InfoComm 2023 News: AVoIP Hits Orlando with ZeeVee, Visionary, and Just Add Power

InfoComm 2023 is right around the corner. We've been doing our best to keep you up to date on all there is to see in Orlando this June.  Today, take a look at five more exhibitors you need to add to your must-see list. 

[InfoComm 2023: 'No Stopping Us Now']

ZeeVee to Feature Latest AV Distribution Solutions

ZeeVee will unveil its latest AV signal distribution solutions, including a new 1 Gig, AVoIP encoder and decoder, at Booth 4061. 

Here's what to see:

• Session: Enterprise IT: AV Network Preparation, Readiness and Design: Director of product management, Art Weeks, will share best practices for AVoIP network design. He will provide examples of real-world AVoIP networks along with a high-level checklist of things to plan for in the design of any AVoIP network. 
• ZyPer4K SDVoE Wall Plates: SDVoE encoder and decoder wall plates feature 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet ports for general purpose device attachment to a network, as well as audio input and output jacks to drive line-level stereo audio. They can distribute content via HDMI 2.0b and USB-C, as well as USB 2.0, which can be configured and routed via the ZeeVee ZyPer Management Platform (ZMP). A video select button on the encoder wall plate enables users to choose either HDMI or USB-C video inputs when both are connected. 
• HDMI 2.0 Extender: HDMI 2.0 extender kit permits signal transmissions of up to 165 feet (50 meters). Normally, HDMI cables only reach 50 feet before signal deterioration occurs, which can lead to onscreen images pixelating, lagging or dropping out entirely. The kit preserves the signal integrity via Cat6/6A/7 cables that are also more efficient to run through walls and crawl spaces than HDMI cables.  

Just Add Power Blazes the AV-Over-IP Trail

Just Add Power is set to showcase its latest distributed AV solutions in Booth 1725. Integrators will see the latest addition to the company's 4K60 MaxColorTM Series, the MaxColor 2 transmitter and receiver. Building on the innovation introduced with the MaxColor 1 4K UHD distribution platform, the new solution adds KVM support, and a fiber port connect alongside native 4K60Hz in and out.

In the booth, Just Add Power's MaxColor Series 2 will be shown. Because it can distribute 4K60/4:4:4/36-bit color video over a 1GB managed network using existing Cat X (Cat 5e minimum) cable, or over 10G fiber cable, integrators can use the cable that best fits their projects. It also boasts a USB-C port, supporting, for example, a USB web camera signal over IP. With the new Audio Return Channel feature from Just Add Power, installers can easily send audio from a TV connected to a MaxColor 2 receiver across the network to another MaxColor 2 receiver—connected to an audio-video receiver or another ARC-enabled amplifier—making project design even easier and more flexible.

The MaxColor Series 1 and 2 transmitters and receivers provide integrators with an affordable and scalable 4K UHD distribution platform to support today's 4K source content with high frame rates natively over existing network infrastructures. MaxColor also offers deep-color and 4:4:4 chroma support to ensure that what is seen on the screen matches the output of the source with no subsampling or downscaling. The series delivers zero detectable latency, instant and seamless switching, 4K up-and-down scaling, and HDR management while supporting all lossless audio formats and HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision for the best viewing experience. Additional features include image pop, push, pull, and integrated control.

Just Add Power will also lead its manufacturer training, "Stress-free AV-Over-IP," on June 15 at 11 a.m. in Room W310AB. The session will share why AV-over-IP solutions are often the best option to meet customers' demands. Taught by Just Add Power's Jeff Terzo, vice president of global business development, and Eric Martin, director of training, this lively session will first focus on designing a system and then follow up with hands-on demonstrations of setting up and configuring a system. Attendees will be eligible to earn one RU toward CTS, CTS-D, or CTS-I certifications.

Visionary to Highlight Sustainable AV-over-IP Technology

The modular system design and architecture of AV-over-IP provides many benefits to sustainability, including greater scalability, energy efficiency, longer product life, reduced material consumption, simplified maintenance and repair, remote management, and more efficient use of resources. At Booth 3761, visitors will see the rich benefits of Visionary’s modular AV-over-IP technology contribute to a lower environmental impact compared to traditional fixed matrix switching. 

Recently, Visionary supported one of the largest AV-over-IP deployments in the world with over 2,500 endpoints at Resorts World Las Vegas. During the initial design, the systems integrators, end users and Visionary’s in-house engineers performed calculations on the power requirements for Visionary’s endpoints versus some of the competitive products that were being considered. It was determined that Resorts World Las Vegas would be reducing its carbon footprint by 532 Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide equivalent and saving over $60,000 per year in energy costs by utilizing Visionary’s eco-friendly, low-power endpoints. The Carbon Dioxide emissions are equivalent to 59,808 gallons of gasoline consumed, or correlates to greenhouse gas emissions avoided by 23,007 trash bags of waste recycled instead of landfilled.

The over-engineering of AV-over-IP endpoints has led to excessive power consumption. Often, manufacturers pack their devices with a multitude of features to stand out from the competition. However, many of these features are not required by the end users and result in excessive power consumption. As AV-over-IP technologies continue to advance, it is essential for manufacturers to strike a balance between innovation and real-world system requirements. Over-engineered devices not only consume more energy but also increase the total cost of ownership for users, as they pay for features they don’t necessarily need. To address this issue, the AV industry should focus on developing energy-efficient and streamlined solutions tailored to specific use cases and market segments. At InfoComm 2023, Visionary will showcase their commitment to designing and manufacturing sustainable, AV-over-IP solutions, without compromising the necessary features to support many of the most demanding AV applications.

PoE Power: MSolutions Eliminates Most Hardware for USB and USB 3.0 Camera Switching

At InfoComm, MSolutions will demonstrate how users can toggle between four cameras—one per input—to bring them into a presentation or lecture. Its latest gateway switching device breaks new ground by removing the need for HDBaseT transmitters and receivers for most USB 2.0/USB 3.1 camera switching ecosystems that support collaborative environments.

MSolutions introduced its MS-0401 Series of Gateway switching devices at ISE 2023 in February, including a PoE-powered HDBaseT-to-IP Gateway device for switching HDBaseT cameras onto IPMX networks. MSolutions has now pulled off an impressive feat with a new addition to the series that removes the need for extenders when switching USB cameras. MSolutions will present its innovation, made possible through its new MS-0401U device and special cables, on the HDBaseT Alliance Booth (3403) at InfoComm next month.

MSolutions’ PoE-powered MS-0401U is a small form-factor unit with five ports and on-board channel selection. The device offers two types of switching, allowing up to four independent source devices or hosts to be linked through the MSolutions Gateway to a single output. This allows users to switch between cameras to provide different viewpoints during a presentation or lecture, for example.

As with other MS-0401 switching devices, MSolutions allows the user to deploy the device in a reserve configuration, with a single input switchable to four selectable outputs. This is an ideal configuration for a larger space with projectors or displays positioned around the room, where the single output replicates camera content to two or more end points connected to the MS-0401U switch.

In either configuration, MSolutions has reduced the cost of deployment inside meeting and learning spaces by using special RJ45-to-USB cables to carry signals from host devices with no extenders required. The removal of hardware potentially saves thousands of dollars for end users, with cost-savings multiplied by the room. Special firmware is added to the device on request to enable USB 3.1 switching for high-speed devices including 4K cameras. The MS-0401U supports distances of 50 feet or more for USB or USB 3.1 signals without extenders.

Magewell to Preview New Device and Stream Management Software

Visitors to the Magewell Booth 2855 will be treated to a sneak preview of the company's second-generation centralized device management software. The successor to the established Magewell Cloud platform, the new Control Hub will feature an enhanced device management interface and expanded stream conversion capabilities.

Flexibly deployable on-premises or in the cloud, Control Hub will provide centralized configuration and control of multiple Magewell streaming and IP conversion solutions. Administrators, IT staff and systems integrators can easily manage multiple encoders and decoders across disparate locations through an intuitive, browser-based interface. An HTTP-based API is also available for third-party integration.

[Can NDI Become Ubiquitous?] 

The Control Hub software will support Magewell hardware products including Ultra Stream and Ultra Encode live media encoders; Pro Convert NDI encoders and decoders; the Pro Convert Audio DX IP audio converter; and the USB Fusion capture and mixing device. Users can remotely configure device parameters, monitor device status, trigger operational functions—such as starting or stopping encoding—and perform batch firmware upgrades across multiple units of the same model.

Control Hub features a revamped user interface that makes it even simpler and more efficient to manage multiple encoders and decoders. Its redesigned dashboard provides expanded information in a more intuitive layout, making it easier for users to see the status of their devices and deployments at a glance. Video from remote Ultra Stream, Ultra Encode and USB Fusion units can be previewed directly in the Control Hub interface without needing to open the individual device's interface panel.

Control Hub expands on the stream conversion capabilities of the earlier Magewell Cloud software with support for more protocols and a more flexible stream routing architecture. Users can define presets for stream input sources and output targets, then create 'channels' that map each input to one or more output protocols and destinations. Control Hub converts between RTMP, SRT (in caller or listener mode), RTSP and transport streams (delivered over UDP or RTP).

SRT Relay—previously a separate function in Magewell Cloud—is now just a specific Control Hub channel mapping configuration that routes SRT inputs to SRT outputs. This simplifies SRT streaming workflows by letting SRT encoders and decoders connect via Control Hub rather than directly to each other, minimizing firewall headaches and eliminating the need for public, static IP addresses at every endpoint.