SHOW REVIEW-ISE BARCELONA 2023
AV Innovations Galore at ISE Barcelona 2023
ISE Barcelona 2023, held from January 31 - February 3, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain, witnessed a
record-breaking footfall over the four-day show. Clocking in at 58,107 unique attendees from 155
countries around the world, the ISE Barcelona 2023 not only gave the global AV industry a
much-needed push in the right direction after the two-year long COVID-19 pandemic, it also
bolstered Barcelona's tourism industry, as the city's bars, restaurants, and other entertainment
venues registered record-breaking occupation. PALM + AV-ICN reports on the highlights of the
show.
ISE Barcelona 2023, held from January 31 - February 3, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain, was marked by the
pompous presence of King Felipe VI of Spain, accompanied by Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona, Núria
MarÃn, Mayor of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, and Laia Bonet, 3rd Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, the ISE
Barcelona 2023 sure had its finger on the right pulse this years.
Sharing his satisfaction over the success of ISE Barcelona 2023, Mike Blackman, Managing Director,
Integrated Systems Events, shared, "It's been an extraordinary week and it's hugely gratifying for
us to look back and realize we've delivered an exceptional show for our industry and the wonderful
city of Barcelona. We've had unprecedented visitor levels to the show, so much inspiring content and
features on display, and ground-breaking visits from the King of Spain on Tuesday and the President
of Catalonia on Thursday to add both a royal and a political seal of approval to the show. This week
at ISE 2023 confirms that we can safely say the global AV and systems integration industry is back
with an impressive bang!"
Several exhibitors were also full of praise for the ISE Barcelona 2023. Among them was Christine
Schyvinck, CEO, Shure, who said: "It's been a few incredible days at ISE! Lots of inspiring
conversations with partners and old friends. We were honoured to welcome His Majesty the King at our
booth, and we won the Inavation Award for Audio Technology! We had a very successful week, and we
look forward to continue all our conversations."
King Felipe VI of Spain graces the floor of ISE Barcelona 2023
Reputed Exhibitors Steal The Spotlight
K-Array, in their Live Demo booth, showcased their latest innovations, including the redesigned
iconic Lyzard micro-loudspeaker available in recessed-mounting models too, the updated sound
management software, and low-frequency range solutions introducing the shallow profile Rumble-KU315
subwoofer and the Thunder-KSC12P infra-subwoofer for cinema/home entertainment applications. For
KSCAPE they introduced the fully tunable version with a user-friendly lighting control system
Casambi for a truly immersive plug n play installation, perfect for video conferencing rooms and
offices.
On display were Sony's newly-launched SRG-A40 and SRG-A12 cameras with built-in AI. Ideal for
installation in auditoriums, distance learning occurrences, conference rooms, and small and large
meeting rooms, the AI technology enables the cameras to automatically track the speaker in the room
in order to facilitate seamless, uninterrupted virtual meetings and enhance productivity levels in
any organization.
To deliver state-of-the-art panoramic video conferencing layouts, on display was also Sharp/NEC's
0.9mm DvLED, in the aspect ratio of 21:9, solution-optimized for Microsoft Teams. Panasonic's 21:9
LCD Projectors were a crowd-puller as well - along with a host of other conference room solutions -
which aim at delivering exceptional pixel clarity during any virtual meeting with the help of
excellent resolutions.
The K-Array booth at ISE 2023 attracts an impressive footfall
On show was also the PanaCast 50 Video Bar System from Jabra, which is a native host to Microsoft
Teams and Zoom Rooms, courtesy embedded Android. An integrated video bar consisting of speakers,
video cameras, microphones, 10.1" high-resolution Touch Controller, and an Android UC Processing
Power in order to help the user control the meeting room experience with minimal cabling and zero
need for a dedicated PC. With 180-degree field-of-view panoramic 4K multi-camera array, eight voice
detection-enabled professional-grade microphones, and an array of four speakers with a stereo setup
of zero vibration, the PanaCast 50 Video Bar System promises and delivers true-to-life image
clarity, an acoustic ambience sans residual echoes and static noise and a comprehensive panoramic
view of the meeting room.
Logitech's soon-to-be-launched Sight, an AI-powered tabletop camera, also made its way to ISE
Barcelona 2023. Sight functions as a companion camera to Logitech's couple of mini systems, in order
to make larger, bigger meetings more equitable by extending the audio and video, giving them a
greater depth in larger spaces and delivering a clear, front-facing tabletop view of the meetings.
On demonstration was also Nureva's HDL410 Audio Conferencing System, which consists of two
microphone speaker bars and provide an extensive coverage of approximately 10.5 x 16.5 metres. Ideal
to be used in meeting rooms, classrooms, and large venues, the HDL410 is also easy to install and
manage.
LG Electronics showcased the application of its 30-inch transparent OLED display on a way-finding
kiosk, which goes a step further than a typical kiosk by not just meting out a map of the location
the user is trying to reach, but also physically turning to the direction displayed on the map to
help the user take the correct path to the preferred destination. The crowd-puller, however, was LG
Magnit, a premium Micro LED for businesses which comes with Full Black Coating technology, a
superbly high contrast ratio, wireless broadband transmission technology, and wide viewing angle and
accurate colours.
PPDS announced a range of full-colour and full-size 'zero power' Philips Tableaux ePaper Signage
Displays that is capable of delivering round-the-clock content without being plugged in or using an
ounce of electricity. Available in 25" 16:9 and 28" 32:9 variants at the time of the launch and able
to offer more than 60,000 colour options (which includes blue), the ePaper signage solutions by PPDS
are ideal for retail, corporate, transportation, and public spaces - think of sectors aiming at
digitalizing their operations - such as a store updating its opening hours, a restaurant trying to
go carbon-free with a digital menu, and more.
INOGENI displayed the CAM230, a multi-camera system that is aimed at enhancing meeting equity. The
CAM230 allows the presenter to change the camera angles just at the click of a button and deliver
increased audio and video clarity to the listeners or the participants. Also exhibited was the
IMOGENI Share2, the IMOGENI Share2U, and the IMOGENI CAM300.
Sennheiser launched the TeamConnect Ceiling Medium (TCC M), a new ceiling microphone ideal for
collaboration spaces such as meeting rooms or lecture halls. Featuring a coverage of up to 40
metres, an automatic dynamic beamforming technology and TruVoiceLift function, the TeamConnect
Ceiling Medium can be easily surface-mounted, flush-mounted, or suspended.
AtlasIED announced several products at the ISE, namely the Atmosphere AZMP4 (4-zone) and AZMP8
(8-zone) and the Atmosphere X-ZPS. The AZMP4 and AZMP8 both combine audio processing and
amplification in a single product to help users consolidate the devices in an audio rack and
streamline system integration. The Atmosphere X-ZPS is an advanced multi-zone paging station
accessory with a gooseneck microphone and a 4.3 inch touchscreen display for All Call, Group, and
Zone paging.
Also exhibited was Wyrestorm's newly-announced NetworkHD 500 Series of Encoders integrated with
Dante, which includes an in-wall solution with an additional HDMI or USB-C input, ideal for
educational applications. On display was also BrightSign's XC5, a digital signage player for 8K
applications, consisting of two variants - one with 2 outlets and one with 4 outlets - that allows
the user to seamlessly play a video on a video wall.
DTEN booth - The D7X Dual Screen with a top-mounted camera
Bose Professional displayed the VB1 Videobar, an all-in-one USB solution for mid-sized spaces that
consists of 6-12 people, and the VB-S Videobar, a BYOD solution featuring a 4K resolution, a Bose
speaker and a beam steering microphone from Bose in order to enable the listeners to hear audio with
superlative clarity.
DTEN demonstrated the D7X Dual Screen, which stands above the class of earlier dual screens with a
top-mounted camera. The D7X comes with a centrally-mounted camera for a more natural, better image
placement and clarity, and fore-facing speakers with built-in microphones.
Shure showcased the Stem Ecosystem Conference Room Audio System, which is intended to be used for
softwares such as Microsoft Teams. The Steam Ecosystem Conference Room Audio System includes the
Stem Wall, a videobar, the Steam Ceiling, a ceiling microphone, which can be wall-mounted,
surface-mounted or suspended, and the Stem Speaker, which can be used as a floor-standing speaker as
well as a wall-mounted speaker - all of this comes with a Stem control unit, which controls the
entire Stem Ecosystem.
Project managers Onur Cetinier, Yigit Erol, Cagdas Bulut, and Efdal Mutcu
Vestel showcased its Wide Color Gamut Line, available in varied sizes, from 43" to 65", with a color
gamut specification of 90%. Also exhibited was the IFX range - in 65", 75", and 86" sizes. Powered
by Vestel's System-On-Chip technology, 20-point IR Touch Technology, video freeze frame, built-in
Android apps for office and multimedia applications, the IFX range delivers a seamless performance.
Alongside, Vestel's PF+ Series, 16/7 usage UHD screens with 500 nits brightness was also put on
show.
Peerless AV unveiled next-gen dvLED mounting alongside multiple mounting solutions demonstrations of
Kitted, Kitted +, and SEAMLESS Bespoke in cart, floor-to-wall, and floor stand variants.
Harmut Kulessa, Mike Blackman, and Jan Markus Jahn are all smiles on Panasonics virtual stage
Jan Hanten, Software Development, AV Stumpfl, talks about PIXERA
d&b audiotechnik introduced HeadroomCalc , which can predict d&b system's reaction to a specific
audio channel to provide a more accurate sound pressure level and headroom calculation as compared
to any other solution available in the market. Also making all the right noise at ISE 2023's Demo
Room was the company's new offering, Soundscape, an immersive audio solution.
Panasonic Connect Europe, along with debuting two new Core mainframes and enhanced software in order
to expand its KAIROS live-production software, unveiled the brand's newest 4K 1-chip DLP Projectors
- PT-REQ12 Series (4K) and PT-REZ12 Series (WUXGA), 4K Touch Displays - the EQ2-PCAP Series, and 4K
UHD LCD Displays - the SQ2H Series. The 4K 1-chip DLP Projectors are designed to offer better
production possibilities and simplify workflow, while the SQ2H Series comes in seven different sizes
- 43" to 98" - to meet the increasing demand for premium professional displays that are unaffected
by bright lighting conditions in spaces such as lobbies, entrance halls, and more. The EQ-2 PCAP
Series addresses the growing need for instant, intuitive collaboration in meeting rooms, classrooms,
and hybrid work environments with six screen sizes - 43" to 86" inches, multi-touch and Capacitive
Touch Technology.
ClickShare CX-250 Gen2 Wireless Conferencing Systems, Barco
AV Stumpfl showcased its AnyShape Projection System and PIXERA multi-user workflow features - while
the former enables users to order custom-built projection screens with a vast variety of frame
shapes right from the factory, the latter allows media server operators to work on complex or
large-scale installations more flexibly and efficiently by letting the user choose between several
granularity levels in a multi-user scenario.
On show was also Barco's ClickShare CX-250 Gen2 Wireless Conferencing System, which features dual
screen support and allows perfect meeting equity by keeping content and people onscreen at all
times. Available in 21:9 screen ratio, the CX-250 also comes with the ability to switch between
meeting room systems and ClickShare BYOM approach, turning any room into a ClickShare room in a
wireless, flexible manner. The product is also carbon-neutral, making it one of the more sustainable
options.
Smart Conferences For A Smarter Future
ISE Barcelona 2023 also hosted a myriad of conferences over the four-day show. Day One of the show
witnessed the Smart Building Conference, and Content Production & Distribution Summit. The keynote
of the first conference was delivered by Palle Dinesen, CEO and Co-Founder, Ubiqisense, Elizabeth C.
Nelson, Co-Founder & Head of Research & Innovation, Smart Building Collective, Erik Ubels, Senior
Consultant, MetisReal, and Claire Penny, Director of Global Partnerships, Invicara. The Summit was
introduced by Amelia Kallman, Futurist and Ciaran Doran, Managing Director, Deep Blue Sapphire
Limited.
invidis Consultings Florian Rotberg, accompanied by Stefan Schieker
Day Two of the show saw various conferences and summit, namely: the Digital Signage Summit, Control
Rooms Summit, and Education Technology Summit. The keynote for the Digital Signage Summit -
co-produced by invidis Consulting and Integrated Systems Events - was delivered by Florian Rotberg,
Managing Director, invidis Consulting and Stefan Schieker, Partner, invidis Consulting. The Control
Rooms Summit was introduced to the attendees by Chris Dreyfus-Gibson, Vice Chairman, International
Critical Control Room Alliance. The Education Technology Summit was chaired over by Dr. Gill Ferrel,
the Content Chair, ISE's Education-Themed Conferences, and the speakers for the summit consisted of
Paul Bailey, Head of Codesign, Jisc, Jo-Ann Kamp, Lecturer, Researcher, and Coordinator, Fontys
University, and Ziwei (Jo) Huang, Edtech Product Manager, FeedBackFruits.
Day Three kickstarted with the Smart Workplace Summit, where Amelia Kallman returned to the podium
to welcome the attendees. The Live Events Summit followed, where Stew Hume, Editor, Total Production
International, addressed the audience with a detailed speech.
The four-day conference and summit programme also had English and Spanish-centric conferences and
summits running parallelly, namely Tech Talks English and Tech Talks Español, presided over by
several different speakers throughout the day.
The ISE Barcelona 2024 is set to return from 30 January to 02 February, 2024 at Fira Barcelona, Gran
Via Venue, Spain.