Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) is the world's leading exhibition for audiovisual media and system integration. It presented technology innovators and solution providers from all over the world in Barcelona from 30 January to 2 February 2024 and offered inspiring conferences, events and experiences.
André Brun, Head of Sales Display at Samsung Switzerland, took the time to talk to Signethics about his personal ISE highlights and some Samsung product innovations in the context of digital signage. André is an experienced ISE goer - this is his 15th time attending!
André Brun
Head of Sales Display/DS at Samsung Switzerland | The Wall | Digital Signage | MagicInfo & VXT | Kiosk | Monitors
[Signethics] André, thank you very much for taking the time for us despite your busy schedule! What does the ISE mean to you personally?
[André Brun] With pleasure! For me, ISE is inspiring, motivating and a kind of kick-off for the whole business year. It's confirmation that I'm working for the right brand, which is innovative and keeps bringing exciting products onto the market. ISE also gives me the opportunity to look at other stands to find out how competitors are developing technologically. And then there's the networking, be it with competitors, market players, partners, distributors or end customers - that's always a highlight for me personally and it's also great fun because you get to meet all the key players in one place.
What is your interim assessment of this year's ISE on day 3?
I am very pleased so far. We had an extremely large number of visitors at our stand and had many interesting conversations and received positive feedback. One reason for this is certainly that, compared to last year's presentation, where we focussed on sustainability, we once again had an eye-catcher in the entrance area and at the same time an open stand where you can drop by without making an appointment.
Exactly, I remember Samsung's motto at ISE 2023 was the net zero strategy. What exactly did that mean and how did this strategy prove itself?
We produce sustainably by using materials that can be recycled wherever possible. In addition, packaging is designed in such a way that, firstly, less packaging is required and, secondly, as many displays or LED cabinets as possible can be handled logistically with as little packaging as possible.
When it comes to power consumption, we have the right software solutions in place with MagicInfo or the new VXT, which can be used to shut down or switch off all displays remotely when they are not in use.
On the other hand, we are launching ePaper displays on the market that require very little power. In the LED area, we have also proven with the latest versions of the Wall that we need 30% less power with each version. We are on the right track to minimise power consumption as much as possible.
EPaper technology in the display sector are trending at the moment - you can already find many suppliers here at ISE. Where does Samsung see the advantages of this technology?
Yes, ePapers are definitely a trend. The technology is ideal for digitising static content with low power consumption. A patent has now expired, which is why various brands are now launching ePaper products on the market and I am proud that we are one of them. As a company, you always have to cannibalise yourself with new technologies, otherwise someone else will do it. We'll see how it develops. Another nice thing is that our ePaper displays can be integrated into our platforms. This allows us to offer partners and end customers comprehensive solutions.
Where do you see the potential/market for ePaper technology? What is the target?
I think there is a lot of potential in the retail sector. But also in the transport sector, where information is still often displayed in analogue form. But the technology can of course also be used in corporate meeting rooms, where the content doesn't change every second.
The Achilles' heel of ePapers is the slow change of content. Is there room for improvement or do you remain focussed on static content?
I believe that ePapers will concentrate on static content, as it is the most suitable technology for this.
Back to the topic of highlights at ISE. Apart from ePapers and your MicroLED eye-catcher in the entrance area, what do you think are the highlights of Samsung's product line-up this year?
We are one of the few brands that can cover a certain breadth - from small 13-inch devices to huge LED walls. This breadth of solutions is the biggest highlight for me per se.
At product level, I am happy that we have taken the transparent MicroLED technology to the next level on the one hand, but also with the MicroLED product The Wall, where we are starting to expand with special products for broadcasting, curved installations or the all-in-one version. Generally happy that we are broadly positioned in the MicroLED sector, which will grow really quickly in the future.
What about the topic of artificial intelligence (AI), which is generally on the rise and Samsung has already equipped its latest smartphone with it - is there anything planned in the area of digital signage with AI?
We have already integrated AI into some of our systems and displays, e.g. the upscaling of 8K, which we are showing here at the trade fair, is also achieved using AI on a chip. This involves upscaling low-resolution video files using AI.
I don't think we will be launching any AI software solutions on the market in the near future. Basically, it will probably be our partners who will bring AI solutions to our displays using third-party applications. An example platform for this would certainly be the marketplace at VXT, which is predestined for this. There would be one or two opportunities for a partner or end customer to provide AI integration.
VXT: What is the main motivation behind not further developing and completely redesigning one of the most widely used CMS in digital signage [editor's note: MagicInfo]?
We want to redesign simplicity with VXT and offer a cloud-based CMS, which we previously had to outsource. This also gives us the opportunity to get even closer to the solutions and customers and to ensure customer loyalty. But of course, if you can redesign a system from scratch, especially with regard to the possibilities of a marketplace, then we can get up to speed more quickly in order to react more quickly to market needs. That certain partners or end customers can then write an application explicitly for themselves without having to wait until MagicInfo has been further developed. And basically everything is moving in the direction of cloud solutions. We see this with our hotel solutions, but also in the signage sector. I believe we are on the right track.
And for customers who don't necessarily favour the cloud solution, is an on-premise solution also being considered?
According to our latest information, we will also have the option of offering VXT On-Premise, yes.
Signethics would like to take this opportunity to thank André once again for taking the time for a short interview despite his busy schedule. Here is a video with the highlights of the Samsung stand:
