tracking cameras, can be placed anywhere to create a more immersive experience for remote participants in hybrid meetings and classes. It integrates with popular DSPs, a wide array of microphone types, and hardware and software conferencing codecs.

Analog Way Midra 4K Series Presentation Switchers

Midra 4K is a new range of 4K60 multilayer video mixers and seamless presentation switchers ideally tailored to medium-sized fixed installations and live environments. The Midra 4K switchers feature ten inputs, two outputs, and a dedicated multiviewer to monitor the screens and all connected sources. They offer versatile 4K connectivity, ultra-low-latency 4K60 10-bit 4:4:4 image processing, genlock synchronization, true seamless switching, edge-blending capabilities, audio processing, HDR support, and HDCP 2.2 compatibility.

AtlasIED Atmosphere

Touchless control, automation, and artificial intelligence offer AV integrators and end users an intuitive way to deliver audio to restaurants, bars, hotels, school campuses, houses of worship, and other commercial environments. The Atmosphere system is modular, scalable, and customizable, giving integrators a solution for a wide variety of applications. But what really sets Atmosphere apart among digital audio systems is the innovative technology built into its digital signal processors, graphical user interfaces, programming software, and controls, as well as its breadth of interoperable products. The Atmosphere platform doesn’t require dayslong training to program and deploy, and it offers users a simple, modern system interface that takes minutes to learn.

Barco ClickShare Conference

ClickShare Conference’s wireless conferencing revolutionizes the workplace experience, delivering powerful remote communication with easy-to-use wireless collaboration to any meeting space. Start a meeting from your device using your preferred conference tool and ClickShare Conference automatically connects wirelessly to room cameras, speakerphones, and sound bars for an immersive meeting experience. In less than seven seconds, users can conference, collaborate, and click with Barco’s secure, connected, and cloud-managed solution.

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 UC

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 UC are Certified for Microsoft Teams, compatible with Zoom, and work with Google Meet, so no matter what your favorite UC provider is, you’re equipped to collaborate with confidence anywhere. An adaptive microphone system isolates your voice. Instantly adjustable noise cancellation lets you personalize what you hear from your surrounding environment. And the included Bose USB Link Bluetooth module provides a reliable wireless connection—all so you can work better, wherever.

Crestron 4-Series

From installations as small as a single room to those spanning an enterprise, Crestron 4-Series control systems enable organizations to intelligently and efficiently unify and control the growing number of devices and building systems on the network. With 15x faster processing, up to 4x more memory, and meeting the most robust security standards in the industry, the 4-Series gives organizations greater power and flexibility than ever before to intelligently integrate and manage disparate networked technologies on one secure platform.

d&b audiotechnik KSLi System

The new d&b audiotechnik KSLi loudspeaker system delivers a complete installation package for the most comprehensive range of high-performance installations and applications. The system features the KSLi8 and KSLi12 loudspeakers, combined with KSLi-SUB/KSLi-GSUB subwoofers, plus a complete catalog of system-specific accessories and customization options. KSLi is acoustically identical to the mobile KSL system and delivers the same remarkable performance characteristics: full-range broadband directivity control, extended low-frequency response, and enhanced high-frequency resolution.

Extron IPCP Pro xi Series

As AV systems grow in size and complexity, control systems must meet every demand with fast, dependable performance. At the core of these control systems, Extron’s new IPCP Pro xi Series control processors deliver some of the most powerful and versatile performance standards to date. With up to four times more memory and significantly enhanced processing power for increased deployment speeds and improved runtime functionality, this series is designed to excel in even the most demanding AV applications.

G&D RemoteAccess-CPU (Image credit: G&D North America)

G&D North America RemoteAccess-CPU

G&D North America’s latest KVM product, RemoteAccess-CPU, lets operators integrate virtual machines into KVM installations to create hybrid infrastructures. The new modules establish a connection between matrix systems and computers or virtual machines, which can be remotely accessed via network protocols (RDP, VNC, and SSH). The RemoteAccess-CPU supports video resolutions up to 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz (or 3840 x 2160 @ 30 Hz), as well as USB HID and embedded audio. After appropriate configuration, users can access any number of virtual sources and computers directly via KVM matrix system—uniformly and exactly as producers would access computers under their desk.

Kramer VIA GO²

VIA GO² gives iOS, Android, Chromebook, PC, and Mac users instant wireless connectivity with 4K advanced presentation capabilities. The product features content streaming with crystal-clear mirrored images and precise video playback and includes iOS, Windows, and Android mirroring. VIA GO² is compact (7 x 7 cm) and flexible to install, with both built-in Wi-Fi and LAN connectivity. It includes industry-leading 1,024-bit encryption for secure use on the internal network.

LG 55-inch Transparent OLED Touch Display

LG’s Transparent OLED Touch (model 55EW5TF) is a 55-inch digital signage display that uses projected capacitive (P-Cap) film technology for a highly responsive, accurate touch experience that allows significantly greater transparency than conventional transparent LCD displays. The technology provides a user experience that is as close as possible to interacting with bright, colorful content in mid-air. These displays are customizable and expandable. They can stand alone, or combine to create a giant transparent touch video wall.

Matrox D-Series Graphics Cards

Purpose-built to power high-density video walls, Matrox D-Series single-slot, quad-4K graphics cards can be combined to drive up to 16 synchronized 4K displays. In concert with an array of software and developer tools for custom control and application development, D-Series is designed to be the ideal tool for today’s most demanding commercial and critical 24/7 video wall applications.

Meyer Sound Spacemap Go

Spacemap Go is a spatial sound design and mixing tool that leverages the processing power of the Meyer Sound GALAXY Network Platform in an intuitive iPad app. The Spacemap Go iPadOS app provides a flexible, easy-to-use touchpad interface for Spacemap multichannel panning using one or more connected iPads. With thousands of processors worldwide, GALAXY with Spacemap Go has the widest reach of any system for spatial sound design and mixing.

Netgear M4250 Switches

Built from the ground up for 1G AV over IP, the new AV Line of M4250 switches combines years of networking experience with best practices from leading AV professionals to elevate your AV-over-IP deployments. A new AV-centric user interface enables speedy configuration changes, while the sleek front panel with rear-facing ports looks great in a rack. Models with PoE+ and Ultra 90 PoE++ allow powering of AV endpoints and more. The AV Line is built with NETGEAR IGMP Plus for true out-of-the-box functionality.

Nureva HDL200 Audio Conferencing System

Nureva’s HDL200 audio conferencing system provides the optimal audio environment for dispersed groups. With refined aesthetics and 4,096 virtual microphones providing true full-room coverage, the HDL200 system is purpose-built for any space up to 18’ x 18’, and it installs easily almost anywhere—on a wall, floor stand, or display. The system calibrates automatically and continuously so the room is always “ready to go” for every meeting style—even if the furniture moves.

Peerless-AV Outdoor Display (Image credit: Peerless-AV)

Peerless-AV 65-inch Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display

Featuring a fully sealed, IP66 rated design and a patented Dynamic Thermal Transfer System, Peerless-AV’s 65-inch Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display is built to withstand the harsh outdoors. With features including an operating temperature range of -31°F to 140°F and an optically bonded cover glass for excellent picture quality even in direct sunlight, this digital signage or entertainment solution enhances the viewing experience in any season.

QSC Q-SYS Core 8 Flex

The Q-SYS Core 8 Flex audio, video and control processor from QSC extends the applications of the Q-SYS Ecosystem into a wider range of smaller installations with lower channel capacity and targeted processing requirements. The Q-SYS Core 8 Flex offers eight flex analog channels, eight GPIO, two RS-232, plus network AV&C processing. It features USB integration with all major web conferencing applications, eight channels of AEC, and a full-featured control engine for third-party device integration.

RGB Spectrum XtendPoint

XtendPoint KVM-over-IP extenders allow operators to share control of remote systems across a room or worldwide enterprise. Secure communication and control are provided for either point-to-point extension or networked operation over standard gigabit Ethernet. XtendPoint’s KlickSimple navigation enables operators to seamlessly control multiple remote computers simultaneously. Integration with RGB Spectrum’s video wall processors allows simultaneous video sharing to both desktops and video walls, making XtendPoint an ideal solution for control rooms.

Shure Intellimix Room

IntelliMix Room is the first audio processing software for Windows 10 PCs that is fully optimized for use with Shure’s networked system microphones. This secured software-based DSP aims to help integrators make the most of their time, requiring minimal customer setup or additional special hardware. Providing up to 16 channels of audio processing, IntelliMix Room deploys the same algorithms as Shure’s P300 IntelliMix Audio Conferencing Processor but is installed on the same in-room PC as the conferencing soft codec.

Sony VPL-GTZ380 Laser Projector

Sony’s VPL-GTZ380 is a native 4K (4096 x 2160), 10,000-lumen SXRD projector. The model combines outstanding contrast, brightness, high dynamic range, and resolution, with a wide color gamut to offer an exceptional visual experience in any distance and lighting condition, making it ideal for a wide range of corporate, entertainment, and simulation applications. At 112 pounds, the flagship projector incorporates cutting-edge technology into a small form factor that provides installation flexibility and quiet operation.

WolfVision Cynap Pure Pro

The Cynap Pure Pro wireless presentation and collaboration system provides app-free, dongle-free, BYOD wireless screen mirroring and a suite of easy-to-use collaboration tools ideal for use in touchless meeting rooms and hybrid learning and working environments. Built-in support for Microsoft Teams and Zoom, and whiteboard and annotation tools are just a few of the key features that enable this “all-in-one,” multifunctional appliance to help solve many of the challenges of the post-COVID-19 world.

The staff of Systems Contractor News serves the AV integration industry with thorough news analysis, trend reports, and the latest product and technology information—delivered to an audience of decision-makers.