Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/640704
38 | FEBRUA RY 2016 Audio Visual Systems enjoyed tremendous growth in 2015 and is expecting to double sales this year thanks to signage projects as well as systems such as Colorbeam, which the company has been testing for the past three years and released across North America in January. Gaudio describes Colorbeam as "a unique lighting solution that can be used as architectural lighting and provides superb colour mixing and seamless dimming – and its versatility will amaze end users." Meanwhile, at Sharp's Audio Visual, executive VP, sales and marketing Tim St. Louis and his team deliver a complete range of innovative AV and digital signage solutions for business, education and government. Personalized service is a major component of business, with Sharp's On-site Audio Visual Concierge and Service Level Agreements increasingly sought in the corporate sector (often because firms are losing their own internal AV service capabilities due to budget constraints or a lack of skills). St. Louis notes there has been "a significant shift of business towards Microsoft Skype for business applications in the meeting room, to the point where it's the tool of choice for communication and a logical extension from the desktop into the boardroom. Skype's dominance is understandable, considering it's the same daily interface that consumers are well acquainted with – no learning curves here." But St. Louis stresses, "In order for this wonderful technology to be fully real- ized by the corporate end user, it has to be professionally developed and installed. In short, the client should always work with a service provider that is Microsoft cer- tified, such as Sharp's." Sharp's is renowned for introducing innovative new products to the business realm, and one of the most exciting is SMART kapp, a digital capture board that is as easy to use as a old fashioned dry-erase board; users write, draw and brainstorm using an ink marker, and co-workers and clients can follow the process in real time on their mobile devices. Plus, the work can be saved in stages and as a final pdf or jpeg, easily sent to anyone, anywhere. In a similar vein, kapp iQ, also available from Sharp's, is the only multi-way, interactive display that combines the simplicity of a traditional whiteboard with the power of an Ultra HD display. Of course, some of the best AV solutions have nothing to do with high tech at all and everything to do with good design. This especially applies to sound absorption, which is Sound Solutions' specialty – the company provides architects, designers and contractors with an extensive line of product options for interior and exterior applications, from the best North American and European manufacturers. Principal Ed Makarchuk says, "Acoustic panels may not seem sexy, but they're a critical component of any boardroom and prevent sound from bouncing off hard surfaces – a phenomenon that is all too common and frequently too much for even the best AV systems to filter out." While Makarchuk can easily go into detail about the technical function of the panels his company provides, he prefers to emphasize a single point: "They don't have to be ugly or intrusive. We've done restaurants in which their look was cru- cial to the overall ambiance. And in boardrooms, we use fibreglass boards wrapped in fabric, of which there are hundreds of design variations." Makarchuk adds that even though ceiling tiles are considered a design faux pas, Sound Solutions can work with clients to provide a tile that is both acoustically beneficial and esthetically pleasing. The company also offers an alternative acoustic plaster that enhances design possibilities. Finally, Vibra-Sonic Control – in collaboration with architects and engineers – addresses the issues of noise and vibration inherent in any building structure and that can be controlled through the use of everything from damping pads and float- ing floors to speakers that emit pink noise. Regional manager Sandy Park stresses that Vibra-Sonic takes a holistic approach to tasks such as sound masking, especially in demanding sectors such as corporate and health care. "That's because the achievement of speech privacy requires several elements, not just one, and ceiling tiles, sound secure doors, low frequency response speakers, and other elements all play important roles," she says. A SMART kapp iQ multi-way, interactive display from Sharp's Audio Visual.