InfoComm 2017 - Wainhouse Research Detailed Coverage

RESEARCH NOTE
Visual Collaboration / A/V Subscription

Ira M. Weinstein, Saar Litman, Peter Schwarck
InfoComm 2017 Three Days of Fun in the Sun

Another one in the bag the sun has set on InfoComm 2017 Orlando, and with it goes the non-stop,
multi-day event filled to the brim with guest speakers, training sessions, and of course, meetings and
hands-on demonstrations from some of the industrys biggest names.
This years attendance clocked an impressive 44,077 registered attendees, up 14% from InfoComm 2016
in Las Vegas the previous year, and 13% more than the last time it was held in Orlando in 2015.
For those in the A/V and UC space (our area of focus), the first buzzword surrounding this years event
was ideation. At this years event, we saw a slew of powerful white-boarding and annotation
solutions from both well-known and hardly-known vendors.
Trailing not far behind on the activity meter was the theme of wireless presentation. InfoComm 2017
was the home to dozens of wireless presentation solutions, some of which even included elements of
ideation (e.g. annotation, white boarding). Weve predicted that these two markets would collide, and
this years event proved we were right.
But above all else, we were floored by the volume of marketing and announcements focused on our
favorite type of enterprise meeting space the huddle room. Weve preached about the importance of
these small meeting rooms for years to the point that even Crestron has lovingly started referring to Ira
Weinstein as, the Father of the Huddle Room. Based on what we saw on the show floor and the
plethora of related conference sessions, it seems the Huddle Room Eagle has finally landed.
To be clear - this doesnt mean the industry has figured out everything necessary to properly equip
these spaces. It just means we finally know how important it is to figure this out
Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 1 of 23

Research Note InfoComm 2017
At the far-too-short event, we tried to meet with as many companies as possible, and this write-up
represents what we saw and deemed interesting (and are allowed to talk about). This is not to say that
other companies didnt have something interesting to say at the event ... it just means that we didn't
have a chance to drop by.
We were also pleased to participate in several InfoComm events including:
The IMCCA Emerging Trends Day once again, the folks at the IMCCA hosted a series of sessions
focused on whats new and happening in the AV world. As a part of this event, WR presented a session
focused on AV and Video Conferencing Monitoring and Managed Services. We also attended many of
the other presentations along the day. In addition, WRs Ira Weinstein was named an Emerging
Technology Fellow. As always, the IMCCA team (Ann Earon, Carol Zelkin, David Danto, and others) did a
great job coordinating and hosting this event, and we appreciate the opportunity to participate.
Center Stage this years show included an amphitheater located directly in the middle of the
tradeshow area. WR was pleased to host a presentation focused on AV Metrics for the Best Possible
Outcomes. During this session, WRs Ira Weinstein provided information and insight into the number of
types of rooms enterprises should deploy, and trends impacting the AV and conferencing space.
Important Note
As always, our goal is to accurately and fairly cover all aspects of this industry. Please let us know (via
email to iweinstein@wainhouse.com) if there are any inaccuracies in the copy below, and well make
any necessary updates as quickly as possible.

Companies Covered (in alphabetical order)

InfoComm 2017 Video Round-Ups ............................................................................................................... 4
Altia Systems ................................................................................................................................................ 5
AMX by Harman (a Samsung Company) ...................................................................................................... 5
Barco (ClickShare, Overture, and X20) ........................................................................................................ 6
BlackBox ....................................................................................................................................................... 8
BlueJeans Network (BJN) ............................................................................................................................. 9
Cisco ........................................................................................................................................................... 10
ClearOne ..................................................................................................................................................... 10
Crestron....................................................................................................................................................... 11
Huddle Room Technologies (HRT) ............................................................................................................. 12
Kaptivo ........................................................................................................................................................ 12
Kramer......................................................................................................................................................... 13
Lifesize ........................................................................................................................................................ 13
Logitech ....................................................................................................................................................... 14
Mersive ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
MultiTaction ................................................................................................................................................. 15
Nureva ......................................................................................................................................................... 15
Oblong ......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Polycom....................................................................................................................................................... 17
Prysm .......................................................................................................................................................... 18
QSC............................................................................................................................................................. 19
QuirkLogic ................................................................................................................................................... 19
Ricoh ........................................................................................................................................................... 20
StarLeaf ....................................................................................................................................................... 21
Videxio......................................................................................................................................................... 21
Vivitek .......................................................................................................................................................... 22
Yamaha / Revolabs ..................................................................................................................................... 22
Zoom ........................................................................................................................................................... 23

InfoComm 2017 Video Round-Ups

Feel like you missed some of the excitement at this year's event? Don't worry - our InfoComm 2017
Round-Up Video Interviews will bring you up to speed. Click the images below to see each video.
Video interview with Michael Vanderheeren, about

Barco's ClickShare-related announcements
Video interview with Jan Vanhoutte, about Barco's

Overture-related announcements
Video interview with Robb Woods about

BlueJeans Networks announcements
Video interview with Ted Colton about Crestrons

announcements
Video interview with Joe Dew about Kaptivos

announcements
Video interview with Chris Thorson about

Polycoms announcements
Video interview with Karl Hantho about Videxios

announcements and messaging.

Altia Systems
We stopped by the Altia Systems booth for a demo of the companys latest addition to the PanaCast
product line, the PanaCast 2s. Interesting side note PanaCast 2 cameras were featured in many booths
throughout the show including Zoom, NEC, ClearTouch, Heckler Design, T1V, and others.
Much like its predecessor, PanaCast 2s is a USB 2.0 and 3.0 compatible plug-and-play USB webcam that
features a 180-degree wide panoramic field of view. And both PanaCast 2 and 2s use the same basic
camera hardware.
But while PanaCast 2 offers on-board image processing, the PanaCast 2s

offloads the image processing to a Windows-based PC appliance (e.g. an
Intel NUC) running Altia Systems PanaCast PCVE (Computer Vision Engine)
software. This approach eliminates the need for software interpolation
within the camera, and allows PanaCast 2s to offer software-defined 7.3
megapixel video resolution (almost 2x the pixels of PanaCast 2).
PanaCast 2s will be available in Q3 2017, and the PCVE software license will be sold for a list price of US
$295 / year. Customers (or resellers) will need to source the PC separately.
In addition, Altia Systems demonstrated PanaCast Whiteboard, a software solution developed jointly
with Intel that allows a PanaCast 2 camera to detect content on an existing dry-erase board and provide
that content as a separate video stream for use during video conference sessions. This software
automatically improves image quality and corrects distortion / keystone issues.
AMX by Harman (a Samsung Company)

In the hustle and bustle at their booth, AMX by Harman showcased a broad range of A/V equipment
and systems - from speakers and cameras to mixers and management systems. While there was a lot to
see, our huddle-centric eyes were automatically drawn to the companys huddle room area.
The star of the huddle demo was

the Acendo Vibe 5100 a USB mic,
camera, and speaker unit in a
sound-bar form factor (see image
at right).
For outgoing audio, the Acendo Vibe offers a 2-mic element array for volume equalization, noise
reduction, and gating (note we did not have a chance to test this product on the show floor).

For video, the Acendo Vibe includes an AMX by Harman-designed 120-degree field of view camera
optimized for huddle rooms and small meeting room spaces.
The Acendo Vibe is available from AMX by Harman channel partners for an MSRP of US $1,595.
The Vibe can operate on its own as a USB mic / speaker / camera device, or optionally Vibe can be
connected to an Acendo Core device a small PC running Windows 10 (IOT Enterprise Version) and the
Acendo Core front-end software. Acendo Core adds numerous additional features including support for
dual 4K displays, dual Ethernet connections, Wi-Fi capability, six (6) USB ports, Bluetooth, and the
included Acendo Vibe remote.
The included and pre-loaded Ascendo Core software includes document viewers for Microsoft Office
files, images, and video content, a Microsoft Edge web browser, and a Skype for Business client.
The Acendo Core PC and software package is available for an MSRP of US $2,995.
Overall, we like the Acendo concept, but an obvious question is why AMX by Harman is now reselling
Windows PCs as a part of the Acendo package. The answer is that although the Acendo Core software is
the real value-add here, many A/V dealers prefer to sell complete hardware / software solutions
packaged as an appliance. In addition, the Acendo Core uses a special Windows build.
Barco (ClickShare, Overture, and X20)

As usual, the Barco booth was massive and extremely crowded. Barco pulled out all the stops at this
event, showcasing a wide range of projector systems and video walls. But for the WR team, there were
three areas we found particularly interesting:
1. Wireless Presentation System (WPS) ClickShare

First things first, Barco demod the latest addition to the ClickShare portfolio the CSE-800. Designed
for meeting rooms seating 15 people and up, the CSE-800 features Barcos signature USB buttons for
sharing content from PCs, as well as support for Android and iOS mobile devices.
The CSE-800 was first announced at this years Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) event (Feb 2017 in
Amsterdam), and began shipping last May with an MSRP of US $5,000.

At InfoComm 2017, Barco showcased a new software version that adds blackboarding and annotation
capabilities. Given ClickShares market leading position in wireless presentation and the strong interest
in collaboration at this event, it comes as no surprise that this new software rev turned many heads.
Side note - WR recently completed an in-depth evaluation of the CSE-800 (available for download here).
View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on Barco ClickShare
2. A/V Control Overture

Overture is an enterprise-wide, centralized, software-based, A/V control solution that can be deployed
either locally (on premises) or in the cloud, and can monitor and control A/V (and other networked
devices) in multiple customer locations.
Unlike many competing A/V control solutions, Overture

does not require complex programming. Instead,
administrators simply use the Overture web UI to define
the environment (countries, facilities, buildings, rooms,
etc.), and add devices to each space.
Overture is compatible with a wide range of IP-

connected devices. For non-IP-connected devices, IP
interfaces, like those available from Global Cache, are
required.
WR has been aware of the Overture product line for many years long before the company was
acquired by Barco in April 2016. And weve watched this offering evolve during the last few quarters. At
InfoComm 2017, Barco added several new features including behaviors (a.k.a. control macros) and the
ability to schedule events (e.g. turn off all systems at 9 PM).
Based on our limited hands-on experience, we believe Overture to be an exceptional concept. However,
the solution breaks some long-standing industry rules. For A/V dealers, meeting room control has
always meant the sale of an actual physical device for each the meeting room, as well as access to highly
profitable programming revenue. Overture, on the other hand, is a software-only offering that requires
little or no programming.
Overture is not the first software-only control solution on the market. But it is the first with the
financial, sales, and marketing backing of an anchor player like Barco. Long story short, its going to take
some time for the industry to wrap its mind around this concept.
Overture is scheduled for general release as of August 31, 2017, and will be available for purchase from
a network of channel partners.
View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on Barco Overture.

3. Content Distribution X20

X20 is a hardware-agnostic software platform that enables the connection, management, and delivery of
real-time information and data through dynamic and interactive channels. X20 can be installed as an
on-premises (CPE) solution or in the cloud.
X20 supports a wide range of data distribution applications such as company announcements, critical
alerts and targeted notifications, and viewing of dashboards and video content.
Prior to this years InfoComm event, X20 could deliver / present content on fixed displays, video walls,
desktop PCs, and other 3rd party devices. But at InfoComm 2017, X20 introduced the X20 Mobile app,
which means X20 can now push information to employee mobile devices as well. The X20 Mobile app is
available for Android and iOS devices.
The screenshot at right highlights

commonly used X20 content
sources and destinations.
A subtle but important X20

capability is the ability to target
specific content to specific users,
on an enterprise-wide basis,
while tracking delivery, receipt,
and viewership.
BlackBox
We learned quite a bit during our few-minute sit-down with the folks at BlackBox. In our minds,
BlackBox was an A/V company offering various pieces of kit that solve specific issues (hence the name
BlackBox). It turns out that BlackBox is a publicly-held firm (NASDAQ: BBOX) with 3,500 employees that
is a part solution provider, part reseller / integrator, part service provider, and more. At InfoComm, we
focused on a few of the companys A/V / collaboration solutions.
The first product of interest was the companys wireless presentation solution, the Coalesce Meeting
Place Edition. Coalesce is sold as an appliance and supports wireless content sharing from PCs
(Windows, Mac) and mobile devices (iOS and Android). The system also supports content sharing using
Airplay and from within Google Chrome (using a Chrome Extension), as well as integrated
whiteboarding.
Although we havent had a chance to test Coalesce (please send us a unit at some point), the demo was
quite impressive. The hardware-only product (stay tuned for the software version) is available for an
MSRP of US $1,200.

The second area of interest was the ControlBridge line of control

products that includes control processors, touch panels, key pads,
and various accessories. The system can be configured for simple
installs in which the touch panel itself acts as the IP-based control
interface (no additional processor required).
One ControlBridge product of particular interest was the

ControlBrdige Touch Panel (see screenshot right) that has an MSRP
of US $1,900. This is a full control system with PoE power and a very reasonable price tag.
BlueJeans Network (BJN)

The BlueJeans Network booth was extremely busy, with the company demoing a range of service
offerings and features including BlueJeans onVideo, Primetime, the BJN iOS app, Relay, Command
Center, and Huddle (recent WR evaluation report available here), just to name a few.
But at this years InfoComm, the buzz in the booth was around BJNs recent integration with a range of
companies and offerings such as:
- Skype, Slack, and HipChat BJN now offers the ability to launch a BlueJeans call with the people
youre already interacting with, without the need to leave that application.
- Dolby BJN has recently added Dolby Voice to its service core and now offers Dolby-powered
audio during all meetings (see image of Dolby Conference Phone below). As was the case at
Enterprise Connect earlier this year, the BlueJeans booth included the Dolby Voice sound booth
allowing visitors to hear the difference. In a word, Dolby Voice is impressive.
- Kaptivo BJN also demod its

integration with the Kaptivo
device, a cost-effective
whiteboard capture solution
that turns any standard dry-
erase board into a digital
content source (see the Kaptivo
section below).
The BlueJeans team also mentioned

that support for WebRTC calling from
within Safari (for macOS High Sierra) is now in beta.
On a business note, BJN reported 42% growth in US $100k+ contracts in the last year, and that half of
the Fortune 100 are BJN clients. Not too shabby!
View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on BlueJeans

Cisco
The centerpiece of Ciscos booth, at least from our vantage point, was the companys coveted Cisco
Spark Board, a white-boarding solution that includes video conferencing and wireless presentation
functionality. Cisco had multiple Spark Boards on display at its booth, each being demod all day long for
rather large audiences.
Spark Board was launched in January 2017

(WR attended the Cisco launch event see
our write-up here), and is now available for
purchase from Cisco channel partners.
Spark Board is available in two flavors a

55-inch version for an MSRP of US $4,990,
and a 70-inch version for MSRP US $9,990;
both systems require a subscription to the
Spark Service for US $199 / month.
The booth also included demos of the recently announced Cisco Spark Room Kit and Room Kit Plus
offerings. Both products are all-in-one devices including a camera, speakers, microphone, and codec.
- Spark Room Kit includes a single camera, is designed for rooms will less than 7 participants, and
is available for an MSRP of US $3,990.
- Spark Room Kit Plus includes a quad-camera module, is designed for spaces with up to 14
participants, and is available for an MSRP of US $7,990.
Note that both Room Kit products require a US $99 / month subscription to the Spark Service.
As a final note, Cisco stated that Companion Mode, which is the ability to use a Cisco Spark Board with a
Room Kit solution, will be available later this year.
ClearOne
Voice and visual communication solutions provider ClearOne was on scene showcasing their range of
video cameras, microphones, video systems, and more.
First we checked out the new Unite 150 a USB 3.0 PTZ
camera sporting a 12x optical zoom that is available for an
MSRP of US $1,199.
Unlike some of its brethren, the Unite 150 is a USB 3.0

camera only (no HDMI or SDI output), and as such is
designed for use with PC-based applications (e.g.
Microsoft Skype for Business, Cisco WebEx, Zoom, etc.).

ClearOne also gave us a look and the newly announced COLLABORATE Versa 150 a group add-on
solution (see screenshot right) that includes the Unite 150 USB camera, a Chat 150 mic / speaker unit,
and a Central Versa Hub (a USB 3.0 breakout box). This bundle is slated to ship in July 2017 for an MSRP
of US $1,999.
ClearOne also announced two soon-to-be-released DSPs, the CONVERGE Pro 2 48V and the CONVERGE
Pro 2 012, as well as several new expander solutions and amplifiers.
Crestron
Without question, one of the largest and most crowded booth of the show belonged to Crestron (see
image below). And a huge part of the Crestron booth was dedicated to the companys recently released
huddle room solution, Mercury.
Mercury is a BYOD add-on solution that includes

a touch display, an integrated SIP phone / stack,
integrated microphones and speaker, Bluetooth
support, AirMedia wireless presentation
capabilities, an HDMI input and output, an HDMI
switcher, USB connectivity, and an occupancy
sensor.
Mercury was announced at ISE 2017 (see WRs

write-up here) and started shipping in April 2017.
At InfoComm, Crestron announced several new Mercury features including:
- Native Zoom Integration Mercury becomes the user interface, mics, and speakers for a Zoom
Rooms deployment.
- Skype for Business Audio Support the ability to place and receive SfB audio calls using
Crestron Mercury.
- Enterprise Management the ability to provision and manage multiple Mercury devices from a
single UI. Admins can even choose which code stack to load on each Mercury unit (standard,
Zoom Rooms, Skype for Business, etc.).
Additionally, Crestron announced that it plans to include AirMedia wireless presentation support within
various Crestron solutions including its DMPS product line, Mercury, and perhaps other products. This
eliminates the need to purchase and install a separate Crestron AirMedia wireless presentation solution
(or one from competing vendors of course).
Finally, the company demod integration with Amazon Alexa on select Crestron devices and systems.
Hey Alexa, tell Crestron to start my meeting!
View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on Crestron.

Huddle Room Technologies (HRT)

We spent a bit of time chatting with the folks at the Huddle Room Technologies booth. At InfoComm,
the team demod Huddle Hub One (see screenshot below), a soon-to-be-released device that allows up
to six (6) local meeting participants to use the cameras and displays on their personal / BYO devices (e.g.
notebook PCs, mobile devices) to participate in a multi-party video call.
We are quite familiar with Huddle Hub One, but at

InfoComm we learned about a new feature recently
added to the Huddle Hub One. In response to customer
feedback, HRT has added support for local device to
device content sharing. This allows meeting
participants to share content on each participants
devices screen while not in a call.
While we have yet to test this new function (or Huddle

Hub One itself), we like both the overall HRT concept and the newly added local sharing capability.
Huddle Hub One is expected to start shipping towards the end of July for an MSRP of US $1,499.
Kaptivo
Industry up-and-comer Kaptivo turned quite a few heads at this years InfoComm. The company had
two booths this year - the first in the Innovation Showcase area where start-ups and new-to-market
companies make their debut in the industry, and the second was in the UCC section of the show floor.
In addition, Kaptivo was highlighted on the BlueJeans booth.
So why all the hubbub? Quite simply, Kaptivo takes the

old and makes it new again. This cost-effective (MSRP
of US $399) product captures and digitizes content
created using standard dry-erase markers on a
standard dry-erase board (or any flat white surface for
that matter), and makes that content viewable within a
standard web browser.
The team at WR is a big fan of the Kaptivo solution. We

use it within our environment, and we completed a
formal evaluation of the solution just a few weeks ago (download here).
Kaptivo is a tiny company that made quite a bit of noise at this years event. Keep up the good work!
View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on Kaptivo.

Kramer
The Kramer Electronics booth was massive in both size and scope. The walls around the booth listed
many different products by category; a true testament to the breadth and depth of this companys
offerings.
Kramer made several big announcements at the

show. The first was the KM-DSP100 (see image on
right), the companys first Dante digital sound
processor (DSP). On a form factor note, the KM-
DSP100 is only 1 RU in size.
Kramer is also a long-standing player in the wireless

presentation and collaboration arena. At InfoComm,
Kramer showcased the five (5) different versions of
its VIA product line VIA Collage, VIA Connect Pro,
VIA Campus, VIA Go, and VIAware.
During our sit-down meeting with the Kramer team, we spent a few minutes discussing Kramers
Maestro concept involving the embedding of control code within specific Kramer devices. This
eliminates the need for a separate control system / device. For example, the DIP31M is a switcher that
supports Maestro code.
Lifesize
We dropped by the Lifesize booth to learn about and see a mixture of hardware endpoints, conference
phones, software, and service capabilities.
As a reminder, Lifesize used to be a hardware video conferencing solution provider. However, in recent
years the company has transitioned into a video conferencing service provider selling what the company
calls, connected device solutions.
One of the biggest announcements was the launch of a

phased beta program for the new web (Chrome) version
of the Lifesize app.
In addition, new Windows and Mac versions of the

Lifesize app will be added to the beta program in the
next few weeks.
Lifesize also shared a few interesting data nuggets:

- 165+ new paying customer accounts are being added globally per month
- An annualized run rate of 315 million paid call minutes globally
- A growth of approximately 250% in the number of paid call minutes year-over-year.

Logitech
Logitechs booth was all about products for small meeting rooms and huddle spaces.
First on deck was Logitech SmartDock - a table-top docking station and

A/V interface designed specifically for use with the Skype Room System
solution from Microsoft. Essentially, SmartDock turns a Microsoft
Surface Pro 4 tablet into a ruggedized meeting room solution.
See the results of WRs hands-on evaluation of SmartDock here.
The next product proudly on display was

Logitech BRIO a 4K (ultra HD) webcam offering 5x digital zoom, up to 90-degree
horizontal field of view, and Logitechs RightLight 3 capability with HDR (high
dynamic range) for automatic exposure and contrast adjustment. BRIO was
announced in February of this year, and the results of our hands-on testing can
be downloaded here.
And finally, the company showcased its latest

offering - Logitech MeetUp (available in July
2017).
MeetUp (see screenshot right) is a USB peripheral

device that includes a 120-degree field of view
camera with Ultra HD 4K video, three
microphones, an integrated speaker, and an RF
remote that looks a bit like a drink coaster.
We havent published any hands-on test results

on MeetUp yet, but stay tuned great things come to those who wait .
Mersive
The Mersive booth was chock full of displays

showing various wireless content being shared via
the companys flagship software product
Solstice 3.0.

During this event, the Mersive team demod a few recently released Solstice features including:
- Solstice Multi-Room allows multiple Solstice Pods or software instances to be connected

together to support a multi-location or multi-display content sharing session.
- Solstice Chat adds text-chat during content sharing sessions to the Solstice platform. One
obvious use case is being able to share conference call dial-in details between connected rooms
(Solstice is a content sharing platform not a video / audio conferencing solution).
MultiTaction
This is one of those the booth was so bright, we
had to wear shades events.
At InfoComm 2017, data visualization and ideation

player MultiTaction (MT) demod both its display and
collaboration software solutions.
As a reminder, the secret sauce behind MTs touch

offering is the use of an array of cameras behind the
touch surface that allow the system to see whats
happening in front of the display. Use cases for this
technology include recognizing unlimited fingers / simultaneous touches, reading QR or bar codes and
recognizing various objects (think museum displays, retail, and other commercial applications). Note
that MTs display hardware is also used by other players in the ideation space.
MultiTaction also offers several software solutions including MT Showcase and MT Canvas.
We have played with MTs offerings at various events. While we have yet to formally evaluate this
offering, we have been quite impressed by the trade show demos.
Nureva
At InfoComm 2017, Nureva demod its two anchor offerings; the HDL300 and Span.
The HDL300 is an audio-only group add-on solution for use with USB-capable devices like laptops and
meeting room PCs in small to medium spaces (see WRs recently released evaluation report here).

But the real star of the Nureva booth was Nureva Span (see screenshot below).
Essentially, Nureva Span is a digital working wall powered by a combination of Nureva projectors,
touch sensors, and software. Span can also be used with standard touch displays.
While we have yet to conduct a formal evaluation, the WR test team has played with Span in our labs
and at various events.
Based on our limited hands-on experience, we like

the experience Span provides.
At InfoComm 2017, Nureva debuted a few new Span

features including:
- QuickShare the ability to send pictures or

sticky notes from guest devices to the Span
wall.
- Screen Sharing the ability to place various
types of content (e.g. websites, videos, documents) into a queue (on-deck side panel) and
present this content during a Span session. Notably, the screen sharing feature leverages the
Nureva cloud, which means participants dont have to be in the same room or even on the same
network.
Oblong
Multi-display ideation player Oblong spent the last few quarters updating and repackaging its
Mezzanine offerings to make them easier to buy, install, and use. At InfoComm 2017, we finally saw the
first results of those efforts.
As a reminder, Oblong offers multi-display ideation and collaboration systems that leverage an
innovative wand for control (content opening, positioning, etc.). The Oblong product portfolio includes
systems with 2, 3, 4, 6, and more displays. While we appreciate the power of the upper end of the
portfolio, the recently announced two-screen 200 series is the product that caught our eye.
Mezzanine 200 is designed to make it quick and easy to add ideation-capabilities to existing rooms with
two displays (e.g. millions of group video conferencing rooms in the world today).
The 200 package (see screenshot below) includes a newly downsized Mezzanine appliance, a handful of
user-installable sensors, a control wand, and all necessary software. The 200 ships in an Amazon-
friendly type package and is available for an MSRP of US $35,000.

Figure 1: Mezzanine 200 package with Dave Kung (left) and Ken Orbach (right)
According to Oblong, thanks to the companys newly designed sensor system and installation wizard,
the entire Mezzanine 200 system can be installed in less than an hour (not tested by WR).
The team at WR has significant experience with the Oblong platform, and were pleased to say that the
200 looks, feels, and acts just like its larger (3 display, 4 display, etc.) big brothers.
Packaging and new pricing aside, we were very pleased to see the addition of touch capabilities and
whiteboarding capabilities (currently in beta) to the 200 series product. Historically, Oblong was
vehemently against touch control, believing instead that gesture-based control (e.g. using a wand) was
more natural and effective. But good companies listen to their customers and prospects. The new
software version is scheduled for release toward the end of Q3 2017.
Oblong also announced (but did not demo) integration with various Microsoft apps including calendar
integration with Exchange and video integration with Skype for Business.
Polycom
No InfoComm would be complete without a visit to the Polycom booth, and this year was no exception.
At this years event, Polycom had many different products on display, but the pice de rsistance was
absolutely the companys latest offering Pano (see screenshot below).
Introduced less than a week before the event (on June 6th, to be exact), Polycom Pano is a 4K capable,
hardware-based wireless presentation system that also supports wired presentation, blackboarding, and
annotation over shared content. The device also offers powerful layout control functionality especially
when used with a touch display.
At times during the show, the audience was four- and even five-people deep at the Pano demo area.
The team at WR has recently completed a hands-on assessment of Pano (download our evaluation
results report here).
Pano is available for purchase from Polycom channel partners for an MSRP of US $1,999.

Polycom also conducted ongoing demos of Polycom

Trio a multi-function conferencing device intended
for use in small, medium, and large meeting rooms.
The Trio Collaboration Kit (available from Polycom
channel partners for an MSRP of US $2,259), supports
the three most commonly requested huddle room
functions audio conferencing, wireless content
sharing, and video conferencing.
The WR test team completed a full evaluation of Trio

just before InfoComm (view our evaluation results
report here).
View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on Polycom.
Prysm
The Prysm booth was awash with the glow of massive
touch displays all running versions of Prysms Visual
Workplace collaboration solution. But the talk of the
town at the Prysm booth was the recently released Quick
Start solution.
Quick Start is an operating mode within the Visual

Workplace solution that allows users to launch on-the-fly
whiteboarding, content sharing, and annotation sessions.
Accessing Quick Start requires only a single press on the

Prysm display, and users do not have to log-in to start ideating.
Prysm also demod co-browsing - a soon-to-be-released feature that allows users to open a browser
instance and share that instance with remote users. With co-browsing, the browser instance is
actually created as a virtual browser instance within the Prysm cloud and streamed to all participating
users. The result is a browser instance that participating users can manipulate and control.
WR is no stranger to the Prysm Visual Workplace solution. In fact, it is one of the ideation systems we
use often within our lab and production environment.
Shortly before InfoComm, the WR test team released a complete evaluation of these new Prysm Visual
Workplace Solution features (download the evaluation results report here).
In addition, at the show, Prysm demod its new mobile user interface providing additional search and
browsing capabilities when navigating Prysm projects and workspace content. There was also an
unofficial preview of the soon to be released Prysm API.

QSC
QSC is best known for offering professional audio systems for large venues (e.g. train stations, airports,
stadiums, and convention centers including the Orlando Convention Center). The company is now
pushing its way down-market and into the enterprise audio space.
QSC offers a range of hardware and software-based DSPs, control systems, and video switching
solutions intended for the corporate market. Notably, QSCs products follow a modular approach in
which numerous QSC devices can be used together within a single extensible system and be controlled
by a single brain.
At its booth, QSC demod its Q-SYS line of

Enterprise Core Processors that can now
run on standard Dell server hardware (see
image on right). The scalability of this
combination is quite impressive. At the
event, QSC showed the Core 5200 which
leverages a Dell server and supports up to 512 x 512 network audio channels, plus 256 AEC processing
channels, 64 VoIP channels, and a 16 track audio player. More than enough for a typical huddle room .
The company also announced the ability for Q-Sys to directly control Atlona switchers. In addition, QSC
has joined the Logitech Collaboration Program (LCP).
QuirkLogic
This was the first InfoComm show for newcomer QuirkLogic. The companys debut product Quilla, is a
42-inch, wall-mounted digital writing device. The company called Quilla the, Worlds largest connected
e-writer. But to us Quilla felt kind of like a Kindle reader on steroids.
Quilla is the result of QuirkLogics partnership with E

Ink, and leverages E Inks electronic ink technology. As
a result, Quilla is always on and usable, consumes very
little power (actually no power at all when not being
written on), and sports a no-shine / no-reflection
surface that works very well in direct sunlight.
Quilla comes equipped with an electronic (magnetic)

pen, and supports touch-control with one or two
fingers. The Quilla software supports unlimited pages and a range of gesture controls including the
ability to select (lasso) and drag various items around the screen. Quilla also supports direct
connections between Quilla devices.
Quilla is relatively light-weight (at ~ 22 pounds wed call Quilla luggable vs. portable) and can run on
battery power for up to 16 hours. Pricing on Quilla is not yet available, but we know that QuirkLogic
hopes to release Quilla in July 2017.

Ricoh
Ricoh has been around for decades (founded in 1936 to be exact), and is best known to the InfoComm
crowd as a supplier of projectors, displays, and assorted office equipment (printers, photocopiers,
document management solutions, etc.). But at this years event, the company made it abundantly clear
it has a place in the enterprise ideation room.
The Ricoh booth was packed with displays of various sizes

including the companys line of interactive (touch) displays.
The D5510, for example, is a 55 1080p touch display with an
embedded (and removable) controller running Ricohs
collaboration software (offers digital whiteboarding, content
viewing and annotation). In addition, Ricohs software
supports remote sharing / connections with up to 20
interactive whiteboards and / or browser viewers per board.
Ricoh also offers 65, 75, and 84 interactive whiteboards

each with embedded PCs running Ricohs software, and some
with 4K resolution.
As it stands today, the whiteboards ship with, and are optimized around, Ricohs collaboration software.
However, in the near future, the company will shift over to an open architecture based on Windows 10
that allows users to install and use third-party software applications (e.g. collaboration software,
wireless presentation software, etc.). So Ricoh will provide the display, and the customer (or reseller or
partner) will choose and provide the applications.
In the back of its booth, Ricoh also demod its integration with IBM Watson technology which yields the
following features:
- Voice Control Via Watson, users can control the system using simple voice commands with
Watsons Natural Language API. Hey Rita start my meeting.
- Transcription Watson can take meeting notes, provide transcripts, and even log attendance
and key agenda items
- Translation Watson can translate the meeting into nine (9) different languages and display the
words on screen and write them in a transcript
Unlike most other providers, RICOH wants to be in the touch display business. While the company
currently provide some software, future RICOH systems will be more optimized for use with third party
apps and systems.

StarLeaf
Cloud video conferencing provider StarLeaf had a few big announcements
at the event.
Just before InfoComm, the company announced the new StarLeaf app,
which provides encrypted voice calling, video calling, and text messaging.
According to company executives who shall remain nameless (we always
protect the innocent), the new StarLeaf app was designed to feel like an
enterprise-ready version of WhatsApp. The new StarLeaf app is scheduled
for general release in September 2017 for Mac, Windows, Android and iOS
devices.
The second announcement was StarLeafs partnership with video

conferencing vendor, and UC / telephony / network device / mobile device
behemoth, Huawei. Via this partnership, Huawei and StarLeaf worked
together to streamline the registration and use of Huawei TE-series
endpoints with the StarLeaf UC OpenCloud service. While we have yet to test these new capabilities, as
users of both Huawei endpoints and the StarLeaf service, all is we can say is thanks!
Videxio
We dropped by the Videxio partner breakfast early Thursday morning. This well-catered event (thanks
for the food) included numerous Videxio folks and representatives from ~ 25 Videxio partners.
During the event, Videxio showed a few interesting stats to the audience. For example, in the last year,
Videxio has seen almost 100% year-over-year growth in minutes on its service. In addition, the company
revealed that it has been cash-flow positive since 2015.
We also spent some time at the Videxio booth. Notable announcements at the show include support for
single sign-on (SSO), expanded VMR capacity (now up to 50 participants), and support for live recording
and streaming. In fact, throughout the
show, the company streamed its booth
live over Facebook Live, Periscope,
YouTube (see image below), Kaltura,
QuickChannel, and Qumu.
In addition, Videxio has expanded its

global footprint with new PoPs in Tokyo
and South Africa. These sites are
currently in verification mode and are
expected to go online by the end of
summer 2017.
View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on Videxio.

Vivitek
Delta brand Vivitek is a manufacturer of display, projection, digital signage, and presentation products.
But what you probably didnt know is that Vivitek sells projectors under its own brand name, and is also
the OEM manufacturer behind many well-known projector brands (sorry but we cant list any names).
In addition to an extensive lineup of projection

products, Vivitek also offers a wireless presentation
product called NovoPro. NovoPro is a 4K-capable
Android-based appliance solution available for an
MSRP of US $799.
NovoPro allows up to four (4) users on Windows or

Mac PCs, and Android or iOS mobile devices to use
the NovoPro software to share content wirelessly.
Vivitek also sells optional USB buttons that plug into

a users Windows or Mac notebook PC and enable easy, one-click content sharing. Note that unlike the
Barco ClickShare buttons, the Vivitek buttons do not currently support Wi-Fi.
Yamaha / Revolabs
At the Yamaha / Revolabs booth, the company demod its recently announced Yama CS-700 device an
all-in-one USB device offering a 1080p video camera with manual tilt (up and down) camera, an
integrated speaker with four elements, and a four-mic beamforming array.
Weve known about the CS-700 for quite some time, and we saw a non-working prototype at the
Revolabs booth at this years Enterprise Connect show in March. However, this was the first time we
saw the CS-700 in action.
And while the tradeshow floor was hardly an ideal test

environment, the video quality was on-par or better than
competing all-in-one offerings.
The company also demod how its mic array can track the
active speaker and move the active mic lobe accordingly
in real time. Despite the loud background noise in the
convention center (67 dB SPL according to the CS-700),
the system did a fine job of locating the active speaker
(see the green beam in the image at right).
While pricing is not yet available, the CS-700 is expected to start shipping in the next few months.
As an aside, WR recently interviewed (click to view) Yamaha executive Hogan Osawa, the head of the
companys audio-visual and UC-divisions, about various topics including the companys involvement in
UC and the future of the Revolabs brand.

Zoom
Last but not least, the talk of the show was definitely cloud video conferencing service provider Zoom.
Almost everyone we spoke to had questions about Zoom. How are they doing? What are they doing?
How can we partner with (or compete against) Zoom? Etc.
At the show, Zoom made a number of announcements including:
- Integration with Crestron Mercury as described in the Crestron coverage above, the Zoom
Rooms user interface is now available on the Crestron Mercury device. This allows users to walk
into a meeting room and join a Zoom meeting with a single press on the Mercury touch display.
- Integration with Cisco Endpoints Cisco video endpoint users can now join scheduled Zoom
video meetings quickly and easily (e.g. with a single tap on the Cisco Touch-10 controller). This
feature is supported on Cisco C series, SX series, DX series (running CE software), and MX series.
No additional hardware is required.
- Integration with Polycom Endpoints announced in late May 2017, Polycom RealPresence
Debut and Group-Series endpoint users can join scheduled Zoom video meetings easily (e.g.
with a single tap on the Polycom RealPresence Touch controller).
- Expanded VMR Capacity - Zoom also announced support for up to 100 video participants in
each meeting (up from 50). This new capacity limit applies to Zooms Basic, Pro, Business, Zoom
Rooms, and Zoom Video Webinar plans, and is available today at no added cost.

InfoComm 2017 - Wainhouse Research Detailed Coverage

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InfoComm 2017 - Wainhouse Research Detailed Coverage

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RESEARCH NOTE

Visual Collaboration / A/V Subscription

InfoComm 2017 Three Days of Fun in the Sun

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 1 of 23

We were also pleased to participate in several InfoComm events including:

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 2 of 23

Companies Covered (in alphabetical order)

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 3 of 23

InfoComm 2017 Video Round-Ups

Video interview with Michael Vanderheeren, about

Video interview with Jan Vanhoutte, about Barco's

Video interview with Robb Woods about

Video interview with Ted Colton about Crestrons

Video interview with Joe Dew about Kaptivos

Video interview with Chris Thorson about

Video interview with Karl Hantho about Videxios

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 4 of 23

But while PanaCast 2 offers on-board image processing, the PanaCast 2s

AMX by Harman (a Samsung Company)

The star of the huddle demo was

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 5 of 23

Barco (ClickShare, Overture, and X20)

1. Wireless Presentation System (WPS) ClickShare

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 6 of 23

View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on Barco ClickShare

2. A/V Control Overture

Unlike many competing A/V control solutions, Overture

Overture is compatible with a wide range of IP-

View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on Barco Overture.

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 7 of 23

3. Content Distribution X20

The screenshot at right highlights

A subtle but important X20

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 8 of 23

The second area of interest was the ControlBridge line of control

One ControlBridge product of particular interest was the

BlueJeans Network (BJN)

- Kaptivo BJN also demod its

The BlueJeans team also mentioned

View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on BlueJeans

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 9 of 23

Spark Board was launched in January 2017

Spark Board is available in two flavors a

Unlike some of its brethren, the Unite 150 is a USB 3.0

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 10 of 23

Mercury is a BYOD add-on solution that includes

Mercury was announced at ISE 2017 (see WRs

At InfoComm, Crestron announced several new Mercury features including:

View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on Crestron.

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 11 of 23

Huddle Room Technologies (HRT)

We are quite familiar with Huddle Hub One, but at

While we have yet to test this new function (or Huddle

So why all the hubbub? Quite simply, Kaptivo takes the

The team at WR is a big fan of the Kaptivo solution. We

View our InfoComm 2017 Round-Up Video on Kaptivo.

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 12 of 23

Kramer made several big announcements at the

Kramer is also a long-standing player in the wireless

One of the biggest announcements was the launch of a

In addition, new Windows and Mac versions of the

Lifesize also shared a few interesting data nuggets:

Wainhouse Research 2017 Page 13 of 23

First on deck was Logitech SmartDock - a table-top docking station and