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Amsterdam—It’s lucky seven for ISE 2010 in Amsterdam as the 7th annual event pulls  ahead once again in exhibitors, net floor space and registered visitors.

Despite the cold in Amsterdam that greeted visitors to light snow, ISE is still red hot. With 640 exhibitors (up from 564 in 2009) taking up 22,167 sq. meters (up from 20,040), the show organizers say this event for European AV integrators is moving from “important” to “essential” on exhibitor’s calendar. Even Pro Audio is starting to take a bigger interest.

Mike Blackman, MD for Integrated Systems Events, announced at the opening of the show that pre-registration reached 24,800 (up from 19, 500 last year at same time). His guess is that ISE 2010 will break all records with a total of 28,000 visitors.

The mood, despite the difficult market conditions that remain, is more than optimistic. While everyone would rather forget 2009, some are reporting that 2010 is starting off stronger.

In its first press conference ever at ISE, InfoComm revealed its first worldwide global study—and it shows AV products and services will be a 64.7 billion euro market by 2012. Despite 2009, the CAGR will be 10%.  

The Americas dominate the market with 45%, APAC 25% and Europe currently only represents 23% of the worldwide AV market.  That also smacks of sales growth ahead as Europe in recent years has surpassed Americas in global market share in both computers and consumer electronics.

InfoComm names the drivers of growth for the next 3 years: Digital signage, videoconferencing, digital high end audio, and AV Control systems (the last, especially because of energy concerns).

Whereas the January CES (a consumer show) screamed about 3D, February’s ISE showed professionals a far-more rounded look at the near future of displays: bigger, brighter, thinner, and more  innovations.

--The press launch of Christie MicroTiles in Europe. Those novel digital display tiles with a shallow depth (260mmm or 10.2 inches) that require just 50mm (2 inches) of clearance for rear ventilation forever change the video wall business. Besides the freedom to configure different shapes & sizes, any time you re-assemble the configuration, they “recognize” each other and adjust the image accordingly.

--The European launch of Prysm. Steve Scorse has just been named as Prysm’s VP/GM EMEA to launch LPD for large format display in Europe. In a private demo area, Laser Phosphor Display was on display so you could judge the 180 degree visibility and read the power meter alongside the display, showing much reduced power requirements.

--First LCD with 152cm diagonal, from Sharp. Coinciding perfectly with ISE 2010, and straight from their 19^th generation factory, Sharp is the first LCD maker to produce a high-performance monitor with a diagonal of 152 centimetres (60 inches). Sharp is also marking its re-entry into the lucrative high-volume market segments for screens with diagonals of 132 cm (52 inches), 119 cm (47 inches) and 107 cm (42 inches).

-- World’s first scalable OLED screen technology. Mitsubishi Electric showed a 149” prototype OLED screen believed to be the world’s first scalable OLED screen technology. The company believes OLED has the potential to similarly revolutionise its indoor commercial displays business.

This year’s ISE proves itself as a platform for innovation in other areas...

--World’s first Remote Light Source projector. Projectiondesign relocates the lamps from the projector to a rack mount up to 30m away. In its European debut, it offers 78% more pixels than WUXGA, 2560x1600 pixels.

--World’s first high brightness projector without mercury. Casio’s Green Slim projectors use an orginal semiconductor light source technology that combines RED from a red Led with BLUE by a blue laser and GREEN converted from a phosphor from a blue laser. Only 43mm thick and 2.3kg in an a4 SIZE, the Green Slim Line with Laser & LED Hybrid light source realizes 2000-3000 ANSI lumens. Casio also says you can count on 20,000 hours without lamp change.

--Warp & Blend image processors for the wider market. Calibre HQView range of processors make state-of-the-art image processing available to a wider market with a smaller footprint, easy interface, and attractive prices. The HQView combines warp mapping and seamless edge blending at a very affordable price.

-- The industry's first commercial power amplifiers that are ENERGY STAR qualified and meet the new Version 2.0 Audio/Video specification. Extron’s MPA 401 and XTRA Series are  a family of mono, stereo, and multi-channel power amplifiers for a wide range of applications (from classrooms and boardrooms to multi-purpose rooms, auditoriums, and open spaces.) They draw less than 1 watt while in standby mode, and also offer low power consumption while idle and under load. Extron power amplifiers feature compact, space efficient enclosures (for installation like racks and lecterns) and do not require fans for cooling.

In addition to energy efficiency, Extron power amplifiers deliver high performance audio reproduction with an Extron exclusive, highly efficient, advanced Class D design with patented CDRS™ - Class D Ripple Suppression technology.