Friday, December 7, 2012

Paul McCartney, My Brother & Fireworks

Grant's Perspective on ... Paul McCartney's tour in Canada.

Two interesting notes on the current Paul McCartney tour of Canada.

1 - Like many people, I remember sitting in our living room and watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. My brother recently got to realize this boyhood dream of performing on stage with Paul McCartney. My brother moved to Edmonton many years ago and is now a member of the Edmonton Police Service Pipe and Drum band. They joined McCartney onstage for "Mull of Kintyre". See the Global video interview below.



A few nights later McCartney was in Vancouver in the newly refurbished BC Place stadium. Apparently a measurement was not taken properly and the fireworks scorched the roof. A very embarrassing and costly miscalculation. The YouTube video below clearly shows the fireworks hitting the ceiling!


Grant

Friday, November 16, 2012

Crestron Dock For IPad Mini

Grant's Perspective on ... Crestron announces the imminent release of a docking station for the iPad.

Crestron announced that they will soon have tabletop and in-wall docking stations for the iPad mini. No firm date was given but we are to be on the "lookout for details and availability".

Crestron makes touch screen control systems for both organizations and home AV systems. These controllers can control music, video and videoconferencing systems as well as lighting, window coverings and HVAC systems.They have apps available that enable an iPod to be the AV system controller.

Below is a Crestron YouTube video showing the docking stations for a regular iPad.



Grant

Friday, November 9, 2012

Hitachi CP-AW252WN Ultra-Short Throw Projectot

Grant's Perspective on ... Hitachi's new CP-AW252WN ultra-short throw projector.

Hitachi has released a new WXGA, 2500 lumen ultra-short throw projector that incorporates ImageCare Technology. ImageCare lowers the overall power usage of the projector in several different ways.

ImageCare includes Intelligent Eco and Saver Mode. Intelligent Eco mode allows the projector to sense dark and bright images and automatically lower the power usage of the lamp so that the projected image looks great but with reduced energy consumption. Saver Mode is great for classroom situations. The projector will reduce the power applied to the lamp when an image remains static for a per-determined amount of time. Students focus on the screen as a new slide is projected but after they view it for about 5 - 10 seconds focus on the person lecturing until the next slide appears.

Another new feature is that a table top mount is available so that a desk top can be the projection surface. Add in the Hitachi EZ2-Pen and you now have an interactive table. Great for classrooms!

See the graphic of the imput/output panel below.




Grant

Friday, October 26, 2012

beyerdynamic videoconference microphone comparison

Grant's Perspective on ... beyerdynamic videoconferencing microphone comparison video.

We often get asked about microphone options for videoconference systems.  I came across this YouTube video posted by beyerdynamic. The video provides a comparison and demonstration of  a ceiling-mounted boundary microphone, table-mounted boundary microphone, portable boundary microphone, gooseneck microphone and the new Revoluto line array microphone.

MPR 2012 Revoluto line array microphone


The line array microphone is a new microphone with a corridor pick-up pattern as opposed to a cardiod or omni pick-up pattern. This enables the person seated at the table to act naturally (looking around the room to make eye-contact or lean back in their chair) without the sound quality changing.


Another option to consider for boardroom videoconference microphone applications.

Grant

Friday, October 12, 2012

Sharp Aquos Interactive Board Pensoftware Update

Grant's Perspective on ... Sharp releases Pensoftware Updater patch 2.5 with Touch Display Launcher.


If you have a Sharp Aquos interactive monitor, you will want to download the new software update.  The new Touch Display Launcher application enables you to launch software applications by pen or touch. Applications are displayed on the monitor's desktop and can be rotated to select the application you want to open.







Sharp Product Download Webpage
To download the software: Please follow these steps:



Step 2: Select a resource - Software

Step 3: Select a product Category - Aquos board

Step 4: Select a Product - the model # you have.

Step 5:  Click Search

Step 6  Click Updater 2.5 zip  - this will download the Sharp Pensoftware Updater patch 2.5 with Touch Display Launcher

Please note:  You must have a copy of Pensoftware installed on your PC to take advantage of this update.


Grant

Friday, October 5, 2012

Hitachi EZ Pen: No Batteries Required

Grant's Perspective on ... the Hitachi Link EZ2-Pen, review part 2.

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that Hitachi had released the Link EZ2-Pen that added interactivity to a regular projector. Our friendly Hitachi rep came by our Winnipeg location this week and dropped off our new Link EZ2-Pen system.

I really like the idea that the system only has the one piece digitizer unit and the pen. The digitizer quickly attached magnetically to our demo room whiteboard. The pen works as the mouse for the attached computer and allows for annotation.

The pen does not require batteries. This is great as it reduces the cost of ownership but more importantly it is hard to break the pen when compared to devices that have a battery because they contain other electronics that can be broken. The cost of replacing a pen that goes missing is much less than an electronic device going astray. The pen works as an infrared mirror that reflects back to the module. See the close up of the pen below. The reflective area is clearly visible.

digitizer and pen


close up of the pen
The system also comes with the StarBoard software so creating or sourcing great interactive lessons is a snap.

Give us a call if you want to try it out!

Grant

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

SpeechJammer Wins the Ig Nobel Prize

Grant's Perspective on ... the SpeechJammer winning an Ig Nobel Prize.

I was amused to see that two Japanese researchers won an Ig Noble Prize this week at a presentation at Harvard University. The SpeechJammer records a person talking up to 30 meters away and then sends their speech back at them, with a 0.2 second delay. This causes the person speaking to stutter and then stop speaking.



The YouTube video below was posted by Kazutaka Kurihara, he silences noisy students in a study hall and during a professor's lecture. He has suggested that his device could be used as a speaker timer to stop people from speaking too long at the podium. I could not imagine the embarrassment of being "SpeechJammed".

I can think of a few instances where I could make use of this ...

Grant

Friday, September 21, 2012

New Hitachi Portable Unit Makes Projectors Interative

Grant's Perspective on ... Hitachi's new Link EZ2-Pen.

Hitachi has launched the new Link EZ2-Pen unit that turns a regular projector into an interactive unit. The pens, which do not require a battery to operate, reflect the infrared signal emitted by the digitizer unit. The digitizer is mounted by a magnet so it is easily transported to different locations and easily stored.


It is great to see another option for people that want to make existing projectors interactive.

Grant

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Furniture Racks For the Boardroom

Grant's Perspective on ... racks that are built for the boardroom, not the server room.

Middle Atlantic is one of Inland AV's suppliers of racks and they have introduced rack furniture that fits in with the boardroom. The Middle Atlantic racks are functional as well as looking great.

The YouTube video below outlines the features in the RFR Reference Series Furniture Rack. These boardroom racks are available in 12 different finishes so that they blend in with the room's decor. A great way to hide AV technology in plain sight.



Grant

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

London LED Lighting Olympics

Grant's Perspective on ... LED lighting stand out at the 2012 Olympics.

I watched some of the Olympics and could not help but be impressed by the use of LED lighting. From the LED panels wired to every seat in the Olympic Stadium, the use in the ceremonies on David Beckham's boatSpice Girls cars and "doves" riding bikes to London's landmark architecture.

LED lights up the stadium seating area


releasing the "doves" with LED wing lighting
 It will be interesting to see if the use of LED lighting in architecture and gala events will surge as a result of this Olympic exposure.

Grant

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Coca-cola's Interactive Oylmpic Park Pavilion

Grant's Perspective on ... the Coca-Cola Olympic Beat Box building.

I've been looking online for some cool Olympic AV installations and the Coca-Cola Park Pavilion qualifies. The pavilion is made up of large plastic pillows and some of them trigger lights and sounds when touched by visitors. The sounds of sport (shoes squeaking, heartbeats and arrows hitting targets) are mixed into the Anywhere in the World song. People get to remix the song and interact with the pavilion while they walk the 200' to the lookout view of the Olympic Games site.


I look forward to tomorrow's opening games ceremony for some audiovisual WOW.

Grant

Friday, July 6, 2012

Bose L1 Audio Systems Defies Feedback!

Grant's Perspective on ... the new Bose portable array audio system suppresses feedback.

Bose has introduced the L1 Audio Systems and our friendly Bose representative Martin delivered a system to our office and did a demonstration. The system is very portable and has the great, rich, room filling sound that we have come to expect from Bose. The sound of Steely Dan filled our warehouse for a few minutes and then it was time for a microphone test.

Martin reviewed the ToneMatch features such as the 4 channel mixer, reverb, delays and other audio processing and ToneMatch presets. Martin also demonstrated the microphone presets. The ToneMatch includes downloadable presets which include the most popular microphone makes and models.
Speaker arrays reduce feedback by design and this system did not feedback even with the microphone less than 1 foot from the speakers. Martin did a sound test with and without using the SM58 preset. Without the preset in place, some feedback was heard when the microphone was placed directly inn front of the speakers. With the preset in place, there was no feedback.

ToneMatch Audio Engine


Bose L1 Model II Single Bass Package with ToneMatch Audio Engine
What does this mean? This is a well performing, well sounding system and reliable system, that anyone can setup. Call your local Inland AV representative for a demonstration of the Bose L1 Audio system.

Grant

Friday, June 29, 2012

Mobile Rear Projection Whiteboard

Grant's Perspective on ... Da-lite's new rear projection whiteboard cart for interactive projectors.

Da-Lite has introduced the IDEA Interactive Cart (a new mobile whiteboard cart designed for use with interactive projectors). The cool feature is that the ultra-short throw projector is mounted to the back side of the cart so that the whiteboard becomes a rear projection screen. This eliminates the shadows caused by someone standing between the projector and screen.

I look forward to the opportunity to get my hands on this and try it out.

Grant

Friday, June 22, 2012

New Hitachi Energy Saving Projectors

Grant's Perspective on ... the new Hitachi ImageCare lamp power control function.

Hitachi has introduced a new lamp power control function that will lower the total cost of ownership, save on electricity consumption and lengthen lamp life. It does this in two new ways: Intelligent Eco mode and Saver Mode.

Intelligent Eco automatically adjusts the power to the lamp depending on the brightness of the images being projected. This can lead to a 35 - 70% less energy being consumed.

Saver Mode reduces the amount of power when a screen has a static slide shown for a length of time. The thinking is that people watch the slide as it changes, read the slide and then not view the slide until it changes. In a classroom, a teacher would advance the slide and then talk about the slide. he students would read the slide and then focus on the teacher until the slide is changed. This can save up to 48% of electricity consumption. The user can set how long a slide will remain at full power before the projector reduces the power.



 Grant

Friday, June 15, 2012

Hide AV Equipment In a Credenza

Grant's Perspective on ... hiding boardroom AV equipment in a credenza.

There are many impressive looking boardrooms that are blemished by audiovisual equipment and wiring. Often the AV equipment can be racked in a credenza so that the boardroom aesthetics can be maintained.  Middle Atlantic makes credenzas that are specifically made for AV equipment. The credenza fits around the rack. It is designed for ease of cable management and proper equipment ventilation.

The rack is put in place, equipment is installed and cabled and then the credenza doors, sides and counter top are installed.

See the YouTube video below for a quick look.




Contact us for more information on how to design your boardroom audiovisual system that will match the look of the room.

Grant

Friday, June 8, 2012

New Music Fees For Canadian Events

Grant's Perspective on ... new music fees for Canadian events.

The Copyright Board of Canada recently introduced fees for using music in live events. This includes events such as parades, weddings (fees with or without dancing), conventions and other events. Business's like restaurants, bars (extra for karaoke) and gyms will also be required to pay these fees. Re:Sound is the organization that will be collecting the fees.

These new fees are in addition to the current Socan fees. Socan fees are collected on behalf of composers and publishing companies. Re:Sound will collect fees on behalf of musicians and recording companies.

The Copyright Board of Canada has posted a copy of the Sound Tariff. The chart below (from the Copyright Board of Canada document) is for calculating recorded music fees for "receptions, conventions, assemblies and fashion shows".

Fee Structure for receptions, conventions, assemblies and fashion shows

I suggest that anyone that puts on events, look at the sound Tariff and understand what it means to their event planning.

Grant

Friday, June 1, 2012

Chief eBeam Makes Sharp Monitors Interactive

Grant's Perspective on ... eBeam integrates with Sharp monitors.

I reviewed the Chief eBeam back in February. One of the issues with the system was that you needed to use a  monitor that was designed so that the screen glass could withstand the constant touching.

There are several Sharp monitors that have a protective layer on their glass, making the eBeam an option to make the monitor interactive. The Sharp model PN-E521P, PN-E471RP and the PN-E421P have an approved protective coating.


More options are always a good thing.

Grant

Friday, May 25, 2012

Sharp Timeline: Calculators to 108" Monitors

Grant's Perspective on ... a visual history of Sharp Electronics and their new 90" monitor release.

I noticed a neat graphic that displays the history of Sharp Electronics on their website. I got a real good chuckle seeing the 1989 vintage LCD projector.

Sharp 
screen capture from Sharp electronics website

Sharp has also announced the LC-90LE745U 90" commercial monitor will be available soon. The Sharp Viewmongous campaign.



Grant

Friday, May 18, 2012

Ladibug Document Camera Goes 3D

Grant's Perspective on ... Lumens 3D document camera.

We have seen many 3D monitors and projectors in the last few years so it is great to see some 3D devices such as the Lumens Ladibug 3D. This stereoscopic document camera can work in 2D as well as 3D.
Ladibug 3D photo from Lumens website



This would be a great tool to have in a science class.

Grant

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Hologram Videoconference Development At Queen's University

Grant's Perspective on ... 3D hologram telepods at Queen's University.

Holographs are certainly in the news. Professor Roel Veregall, Queen's University, Human Media Lab will unveil the TeleHuman and BodiPod at CHI 2012 in Austin Texas this week.

They report that the life-sized cylinders create 3D life sized images so that videoconference participants can stand directly in front of the person they are talking to.

See the Queen's University  YouTube video below or view this video and more at the Queen's webpage.



A further example of things envisioned on Star Trek.

Grant

Monday, April 30, 2012

Walk-in Telemedicine

Grant's Perspective on ... telemedicine now available for Ottawa walk-in patients.

As a supplier of Cisco and Polycom videoconference solutions, I am always interested in new, innovative uses of technology. Telemedicine is not new but  I did notice a CBC report on an Ottawa walk-in clinic that offers patients the option of videoconferencing with doctors in Toronto. Obviously not an option in all cases but there are many times it is viable.


Grant

Friday, April 27, 2012

Get Your Own Microphone - Audio Technica Humour

Grant's Perspective on ... Audio Technica's "Get your own mic" campaign.

I came across this new "Get Your Own Mic" campaign from Audio Technica. These two YouTube videos will hit home to anyone who has ever performed at an open mic night or used a club PA system.





I feel like I need to shower and brush my teeth (twice) after watching those videos.

Grant

Friday, April 20, 2012

Tupac Hologram and Telepresence

Grant's Perspective on ... Tupac hologram creator Musion Systems also creates telepresence holograms.

The Musion Systems and Digital Domain creative Tupac holograms at the Coachella 2012 Music and Arts Festival are driving tons of traffic to YouTube.

I also noticed that Musion Systems has been working with Polycom to produce holograms that are a part of a telepresence conference.

It is great to see them involved in both the entertainment world and business communications. 3D imaging is usually seen as an entertainment tool (that catches all the headlines) but I see the day-to-day use of 3D growing which will change the way we work.

Grant

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Google Glasses

Grant's Perspective on ... Communications of the future through Google Glasses.

We have had a recent burst of videos painting a glorious future through the use of technology. We had Corning show us their vision of glass in the future with their two videos "A Day Made of Glass" and "A Day Made of Glass 2". Now we have Google researchers telling us we will all soon be "wired" (or is it un-wired?) while we walk around our everyday life, talking to our glasses, tracking friends, checking in, snapping photos and setting reminders. See the Project Glass YouTube video below.


 Beam me up Scotty!

Grant

Thursday, March 22, 2012

BrightLink Information and Resources

Grant's Perspective on ... the updated BrightLink website.

Epson has updated the information on their BrightLink website which outlines the six new BrightLink projectors (3 ultra-short throw & 3 short throw projectors).  It offers support information such as case studies, downloadable drivers, videos and webinar seminars. I also like the inclusion of "Cool Free Tools" links that allow you to explore websites that provide interactive content which can be added to a lesson.


Grant

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