European Custom Installer

The numbers from ISE 2018 are in and, as expected, they are big-- so much so the 15th edition of the show was the biggest yet, attracting 80923 visitors over its 4-day duration, a 10.3% increase over 2017.

Interestingly, almost 20000 visitors attended on the last day of the show, while 30% of total attendees were visiting ISE for the first time. As for the show itself, the 2018 edition featured 15 halls filling 53000 square metres of floor space. Occupying the halls were 1296 exhibitors, of which 294 were first timers, and Integrated Systems Events says floor space confirmed for ISE 2019 already stands at 103% of the total booked for ISE 2018.

“It’s been a great show that has delivered on all fronts. I’m delighted to report that visitor numbers and exhibitor satisfaction have both been very high," Integrated Systems Events managing director Mike Blackman says. "On behalf of ISE, I’d like to thank all our attendees, exhibitors, partners and our co-owners AVIXA and CEDIA. This combination has made ISE what it is today and ensures that we are able to build on our successes year on year.”

Crestron confirms its plans for the consumer market at ISE 2018 with a dedicated residential area-- one dedicated primarily to Pyng, the home automation system the company describes as a "full platform."

As seen at ISE, the Pyng platform now features video and audio support, meaning it can control TVs, AVRs and other video sources as well as "traditional" Crestron products and "thousands" of 3rd party devices. The number of compatible 3rd party products should increase further through the Rapid Agile Drivers (RAD) program allowing the creation of new drivers.

Pyng handles display and source control, room and source selection, volume control for groups and other rooms, video routing via DM and DM NVX series devices, audio and video grouping, user profiles and TV presets based on provider. Control comes through either iOS/Android Pyng app (as boosted with support for larger macros) and handheld remotes such as the 310 series, another ISE 2018 revelation.

Control4 shows off its latest wireless controller at ISE 2018-- the CA-1, a means for installers to provide customers with a start in home automation through lighting, temperature, control and security control.

The CA-1 features ethernet, wifi, ZigBee and serial connectivity, and leverages on the Control4 database of thousands of 3rd party devices. An optional Z-Wave module adds compatibility with Z-Wave-enabled devices such as door, window, water, flood and temperature sensors, as well as electrical outlets and dimmer outlet modules. Power over Ethernet (PoE) allows installation anywhere with a single network cable.

Cinema Partners-- the alliance bringing together dARTS Digital Theatre, Ineva Designs and DT Screens-- shows off a home theatre experience featuring best-in-class products at ISE 2018.

The demo room features a Dolby Atmos 9.2.6 setup running on precision-calibrated dARTS speakers and a DT Screens Frontier Fixed Frame projector screen with an AT Ref image surface. Audio comes through a 16-channel StormAudio ISP 3D.16 ELITE preamp/processor, while a Barco Orion projector provides the required images.

The dARTS Theatre system claims to be the most precise cinema speaker system around. It combines speaker drivers tuned to 0.5dB of one another with an intelligent amp providing up to 105dB SPL anywhere in the listening area. A custom version of Audyssey MultEQ software calibrates the speakers, resulting in sound matching a "precision-tuned movie theatre."

CEDIA unveils its new strategic plan-- one that will prioritise the work of the association over the next 3 years, with the hope of "significant" advances in three key areas.

Developed by the CEDIA staff and board, plus input from members and strategy expert Dr. Rebecca Homkes, the plan focuses on education, increasing professionalism through standards, guidelines and best practices, and deeper engagement and partnership with the design and build community.