Right in time. The PDS-4K and current AV trends.

At Barco, we love to hear from our customers in the field to stay in touch with the ins and outs of the industry. It helps us in the creation of solutions that meet the current needs of those parties using the products in their daily life. Some time ago, we talked to the event community on running trends in broad industry of events – i.e. from entertaining spectaculars with international audiences to in-house business seminars for customers. The introduction of the PDS-4K presentation switcher draws upon those conversations.

And although the events sector has been put on pause due to the pandemic situation, some of those trends are still in play. We’d even say that they’ve grown in relevance. It just so seems as if the PDS-4K comes right in time, specifically satisfying the requirements that are top-of-mind during these disruptive times.

A switcher for smaller events

After this long period of being sheltered, the longing for genuine connections and human interaction is even stronger. Our connections indicated a growing trend towards smaller gatherings with a focus on collaboration. Another way of engaging attendees is through the organization of personalized breakout sessions. An event-in-event, as it were, where smaller groups get the chance to interact more directly with topical experts and peers.

With the PDS-4K we fill the gap in our portfolio, bringing the industry standards of our flagship Event Master series to smaller live events (and at an affordable price). But it’s also especially fit to be used in breakout rooms or seminar auditoriums or theatres.

• Up to 10x 4K inputs, like live camera feed or a presentation coming from the presenter’s laptop
• Dual screen switching, up to 2x 4K outputs - e.g. projection behind the presenter and an LCD screen in the back of the venue, with full lay-out freedom on each screen separately.
• Just very easy to install and operate, while guaranteeing professional outcomes.

A switcher for virtual/hybrid events

These last months have brought along out-of-the-box thinking and creative innovations. We’ve all experienced the efficacy of new technologies, like distance learning platforms and remote meeting solutions, to stay in touch and keep our lives going as much as possible. Virtual is inevitably part of the legendary ‘new normal’, also for events. And the PDS-4K is ready for that. You can easily add a recording/streaming device into the system configuration. And with the two mixing program outputs you can even customize the view for at home attendees during hybrid events.

A switcher for impactful events

Old normal or new normal - one thing that hasn’t changed, is the wish to maximize the impact of visual communication. Whether it’s a sales presentation for employees or a global summit for business affiliates, flawless visualization matters if you want to convey your messages successfully. The PDS-4K won’t let you down when it comes to maintaining the image quality, color accuracy and details from your content sources. And it includes the best processing engine guaranteeing ultra-low latency (≤ 2 frames delay @60Hz), so goodbye to annoying (and distracting) lip-sync issues.

A switcher for green events

To conclude, as a manufacturer we want to support our partners in their mission for sustainability. That’s why we’ve developed an objective tool that grades our products according to their ecodesign performance. While we’re still tweaking the new PDS-4K, we’re already well on the way for a top ecoscoring for this product with an outstandingly low power consumption spec. (Update: the PDS-4K presentation switchers have received an A score in Barco’s ecoscoring methodology. Find more information on the related product pages.)

Did you know? The PDS-4K brings Barco’s expertise from the rental and events industry into the workplace. Read more here about the advantages of including a professional presentation switcher into a corporate AV setup.