ISE provides a positive outlook for 2026!
With two years’ experience already under his belt at Invision/Pulse Cinemas, Key Account Manager Jack Woolman headed to Barcelona for the first time keen to deliver maximum value for dealers and the brands represented at the world’s largest trade AV event.
I’d heard that a lot of dealers had a really strong end to the year and we certainly did too. Coming into 2026, there’s always that slight question of ‘what now?’. However, I came away pleasantly surprised and energised. There is definitely a lot of opportunity out there. Installers don’t need to know every product inside out, they need to sell the story and create the experience, leaning on the right support when needed. Of course, that is where we come in. The demand seems to be there compared to this time last year. Positioned properly, this looks like it could be a very good year.
One brand that really highlighted that for me was GFC (Grand Film Chairs). Seeing the stand properly in person and meeting Leonas Kontvainis, Founder and CEO of the company, gave the products the context they deserve. It’s not just seating; the company delivers true craftsmanship and strong market positioning. As Leonas underlined, the products are made specifically for the EU market in the EU. I spoke to a few dealers who said that after seeing the display, they felt confident going back to interior designers and collaborating on the solution, rather than simply handing that part of the project over because ‘that’s what normally happens’. That shift in confidence is powerful.
Other highlights:
- Trinnov (Altitude CI)
The big message for me from Trinnov, as the brand highlighted the new AltitudeCI, was scalability without compromise. The CI platform isn’t a cut-down Trinnov. It’s proper Trinnov performance in a more flexible chassis. Dante integration and modular channel expansion are key. Installers need to understand this isn’t just another processor. It’s still reference-level correction and optimisation, just built for modern rack planning.
- Kaleidescape
This brand was everywhere. What stood out wasn’t just the hardware, it’s how embedded the platform is now across demo spaces. The new Strato E makes true 4K cinema more accessible at entry level, which feels important. But for me, the unsung hero is still the Strato M. We’re so used to TV marketing calling everything ‘4K’ that people forget what true 4K, and even true 2K, actually looks like at proper bitrates, and that’s not even mentioning the lossless audio. When clients see and hear it side by side, the difference speaks for itself.
- Alcons Audio
Hearing this brand again reinforced why we put it back into the reference cinema room at Pulse Cinemas. It’s not about volume, it’s about effortlessness. Huge headroom, clarity at any level and zero harshness. Come and have a listen at Pulse HQ soon! - AVA
Consistently one of the busiest stands at the show, and it’s easy to see why. The 2.0 updates feel like a real step forward. It’s moved from being seen as the new disruptor to a serious, mature control platform. The new software platform amounts to a reinvention. If you think you know AVA, think again. The hardware build quality also impressed a lot of people seeing it in person for the first time.
Seeing is confidence – Vicoustic, GFC & Screen Research
There were a few brands this year that really proved you have to see them in person to properly understand the craftsmanship.
With GFC (Grand Film Chairs) and Vicoustic, these are often the elements that get handed over to the interior designer by default. But after seeing the stands properly, touching the materials and understanding the craftsmanship and acoustic thinking behind them, a few dealers said they felt more confident going back to the designer and collaborating rather than stepping aside. That’s important. These brands don’t just sit in the room, they shape the performance and the experience.
With Screen Research, it’s even more direct. You genuinely have to see it to believe why it’s different. The ClearPix Ultimate White material in particular stands out. The woven structure, brightness retention and acoustic transparency just perform at a different level. Add to that the launch of their new website, which makes positioning the brand much easier with clients, and it feels like a very strong year for them.
LED, madVR & Trinnov in residential – not just a trend
We’re seeing a noticeable increase in enquiries around residential LED. We completed a few Samsung walls towards the back end of last year and that momentum is clearly continuing. For some clients, it’s about standing out. They don’t necessarily want a traditional black box cinema, they want the very best performance in a more open, statement space.
What we found quickly though is that LED needs to be coupled with the right video processing. Pairing it with madVR didn’t just improve image quality, it helped make unusual resolution sizes and scaling work properly. Without that layer, performance is left on the table.
Of course, LED does create new challenges. You can’t hide speakers behind the screen, which changes the traditional cinema approach. That’s where products like Trinnov become even more compelling. The ability to create a convincing phantom centre through leveraging the Trinnov Altitude’s unique processing capabilities to map them as a single, virtual source becomes critical when designing around a solid LED surface.
We are in a strong position to support this shift. Within the Midwich Group, PSCo not only holds the biggest choice of LED brands and has the UK’s biggest LED experience centre down in Bracknell, but also provides tools like Pixel iQ.com, which make what is normally a complex solution far easier for both installers and end users to understand and visualise. It’s a different type of cinema experience, but for the right client, it’s a very compelling alternative.