With only a few appointments under my belt today, I'm already getting a feeling for the big buzzwords that I'm going to hear throughout the show. Last year, the buzzwords (from what I gathered, at least) were interoperabilitly, scalability and modular designs. Customers wanted the ability to easily integrate new systems into their existing infrastructures in the sizes and configurations that worked for them. They also wanted to be able to buy parts of systems as opposed to entire systems as cost-savings measures.
This year, it's all about IP and 3G. This is where the industry is heading, and customers are expecting vendors to be on top of it.
For example, I spoke with Jack Dodson, VP of product management at Clear-Com, and he introduced me to their new Concert v2.0 hybrid TDM/IP intercom network. In a world with geographically disparate offices, country- or worldwide, and people continually on the go, it logically makes sense that professionals need not only communications hubs at main offices, but mobile hubs as well. Clear-Com's new solution combines a traditional time-division multiplexing intercom system with an IP-based system. What makes this system unique, Dodson said, was the the two networks were interoperable, i.e. people who needed to be in on an intercom system could log on from anywhere with an Internet connection. It's essentially a voice over IP system, but, using proprietary algorithms and technology, without the lag and reliability issues of a traditional VoIP system -- essentially an "intercom over IP" system. The Concert system has only one decode at the recieve end, drastically reducing the chance of degradation that comes with VoIP due to the multiple decodes/recodes necessary.
I next came to video monitor provider Marshall. In addition to a new OLED camera-top portable/field monitors, they're also displaying the DLW series of dual-link waveform monitors. All very interesting stuff, but the key here is that buzzword: 3G. The DLW series is 3G capable now, and future versions of the OLED will not only be bigger than the current 7.6in version, but will also be HDMI and 3G-SDI capable. And when I asked product marketing manager Mark Fisher about the future, 3G is very much where the industry, and Marshall, is going.
Will these buzzwords hold up through the rest of the show? Stayed tuned all we'll report back with what people are saying.
