Commercial Integrator February 2023 - 23

Broadcast is perfect for ultra HD because, in the broadcast world, the imperative is not to disrupt, change or modify the signal. Four
full-HD signals can be displayed natively, in multi-view format, on a 4K display; meanwhile, up to 16 full-HD signals can be shown
natively on an 8K display.
- we need to listen to them [and] figure out
what they really want to do. " That involves
asking all those qualifying questions and
discerning the right solution, even if it
differs from the original ask. Creel characterizes
these efforts as lying at the very heart
of a consultant's role, which he describes as
" Trying to extract out of the client what they
actually need. " By asking detailed questions
about the content that will be shown, how
many viewers there will be, the average
viewing distance, etc., technology partners
empower themselves to provide solutions
that best suits their clients.
Takeaways for Manufacturers
What can the manufacturer community
take away from this? Our experts are happy
to weigh in.
Taub underscores a point we've made
previously, saying, " Marketing terms
like 4K make it easier for laypeople to
understand, or at least form a comparison
between, products and competitive
offerings. " That invites the question of
whether marketing based on resolution
is still effective. For his part, Iowa State's
Pedersen answers that question in the
negative. " It is honestly going to be a
challenge for manufacturers in the future,
as we have reached the practical limits of
visual perception, particularly with resolucommercialintegrator.com
tion, "
he argues. " They can't simply build
new sales on increased resolution specs. "
Pedersen also points to the exponentially
greater storage space and bandwidth
required for ultra-HD formats - from 4K to
8K to 16K - and says, " With significantly
declining returns on the visual perception
of the increased resolution, the cost-benefit
ratios simply don't make sense. "
What, then, should manufacturers be
focusing on? Iowa State's Pedersen is
quick with an answer: ecosystems - in
particular, AV-over-IP. " Developing displays
with direct AV-over-IP inputs would be a
tremendous benefit, " he propounds, while
adding, " Of course, this ideally depends on
our industry finally deciding to develop one
universally accepted AV-over-IP standard. "
Pedersen also urges a continued focus on
mechanical specs, such as efforts to make
displays thinner and lighter. DeWitt adds
two other items to the list for manufacturers
to consider: options for mounting accessories
(webcam/speaker bar) directly to the
display and better control (LAN/RS-232).
" [These] are all things that would be a larger
benefit than an imperceptible increase in
pixel count, " DeWitt concludes.
For his part, Mechdyne's Peterson offers
a paean to transparency in spec sheets,
urging vendors to be forthright about what
their products can really do. " Be honest
with what your display is actually doing, "
he exhorts. " If you're a projector that has
an actual native resolution of 1920x1080,
and you're using pixel shift to do your 4K
enhancement, make sure that's on your
spec page, please. " After all, integrators
are on the front lines, selecting products
to meet a use case's specific requirements
and trying to deliver incredible experiences.
That requires not only abundant
information but also accurate information.
" Just be upfront with it, " Peterson urges.
Pomp and Circumstance
However much pomp and circumstance
might surround 4K and 8K, they are, in the
end, just specs - and resolution is merely
one spec among several (e.g., color
gamut, refresh rate, brightness, contrast
ratio, weight, power consumption) that
materially affect the success of any use
case. Rather than allowing themselves to
develop tunnel vision and focus on resolution
alone, our experts recognize the
user experience is the sole determinant of
whether a technology application can be
deemed successful.
" What people hire us for is the outcome, "
Creel concludes. " When everything's
done, it's [about] the experience
that they have. That's what they care
about, and that's what we deliver on. " CI
FEBRUARY 2023 Commercial Integrator 23
PHOTO COURTESY OF HEWSHOTT.

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Commercial Integrator February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator February 2023