The 2007 CEDIA Expo was held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on the 26-28th of July this year, and apart from being a massive multimedia trade show there were also some very interesting training programs being offered by the CEDIA training team.
I was lucky enough to attend courses focusing on digital media and transmission technologies with a focus on the evolving trend of integrating media distribution systems in to an IP based architecture.
First off on my agenda was the excellent EST142 'Introduction to Media Servers' which was presented by Vicky Dayal of Crestron. This seminar focused on media server systems, both big and small, residential to commercial and the various technologies for data input, retention and distribution using wired and wireless IP networks. It also delved into the various digital media formats available and the codec load imposed on systems implementing these technologies. DRM and copyright issues also featured heavily with updates on the relevant Australian regulations that are currently under review.
Two sessions delivered by the very talented Michael Heiss revolved around the introduction of the HDMI connector and what it means to video professionals the world over. Michael consults to various technical bodies and is an acclaimed author in this field. He showed his enthusiasm and knowledge in this area with detailed technical explanations of the HDMI interface, how it evolved from DVI connector technologies, and how with the insistence of various lobbyist groups now includes the HDCP (content protection) scheme. The general consensus in the industry is although the DVI connector (in all it's different incarnations) is a preferred option, if only at least from the point of view that it has a locking connector, HDMI is here to stay and is sure to be a marketing buzzword and also contribute somewhat to the 'head scratching' factor faced by many video professionals with the various standard implementations, and the fact that these 'standards' are more mere 'guidelines' in terms of what will actually be delivered in an end product. Though at least we get audio with our HDMI connectors!
The ESD262 seminar was geared towards integration and installation professionals and dealt with the often overlooked art of compiling client documentation. This is a very important area in the video conferencing industry as it is not only combining components with which some people may already have some familiarity with in their own (home) installations, however in an institutional setting may differ in function or scope. The instruction document is often overlooked as part of the design philosophy but is an important reference work that should stay with an installation and be updated as components or interfaces change. It can be as simple as a laminated A4 page or as complex as a bound reference document (although the former will probably get more use than the latter!).
Other presentations covered multi-channel audio/video installations and more on digital video transmission standards and formats which are the 'pointy end' of video conferencing installations and often overlooked when undertaking troubleshooting and diagnostics. A new technologies update wrapped up the sessions which looked at more emerging connector and codec standards (DisplayPort and VC-1 respectively), the 'format wars' between various vendors in the AV industry and networking improvements which are delivering a better end to end AV experience across the board.