The Futuresource Professional Display team is all set to explore the halls of the Amsterdam RAI exhibition centre to scope out what is on offer at The Integrated Systems Europe 2016 (#ISE2016) during the 9th to the 12th February.
The mission is to capture the hot topics, trends, technologies and products that are being promoted for use across the integrated systems supply chain through to end users across multiple industries. These will be featured in the ‘Futuresource report portfolio’ in the professional display space including videowall, wireless, corporate end user, virtual reality (VR) and 4K.
In anticipation of what is touted to be the biggest ISE ever, Futuresource Consulting would like to share its thoughts on some of the pioneering technologies and products expected to be on show – looking across front projection, commercial flat panels, wireless presentation/unified communications & collaboration and virtual reality.
Front Projection – Solid State Illumination, 4K and App Control to be Key Themes
Futuresource expects Solid State Illumination (SSI) to dominate front projection at this year’s ISE. The spectrum of laser-phosphor solutions is expected to broaden with the release of ever-lower and brighter models – from a wider range of brands. Laser-phosphor sales to the installation and large venue segment increased 410% in 2015 and now attributes to over 6% of the segment.
Adoption of SSI in more mainstream applications has been hindered by a lack of adequate solutions priced for this cost-conscious market. However, ISE promises to see the release of more laser-phosphor Ultra Short Throw (UST) solutions targeted at Education from key players in this space – which will no doubt help to increase traction moving forward. Moreover, Philips is expected to announce developments in its ColorSpark HLD technology at the show. The technology has the potential to bridge the gap between LED and Laser-Phosphor, hastening the time it will take for SSI to displace lamp-based solutions – enabling it to become a true contender to lamp in the volume market.
Pixel-shift 4K was a key theme of last year’s ISE – and further announcements are expected this year. However, demos of Texas Instrument’s new 4K Home Cinema chip are hotly anticipated as reviews have been largely positive – leading some to speculate how this chip will be positioned against its commercial 3-chip 1080p solution. It certainly has the potential to disrupt current resolution dynamics – across both B2C and B2B applications.
App control is not entirely new to projection but has been retained to niche areas of the market. However, Futuresource expects more vendors to be heavily promoting app control capability (MHL, Miracast etc) at the show – a symptom of the rising trend of BYOD in both corporate and education environments.
Commercial Flat Panel Displays
The landscape for commercial displays has changed rapidly in recent years as vendors look to integrate emerging technologies and diversify product portfolios to service varied vertical requirements. Interactivity has been one such area, benefiting from demand in presentation environments but perhaps the largest shift has come from the integration of System on Chip (SoC) technology. Much of the early drive behind this integration came from the industry targeting more basic signage applications where simplicity was paramount. Whilst this is still true, some vendors are increasingly moving toward fully integrated SoC line-ups with some evidence of usage in major projects.
Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology received significant attention at CES this January as TV vendors begin to launch large screen versions in earnest. The current cost premium is still far too prohibitive for most B2B applications but Futuresource expects to see a few models on the show floor at ISE and likely receive significant attention if some ‘off-floor’ demonstrations at CES are anything to go by. High Dynamic Range (HDR) will likely be another talking point of the show with the TV industry highlighting its intentions for adoption at CES 2016. 1000+ nit brightness is thought to be the minimum specification for HDR screens with this development likely to impact cost and product availability for commercial solutions designed for use in semi outdoor and high ambient light environments.
4K will continue to be an important message at the show this year, given the limited demand for very large displays from the TV industry. Opportunities in the B2B space are incredibly interesting for display vendors. 2014 saw the introduction of 84″ solutions from the majority of major players with a 98″ product expanding ranges during 2015. 2016 is expected to see a similar trend for 70″-75″ products with a number of launches expected at the show. Presentation spaces are particularly interesting applications for large 4K displays. The futureproofing benefits of 4K and products ability to support multiple 1080p content feeds on a single screen are driving demand as end users look to replace incumbent projection technology.
In signage based environments, 4K also has a role with 80″+ screens being used to replace small matrix tilled videowalls in some areas as price parity between the two solutions is achieved. That’s not to say tiled technologies are in decline, quite the opposite is true with both LED and LCD products expected to be a major focus of the show. Big screen solutions are becoming increasingly viable across a range of applications with exciting developments including the heavy price erosion of narrow pixel pitch LED (NPP LED) variants and the introduction of extreme narrow bezel (ENB) LCD solutions.
Wireless Presentation / Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C)
Collaborative meeting and teaching solutions have become a core focus of ISE over the last couple of years with developments in interactive displays, wireless presentation and video conferencing driven by growing awareness and the declining costs of these technologies. Central to the development of the collaborative work spaces has been the rise of the mobile device, with tablet & smartphone products increasingly relied upon as a content source in the meeting room and to access unified communications tools beyond it. In response to this, vendors from a variety of AV backgrounds are launching wireless presentation systems which allow multiple devices to connect to meeting or classroom displays and share content. In addition to screen sharing, these devices are seeking to integrate content annotation and capture, providing a similar experience to collaboration tools seen in the web conferencing industry. These solutions (often standalone devices) are being complimented by a growing range of software solutions enabling so called collaboration walls often using blended projection, tilled cubes and large format displays to create touch enabled group working environments.
Virtual Reality
Futuresource sees three core usage models for virtual reality, mixed reality and augmented reality in B2B applications that run through every vertical market. These are design, training and marketing/sales. There are of course other more segment-specific examples, a classic being patient care and rehabilitation in healthcare. The premise of ‘extending the digital asset’ is a common theme in the B2B space. This is particularly evident in design and marketing/sales use cases.
There will certainly be some nice surprises in store this week at ISE 2016. Futuresource Consulting will look forward to sharing our full #ISE 2016 show report next week.