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including speakers and cameras for video
conferencing. Another trend we see is
wireless image transmission. There are
already some good solutions on the
market and at NEC we will soon be
launching our own wireless presentation
tool called NEC MultiPresenter.
MultiPresenter software will be
embedded in some of our projectors,
but will also be available as a dongle,
which can be used on any device with an
HDMI input.With MultiPresenter, up to
50 devices can connect to, and up to 16
devices can be viewed on, a large format
screen or projector at the same time.”
Lucy Meredith,
Panasonic Visual
System Solutions:
“Full HD or 4K
platforms. These can deliver visually
striking displays, essential for digital
signage that has a marketing function.
High resolution content accompanied by
high resolution displays go a long way
towards capturing people’s attention, the
fundamental purpose of a system.
“The best systems also need to
be robust and versatile. For example,
Panasonic displays have features such
as 24/7 operation for extended periods
without screen burn. They can also be
positioned in either portrait or landscape
format and are impact resistant.”
Chris Parker,
Sharp Business Systems
:
“Interactive flat panel displays (IFPDs)
have grown significantly in recent
years. In fact, many older, projector-
based interactive whiteboard (IWB)
technologies are now being replaced
with IFPDs. The fact is that IWBs have
historically been projector-orientated
and do not offer the same performance
and reliability as a flat panel display. They
cannot compete.”
Natalie Harris-Briggs,
Steljes
:
“Consumerisation of IT is having a big
impact, with a move towards localised
decision-making in different departments
and regions. For a long time, the role
of the centralised IT department was
to find and introduce cutting-edge
technology and embed it in the business.
Now, there are numerous IT challenges,
from consumerisation, software-based
communications and BYOD to people
downloading their own apps and the
dispersal of technology throughout a
business. Today, the IT department has
less control over how technology is used
and implemented within an organisation
– everyone is part of the decision-
making process and this is affecting
purchasing decisions.
“Mobility is another trend. Personal
devices such as tablets and phones have
started to become more prominent in
conference rooms than laptops. The
prolific move towards BYOD means that
the majority of workers see their phone
as their primary work tool and device.
“The third key trend is video-
conferencing. Historically, this was
seen as very much a high-end solution
reserved for boards and senior
executives. The introduction of software,
such as Skype for Business and Facetime
on iPhones, has opened the doors to
widespread video-conferencing and it
is now far more commonplace to see
clients on laptops and other devices.
There is an increased demand for
video in meeting rooms, as it is more
accessible and easier to use, and there
are less elitist ideals for video quality.”
Business Info:
Is multi-touch
becoming more important for
collaboration?
Daniela Dexheimer,
NEC Display
Solutions Europe
:
“Collaboration
is definitely one of the big trends
in corporate meeting rooms. Our
experience shows that people not only
want to interact on the screen itself,
but also interact and collaborate with
each other. Using NEC’s DisplayNote
software you can present wirelessly from
your tablet and send the content from
your computer to any connected device
in the meeting room (BYOD). You can
collaborate live with all participants,
send messages and even conduct voting.
You are able to annotate over any kind
of media, software and content and
take and save individual notes. NEC
is currently offering a free multi-user
license of DisplayNote with every
interactive display sold.”
Lucy Meredith,
Panasonic Visual
System Solutions:
“Whilst multi-touch
is important for collaboration, we have
seen that connectivity for whiteboards
is crucial. Multi-touch allows for many
interesting applications. However, being
able to work without connecting to a
PC and having the ability to easily send
content direct from the display are
some of the most important features for
encouraging group collaboration.”
Chris Parker,
Sharp Business Systems
:
“Gesturing or simply zooming with
a finger pinch requires multi-touch
functionality and these capabilities are
vital if you are live editing a document.
Increasingly, users expect their display
screens to behave in the same way as
their smartphones and tablets. Today’s
workforce is made up of digital natives
who have grown up around touch-
screen technology, and they expect their
working environment to reflect this.
Poor touch response or difficult-to-use
equipment is a huge turn-off.”
Natalie Harris-Briggs,
Steljes
:
“Yes,
absolutely. There are two elements
to consider with multi-touch. One is
gesture, which is very important from a
user perspective, as it makes interacting
with content on a large screen far more
intuitive. The way we use tablets and
smartphones has set the expectation
for technology in business. Employees
expect it to work in an intuitive way,
whether that is pinching to zoom into
content or tapping and swiping to
another part of the screen. Also, we
are expecting the shift toWindows 10
to happen quicker than previous OS
changes, and this will be another driver
for multi-touch.”
Whiteboards
...continued
High
resolution
content
accompanied
by high
resolution
displays go
a long way
towards
capturing
people’s
attention
