An important event for Exhibo, opened its doors to customers and partners at its headquarters in Vedano al Lambro (MB) last October 17-20. It was an opportunity to test Panasonic’s new PT Series projectors, K-Array’s Pinnacle New Series audio speakers, and Uniview LEDwalls combined into a single proposal.
Exhibo’s Open House Visual was a full immersion in some of the most interesting new products in the industry, but also an opportunity to discover how the historic distributor is reorganizing its offer also through integration and collaboration agreements among the distributed brands. We talked about this with Matteo Boffi, product manager for Panasonic Business and Uniview LED brands, and Simone Rossoni, K-array product manager.
Connections – Meanwhile, why an Open House?
Matteo Boffi – Our initial intent was to present new Panasonic products; later, we decided to broaden this experience to the partner brands we work with: we added Uniview LED walls, for which Exhibo is the exclusive distributor in Italy, and K-Array speakers, known in both luxury and rental markets. Exhibo has always been inclusive from this point of view: since the collaboration with Sennheiser, which continues to be one of our main brand partners, we have broadened the pool of interest to other areas, to allow our customers – System Integrators, Rental Companies, Installers… – to have a single point of contact for integration needs and to create complex systems. The feedback we are receiving is very encouraging.
C – Is this integration of sectors becoming increasingly common? What is your experience with it?
MB – It has been a gradual evolution: in the last 10-20 years many top players have preferred to establish relationships with companies capable of meeting the capillary the needs of individual customers, offering products from brands that are complementary to each other. Those who come to us know they will find quality and design support, elements that have allowed us to become a kind of HUB of audio-visual and lighting solutions. The collaboration with Uniview, in this sense, is crucial: we jumped at the chance to enter that market with a level brand.
C – What are the main new features, product-wise?
MB – We are introducing the new Panasonic PT-RQ25: 4K resolution, three DLP chips, 20,000 ansi lumens, and dedicated optics. The amount of light emitted, the colorimetry, and the precision of the image are of a high level, with an excellent ratio between power and size: ideal for theaters, important venues, concerts, and museums. Also from the 4K family, we have the PT-FRQ 60, a maintenance-free, single-chip DLP with a dust-tight closed-optics system for extended use: entertainment, corporate, as well as museum/theater and video mapping. Then the small PT-VMZ400, a 4,000 ANSI lumens ultra-short-throw projector, most suitable for meeting rooms or small conventions where the speaker is close to the wall but must not create shadows in the projection. Finally, the new PT-MZ20K, another 20,000 ANSI lumens projector, but with 3 LCD technology and interchangeable lenses: compact, quiet, ideal where we need power at an affordable price, and also suitable for bright environments. Of course, all projectors have laser technology; for Panasonic, the lamp is out.
C – In the Uniview LEDwall area, however, what do you offer?
MB – We have exhibited the GX series fixed-installation LEDwalls, which significantly optimize mounting time. Then I would like to mention the IP65 magnesium cabinets of the Tekken II series: totally interchangeable, usable both indoors and outdoors, they differ only in the front module, which can be changed via a magnet system. This allows renters to make an initial investment in one type of module, adaptable to two different purposes. We then present the walkable LEDwall floor, designed and engineered for horizontal use, eventually made interactive via a Novastar control unit and a computer. The areas of application are the most diverse: shopping malls, trade fairs, and companies. The limit is the imagination of the architect or system integrator.
C – Let’s move on to the audio part. Simone, what can you tell us about K-Array products?
Simone Rossoni: We have different types of speakers, ranging from small speakers to be combined with external subwoofers, to the KZ14 series, which offers a more important sound pressure; it has four speakers integrated into a sort of small array that greatly widens the sound spectrum, especially on the horizontal axis, moreover avoiding reflections on the ceiling and floor. Then we have 50-cm Viper speakers with 1-inch cones; paired with 6-inch subwoofers, for example, they are ideal for small to medium-sized rooms.
In general, K-array puts a lot of emphasis on design to meet the favor of architects: no more screws with through holes but magnetic grids or clips for embedding in plasterboard, a frequent request that comes to us from hospitality, retail, small boardrooms, and meeting rooms where there is a need for audio broadcasting ranging from background music to multimedia content to live speech playback. Finally, for events, we offer Pinnacle systems with four-channel active subwoofers for small events, fashion shows, meetings, etc.
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