Last weeks short blog post on hiding cables was straight forward - keep cables out of sight. This post is about what I call making a "clean" installation.
For example, take the basic ceiling mounted projector installation. The projector becomes a fixture within the room once it's installed. I strongly believe it's important any additional peripherals take the same route and become "built into" the room. An audio system (amplifier and speakers) are common AV peripherals included on many projector installations.
Utilizing a very small sized but powerful amplifier that can be tucked up onto the projector mount hardware eliminates a wall mounted audio rack within the room, or a mixer amp placed haphazardly on a table, filing cabinet or hidden in a credenza under the coffee mugs.
There are many options when selecting speakers. A pair of speakers can be wall mounted on either side of the screen, one or more flush-mounted speaker(s) in the ceiling, or a speaker designed to look like a ceiling tile (usually used in boardrooms for aesthetics). These speakers are all driven from the small amp located on the projector mount and therefore the cables are also hidden above the ceiling. See a photo of a ceiling tile speaker below.
Another neat & tidy peripheral is a simple control system. The keypad and controller are both housed as a single device and is flush mounted in the wall similar to a light switch. The controller eliminates the need for the projector's remote control (which ultimately gets lost) making it easy for presenters to locate the controller on the wall and take control of the primary control functions: projector ON/OFF, input selection (COMPUTER, DVD, LAPTOP, etc), VOLUME UP / DOWN; and perhaps a few more: VIDEO MUTE or SCREEN UP / DOWN. They may even perform an auto-shut down of the projector and more sophisticated systems can control lighting and HVAC. This saves lamp life and energy - how green is that?! See a picture of a simple Extron wall plate style controller below.
These inexpensive solutions both contribute to a "clean" installation. Basically nothing is loose in the room. You could remove all the furniture to create an entirely empty room yet still have a presentation!
Grant
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