Dalite IDEA Screen - Projection Screen Whiteboard

Grant's Perspective on ... the projection screen that doubles as a whiteboard.

Usually you find whiteboards that double as a projection screen. The Dalite IDEA Screen turns this "idea" around by developing a projection screen that also doubles as a whiteboard.

The IDEA Screen is a proper projection surface featuring a 2.5 gain and 25° viewing half angle, which seems like more. The projection coating also diffuses the light so there is no glare or hot spotting and the brightness is uniform across the entire screen surface. It is also an amazingly simple to erase dry erase marker board, but a proper projection surface first.

There are many iterations of it, standard, thin bezel, panoramic and magnetic. Any size is available, limited only to 4’ tall (46” viewable due to frame). I really like the panoramic model that is available in 12', 14' and 16' widths. The center of the screen is a 16:9 or 16:10 projection area and the side areas are available as a whiteboard space so a projector can be used simultaneously with collaborative brain storming.

This is a screen to consider when projection is the top priority and  a whiteboard is a secondary use.

Grant

 

New Shure Wireless Microphone BLX & GLX-D Series

Grant's Perspective on ... the new Shure wireless BLX and GLX-D microphone series is great for schools.

Shure has recently introduced two new  microphone series that I can see as being attractive to the education market. Both systems are available with a choice of hand held mic, lavalier mic, head set or instrument input models.

The BLX  series has up to 16 different channels so multiple microphones can used simultaneously in different classrooms. The BLX microphones also have a great price point (contact us for a quote).

The GLX-D series microphones are available with 8 different channels and come with a rechargeable battery. The body pack system also includes a guitar receiver that mounts on guitar pedal boards and includes a guitar tuner.

See the GLX-D video below.



Grant

SMART Software Now Available With BrighLinks

Grant's Perspective on ... the SMART software now available with Epson BrightLink interactive projectors.

Here is some news many clients will find exciting.

But first, go back a few steps...

Years ago Epson came out with a line of projectors called Brightlink.  They are bright!  They are widescreen!  They are interactive!

Whether used in education or assisting to increase productivity in business, this ultimate solution has been very VERY popular.  Thinking more about this I realized I have never heard a negative remark about these state-of-the art workhorse interactive projectors.  We have these units installed in schools everywhere, training rooms, emergency operations, offices, corporate boardrooms.... such a variety of ways these are utilized!

No wonder Epson is the #1 selling projector brand worldwide and the Brighlink line is the #1 line of interactive projectors worldwide.

Now the news:

Just recently SMART announced their agreement with Epson to license SMART Notebook software for use with Epson BrightLink interactive projectors. 

Major advantage for all who just love their Epson Brightlink!

This means that teachers who have developed curriculum content with the SMART Notebook software can use the Epson BrightLink projectors instead of the SMART electronic whiteboards.

And, no waiting.  This has already started as of a few days ago on October 1^st

For more information please view the Inland AV news article.

Grant

Using Software On Interactive Aquos Display

Grant's Perspective on ... YouTube videos on using third party software with the Sharp interactive Aquos monitor.

Our Sharp representative sent me some links to YouTube tutorial videos outlining how to use PowerPoint, GoToMeeting and Splashtop when displaying and interacting with a Sharp Aquos board. The interactive Aquos monitors have been very popular in boardrooms, training facilities and classrooms so more and more people will be interested in getting the most from their display.

Getting More From Microsoft PowerPoint




GoToMeeting

 

Splashtop

Was David Roentgen a Crestron Programmer?

Grant's Perspective on ... David Roentgen's secret drawers and moving cabinets included easels.

My brother sent me a link to The Metropolitan Museum of Art website and the Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet YouTube video (posted below). While David Roentgen (1743-1807) obviously was not a Crestron programmer, I certainly was intrigued by his cabinet. You push or pull a knob and a series of hidden compartments would be revealed. When I saw an easel appear, I laughed and thought that this guy was into multimedia!

Enjoy the YouTube video below as we close out August and start September with a long weekend to say goodbye to the summer of 2013.




Grant

Sharp Aquos Interactive Touchscreen Training Video

Grant's Perspective on ... the new Sharp Aquos monitor training video.

Sharp has posted a good training video that will be of value to anyone who uses this technology. We have been installing these monitors in boardrooms, training facilities and classrooms and the clients love them.

Youtube Training video below


Grant

Music Reduces Pain & Distress in Pediatric ER

Grant's Perspective on ... music found to reduce pain and distress in the emergency room.

William Congreve famously wrote "Music has charms to soothe a savage breast" back in 1697. University of Alberta researchers have published their results in JAMA Pediatrics Music to Reduce Pain and Distress in Pediatric Emergency Department that back this up.

The research shows that children report less pain from the insertion of an IV when they are distracted by music.

I think it would be great to install sound systems in hospital ER's to help reduce the suffering of patients.

Grant

PowerCool - AC and Cooling in One Rack Space

Grant's Perspective on ... the new Middle Atlantic AC power distribution and cooling solution that takes one rack space.

There is only so much space in a rack so it is great to see a single rack space unit that can take care of power distribution and rack cooling functions when the rack gets crowded (and hot) with other components.

Enjoy the Canada Day long weekend and keep cool.

Grant

Sharp Aquos Board Wins Best Interactive/ Video Whiteboard Award

Grant's Perspective on ... the Sharp Aquos Board winning the best interactive/video whiteboard award from Commercial Integrator.

We have been installing a ton of the Sharp Aquos Boards and are not surprised to see that Commercial Integrator magazine announced that the Aquos Board won the best interactive/video whiteboard at InfoComm last week.

Here is a photo of a recent classroom installation of 3 interactive Aquos Boards.

Grant

Internet of Everything Worth $14,000,000,000,000.00

Grant's Perspective on ... a Cisco white paper valuing the "Internet of Everything" at 14 trillion dollars.

I do a lot of AV system programming and internet connectivity has saved me many hours of travel and my employer the cost of the time and travel, which in turn saves our clients money. Most times I can work at my office and connect to the AV system in our client's location to update their system programming.

Cisco has published a white paper saying that the Internet of Everything has over 14 trillion dollars at stake in connecting people-to-people, people-to-things and things-to-things together. I thought it was great to be home at 5:30 to have dinner with my family but Cisco sure puts a huge value to the future "Internet of Everything".

Grant

BrightLink Pro Split Screen Function

Grant's Perspective on ... the Epson BrightLink Pro 1410Wi interactive projector.

Epson recently added the BrightLink Pro 1401Wi to the BrightLink line-up.

The BrightLink projectors have been the go-to projector for the education market and the 1410Wi model will be equally at home in the boardroom and meeting room.

The split screen feature is the coolest feature for business. It is ready for videoconferencing with one portion of the screen showing the video conference end point participants and the other side of the screen displaying the shared screen information from a tablet or laptop. Split Screen can also be a part of collaborative meetings as two devices can be displayed side-by-side.

BrightLink Pro Split Screen For Video Conferences

The 1410Wi also has all the interactive features that the BrightLinks are renowned for. See the Epson BrightLink Pro video overview below. Note that the Chief All-in-One System reviewed last week is shown in the video (15 second and 56 second mark)



Enjoy the May long weekend!

Grant

All-in-One System For BrightLink Pro

Grant's Perspective on ... Chief's  new All-in-One System for mounting the Epson BrightLink Pro in a conference room.

With the introduction of the Epson BrightLink Pro 1410Wi,  Chief has identified a need to aesthetically mount the projector for the boardroom, corporate training facility and conference room.

The system includes the IDEA projection screen that minimizes projector hot spots and also serves as a dry erase board. The mounting system allows cables to be hidden behind the screen but do not have to be run behind the walls. There is also a valance that hides the projector and projector cabling from view.  The valance and trim are available in 3 colours (cherry, aluminum and teak) to better match the room.

And with it being a Chief product, you know it is easy to install and adjust!

Grant

Touch Screen Boardroom CollaborativeTables

Grant's Perspective on ... great new boardroom sized tables for interactive collaborative meetings.

At Inland AV, we are seeing more and more applications of interactive monitors and projectors in boardrooms, training facilities and classrooms. The boardroom table photo below is a great example of a boardroom table suited for collaborative sessions.

The table is available in 6', 8' and 10' lengths and you can choose from 11 different colours and finishes. The table includes a surge protected power bar as well as a quiet cooling fan. There are several table shapes and is available in 2 heights: sitting around the table or standing height.

Building the touch-screen display (up to 65") into the table keeps the look of the room clean as all cabling (and space for a computer) is contained inside the table stand locking cabinet.

Grant

My iPhone Talks To My Building And My Building Talks Back

Grant's Perspective on ... the AMX TPC-Apple application that lets me talk to my building and my building talks back to me.

I posted a blog a while ago on the Internet of Everything and wanted to post an example from AMX (audiovisual system control hardware and software). The AMX authorized touch panel application for mobile devices (for remote access to system in addition to wired controller) is TPC-Apple. TPC-Apple enables users to control their AV systems from their iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone to control office HVAC system, lighting, cameras, projectors and videoconference systems.

One of the TPC-Apple application features is that you can use your voice to send commands to the system. The text below was lifted from the AMX website and is a great example of the Internet of Everything as you can talk to your building (instead of another person) and the building can act on your commands and tell you that they have been executed.

VoiceControl - Using Speech-to-Text and Text-to-Speech functionality within TPControl allows you to talk to your control system and have it talk to you. For example, you say "Turn the entry lights on" and TPControl initiates the command and replies "The entry lights are on" when completed

BTW - We (Inland AV) are an AMX dealer and are available to talk to you about your AV system design and integration.

Grant

Epson Pro G Series Projectors Coming Soon

Grant's Perspective on ... the new Epson Pro G series of projectors.

Epson has sent us some information on the new Pro G series projectors that will start shipping next week. They have some really cool specs:

• 4,500 - 7,000 lumens (with one lamp)
• Edge blending capabilities
• Corner wall support (project a square image onto a wall corner)
• HDMI, display port inputs and two of the models with HDBaseT connectivity
• Split screen capability

 What I like is the split screen function. This will be great for videoconferencing. One screen will display the participants in the videoconference and the other screen can display data from a laptop, PC or other device.

Can't wait to get my hands on a demo unit and try it out.

Grant

HItachi MS-1WL Wireless Switcher Scaler Now Available

Grant's Perspective on ... the Hitachi MS-1WL 1080p wireless switcher, scaler is now available.

The Hitachi MS-1WL is finally released. We have been waiting for the last couple of months as this new wireless unit received the required bureaucratic approvals.

The unit has tons of inputs: 4 HDMI, 2 computers, USB and Lan connectors. It also has good old RCA video and audio inputs for those times when archived VHS tapes need to be viewed!

All these inputs can be connected at one time and the user can choose which input is to be displayed. The signal is sent via WHDI wireless technology to the projector.

Hitachi has posted a great overview on YouTube. See the video below.


Grant

Sharp Introduces Pro 90" LCD Monitor

Grant's Perspective on ... the new Sharp PN-R903 LCD monitor.

I have noticed that many organizations have embraced large monitors for their boardrooms, training facilities and in digital signage applications. I expect this trend to continue with the new  Sharp 90" professional monitor.

This 90" display is lightweight (75 kg) and narrower than previous monitors so that it can be mounted in areas that previously were not possible.

The PN-R903 includes more inputs than previous Sharp monitors. This is great as we often had to include the PNZB01 expansion board in many of our systems designs.

As the photo below illustrates, a 90" monitor set up in portrait mode is 6' 5" high and enables life-sized graphics to be displayed.

Grant

Interavctive Short Throw Mount By Chief

Grant's Perspective on ... Chief interactive short-throw mount.

Our Chief representative brought the new interactive short throw mount to a training session for new Inland AV staff members. This is designed to mount a regular short throw projector and the mount adds interactive technology.  Great for organizations that currently own short throw projectors. With four throw length ranges, you can even use a regular throw projector to achieve an 80” diagonal screen

While the mount is designed to be mounted on a wall, we temporarily set the mount and ultra-short throw projector on a table, and used the table surface as the interactive area.

Click here for more information on Chief interactive mounts.

Grant

Sharp Introduces 20" Multi-Touch Monitor

Grant's Perspective on ... the LL-S201A, 20",  HD, multi-touch monitor will be shipping next month (March, 2013).

The monitor will recognize 10 touch points at one time and will work with both fingers and a 2 mm tip touch pen and is Windows 8 compatible. A neat feature is the 180 degree rotate icon that will enable quick flipping of the image when working face-to-face with people across a table. No turning the monitor.

The photo below shows the monitor with the 75 degree stand that is suited for using the monitor as a PC display. It can also be propped up at a 10 degree angle for writing and typing with an on-screen keyboard and can also lay flat, so that several people can view at once.

Sharp LL-S201A Multi-Touch Monitor

The monitor has a  listed maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 and feature 15.4 mm bezel, 25 mm at its thickest point and weighs 2.3 kg.

For more information on interactive monitors contact your closest Inland AV location.

Grant

BrightLink 485Wi Wins Projector Central Shootout

Grant's Perspective on ... Projector Central rates the Epson BrightLink 485Wi the best in their Interactive Projector Shootout.

Epson BrightLink 485Wi Interactive Projector

Projector Central is a respected website that is a good source of information to review and compare projectors. I noticed they recently conducted an Interactive Projector Shootout and the Epson Brightlink 485W1 was rated #1.

They summarize the findings, saying "The Epson 485Wi comes in first in most categories, with the best video image quality, brightest interactive image, best audio system, and more. It even edges out the DLP projectors on interactive features, thanks to its automatic calibration and its ability to work with two pens at once.

If you are in Western Canada (Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon or Winnipeg) and would like more information or a demonstration, contact us at Inland AV.

Grant

Drop of Water Begins a Chain Reaction

Grant's Perspective on ... a Drop of Water Begins a Chain Reaction: a Dave Evans blog post.

I recently viewed the Dave Evens, Cisco, Chief Futurist's blog. As the "Chief Futurist" Dave has been talking about the "the Internet of Everything". I really liked his "A Drop of Water Begins a Chain Reaction" post as it clearly illustrates the chain of events we can anticipate in the future. Cisco created a nice graphic that walks through an example of how the "Internet of Everything" could react to rain: construction companies, corporate events, soccer practice, traffic flow and agriculture.

Grant

Video Monitor That Bends

Grant's Perspective on ... APG flexible monitor at the Inland AV shows.

I have further reviewed the list of AV manufacturers that will be displaying at  our trade show next week in Winnipeg (January 18) and Edmonton (February 8).  I am excited to see the APG display. It looks to be an impressive booth that will include a bezel-less video wall, outdoor monitor (we are talking for MB, SK and AB Canada) and a video monitor that bends so that it will wrap around pillars.

monitor that is flexible!

video wall without bezels

 Grant

Wireless Switcher From Hitachi

Grant's Perspective on the Hitachi MS-1 Multifunction Switcher.

We have an event in Winnipeg (January 18) and Edmonton (February 8) and I'm really looking forward to seeing the new MS-1 Multifunction Switcher. It is so new we do not have any information as it has not been approved for sale by the US Government (wireless regulations).

All I have is the text that our friendly Hitachi rep sent:

Hitachi's MS-1 Multifunction Switcher

• Ten inputs selctor - 4 HDMI, 2 USB, 2 Computer, Video and LAN. Plus additonal connections on back panel.
• Simple installation by one HDMI cable
• Can be used wired - MS-1 or wireless - MS-1WL w/receiver
• Full HD via wireless version 

I can't wait to see it in action!

Grant