InfoComm: 20 Super-Snazzy A/V, Display, Video Products

Looks Nice

InfoComm, which takes place this week in Las Vegas, is still the big show when it comes to all things audio/visual, display and video infrastructure/video content management. This year's show boasts 925 exhibitors, according to the association.

CRN looked at a big stack of vendor announcements, and the following 20 -- from content management software to gorgeous new displays -- stood out.

Vidyo

Vidyo, which has been expanding deeper into the channel behind recent virtualization-focused announcements and a white-label program, will have some very interesting news to share at InfoComm. First, Vidyo said it is offering greater interoperability with Microsoft Lync, meaning VidyoConferencing can now provide continuous presence video layout to Lync clients and connectivity using Vidyo and Lync federation and presence. Second, Vidyo is now integrating with technology from visualization/imaging specialist Barco: an immersive videoconferencing and collaboration system that offers up to 16 high-quality video streams totaling 8 megapixels.

Vidtel

Vidtel positions itself as the channel-friendliest of the emerging class of any-to-any videoconferencing connectivity vendors. At InfoComm, it will confirm a new reseller agreement with Brentwood, Calif.-based solution provider Solutionz Inc. Vidtel also plans to show off its major products, including MeetMe conferencing, Vidtel Connect one-to-one conferencing, and the recently unveiled Vidtel Gateway, which enables Skype and Google Talk connectivity to video MCUs and bridges Vidtel supports.

InFocus

InFocus is always bringing out new projector and A/V wares and some of its most recent -- to be on display at InfoComm -- include its IN2120 network projector series. The IN2120 line, which includes the 2124 and 2126 models, are notable in that they're the lowest-priced network projectors InFocus has ever offered and they can be controlled remotely through the network using a Web browser. IN2120 projectors are also compatible with ProjectorNet 3.0, InFocus' asset management software, and sport 4000:1 contrast ratios and DLP technology with 3,200 lumens of brightness.

Panasonic

Panasonic will have armfuls of new stuff to show off at InfoComm, including three new projectors and three new displays. In the projector bin are the PT-RZ450 and PTRZ370, which deliver more than 3,000 lumens using LEDs and laser diodes instead of convention lamps, and are available in resolutions of 1,080p and WXGA. Each features Valens HDBaseT technology which, according to Panasonic, enables a single cable to transmit uncompressed video, audio and control commands as far as 100 meters. A third projector, the PT-VW431DU, offers 4,300 lumens at WXGA resolution and is intended as a "compact-body projector" featuring Panasonic's Digital Link technology.

On the display front are the LFV50, a 55-inch LED video wall display providing 800 cd/m2 of brightness; the LF50 series, which come in 70- and 80-inch models providing 700 cd/m2 of brightness in either portrait or landscape mode, and the LF5 series, which come in 42- and 47-inch models and offer 500 cd/m2 of brightness with a wide view angle.

LG Electronics

LG's always got something drool-worthy in the display department, and at InfoComm it will show off new LED solutions such as a 72-inch monitor, a high-brightness outdoor display and updates to its EzSign TV. The monitor, Model 72WS70 (left), which LG has been touring for a few months, includes a 500:000:1 contrast ratio, 1,920 x 1,080 FHD, 700 nit brightness, a smart energy-saving feature that reduces power consumption by 30 percent, and an integrated media player.

Sharp

Lots of pretty things from Sharp, which will bring everything from 32-inch displays to 90-inch displays and video walls to InfoComm. Among the more anticipated releases is a 90-inch diagonal professional LED monitor -- the largest addition to Sharp's pro display portfolio -- and new products in Sharp's 4k2K displays line, in which Sharp says it offers Quad HD resolution up to 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. Those will be available starting in 2013, Sharp said, and will come in 32-inch, 60-inch and 70-inch screen size classes.

Samsung

Samsung is making a few different announcements in line with InfoComm, and one concerns a strategic alliance with AOpen, the commercial media player technology specialist. Samsung and AOPen will demonstrate their joint wares -- including Samsung 460UT-2 LCD displays (left) powered by AOPen's Digital Engine E67 media player using the Intel Core i7 processor. They also will talk up how they're promoting joint sales opportunities through distributors and channel partners.

ViewSonic

Some vibrant new stuff from ViewSonic at InfoComm: a series of large-screen, touch-enabled commercial displays. They include the 42-inch CDP4235T, 46-inch CDP4635T and 65-inch CDP4235T, which have a 1,920 x 1,080 HD resolution with up to 500 nits of brightness and 8-millisecond response times. The smaller CDP4235T and CDP4635T feature a four-point multitouch screen, while the larger CDP6530T features dual-touch capabilities. All new displays include an Intel Open Pluggable Specification slot for integrating media players.

NextWindow

NextWindow, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of interactive whiteboard titan Smart Technologies, is bringing several multitouch displays to InfoComm, marking the first time its 4-touch, 5-touch, and 10-touch optical technologies for PCs and large displays are being demonstrated at a U.S. event. The touch screens -- which range in display from 15 inches to 120 inches -- are targeted at OEMs, ODMs, systems integrators, VARs and interactive design customers.

Shuttle Computers

Shuttle's specialty is products for interactive kiosks and digital signage, and at InfoComm it will showcase both a new network-attached storage device and a digital wall system, the R5 7900, which Shuttle claims delivers media content across as many as eight monitors. It's intended for retail, restaurant and hospitality environments but also can work for small businesses and as a portable digital signage wall, Shuttle said in a press release.

BrightSign

Some of InfoComm's coolest announcements are around noteworthy A/V installations, and BrightSign is there to tout its Chuck Jones Experience, housed at Vegas' Circus Circus Resort. Having opened in January of this year, it's a celebration of Jones, the beloved cartoon artist and animator who created Pepe LePew, Wile E. Coyote and other legendary characters. Of course, BrightSign will have new products to share, too, among them the BrightSign AU320, a networked audio product that integrates message playback and background noises into displays in commercial settings such as retail stores.

Chief

Chief's specialty is mounts and racks, and at InfoComm it will show off a new line of ceiling mounts that cover everything from large single displays to 3 x 3 configurations. Chief is known for flexibility, and its multidisplay ceiling mounts include adjustment knobs for changing characteristics such as height and lateral shift.

Elo Touch Solutions

Elo Touch Solutions, which was recently acquired by West Coast investor powerhouse The Gores Group, will be at InfoComm with a number of ISV partners, including Jibestream Interactive Media, showing off its NovoTouch building director and NovoMap software integrated in a Cisco Telepresence system; YCD Multimedia, showing off a content management system over a video wall using Elo's 55-inch high-definition display; and TouchTunes Interactive Networks, using an Elo 26-inch touch screen to show off its pay-per-play interactive jukebox software.

Polycom

InfoComm is the first major industry show since Polycom completed its first major rebranding in decades, shifting its focus toward software-based video and infrastructure solutions. InfoComm attendees will see a healthy dose of products and services powered by RealPresence, the software platforms that underpins Polycom's major video and UC wares.

Exceptional 3D

Exceptional 3D will showcase what it says are the industry's first lenticular 3-D portrait series display products, which don't require 3-D glasses. The PS3D displays are intended for commercial-grade applications in settings such as amusement parks, movie theaters and stadiums and can carry legacy 2-D content and integrate with various content management software solutions. Exceptional sells 3-D displays primarily through VARs, systems integrators and network operators.

Matrox Graphics

New from Matrox Graphics is Matrox Maevex, an H.264-protocol-based encoder/decoder technology intended for use with everything from digital signage to surveillance products and collaborative video calls. Maevex, which Matrox will demonstrate in HD systems shown at InfoComm, can enable one-to-one unicast or multicast extensions of H.264 video over IP networks via wired or wireless connectivity, and provide it at full HD 1,080p 60Hz. It uses system-on-chip architecture for top-drawer processing and to connect Maevex based devices for easier management, Matrox said.

Haivision

Haivision will deliver its latest digital signage content management platform, CoolSign 5.0, which ties together digital signage with IP video and other forms of rich media. Notable is that Haivision integrates the secure IP video distribution technology contained in its Furnace product within CoolSign to guard against illegal distribution of broadcast content and the fact that CoolSign can also access Internet-based RTMP streams.

NEC Display Solutions

NEC is among the marquee players in gorgeous displays, and it will bring dozens of them to InfoComm, including the 24-inch Multisync P241W unit (left) it unveiled last fall. Priced at about $749, it boasts 8-millisecond response time, an ambient light sensor, and a USB hub with DisplaySync pro access.

Tightrope Media Systems

Tightrope has a bunch of new items planned for its Carousel digital signage system, including local weather options, text-based crawls from Weatherbug, and multilingual support for Middle Eastern and East Asian languages. Tightrope will demo Carousel with its Zeplay Instant Replay Server for stadium environments and show how to trigger instant replays of sporting moves via an iPad-based interface onto big displays.

Visix

Visix, a digital signage software provider, will be on hand at InfoComm but also posted to YouTube a super-helpful walkthrough of its major announcements -- from PoE-flavored product enhancements to a mobile module for tablets and phones leveraging HTML5 -- featuring its executives. Take a look.