Season's Greetings

Grant's Perspective's Season's Greetings.

I'm looking forward to spending the next few days with my family eating turkey.

A big thank you to everyone that has been reading this blog. Also a big hug to all.the good people at Inland AV.

I look forward to continue tracking the AV industry in 2011.

Grant

Sharp PNV601 Video Wall Applications

Grant's Perspective on ... applications for the Sharp PNV601 video wall.

I wanted to expand on last week's post that talked about the Sharp demonstration of the PNV601 video wall monitor. This 60" monitor has the world's thinnest bezel and has a really bright yet even image.

What video wall applications are there?

1 - Utility Control Centers require very large screen viewing areas so that they can visually monitor their pipeline or transmission lines over a very large geographical area. Perhaps a 2 monitor high x 5 monitor wide display would provide the aspect ratio required to display the very important information.  Or a 3 high x 5 wide and with the addition of a video processor would accommodate many video sources and provide a mix of various video windows placed where and when required.

2 - Shopping Malls can use a video wall to inform shoppers about mall events, entertain them with a feed of important cultural events (think back to the Vancouver gold medal hockey game) and it is a revenue generating opportunity as stores can advertise. A 5 x 5 (25 monitors) wall would work well in this application to provide one giant live video screen for live events like fashions shows, multiple images for advertising, and a combination of the two where part of the screen is live video and surrounding smaller images for advertising.

3 - Corporate Reception Foyers could configure a 1 x 2 video wall as a part of their digital signage solution.

4 - Trade Displays that incorporate a video wall as a part of their booth would really attract attention! A simple 2 x 2 while fitting within the booth is not only flashy to get attention but also practical to present idea’s or display media materials.


5 – Clubs – someone somewhere will utilize a video wall for the dance floor to blow away that Saturday Night Fever system.  Probably already done somewhere…..


Below is a video shot at a trade show showing the video wall and the video floor. At the 1:21 mark a person walks onto the monitors.



If you can think of other applications (theme parks, smaller arenas), feel free to add a message to this post!

Grant

Sharp PNV601 Video Wall Demo

Grant's Perspective on ... the new Sharp PNV601 monitors in a video wall application

This week I had a SHARP experience. ( www.thesharpexperience.com ) LOL.   I was invited to the Introduction of Sharp’s PNV601 Ultra Slim Bezel LCD Monitor event at Sharp Electronics of Canada Ltd. in Mississauga.

Most of the event revolved around creating video walls and was very interesting to a guy like me who has tolerated the older technologies used in video walls.  I’m glad the days of CRT monitors, 3-gun projection cubes, and fluorescent backlit LCD monitors are done.

Sharp is a world leader in LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).  Their LCD panels are used in many products everywhere including the displays in new automobiles.  The reason I mention this is Sharp has been the first to do many things; LED backlighting in LCD monitors.  Sharp arranged LED elements in an array directly behind the LCD to create uniform brightness across the entire panel. In addition, the lens over each LED has been developed to improve light output and increase the dispersion of the light to also improve the brightness uniformity.  Here’s a illustration of a monitor that had the LCD panel cutaway to expose the LED array.

This is very important in video wall applications as the screen brightness of each individual monitor needs to be uniform from edge to edge as the monitors are all butted up against each other.  Otherwise non-uniform brightness will show even more and make the wall look cheap.

For example if you’ve ever seen an LCD type video wall where the brightness isn’t consistent, it’s probably because those monitors use CCFL (Cold cathode fluorescent lamps) – fluorescent tubes basically – they’re notorious for not being able to illuminate from edge to edge.

The Sharp PNV601 monitors used in the wall I saw have the World’s Slimmest Bezel Width of 6.5 mm.  When the monitors are butted up against each other the gap between them is minimal, creating almost seamless display for a more desirable and impressive wall.

Add in the ability of Sharp products to create a fantastic picture. The images are clear and sharp and the scaling of the video is just great.  In fact I’ve designed systems where I utilize the electronics processing inside the Sharp instead of using a 3^rd party controller.

And talk about bright!  Holy crap – everyone was making jokes about needing sunglasses

There are more factors that contribute but these are the main ones.  For any facility that wants to do it up right, this is the way to go.

Grant

Edmonton Grey Cup & Cold AV Techs

Grant's Perspective on ... AV techs working and biking in the cold.

 AV rental technicians are a hardy bunch. Last weekend's Edmonton Grey Cup was a huge success and I take my hat off to the techs that worked in the cold. They snapped a photo from the post game press conference and people inside the tent still had their parkas on!

 

Our Winnipeg location has a tech that is biking to and from work. Click here to see a video that a local media outlet posted of our man biking the snow covered roads to work.

Grant

School Holiday Audio System

Grant's Perspective on ... understanding how to get the most from your audio system for school and worship holiday presentations.

This is the time of year when organizers of school and worship holiday presentations start rehearsals and begin using their audio system.

Here are some tips:

1 - Understand Your Microphone

This is key. There are many types of microphone pick up patterns but the most common is the dynamic cardiod microphone. Pictured below is the very popular Shure SM58.

 I found a chart on microphone use on the Shure website looks at common microphone use issues and placed a screen capture below.

People talking and singing need to be close to the microphone (6" - 2') and should handle the microphone as little as possible.

What this means is that if you only have 1 or 2 microphones, set them up on stands at the front of the stage and have the actors and choir move to where the microphone is to say/sing their lines. You are better off with people moving to the microphone than to not have their voices picked up because they are too far away from it!

2 - Understand Your Audio System

If you have a sophisticated audio system with multiple wireless microphones and proper choir microphones with a large mixer and outboard gear, read your equipment manuals, test your ideas to get the most from your systems and have a great time producing a fantastic event!

For a general introduction to the many types of microphones, read this Wikipedia article.

If you live in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North West Ontario or the NWT give your local Inland AV office a call to discuss your audio needs.


Grant

Kramer RC-8iR Audio Visual (AV) System Controller

Grant's Perspective on ... the RC-8iR a simple wall plate AV system controller with tremendous power.

Kramer has a simple 8 button AV system control wall plate that programmers, integrators and clients love. With only 8 buttons, the unit is very user-friendly but allows for some fairly sophisticated programming. See the photo below taken at an Inland AV installation.

Pressing the "on" button can set up the entire system by lowering the projection screen, turning on the projector, dimming the lights and powering up the audio system. The RC-8iR has infrared capabilities and can learn the functions of IR remotes. It can also be controlled via IP meaning that the system can be set up to be controlled from anywhere a person has internet access. This is a great feature for AV technicians working at a large university institution.

The screen capture below is a Flash demonstration of the RC-8iR wall plate at the Kramer Canada website. Click through the text links and give it a try! Please note you need to click on the Product Overview button to view the interactive room simulation.

I have installed hundreds of these and they have always been well received.

Grant

Ceiling Rack Mount - New Way to Hide AV

Grant's Perspective on ... mounting AV equipment in the ceiling.


Dennis the Premier Mounts representative made the trip from Anaheim to Winnipeg to demonstrate some of their new products. One of the products that caught my attention was a rack to house equipment in ceilings. It is a part of the "GearBox™ Series of products designed to safely support and protect valuable A/V equipment. Offering flexible installation options - indoors and out - for projectors and flat-panel displays, GearBox™ has got your gear covered. ”

 See the picture below (taken from their website) of the rack with the door open.

Many times a room's walls are not deep enough for a rack to set in place. Many current systems do not have equipment that needs to be accessible for day-to-day use but does need close proximity to the room. This would include wireless microphone receivers, amplifiers and mixers. The system can be set up once and locked away, as long as there is at least a wall plate interface for a computer connection and a touch screen system controller that can turn the system on and off.


See the pictures below of Dennis holding the rack and mounting tray. Items can be fastened to the equipment mounting tray and the tray is mounted inside the rack. The bottom picture is the rack with the lockable door in place.
 
 

For use in a suspended ceiling, this box replaces a standard 2 x 2' ceiling tile and the perforated lid looks like an HVAC return register when closed. 


I was concerned that this would vent into the plenum and therefore not meet code. Dan replied  “There are no vents into the plenum, only downward into the room. The box preserves the integrity of the plenum space. ”  Small fans can be added to help with circulation issues.


Click here to see the PDF spec sheet.
 What a great idea and a solution we will keep in mind.


Grant

Sharp Interactive Touch Screen 60" Monitor

Grant's Perspective on ... the new Sharp PN-L601B LCD touch screen interactive monitor.

 Here’s a good example of "Improved communication from technology integration, and a lot of other cool stuff too…”:  The PN-L601B brochure states, “Put the Power of Interaction to Work with a Sharp Integrated Touch-Screen Solution”.  That’s what I’m talking about.

This is totally the “executive” version of the popular interactive whiteboard.  As high-end boardroom design and installation is one of our forte’s, and knowing the fine ability of Sharp monitors to scale various video signals and the crisp image they produce, this is a product that will be requested and suggested as a great solution.

Here is a photo taken from the Sharp brochure and specifications sheet.

The key points from the PN-L601B announcement include:

• Ultra Bright Screen with Low Energy Consumption
• Super Accurate Touch-Screen Finger and Touch Pen Response via Proprietary Infrared Detection System
• Easy-to-Use System Interface and Original Pen Software

Besides the low power consumption, this monitor uses LED backlite technology. This means that it is mercury free!


The interactive marketplace is now a bit more crowded with Sharp Electronics announcement of the PN-L601B touch screen, interactive monitor.

It was just a few short months ago that the interactive choices were limited to whiteboards. Epson launched the BrightLink interactive projector this past spring and it has been enthusiastically received by our clients in the educational and corporate world. Now Sharp has introduced an interactive monitor. Now there are 3 options for people looking for an interactive communications tool.

I see many applications for the 60"monitor/touch screen in small seminar and boardrooms and look forward to integrating them into appropriate AV systems designs.

Our Sharp representative Joe informs us that the touch screen monitor will be arriving next week and our Edmonton office will see it first.

Grant

Reliable Audiovisual Systems & Crestron Wireless Access Point

Grant's Perspective on ... building in reliability to AV systems

Reliability is key to audiovisual system design.

Make sure we utilize quality product. An obvious and simple enough idea but it does take experience to know what product is good and what isn’t.  Being around as long as we have, the product line is solid. As technologies emerge and evolve we come across many products.  Some are good (Epson BrightLink qualifies as a great product), some we decide to not use and there are some we know not to touch.

Make sure the Integration will work.  Like I say, “Improved Communication from Technology Integration”.  When the various components for a system are selected to function as one, you’re good to go. Again, a simple strategy that should be easy to implement but too often I see those who think one can simply draw boxes representing various devices and connect them together with a line. Not the case. Even when two components ideally should work together, experience shows us that some components don’t play nice. I know when I chat with IT people about this and remind them of the clone computers that were so troublesome because one type of hard drive doesn’t work well with one type of mother board, and so on and so forth. They always fervently shake their heads in agreement as they know you can’t rely on those types of systems.   

System commissioning.   This is when  the gear has been installed and verified functioning as per the design spec, the various items need to be setup, or “commissioned”. This completes the system.  But sometimes a setting in one device may affect another.  Some features of some of the various devices within the system may need to be disabled, enabled, or a certain parameter selected to ensure the system performs reliably. Or an item might require configuring via a laptop. Here’s an example: A projector  will auto search for live video sources; meanwhile the control system is commanding the same projector to switch to a particular input. At certain moments this may cause the projector  to get confused and it will “lock up” like any CPU controlled device typically will.  Of course this will happen when the CEO wants to use the system.

One way of creating reliability is to have less components.  Here’s an example of a situation that could make or break a system depending on what or who’s product you use.  There are times where a client will want wireless touch panels  but I advise to use wired if wireless ability really is not required (sometimes it is just there to look cool), thereby eliminating a component like a wireless touchscreen that might be affected by outside factors like interference.  This is especially a trade off when using anything wireless. 

Crestron has the CEN-WAP-ABG-1G  Wall Mount 802.11a/b/g Wireless Access Point (pictured below).  This device provides wireless connectivity to wireless Crestron WiFi Touch panels.  

But the design of this Crestron device really fits our AV world well.  I like the fact that this WAP can be placed in the Boardroom or theater so there are no issues with signal strength like with a router placed in a metal (signal blocking) rack one hallway over or in a back room.  This WAP has also been designed for Crestron WiFi touch panels, so that’s half the battle right there.  It’s somewhat inconspicuous, and it looks good too.  And so far they’ve been dependable.  It’s on my list.

Grant

Bandwidth Cost & Managed Videoconference Services

Grant's Perspective on ... getting more from your videoconference system with Managed Services.


Inland AV recently launched Managed Services to help people get more from their existing videoconference system.


We sat down with one client and discussed their company requirements. They had 3 locations that required systems. They needed to buy a videoconference system for each location, more network  infrastructure, TMS licences and to increase their bandwidth. We then compared the cost of the client buying 3 basic videoconference systems and using Managed Services to take care of the rest of the infrastructure and management issues.


The difference in cost and services were huge! Their increased bandwidth alone was approximately $1,000.00 per year. Their complete Inland AV Managed Services package that included their additional bandwidth (and so much more) was $750.00 per year. Add on the cost of the annual TMS licences, additional network infrastructure and the extra staff costs to manage the system make it a "no brainer" to go with Managed Services.



The Inland AV website has posted a page with more Managed Services information.

Grant

Audiovisual Rack Design Tool

Grant's Perspective on ... Chief's online rack builder application.

ChiefMounts Canada, an Inland AV supplier of monitor & projector mounts as well as racks and accessories has posted a rack builder application. You can configure your own rack by following their step-by-step process. You choose the size and style of rack and then add components and  accessories and save. The finished result is a PDF or jpeg file that you can share with your audiovisual supplier when discussing your new AV system.

 

This is a nifty little tool to help visualize a rack and see how it will look before ordering.

The one issue we had in testing the application was that it ran best in Explorer and Chrome. We had trouble with it when tested in Firefox. Not perfect but a great tool to visualize a project before the money is spent.

Grant

Obama Lecturn Malfunction

Grant's Perspective on ... no one is exempt from AV problems.

It was not too long ago I commented on Obama's teleprompter glass breaking during a news conference. This week the presidential seal fell of the lecturn while he was delivering a public speech.

He handled it well with his "You know who I am" statement but was more telling with his "somebody back there is really nervous right now."





Just another example of whatever can go wrong in a presentation, will go wrong.

There are times when an AV pro can assist in unexpected situations. I recall someone telling me about a situation where a presenter was going to sneeze. It was obvious to eveeryone in the audience that this was going to happen. The presenter continued, then quickly said "Just a moment ..." then blasted out the pending sneeze. The audio operator had turned off the presenter's mic for the sneeze and then had it back on when the presenter said "Excuse me".

The audience turned to the audio tech and applauded his quick thinking and fast action.

Now there is an AV Tech that get's it!


Grant

Slim-Line Array Speaker System Review

Grant's Perspective on ... K-Array ultra slim-line KV50 speaker system review

This week we reviewed some audio equipment from K-Array, an Italian company with fresh thinking ideas, distributed in North America by Sennheiser.

One product that caught my attention was an ultra slim-line array speaker, the KV50.  This might be a great solution for video conferencing systems and boardrooms – the speakers look nice, are small and lend themselves to blend into the décor. They provide full range audio in the vocal spectrum, and use a technology that will assist with echo canceling.


I am holding one of the speakers beside a videoconference monitor in the picture below. This perspective provides an idea of the look and size of the speaker that could be mounted on the wall on either side of a monitor.

They may also be a great solution for areas where hidden AV is a requirement.  The small size but effectiveness of the audio dispersion assist to blend the speaker into its surroundings.  The gallery on the K-array website shows some interesting applications.

I know their larger systems get rave reviews and these units seem to be very well built.

Once powered up and cranking some tunes and a live mic through it, the crystal clear punching sound cuts through the air like a knife. This is the best way I can describe how these speakers reproduce the sound.

Grant

BrightLink Awarded a Buckaroo

Grant's Perspective on ... BrightLink Earns a Buckaroo Award.

I noticed a press release this week that the Epson BrightLink earned a Buckaroo Award from Pacific Media Associates.

The press release noted “At PMA, it is imperative we provide the projection industry with information on the most advanced and cost-effective multimedia solutions available in the market today,” said Dr. William Coggshall, founder and president of PMA. “The Epson BrightLink is a perfect example of innovation at its best, deeming it worthy of a Buckaroo Award.”

It is great to see the AV industries premiere research firm acknowledging the BrightLink as a breakthrough in interactive projectors. Even our shipping department recognizes the significance of the BrightLink based on the number of units coming in and going out.

Grant

You Know You Are a Hard Core AV Pro When ...

Grant's Perspective on ... you know you are a hard core AV pro when...

I am a member of the LinkedIn AV Professionals group to help keep up on AV industry issues. I was amused by the "You Know You are a Hard Core AV Pro When ..." discussion.

My favorite comments are:

•  every party you attend someone says, “There’s this one thing I can't get working on my TV system....”
• you refuse to buy any piece of gear that does not have a Serial port.
• you have a customer from 15 years ago call you and ask a question about the system that was installed. Without ever being in the building since the system went in, you tell them where to look for the ___ and how it was connected. You do this without even stepping away from the phone to find the old drawings.
• you simply CANNOT walk by any EQ which shows a smilie face without grumbling.
• the only clothes you own are black.
• you sit in a church giving hand signals to the sound booth guy instead of listening to the sermon.
• you know a projector lamp life without looking at the projector menu setting.
• you wear out one knee on all your pants from taping cables down.
• you avoid sports bars with screens that need the color adjusted.
• you empty your pockets and find them filled with all kinds of connectors you forgot about.
• your coffee mug collection includes at least 3 AV manufacturers who are no longer in business.
• you refuse to run sound for the school musical because you know that a single microphone being spoken at from 20ft will not cut through to row 25 via the speaker 10 ft away from the mic.
• you have a drawer full of polo shirts with AV manufacturer's names embroidered on them

And last (and probably least) my entry: Your own home system is in shambles as you're too busy creating and tweaking "masterpieces" elsewhere.

Grant

Interchangeable DLP Projector Colour Wheels - 4 Segment or 6 Segment

Grant's Perspective on ... the new DLP projector that users can swap colour wheels.

The friendly people from Digital Projection International visited our Winnipeg office this week to demonstrate their newest innovations to us. I was impressed with the E-Vision series of projectors.

The E-Vision 600 is a 6,000 lumen projector (dual lamps) with 2,400:1 contrast and a native resolution of 1280 x 800. The projector features interchangeable lenses and colour wheels. While many projectors have interchangeable lenses allowing the projector to be optimally placed in a room, this is the first time I've heard of a projector being designed to allow the end user to quickly change the colour wheels.

The different colour wheels provide options for the user based on what is important to them in the next presentation. With the 4 segment colour wheel in place the projector produces 6,000 lumens. With a  6 segment colour wheel installed the same projector now produces 4500 lumens of light output. While the projector is not quite as bright there is better colour saturation, the user can decide which is more important.

The above image is a photo of the Digital Projection presentation and the image below shows the colour wheel module.

Thanks to Phil and Paul for making the trip to Winnipeg and the half day of demonstrations they provided.

Grant

Commercial and Consumer Monitor Differences

Grant's Perspective on ... the differences between professional and consumer monitors.

I am often asked about the difference between equipment that is labeled as professional and consumer. Many clients wonder why they should purchase a professional monitor when they can go to their local big box electronics store and save themselves some money.

I noticed a discussion on this subject on the AV Industry Professionals LinkedIn page. The main points are:

1 - Most professional monitors have a better cooling system than consumer monitors. Most consumer monitors have a passive cooling system and is designed for 3 hours of use at a time. I think this is why my Mom restricted us to 1 hour of TV per day (lol). Professional monitors have a cooling system that enables the monitors to run 24/7.

2 - Professional monitors generally offer more options when integrating multiple monitors together.

3 - Professional monitors can generally be set up in a a portrait format but a consumer monitor with a passive cooling system would not function properly.

4 - Consumer monitor used in a professional setting voids most warranties.

There were also a few comments that not all professional monitors are created equal. The purchaser should beware that just because a monitor is labeled as professional that does not guarantee that the monitor can run 24/7 without fail.

Contacting a reputable AV company is always a good idea.

Grant

AV System Includes the Kitchen Sink!

Grant's Perspective on ... New meaning to "everything but the kitchen sink".

I noticed the Inland AV Rental Technicians noisily working in the shop. When I asked if they were building a house they replied that they were not making a house, just a kitchen. I walked by a few hours later and was shocked to see they had in fact built a working portable kitchen!

All was clear when they explained that we were helping Zellers with a cooking exhibition at the Polo Park Centre Court. Roger Mooking, host of Everyday Exotic on Food Network Canada, worked his culinary  magic for the Saturday afternoon shopping crowd.

I've heard people comment about "they bring everything but the kitchen sink".  Now we have seen an audiovisual system that includes a kitchen sink with hot and cold running water!

Ken

Grant will be back from another week of vacation soon.

Outdoor Rock Speakers

Grant's Perspective on ... landscaping speakers hide your outdoor audio.

Our OWI representative sent us some new literature last week and I noticed the professional landscaping speaker systems. These are great for the entrance to restaurants, lounges, hotels and other hospitality and retail venues. The 200 lb sub-woofer below is concrete reinforced with glass fiber that houses a 12" speaker capable of producing 250 watts of power.Now the audio system can be hidden from view but the audio can help set the ambiance for the venue.

 Now that is rock solid!

Feel free to contact your closest Inland AV location for more information on this and any other professional audio project you need help designing.

Grant

Field Videoconference With Low Bandwidth

Grant's Perspective on ... LibreStream releases low bandwidth field videoconferencing.

Librestream develops portable hand held videoconference systems that stream live video, audio and data over a wireless network (see the photo at the end of the post). Due to the nature of a portable system, bandwidth availability can be a challenge.

When the pipe is wide open, you can share HD video, audio and telestration with remote experts without a worry. But if you are out in the field using a cellular network the amount of available bandwidth depends on the number of people that are drawing on the same cell tower. It is this unreliable bandwidth environment that can cause the call to drop.

Librestream’s Onsight collaboration system now provides an ultra low bandwidth video option and automatically adjusts the call to fit the available pipe. Your call stays connected and your remote expert continues to hear and see uninterrupted video coming from the field. You can also take hi-res pictures, share them with the remote experts and draw on the images to pinpoint problem areas visually.

If you are interested in more information or a demonstration of the Onsight field videoconference system, contact your local Inland AV representative.

Ken, filling in while Grant is on vacation.

Telecommuting: A Part of Business Continuity Planning

Grant's Perspective on ... telecommuting as a part of a business continuity plan.

I have generally thought of telecommuting as a life/work balance tool. The recent article by Government Executive reminds me that telecommuting is a way to keep a business moving forward during unusual circumstances (floods and blizzards from a Manitoba perspective).

People who may telecommute for one or two days a week now have an alternative work plan in place if a major disruption occurs.

Grant

Neil Young Twisted Road - Winnipeg Show

Grant's Perspective on ... Neil Young solo show at  Winnipeg's  Centennial Concert Hall.

Grant is on vacation this week and I've been asked to post while he is enjoying the summer with his family. I attended the Neil Young Twisted Road show last night and wanted to comment on it.

The stage set up was a great mix of old and new technology. The old being the instruments including his "borrowed" Martin D-28 guitar, Les Paul & Gretsch electrics, old beaten upright piano, grand piano, bass pedals and pipe organ. Another acoustic guitar (had an interesting, processed sound) that he played some of his newer still to be released songs. A series of old Fender amps made for some exquisite feedback that Neil wrung out of his electric guitars. His harmonicas (with big glass of water to rinse them out in) rounded out the instrumentation.

The lighting system included old school chandeliers over the pianos, some traditional lighting instruments and effective  LED lighting. Neil was wearing a white coat that reflected the changing colours of the LED foot lights. You can see the panels mounted like audio wedge monitors in front of the mic stand below. The back drop was LED up lighting prop pillars.

Neil used old and new technology and treated the sold out Concert Hall audience to a glimpse into the mind of a genius.

Thank you to Matt (sat beside me at the show) for sending me the photos he snapped with his phone. Another great evolving technology.

Grant will be back next week.

Ken

New Epson Ultra-Portable PL-1700 Series Projector Announced

Grant's Perspective on ... Epson ultra-portable projector announced at InfoComm.

Epson was displaying the new ultra-portable Pl-1700 series projector at InfoComm. This looks like a great unit designed for the "road warrior" who needs a portable projector to work with their laptop or USB drive. The new 1760 projector comes in at less than 4 lbs, 1.7" tall, with 2600 lumens of colour and white light output. That's a lot of output for such a little machine!

The traveling presenter will also appreciate the wireless USB connection between their laptop and the projector avoiding the awkward setting up of the projector in unfamiliar settings (Murphy seems to make the needed distance from the laptop to the projector a foot further than the cable).  The automatic vertical keystone correction feature makes for a quick set up with minimal fuss. Horizontal keystone correction is also included so you don't have to ask the client to move their chair from it's customary position.

Grant

Epson IU-01 Interactive Module Available In October

Grant's Perspective on ... Epson IU-01 will be available in October, 2010.

My July 9th post talked about the Epson IU-01 demonstration at InfoComm. The IU-01 is the interactive part of the Epson BrightLink and enables any projector to become interactive.

I said that I would let everyone know when it would be available. Epson posted a news release yesterday announcing that the IU-01 will be available this October and will be priced at an estimated $599.00 USD.

Grant

HDMI & Cable Run Choice

Grant's Perspective on ... the importance of quality cables and the distance they can effectively carry a signal.

At InfoComm, Kramer was demonstrating the importance of cable choice when using HDMI twisted pair products. Their demonstration showed:

·         Standard CAT5e was only good to just over 100ft. @ 1080P

·         Good quality CAT6 shielded was good to about 150ft. @ 1080P

·         Kramer BC-DGKat623 cable was good to 285ft. @ 1080P

All cables were fed signal from the same HDMI twisted pair transmitter (Kramer PT-571) and receiver (PT-572) set, which were fed from the same Blu-ray player to the same display. The only variable was the cable. The BC-DGKat623 cable uses individually shielded pairs, a larger gauge size (23 AWG) than standard CAT5e or CAT6, and was developed specifically for transmitting digital signals (pictured below). Cable choice with twisted pair digital signals is much more crucial than it is with analog, where standard CAT5e works just fine.

Thank you to Richard from Kramer Canada pictured above at InfoComm, for helping remind me of the technical details for this post.

Grant

IU-01 Interactive Demo At InfoComm

Grant's Perspective on ... IU-01 demonstration at InfoComm.

Epson had a demonstration of the IU-01 at InfoComm. This makes any existing projector interactive. The picture below shows the Epson representative with the infra-red pen doing an elementary school exercise. She gave a short demonstration to show the audience how intuitive and user-friendly the IR pen is and then let her audience try it.

The IU-01 is the same system that is the interactive heart of the BrightLink. It is not for sale at this time so we will stay tuned for a release announcement

BTW - The BrightLink has been getting a warm reception be it at InfoComm or the demonstrations that have been happening at Inland AV locations.

Grant

AMX Previews HDMI Matrix Switcher

Grant's Perspective on ... the AMX HDMI-UTPRO-0808.

AMX was previewing their new HDMI-UTPro 8x8 matrix switcher at InfoComm.

I was impressed with the demonstration and when I decided to post on it, visted the AMX website for a quick review.  I thought the AMX product page overview describes the product well.

" When you need true matrix switching of up to 8 HDMI sources, whether locally or over long distances, the new HDMI-UTPRO Matrix Switching and Distribution Solution is ideal for getting the job done crisply, cleanly and it's fully HDCP compliant. And unlike typical HDMI switchers, AMX HDCP InstaGate® technology allows for HDMI signal switching without delays due to HDCP re-authentication, and eliminates video stream interruption to existing HDMI signal paths."

The photo below shows Marc, our AMX representative, demonstrating the units ability to perform with long cables runs.

 It will be available this fall.

Grant

TANDBERG Telepresence at InfoComm

Grant's Perspective on ... the TANDBERG Telepresence booth at InfoComm.

When I was at InfoComm earlier in June I had the opportunity to visit the TANDBERG booth.  At their booth they had a demo telepresence suite set up, very similar to the one shown below.

One purpose of this was to allow vendors and potential vendors the opportunity to experience telepresense for themselves.  I unfortunately missed the booth tour that was scheduled for Inland AV.  I tried to get in other times but I wasn’t able to get through the crowds.

BUT what I did notice every time I was in the vicinity of the booth was many people coming out of the demo system nodding their heads - they obviously had a very positive experience when attending a meeting in the telepresence environment.  I also watched through the side window and it was also obvious the attendees, from their behavior, were comfortable in the environment and felt it was very easy to communicate.


I was able to demo the EX-90 Personal Telepresence system and it was excellent. I have posted a picture below that Tim took of the EX-90 display.

View the TANDBERG See Hello to Video below

The TANDBERG booth was a perfect example of "Improved Communication from Technology Integration . . .  and a lot of other cool stuff too !"

Grant 

Why is 3D Important?

Grant's Perspective on ... why 3D is important and the need to go big.

2010 has been bursting with the recent development of 3D technology. InfoComm was no different. 3D was everywhere.

I've read some blogs stating that 3D is not a big deal. I put some thought into this while viewing the display booths and have come to the conclusion that for many people 3D is big.

If you work in education, 3D is worth investigating. Anything you would like to learn without actually doing it, is right for 3D, from training photocopier repair technicians, engine assembly, to medical procedures.  The Texas Instrument website has some great background information on 3D in the classroom.

Product development and customization is ready for 3D. People who develop 3D Auto CAD illustrations can now view in stereoscopic form. Be it a widget or a custom virtual tour of a new building, 3D can help speed the product development and approval process.

Exploration can be assisted with the use of 3D. The oil and mining industries perform siesmic exploration and produce accurate 3D maps of the resources under the earth without drilling for samples. Going in the other direction, astronomy is using 3D to better understand space.

3D is happening now, I have personally been involved in several 3D projects in the last year.

I also have been asked how big should a 3D screen be? Larger than a regular monitor because the screen should encompass the viewers peripheral vision. Common 2D thinking recommends that a person should sit 3 times the height of the monitor away. To view 3D you need to be closer so bigger is better.

I'm sure I'll be posting more on 3D so I welcome any questions and comments you have!

Grant

Sharp 60" LCD Monitor With The World's Thinnest Bezel

Grant's Perspective on ... InfoComm and the Sharp video wall.

I was really impressed with the Sharp booth that featured a great looking video wall. It featured the new 60" PN-V601 professional LCD monitors.

·         These SHARP monitors contain:

o   the world's thinnest bezel -  making it a great choice for video wall applications.

o   Full array LED-backlighting

§  provides a bright image in virtually any lighting condition

§  uniform colours (the monitors all look the same) and very even brightness across the screen (there isn’t that darker video area near the edges).  Note below the photo provided by SHARP and the photo I took of the display at the SHARP booth.  The proof is there!

§  LED also provides for low power consumption – a must for video walls that run 24/7 as that is a significant power consumption time. 

·   With the 60-inch screen size, a large wall can be created with fewer monitors. The PN-V601 enables a 13’ x 7’ video wall with the use of just nine monitors, while it would require sixteen 46-inch competitive monitors to produce the same 100 square foot video wall.  And the 3x3 configuration that SHARP uses in this example looks better in my opinion as only 9 monitors appear less cluttered.

“As digital signage and display applications continue to evolve, customers are looking for more energy-efficient products and thinner bezel designs that enable nearly seamless images to be displayed in large video wall configurations,” said Ed McLaughlin, president, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. “The introduction of this ultra-slim bezel, LED-backlit LCD monitor rounds out our comprehensive line of professional displays and offers superior image quality and improved compatibility to serve the needs of the commercial market. The large 60-inch class monitor allows larger size video walls to be created utilizing fewer LCD panels, resulting in increased energy efficiency and lower operating costs.”

Grant

QuadPixel: Seeing It Is Believing

Grant's Perspective on ... seeing the yellow pixel demonstration at InfoComm.

As a follow up to the June 4 post on the Sharp QuadPixel technology, I had a demo of the unit at InfoComm. I am really impressed with the reproduction of the yellow and blue colour spectrum. I was also very surprised at how bright the monitor is. See the picture of the monitor and our Sharp representative Joe below.

I am pleased that Sharp has introduced a Blue Ray player with RS-232 control. This will be welcomed by control system programmers.

I also wanted to send out congratulations to Sharp and their XG-P560W DLP projector for winning the Best Video Projection Product/10K Lumen or Less category.

Grant