Award

FEBRUA RY 2017 | 37 Audio Visual Systems PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY SHARP'S AUDIO VISUAL LTD.; COMMERCIAL ELECTRONICS; SIGHT N SOUND DESIGN W Bespoke audio visual solutions make life simple and more secure for clients by ROBIN BRUNET With so many technological advances being achieved in such a short a space of time, it's easy to forget the enormous extent to which audio visual (AV) systems govern our lives. Nowhere is this more evident than in the rise of the smart home, said to be a $24-billion industry in North America. It's no secret that everything from heating and security to home entertainment and lighting can be controlled with apps that cost next-to-nothing, and local big box retail stores serve as a convenient source for do-it-yourself (DIY) kits. Less discussed are the problems resulting from the retail DIY approach, with malware being just one example. Hal Clark, director, residential design/engi- neering for Commercial Electronics, cites another: "The accumulation of apps can be the equivalent of one's coffee table cluttered with remote controls. In other words, controlling residential functions can become confusing, time consuming and unreliable." Commercial Electronics, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary and whose seven divisions include Residential Systems Integration Group, is the answer for anyone who has become "app-heavy" or tormented by viruses. "What we do is provide electronic architec- ture by getting to know our clients and understanding their needs," says Clark. "Systems integration is vital, if you consider that in the realm of hacking alone the easiest avenues of hacking that shut down servers are baby monitors and other residential components." As part of the custom-build market, Clark and his team study the network coming into a client's home, then input the appropriate product, configure it and assume responsibility for the maintenance of the local network hardware and its configuration. "So in addi- tion to devising core control systems with one but- ton control, our maintenance is such that we can even remotely monitor your components and detect, for example, if your Blu-ray player isn't operating prop- erly," says Clark. "This is something the standard retail solution simply cannot provide and yet is vital to over- all performance, convenience and security." As noted by Clark, one of the most crucial services an audio video specialist can provide is not product, but good communication with the client. Clark's Audio Visual Services Ltd. celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2016 by providing just that, along with creative, inno- vative solutions that bring events to life. Its "tools" include projection mapping and blending, staging and platforms, rigging and truss, webcast and live stream- ing, and AV production. James Downey, assistant manager for Clark's Audio Visual Services Ltd., says: "Given the rapid evolution Listen Up! of technology, people frequently want product with- out understanding it. For example, when ultra HD [4K] first came out, a lot of consumers assumed the 4K discs could be played in their DVD players and that they would be compatible with standard projection sys- tems. So much of our work is sitting down and explain- ing what is required and what is not." Downey adds, "It's just as important as a respon- sible AV company to tell people that what they want isn't necessary, either because the technology isn't appropriate for their needs, because of price point, or because of issues with the product." The work done by Sight N Sound Design Inc. in 2016 demonstrates just how functional AV design can be for a multitude of different purposes. For example, Thunder Bay's new $247.7-million courthouse gave the company the opportunity to work with codec (coder- decoder) farm technology. "This is the first time we've used this technology," says Ken Lewis, Sight N Sound president. "It's located in a central main audio visual room in the basement of the courthouse and will be shared between all of the meeting rooms and courts." The codec system connects signal processing so video conferencing to remand centres, jails, or remote locations is possible everywhere. Previous projects had remote video capacities, but these were desig- nated to specific courtrooms only. Also in 2016, Sight N Sound Design provided exper- tise to support the complex audio and video require- ments of the new Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University, with the com- pany providing high-quality sound and video pro- jection capabilities for the main theatre and several performance studios. Additionally, peripheral areas have been connected to allow paging into the sur- rounding areas, and capability built into the green room and dressing rooms will allow players to watch the on-stage performances. In the business realm, Sharp's Audio Visual com- munications specialist, Val Fernandez says: "There is a changing tone in the audio visual industry; we are entering the next wave of unified communications, pro- pelled forward by platforms like Skype for Business. As organizations adopt these common communications platforms and more employees are trained, executives want to leverage that investment across desktop, per- sonal and group collaboration devices. "It's powerful when IT can provide a common com- munications platform that can be funded efficiently by replacing the recurring per user license cost they are already paying for with GoToMeeting for web confer- encing, telecom services for audio conferencing and desktop phones, as an example." Tim St. Louis, executive VP of sales and market- ing, adds: "There are many ways for IT and collabo- ration professionals to get the consistent experiences in the meeting room as they do at the desk top and mobile device. Some technologies like the Surface Hub bring Skype for Business into the huddle, meet- ing or boardroom space as a completely new solution Microsoft Surface Hub. Functional AV design at the Thunder Bay courthouse. Creston portable Smart Home panel.

• Cover