After CES Vegas you thought we had enough of tech but at SYTN we never have enough of tech. Once again we found ourselves the only superyacht media at Europes biggest show for integrators.

I’m going to keep it simple, it’s all about the visuals as the big players face off over the darkest darks and the viewability from any angle and holograms might be old but they are also hot this year!

What creates the ultimate picture? Amazing contrast. Saturated color. Brilliant, sparkling whites and deep blacks. Our new canvas is a giant display that delivers it all – and so much more. It’s the ideal choice for life-size displays in architectural and automotive design. And it’s the ultimate display for superyachts.

At the heart of it is our innovative Crystal LED technology, which combines ultrafine LEDs and unique surface mounting to deliver a visual experience beyond any conventional LED array.

For giant displays, it’s a whole new world.

Crestron as always proved to be a dominant force bringing what can only be described as a small town to ISE. Impressive elements in both visual and sound and of course connectivity. We will be doing a full rundown of Crestron new launches and innovation but we felt it deserved its own dedicated article. Coming soon.

Pro AV is a bustling sector and by 2023, the industry is predicted to be worth U$230 billion dollars. This is up from U$180bn today.

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Pro AV in the SY sector is constantly evolving with demands from owners for bigger, better and more immersive but also a more personal experience. Perhaps a butterfly who follows you and interacts with each person based on facial recognition as you wander around your yacht. But what is art and what is tech. Are the mediums tech and content art? Perhaps the price tag is the clue.

All this tech needs to interact and have a robust foundation even in unique environments such as the middle of the ocean.

Video has become the essential media on SY whether that’s on digital walls, internal, remote meetings, command control, surveillance or in more exotic applications like holography.

Content is king

The sector is experiencing a significant amount of disruption, however, with changing consumer behaviours and expectations driven by the likes of Amazon, Netflix along with cheap and easy open source and simple to use cinema systems.

But in my opinion in the end, if you can afford it Kaleidescape and want a true cinematic experience in dynamic 4K noting compares for true film lovers.

Yes you can get online content yourself and no you can’t always get Netflix content but if you sat on MY Solo and watched Baby Driver at the release of the new Kaleidescape marine store all you wanted was to grab a blanket and keep watching, it was a truly soulful experience. You can get cheaper and easier but you can also get Mazda instead of Ferrari. I think the question is do you love content or do you love the cinematic experience?

LED makes cinema impact

LED screens are making an impact in theatrical exhibition where the technology could be an eventual replacement for traditional projection. Direct View LEDs are now installed in about 20 theatres worldwide…

But what about seating? 

 

Fusing physical with digital
The consumer market hasn’t embraced VR because the industry hasn’t nailed the storytelling, according to location-based entertainment VR expert Bob Cooney, speaking at ISE’s XR Summit.

Digital signage investment expected

“Amazon, Google will basically give their AI-hardware away because what is valuable to them is data about all of us.” Evan Grant, Seeper

Adding AI to holography is another AV tech trend. Immersive experience firm Tiger Heart is working with artist Sara Pope to make a holographic pair of lips fused with AI. “The idea is to create an emotive experience where the user engages with the lips,” said Tiger Heart founder Sanj Surati, who said he was pitching Scarlett Johansson to be the lips’ voice. “It’s just one example of the fantastic engagement that needs to be transposed to other parts of AV.”

There was a warning, though. “There will be less than a handful of AIs in the world,” Grant said. “Amazon, Google will basically give their AI-hardware away because what is valuable to them is data about all of us. Developers will have to use AIs from Amazon, Google and in doing so they become an even greater gatekeeper.”

Holoportation

As in other industries, 5G is anticipated to be a huge game-changer. The super-speed data network promises realtime collaboration and ‘holoportation’, a sort of Skype on steroids.

This could be enabled by devices like Microsoft Hololens, version two of which is due to be announced later this month. In one example, a person is filmed in 360-degree 3D video with data sent over 5G for viewing over a Hololens by an executive in another country for a virtual face to face meetins. This is possible now but only when heavily pixelated and with unworkable delay, but 5G will cut latency, increase quality and render the experience holographic.

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LED display on the Ledeca stand

Smart homes
AI and facial recognition will play an increasing role in the personalization of our homes. That was a key takeaway from an ISE conference about Smart buildings.

“Smart buildings shouldn’t just automate functions such as light or temperature control – they need to engage the inhabitants within,” argued Oliver Lltisberger, managing director of Swiss AV tech provider ABB’s smart buildings division.

Instead of sensors and interfaces, smart home developers should think about the performance of people in a space, suggested Michael Schnieder, creative technology chief at architectural consultancy Gensler.

“It’s not just lights, sound, temperature but people, storytelling, communities and social elements which are core to smart buildings,” he said.

Such a ‘human-centric’ approach might mean we’ll have robotic or holographic avatars as the interface to the smart home rather than the bodyless voice control of Alexa.

You will be able to see and experience more tech at the Superyacht Technology Conference 2020 Barcelona Coming Soon. Keep checking back or subscribe today.