KOBA 2018: Calm after the storm Features 18/06/2018 InAVate APAC visits KOBA 2018 to discover the state of the Korean AV and broadcast market.KOBA is strengthening its claim to be the only exhibition of note to represent the Korean AV industry. Its main competitor is experiencing a decrease in popularity and attendance due to the emergence of ProLight + Sound Guangzhou which caters to the same audiences. The KOBA exhibition this year was held at the usual venue of COEX in Seoul from May 15 to 18, 2018. Broadcast and video Compared to the show last year, there was a muted tone to KOBA 2018. In 2017 the Korean broadcast industry was gearing up for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics which were staged in early 2018. The sporting event provided the broadcast industry an exceptional opportunity for growth seeing that the Korean government was involved and invested in ensuring the spectacle highlighted the country’s technological prowess. The Korean broadcast industry was able to hit the milestones set for it with regards to the event and these included broadcasting a portion of the games in 4K resolution over terrestrial channels. After an international sporting event of this scale it is no surprise that the broadcast industry has experienced a downturn in Korea as demand for products and solutions normalises. Floor space taken up by exhibitors for the broadcast section of KOBA 2018 was diminished. Sony for instance decided to decrease the size of its booth and hence its participation for this year with many other manufacturers and Korean broadcast entities following suites. Other companies, such as Jushin AVT from the installation sector and Abletech from the LED rental market, decided to abstain from exhibiting altogether. That being said, many industry players were present at the exhibition including some new faces. Evertz was at the show and had a unique approach. The core competency of the manufacturer remains the broadcast sector, but over the last few years it has started to devote attention to the fixed installation market. More and more broadcast grade equipment, specifically camera and show control products, are becoming suited to applications such as large venues and houses of worship. From the broadcast industry, Blackmagic Design was the manufacturer that decided to swim against the stream. A larger booth at a more prominent location was indicative of Blackmagic Design’s increased commitment to the Korean market. Novastar exhibited with Asone. David Dai from Novastar stated that the manufacturer was focussing on the rental market. His advice for succeeding in the Korean market was to partner with the right Korean LED tile manufacturers and to establish a wide network to handle after sales support. With regards to the Novastar products, he stated that the next step forward was to incorporate HDR into devices to cater to the viewing preferences of today’s clients. After causing a stir at ISE 2018, the Kino-mo holographic projection also made a splash at KOBA 2018. The product was exhibited by its Korean distributor, Dream ICT, in conjunction with dealers and Korean partners such as 10 Asia. The Kino-mo holographic projection has been adopted by the retail sector in Korea and has been being deployed at Adidas and Nike outlets as well as SM mall. Another topic of conversation was 4K resolution. The Korean industry is better prepared that most to handle the shift to higher resolutions but the sticking point remains content. The Korean broadcast industry remains waiting for the right 4K content production tools and cameras to be released for the market. For now, 4K support remains a niche requirement. Aten Korea was exhibiting full 4K transmission solutions geared towards command and control applications in the government sector. Aten Korea also identified digital signage as an application where 4K content transmission is required. Starting to evolve? On the surface the audio section of KOBA 2018 seemed the same. The area was dominated by line arrays with the full gamut of expected brands and manufacturers being present. But speaking with Korean distributors and Korean integrators reveals the subtle changes and evolution that the market is experiencing. Houses of worship remains the most important sector for audio professionals to focus on. Within the sector, the focus is on upgrades. Nikki Jung from Klausys, the Korean distributor for L-Acoustics, commented: “Line arrays are the standard for houses of worship in Korea. L-Acoustics is a premium line array so our focus is to maintain our standing in the market.” She continued: “Since line arrays are standard, for our existing clients there is little room for improvement with regards to hardware. The hardware can only be improved in small increments. But the application of the hardware, the design and the support can be improved more significantly and that is our job.” Patrick Hau from DK Vascom, the Korean distributor for Renkus-Heinz, however believes that the houses of worship segment in Korea might be beginning to evolve. He said: “Over the last year we have seen the houses of worship sector become a bit more receptive to column speakers especially when the church is old or a heritage site. In these cases, where architectural concerns are present, churches are beginning to consider column speakers instead of line arrays.” Hau also identifies the education sector as another area of growth for the audio business. Specifically, there is demand for column speakers and public address systems from high school and secondary education institutes to be installed in performance spaces. Distributor and integrator Sound Solution said that expanding horizons can lead to success in Korea. It has recently completed work on the first phase of an integrated resort and theme park in Jeju. Looking past the houses of worship sector and the Seoul market may be moves that other industry players might want to consider. Daniel Koo from Sound Solution also stated that an integrated resort, with a hotel and a casino, is being planned near Incheon airport to cater to the increasing number of tourists coming to Seoul. The project is expected to help spur growth in the professional AV industry. With respect to public address systems, KOBA 2018 saw a number of products on show from Korean manufacturers. Inter-M, one of the largest and most globally recognisable Korean PA speaker brand, was at the show with its range of PA offerings. Cooon, Inter-M’s sister company, made its debut and local players such as Kevic and others were also present. Hau discussed why so many Korean distributors also take the leap to manufacture their own products: “Koreans have an entrepreneurial and technological spirit. This means that they have the skills to develop and produce their own products. Additionally, we have seen that distribution partnerships in Korea might change. If this happens, you need to respond and make sure you have a suitable product to take its place if you want to compete in the integration market.” Last year saw major changes in the distribution landscape, with Meyer Sound and L-Acoustics both unveiling new partners. This year however the status quo remained relatively the same. However, that did not mean that manufacturers did not fine tune their approach to the Korean market. The biggest buzz on the show floor was caused by Shure’s decision to establish Shure Korea which will be headed up by a business development manager. Shure has had a long relationship with distributor Sama Prosound in Korea. As could be expected, there was conjecture on how Shure will be conducting business in Korea moving forward. The message from Shure was clear. Sama Prosound will remain its distributor in Korea and all purchases will be fulfilled by Sama Prosound. However, Shure Korea will begin an independent process of business development with a focus on the fixed installation market and sectors such as corporate. The business setup for Shure in Korea will now mirror the manufacturer’s setup in other Asian countries such as Singapore.