Anything, Anywhere, with Complete Content Control Is Our Vision for Modern Control Rooms
In a revealing exchange with a&s Middle East, Steve Simpson, Regional Sales Manager at Datapath, delves into the company’s four-decade journey in visual control technologies, highlighting their innovative solutions, advancements in AV-over-IP, and strategies for addressing the unique challenges and opportunities in the Middle Eastern market
a&s Middle East: Can you please present yourself to our readers?
Simpson: Steve Simpson, Regional Sales Manager, Datapath (Middle East). I have lived and worked in Dubai and the surrounding region for over 20 years.
a&s Middle East: Can you provide a brief overview of Datapath and its core business areas?
Simpson: Datapath is a world leader in control technologies for creative multi-display video walls, small- to medium-scale video walls in enterprise collaboration environments, and command and control room video walls of any scale. Founded in 1982 and now distributing across five continents, Datapath has customers in more than 100 countries Worldwide: covering multiple industries such as professional audio and video, military, education, security, and health care.
a&s Middle East: How does Datapath differentiate itself in the video wall, control room, and visual solution industry?
Simpson: Datapath has over 40 years of experience in delivering innovative video solutions to businesses across the globe. With our in-house R&D, design, manufacturing, and quality control teams, we provide the latest, innovative solutions to the marketplace. Datapath solutions are used in high-end applications around the world – from government offices to defense, utilities, and blue light organizations.
As good as a control room is in design or the technology used it is the operators who define how efficient operations inside and outside the control room are in times of need
a&s Middle East: What are the key features of your Aetria control room solution, and how has it evolved since its launch?
Simpson: Over the past decade, Datapath has charted a new course towards AV-over-IP control technologies. This, in turn, has seen solutions designed for creative multi-display videowalls, small- to medium-scale videowalls in business environments, and Command and Control rooms of any scale – a prime market focus for Datapath and its latest Aetria solution. Today, operators can oversee numerous 4K monitors, adding up to a similar pixel density as a large wall. With such a personal videowall, the operator will be more engaged in the detail and the clarity of information because they are interacting with that media. Due to viewing distance, walls tend to be HD in resolution and the operator workstations are often 4K. The size of the wall in today’s control rooms is just as important as the actual resolution, so the trend has taken us from cubes to LCD panels and onto direct view LEDs, which are essentially a large blank canvas of pixels allowing for bezel-free, flexible displays containing the most essential sources.
Data volumes are huge and need to be managed effectively. With minimum latency, Datapath’s Aetria Workstation provides a unique ‘bespoke video wall’ ability to operators, allowing them to display whatever sources they need on their desktop display; however, they wish to see them. The benefits of such personalized displays are clear – operators can focus on their specific task with only their relevant information and can share any content on the larger video wall when necessary (user rights permitting, of course). The recent introduction of its Aligo TX100 4K KVM solution gives Datapath the capability to offer operators seamless control of their content. The demand for better quality is a perennial requirement, and new Datapath developments have allowed 4K sources to be delivered to walls and workstations without the challenges of major compression. 10G networking means that multiple HD sources can be sent across a single wire and 4K sources can be delivered where they need to be with extremely little latency. Systems are now able to provide not only the 4K feed but also encoded versions of it so that the pristine quality version can go to the control room and a slightly lower quality one can be presented elsewhere, such as a crisis room, where 1080p is quality enough. Another of Datapath’s latest product launches – Aetria Touch – allows operators to manage their Aetria environment from a 10.5” tablet for even easier, faster display management. Screen layouts can be easily saved, and accessed with a full selection of sources available at the touch of a tablet.
The size of the wall in today’s control rooms is just as important as the actual resolution
a&s Middle East: Can you elaborate on the capabilities introduced with the Aligo and Arqa AV-over-IP solutions?
Simpson: The adoption of Audio-Visual over IP (AVoIP) technology continues at a pace, playing a crucial role in ensuring seamless communication and efficient operations. AVoIP enables the transmission of high-quality audio and video signals over a network infrastructure, allowing for real-time monitoring, collaboration, and decision-making. AVoIP, with or without keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) functionality, is replacing basic video matrix switching and at the same time enabling connectivity with remote workers and between control centers. How operators can view that data is also evolving, as more control rooms are opting for larger workstations with more data sources available for individual operators, to provide better situational awareness at an individual operator level. Meanwhile, larger video walls for the whole control center are being replaced with smaller video walls and/or individual large displays for sharing between smaller groups of operators. This is where Datapath’s Aligo and Arqa transmitters and receivers are integrated with Aetria to enable full AVoIP with KVM functionality. Anything, anywhere, with complete content control.
a&s Middle East: Can you provide more details about the security features of your VSN controllers?
Simpson: Of course. Security is a prime concern for any Datapath applications. We ensure that all point-to-point content is TLS-encrypted at both ends for maximum protection. This is the same level of encryption used by military organizations. Furthermore, with our latest VSN V3, the chassis has also been redesigned, optimizing airflow to improve heat management and reduce noise. This new design, along with a new platinum-rated redundant power supply, makes this the most efficient VSN to date. The new chassis also includes hot-swappable fans, enabling uninterrupted 24/7 use and maintenance in the most critical installations.
a&s Middle East: Can you discuss the advancements in your video wall technology and its impact on control room operations?
Simpson: However, as good as a control room is – be it in design or the technology used – it is the operators who define how efficient operations inside and outside the control room are in times of need. Providing these operators with instant information-sharing tools is critical in ensuring decisions and actions are made as soon as possible to eliminate risks to resources, security, and, potentially, life itself. How is Datapath addressing the scalability and futureproofing of traditional control rooms? From its inception, Datapath’s Aetria has been designed to be scalable to Control Rooms of any size. Not only can it be applied to operations from the smallest to the largest organizations, but it can also work in harmony with legacy hardware from other manufacturers – via an API port – allowing end users to upgrade in stages if required.
a&s Middle East: What role do artificial intelligence and IoT play in your current product offerings?
Simpson: The talk of AI surrounding audio-visual solutions is often over-exaggerated. Aetria allows automatic switching to certain display templates in pre-set situations, but this is down to software and programming. Artificial Intelligence will, I’m sure, play a bigger part in operations in the future.
a&s Middle East: Can you discuss any partnerships or collaborations Datapath has formed to enhance the security aspects of your solutions?
Simpson: Datapath has formed several strategic alliances with key partners in the security space. Exhibiting worldwide, we partner with security console providers such as Fountainhead and Poly-M along with display manufacturers such as Absen and Planar. These alliances allow customers to see fully operational solutions at demo centers and how all components work in harmony. Furthermore, Datapath technology is also licensed to work alongside key security platforms such as Milestone and Genetec, with no ‘alt/tab’ between platforms required.
The talk of AI surrounding audio–visual solutions is often over-exaggerated
a&s Middle East: How do you stay updated with the latest security trends and integrate them into your products?
Simpson: We work very closely with our partners and end-users, from initial planning to full side-by-side commissioning service. These relationships allow us to receive feedback directly from the source. The concept of Aetria came from industry feedback and our R&D department is largely driven by what the market requires and what we can develop to meet those needs.
a&s Middle East: Can you describe the training and resources available for clients to ensure they maximize the security features of your products?
Simpson: The benefits of Aetria are plentiful and investment in training is a priority for users getting the most from our technology. Along with our online one-to-one training sessions, Datapath has demo suites and training centers all over the world. Offering AVIXA-approved courses, the latest of these has just been opened at the Mindstec Experience Center in Dubai. Here, visitors can see a fully operational ‘replicated’ Control Room and learn how Aetria works in various vertical markets – including defense, cyber security, utilities, and oil & gas.
a&s Middle East: How has the partnership with Mindstec enhanced your initiatives in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the region?
Simpson: Mindstec and Datapath have a long and trusted relationship that continues to thrive. They are our key partner for the Middle East and provide a valuable service in the region, not only in distribution, but for training support, client engagement, and marketing.
a&s Middle East: Can you highlight some key projects or partnerships Datapath has been involved in within the Middle East?
Simpson: We are not allowed to discuss most of the projects unless we have written permission, and the only one we have been given written permission Is Bahrain Sakir Circuit which is used for the F1 and other motor racing events, as is already published on our website. However, we have many projects in all sectors including utilities, transportation, security (which includes Cyber and secure VIP locations), hospitality, retail, and events. We have many projects with Datapath’s Milestone integration plug-in and several already in the new mega site projects in Saudi Arabia.
a&s Middle East: What are the main challenges and opportunities you see in the Middle Eastern market for Datapath?
Simpson: One of the main challenges is to get the market to understand that using 10G fiber signals to get visually lossless 4K60 with sub-millisecond zero latency is far superior to a compressed 1G copper signal when competition promotes 1G for high-quality 4K60 also. Getting end users to switch to fiber especially if it’s an upgrade for them is then an extra cost, but the outcome (especially on a large video wall which is still very prominent in this region) is very noticeable when the image is enlarged more than on a normal desktop monitor where imperfections are not so noticeable. The opportunity is that we are one of the few that can offer an extremely high-quality video signal over 10G fiber with KVM ability and over long distances. As 10G is adopted more we will then have the most stable proven solution already installed in several projects in the region.
One of the main challenges is to get the market to understand that using 10G fiber signals to get visually lossless 4K60 with sub–millisecond zero latency is far superior to a compressed 1G copper signal
