Crestron InfoComm Booth Monitors

Grant's Perspective on ... unique video wall configuration at the Crestron booth.

Crestron was another company showing creativity with their video display at InfoComm 2011. The previous blog was the Samsung video towers and now I wanted to post images of the unique monitor configuration in the Crestron booth. 

Here are pics of the main signage display at the Crestron booth.  I was intrigued by how they used the monitors tilted and interlocked.  Impressive!

You can see two logos starting to appear

the logo has grown

I took a handful of pics of various displayed images.   In the second pic you can see a logo in the centers, then it got larger until it filled the entire screen.  Imagine what it takes for the video wall processors to accomplish this.

In the next blog I’ll show how creative the producers at Sea World got with their video displays.  Should be inspiring!

Grant

Video Towers At Samsung InfoComm Booth

Grant's Perspective on ...the cool video towers at the Samsung InfoComm booth.

InfoComm 2011 displayed some impressive creativity put into various video displays.  I’d like to show some examples in my next few posts.  

Here are pics of the video towers at the Samsung booth.  It looked impressive from all sides, all views.  You couldn’t miss it!

I took a handful of pics of various displayed images so you can better see how cool this is.  Keep in mind these are still shots so I can’t show the movement, but you’ll get the idea.  It’s cool to see the video wall processors work their magic.

In the next blog I’ll show how Crestron uses the video monitors at an angle and interlocked with each other.   After that, the video displays at Sea World!

Contact us at Inland AV if you’re looking for displays for that wow factor impression.

Grant

Grant's Perspective on ... the green Laser Phosphor Display.

A few years ago the popular buzz word was "Green".  Green this and green that to save energy for a better planet.  Lots of chatter but not a tremendous amount of substance. But after the 2011  InfoComm I feel confident that some new products really are green. 

Prysym video walls – see photo of the huge video wall – the technology is lasers and the entire wall operates with less power than a regular hairdryer.  

I wish everyone a happy Canada Day and look forward to the July 1 long weekend. After the weekend I'm going to start packing my office as we are moving into a new building in July.

Grant

70" Sharp Monitor At InfoComm

Grant's Perspective on ... the new  Sharp LC-70LE732U LED LCD TV

One of the new products that generated big buzz at Infocomm was the 70" monitor at the Sharp booth. I left with the specifications but what stood out in my mind was 70" LED monitor for MSRP of $3899.00 Canadian! See the photo below that I took at the show and the Sharp YouTube advertisement.

 

 

I will post more pictures from InfoComm next week!

Grant

AMX Introduces 20" Touch Screen AV System Controller

Grant's Perspective on ... the widescreen touchscreen for controlling boardroom audiovisual systems.

I'm down in hot and humid Orlando as a part of the Inland AV contingent attending InfoComm 2011.

One of the items that caught my eye was the new AMX  20.3" Modero X Series Panoramic Table Top Touch Panel. This looks like a great solution for a boardroom requires a control system to include videoconferencing screens and lots of other control screens open simultaneously. Below is a photo I snapped at the AMX booth.

I was also intrigued by the Hitachi stacked projectors. They were promoting the idea of using two 4,000 Lumen projectors instead of one 8,000 lumen projector.

I will follow up with more detail once I return home to Winnipeg.

Grant

U2 360 Tour A Riggers Dream

Grant's Perspective on ... U2 360 Tour is a rigger's dream.

Last week I posted a photo of the U2 stage set up for the Winnipeg concert. I attended the show and snapped a couple of photos that would be of interest to riggers. Riggers are the people that mount audio systems and video screens into ceilings and truss. Riggers play a major role in setting up rock shows and are also an important part of Inland AV's staff.

The photo below shows 3 follow spot operators being hoisted into a leg of the "Claw" about 20 minutes before the show. Once they were in place they were hardly noticeable.

The next 2 photos below show a foot from the "Claw", one taken out in the parking lot and the second with it set up, supporting the "Claw". It’s a good indication of how huge this structure really is.

 

 

The last photo captures the video screen expanding so that it almost touches the stage. You can see the band under the screen to provide an idea of the size of the stage and video screen. A lot of people did not see that coming (the video screen expanded like an accordion)and as a result the fans were blown away. Now that's a cool use of technology.

BTW - With the U2 show finished I am looking forward to InfoComm!

Grant

U2 360 Tour Setting Up In Winnipeg

Grant's Perspective on ... the rock-n-roll circus stops in Winnipeg.

One could not help but notice that the U2 360 Tour is in Winnipeg this Sunday.  Early this week a huge convoy moved into the parking lot at Canad Inn Stadium.

They have been hard at work setting up what I'm sure will be a very impressive stage. It is amazing the amount of work it takes to design and build the set, never mind the organization and work that it takes to set up in every city of the tour.

While the U2 tour is far removed from the corporate boardroom, they do have much in common. The audience in both environments expect to be able to clearly hear and see the presentation. The PowerPoint presentation and videoconference needs to happen as quickly and smoothly as Bono and the boys put on their extravaganza.

I remember TV commercials that were 1 minute long before the advent of MTV and newspapers had articles that were long.  The expectations are much different today. Everyone demands that the visuals are bright and crisp. The audio must be clear. Transitions must be quick and flawless.

The boardroom and training facility audiovisual system has to be well designed, user-friendly and perform on demand just like my expectations for a spectacle that U2's 360 Tour will bring to Winnipeg this weekend.

Here is a time lapse video of the same stage being set up.



Grant

InfoComm 2011: The Center Of IT All

Grant's Perspective on ... InfoComm 2011

The InfoComm website tells me that there are 26 days until the annual pro AV industry show.  I will be making my annual pilgrimage to the June 13 - 17 show that is being held in Orlando. They have 950 exhibitors and over 300 seminars planned with over 32,000 delegates registered.

We expect to see the latest advancements in 3D, unified collaborative conferencing, digital signage and interactive technology.  I was talking to our Sharp rep (Joe) yesterday and he said there should be a new PN-L601B 60" touchscreen on display. The 60" touchscreen was a hit at our Open House event last January. I would love to talk more about the increased interactivity but Joe made me promise not to let the details out ahead of the show.

I will try to see as much as possible and post my thoughts on what is happening.




Grant

StarBoardLink Makes a Dry Erase Board Interactive

Grant's Perspective on ... the new interactive Hitachi StarBoardLink.

Hitachi has long been a part of the interactive market with their StarBoard series of interactive whiteboards. They have now brought the StarBoardLink to market.

The StarBoardLink is a good fit for the teacher that already has a projector and a smooth hard surface (standard whiteboard or wall) and would like to make their classes interactive, on a budget. This is the same technology as the Hitachi StarBoard but now without the board.

The StarBoardLink has an Infrared Image Sensor that is mounted at the top of the surface. The reflective bars are then mounted in a U shape around the Infrared Image Sensor.

The Infrared Sensor  is pre-drilled so that it can easily be permanently mounted at the top of your hard surface. With the sensor being mounted at the top of the surface it would be a good solution for rooms that have very low ceilings.

The interactive area is scalable. it can be set up with a 4:3 ratio ( 45" - 77") and the HD 16:10 ratio can be 45" - 90".

This adds another option for people that have been looking at interactive whiteboards or some of the other interactive systems such as the Hitachi iP-AW250N interactive projector and the Epson BrightLink and BrightLink Solo.

I have just read the StarBoardLink literature and look forward to getting my hands on the unit and putting it through some hands on testing.

Grant

PowerLite Pilot Connection and Control Box

Grant's Perspective on ... Epson's new PowerLite Pilot Connection and Control Box.

Epson has introduced an easy-to-use AV system controller to help teachers keep AV technology organized. With many classrooms using projectors and audio systems with computers, DVD players, document cameras and iPods a controller system is a good addition to the AV system.

The Pilot mounts on the wall and comes with a cover to help protect it and keep the cables in place.  

I'm intrigued by the "Use as an extension box — expand the range of your cables for added flexibility" point on the Epson product website. I'm assuming this means that the Pilot works as a USB extender. This is a great feature as USB cables only work when the length of the cable run is short. I look forward to getting my hands on the unit and testing it out.

The photo below shows the inputs and outputs available: HDMI, AUX Audio, USB Type A, USB Type B, Audio inputs, 2 VGA inputs, Audio outputs, Rec out, S-video, Composite, RS-232.

While we are an Epson dealer, there are many other AV system control devices available to suit your needs and budget. AMX, Crestron, Kramer and Extron all make some great products. If you are tired or embarrassed having to plug in and unplug cables and maybe even tripping over the cables in front of people in classrooms and boardrooms, then it is time to look into an AV control system.

The Pilot will be available next month (June, 2011).

Grant