|
Volume 10, Issue 11.2 — June 13, 2012
|
| | |
| | |
Not All, But A Lot
By Gary Kayye
rAVe Founder Welcome to THE ONLY, truly, all-new LAUNCHED AT InfoComm products issue of any publication on the show floor. This issue is filled with products launched AT InfoComm – not a bunch of extra stuff or stuff that was pre-launched. This is truly a LIVE from InfoComm issue.
And, we're proud of how we put this issue together. Sure, it required signing 20 or so NDA (non-disclosure agreements) with key manufacturers on the show floor, but it was worth it as I'm able to tell you about stuff actually being launched today, the opening day of InfoComm 2012. So, enjoy the issue and bookmark http://www.rAVeNOWinfocomm.com immediately as we've got 21 reporters covering the show floor and they'll be uploading videos, blogs and tweets on all the stuff being launched over the next 3-days. And, new for 2012's show, we've got a photographer on the show floor whose only job is to shoot thousands of photos of People, Products and PARTIES!!! at InfoComm 2012.
Just bookmark http://www.rAVeNOWinfocomm.com and you'll see everything.
Also at InfoComm, I'm giving a Top 10 Tour of the coolest things I think are going to be at InfoComm. Here's a link to the PDF guide for the tour: https://www.ravepubs.com/images/guide-pdf-10.pdf
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top
|
Click here for more information |
AV People: Jason McGraw of InfoComm International
By Molly Stillman
rAVe Staff Writer Let me set the stage for you:
It’s August 8th, 1993. Jason McGraw, sound guy for a local band, guitar player, and young exposition operations manager for ICIA (now InfoComm) was home after an Emmet Swimming show he’d be doing sound for that night and couldn’t sleep.
InfoComm, then ICIA, had just gotten a new Mac Portable and Jason had brought it home for the weekend to play around with it.
He’d also happened to pick up a compact disc with 500 FREE hours of America Online at the grocery store earlier that week.
Bored, unable to sleep, and curious, Jason installed AOL on that Mac Portable, logged on, and discovered the now-infamous AOL chat rooms.
There weren’t too many people chatting in the different rooms, but one chat room in particular, Romance Connections, had a few folks milling around. Jason went in the chat room.
Moments later, he noticed there weren’t too many women and a whole lot of men in the chatroom.
Suddenly, “Razz-something-or-other,” caught his eye. So, he sent a message to “Razz-something-or-other” saying, “Hey, what’s up?”
Little did Jason know, that at that moment, he had just introduced himself to his future wife.
Jason and his wife Michele have been married 18 wonderful years. But clearly they didn’t meet in traditional fashion.
“In 1993, online dating wasn’t even a thing,” Jason recalled, “It was so random. There I was, at 2:30am, I couldn’t sleep, so I logged on to America Online on my Mac Portable and there she was. I think she had bronchitis or something and so she was up late, too. Michele was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I was in Washington, D.C. We just started chatting and the next thing I know, we’d chatted till day break. We had similar interests and this and that.”
Over the next several weeks, Jason and Michele would log online every night and they’d chat. Talking about anything and everything.
One day, Jason made the move to send her a picture of himself to which Michele returned the favor.
The next thing they knew they were talking on the phone. LONG DISTANCE.
“It was the most expensive way to date someone for two months. AOL minutes weren’t cheap past those 500 free hours… let alone the long distance calls. I think I racked up a couple hundred dollars in phone charges during that courtship,” said Jason.
After two months, Michele flew down from Milwaukee to meet Jason in D.C. — which also happened to be the same weekend as a large family reunion for Jason.
So what did he do? Well, he brought her of course.
Everyone at the family reunion kept asking Jason, “Who is this woman?” “You met her HOW?!” “What?!”
Well, by October, Michele was no longer a resident of Milwaukee. Michele packed her bags and moved to Washington D.C. to live with Jason.
In three months they went from randomly meeting in a chat room on AOL to living together.
The following spring, Jason took Michele to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, got down on one knee and asked her to be geeky with him forever. Well, I don’t know if he specifically referred to them as geeky, but he definitely popped the question, and she definitely said yes.
Jason and Michele married the following fall on Thanksgiving weekend at his parent’s church in Virginia Beach.
“We had brought down the priest that had married my parents in 1964 and Michele and I were able to be married by the same priest. It was really special for us,” said Jason.
18 years later, they’re still happy, and geeky, as can be.
They’ve got four amazing kids, and they share a love for family, friends, technology, and fountain Diet Cokes from McDonald’s.
Michele is actually a professional geek, if you will.
Michele runs scrapsofmygeeklife.com, a family, fitness, technology and digital scrapbooking blog for moms, dads, men, women, and well, anyone. It all started with her love for technology, her love for computers and her love for digital scrapbooking. She’d make digital frames and buttons, and design page after page till one day she realized others might share in her interest.
She started her blog and has been running the site for four years strong and it continues to grow every day.
So, when Jason isn’t busy running the expositions for InfoComm, he’s bass fishing, photographing, drinking Diet Coke and being a husband and a dad.
Jason’s humble about it all though, “I wouldn’t say I have a glamorous life; I don’t have any particularly exciting hobbies, but I spend a lot of time with my family and I love to be involved in my kids’ lives. I also hope that one day my family and I can have a Partridge Family-type life… I dream of having a family band.”
I’d say Jason’s got all the right things in order.
Molly Stillman is the director of marketing and new business development for rAVe [Publications]. Reach her at molly@ravepubs.com
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top rAVe Scoop: Planar Debuts Zero-Bezel LCD Displays Today Planar is announcing what it's claiming as the industry’s first infinity, zero bezel 60", 70" and 80” family of LCD displays, configured for multiple solutions within digital signage applications. Saying they were engineered from the ground up to be the digital signage displays for large format LCD needs, Planar says its UltraLux Series are all ADA compliant for indoor advertising, retail/corporate brand communications and large format way-finding applications. They really aren't totally bezel-less, but they do have the smallest bezel of any commercial LCD we've seen so far.
Every model is native 1080p, less than 3" deep and have a hinged mount and kickstand design to provide easy tilt-out access to electronics modules on the back. Each one features an edge-to-edge layer of Planar ERO glass that gives the display the appearance of having an “infinity edge” and protects it in high-traffic areas.
These are brand new debuting at today's InfoComm show. Go here to see the complete specs: http://www.planar.com/
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top
|
Click here for more information |
Mitsubish's New Green Display is Crestron Connected Mitsubishi today announced what it's calling an energy-conscious 46-inch LCD flat panel display designed for digital signage and meeting room applications. The Energy Star-qualified monitor consumes only 126 watts of power and is the first monitor that's a Crestron Connected display. That means the LDT462V is pre-loaded with Crestron control system drivers, as well as control and compatibility with RoomView Express software.
The LDT462V inputs include HDMI and DVI-D as well as an RJ45 Ethernet connection. It also supports Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) devices. The LDT462V has a standard bezel frame for a traditional look you can see here: http://www.mitsubishi-megaview.com/products/modelLDT462V.html
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top New Christie 70" HD Display Wall Cube to Debut at InfoComm Christie's new Entero LED 70” video wall display cube system is an LED stackable display in a 16:9 form factor that features snap-in service panels, an improved mirror alignment system for precise mirror/geometry control and improved cosmetic features (it looks better). And, since it's LED, there are no lamps to replace, no moving parts and no consumables to change out, so it's perfect for NOCs.
Designed with less than a 1-millimeter gap between the image and the edge, stacking them makes a seamless video wall.
All the specs on the 70" Entero are here: http://www.christiedigital.com/en-us/video-walls/video-wall-solutions/video-wall-displays/led-based-cubes/Pages/70-in-HD-video-wall-display-cube.aspx
Leave a Comment The Christie D4K25 offers three-chip DLP technology, native 4K resolution, 25,000 lumens and the flexibility to use different lamp powers depending on application needs. The Christie D4K25 targets high resolution markets including amusement parks, automotive designers, museums, broadcasters, simulation, 3D users and planetariums. With user-replaceable lamps, maintenance and down time are reduced; the automated alignment also optimizes lamp output and screen brightness so lamps can be used longer.
At publishing time, these are all the details we have on the new 25K lumen from Christie, but by the time you read this, it should be on the website here: http://www.christiedigital.com/en-us/business/products/projectors/3-chip-dlp/pages/default.aspx
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top rAVe Scoop: Optoma Enters-6000 Lumen Projector Market Today at InfoComm, Optoma introduced a 6000-ANSI lumen TW865-3D, a 3D projector with interchangeable lenses that's designed for large venue applications and auditoriums. Claiming to be the only DLP projector in its class with a center lens design and 360-degree operation, the TW865-3D comes pre-calibrated for specific settings, including classroom, presentation and DICOM. Users have a choice of three optional lenses (standard, short throw and long throw), and motorized zoom and focus also allow installers to optimize projector placement for best projection results.
Details are here: http://www.optomausa.com/
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top DPI Updates LIGHTNING Pro Series 3D At InfoComm, Digital Projection International (DPI) will update its entire LIGHTNING series. DPI says the newly-named LIGHTNING Pro Series 3D platform delivers advanced image warp and blend capabilities, 3G-SDI input compatibility, high frame rate 3D functionality (as a standard feature in all LIGHTNING displays) and other pro features to meet large-scale imaging applications.
Delivering between 20,000 and 30,000 lumens, LIGHTNING Pro Series 3D projectors are available in sx+, 1080p and WUXGA resolutions.
Integrated with FusionExpress warp and blend capability, the ability to make extensive geometric warp correction via the adjustment of an interpolated grid array of up to 16 x 16 nodes and on-board adjustments for pincushion, barrel, cornerstone, vertical and horizontal keystone, and even image rotation, are standard in all new LIGHTNING Pro Series 3D displays.
Applications with 120Hz native sources can use the high bandwidth input, eliminating the need for frame doubling. For 60Hz 3D applications, DPI’s built-in dual flash processing enables distribution of 3D content via 60Hz formats by frame-doubling the signal within the projector. DPI says this produces the low flicker image characteristics of a native 120Hz source without the infrastructure costs associated with distributing and switching ultra-high bandwidth signals.
Complete details on the new Lighting Pro are here: http://www.digitalprojection.com/BrowseProjectors/SeriesList/ProjectorList/tabid/86/SeriesId/5/MarketTypeId/10/Default.aspx
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Canon Intros Entry-Level Priced Projectors Canon's four new LCD projectors are divided into Advanced (“A”) and Mid-Range Priced (“M”) models. The line includes
- LV-8227A — specified at 2500 ANSI lumens with a 3000:1 contrast ratio and using a WXGA (1280×720) 3LCD engine; inputs include HDMI and VGA
- LV-7392A — an XGA (1024×768) resolution version of the above projector
- LV-7297M — a 2600 ANSI lumen XGA projector
- LV-7292M — a 2200 ANSI lumen XGA projector
All four projectors include a 1.2:1 zoom lens, HDMI 1.3 compatibility, projection on both blackboard and greenboard surface modes (changing the colorimetry of the image to adjust for that) and a 6000-hour lamp. But the most impressive thing about these is, quite honestly, the price — the LV-8227A, LV-7392A, LV-7297M and LV-7292M list for $799, $799, $699 and $599, respectively.
You can see all their specs here: http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/products/projectors/lcd_projectors
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Vivitek's D8800 Claims 8000 Lumens Vivitek says its new D8800 projector offers 8000 lumens at a native WUXGA (1920×1200) resolution in 16:10 format. It offers built-in edge-blending and inputs include HDMI, DVI-D, Component, VGA and HDSDI In/Out, RS-232C and RJ45.
Up to 10 user-defined lens positions (for focus, zoom, and lens shift) can be set and stored via Lens Posting Memory (LPS), allowing for changing environments. Six interchangeable lens options are available for flexible positioning in for a varying screen size or projection distance requirements. This projector can be stacked up to four times.
This projector also enables image warping and geometric corrections for installations projection on curved surfaces. The D8800 is network-ready for the integration and system administration via RJ45. The projector also features a built-in 12V trigger for external device controlling.
For more information, click here: http://www.vivitekcorp.com
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Barco Launches New 18K Lumen Projector Barco's latest projector is the HDX-W18, a three-chip DLP, 1920×1200 resolution, large venue projector that's spec'd at 18,000 ANSI lumens and a 1850:1 contrast ratio. The native 16:10 projector includes edge blending, uses a 2.4kW Xenon arc lamp (spec'd at 1,000 hours). Inputs include DVI-I, SDI, RGBHV and VGA; it also includes scaling to handle resolutions up to 1024×1536.
The HDX-W18 has a native 3G HDSDI/SDI input, which makes it compatible with progressive sources over a single BNC cable. This also means that the HDX-W18 allows for digital inputs that don't come through fragile DVI fiber cables.
All the details are here: http://www.barco.com/en/products-solutions/projectors/large-venue-projectors/18000-lumens-wuxga-three-chip-dlp-projector.aspx
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top projectiondesign to Launch HDBaseT Projectors at InfoComm This will be worth going to see as rAVe has long said that HDBaseT will be the future way meeting rooms, classrooms and signal routing will be done in systems in the ProAV market. Norway’s projectiondesign will show a concept projector integrated with an HDBaseT interface (video, data and power over the network) at InfoComm. The HDBaseT interface is a dedicated data, video, power and communications interface that supports up to 10.2 Gbps (effectively 4K2K Ultra High-Definition Blu-ray resolution), audio, control and up to 100 watts of remote power over standard CAT5e/6 LAN cabling at up to 100 meters in length.
The concept projector will be on demo at the HDBaseT Booth #C6038. “We are excited to have projectiondesign adopting HDBaseT and becoming a member of the HDBaseT alliance, a terrific addition to the growing list of early technology adopters such as AMX, Extron, Crestron, Samsung, Sony Pictures and LG,” says Micha Risling, HDBaseT Alliance marketing chair.
The projector projectiodesign will be using with an HDBaseT input is the F35: http://www.projectiondesign.com/products/f35-wqxga
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Canon Debuts 6K Lumen Projector Canon latest additions to its REALiS line of large venue LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) projectors are the SX6000 and the WX6000, which are both specified with a contrast ratio of 1000:1. The SX6000 offers 6000 lumens (non ANSI) of brightness at SXGA+ (1400×1050) resolution and an aspect ratio of 4:3, while the REALiS WX6000 delivers 5700 lumens of brightness at WXGA+ (1440×900) resolution and an aspect ratio of 16:10. Both projectors feature a built-in six-axis color-correction IC and 3D color LUT (Look Up Table).
As with Canon’s other REALiS projectors, the REALiS SX6000 and REALiS WX6000 are also available in “D” versions featuring a DICOM Simulation mode designed to reproduce medical images such as X-rays, CAT scans and MRI images with 21-step grayscale gradation.
Inputs include HDMI (1.3), VGA, DVI-I, RGBHV and video, plus both have RS232 and network control capability and a plethora of lens options. Pricing is $6,799 and $4,999, respectively. Here are the specs: http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/products/projectors/lcos_projectors
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top rAVe Scoop: PLUS Bests SMART with the NEW CaptureBoard Series Aimed squarely at SMART Technologies, PLUS' new CaptureBoard (the C-20 Series) is being called its next-generation interactive whiteboard — it incorporates not only IP connectivity, but also complete control with iOS and Android mobile devices.
By connecting the C-20 to the network, you can save the copyboard data to the board’s internal memory. Then, approximately 100 pages can be stored and, using an IP address, the presentation can be accessed on the board from a web browser. The data on the board is accessible even in “Stand-by” mode.
The PLUS CaptureBoard software allows you to combine and save the projected image with the hand-written notes into a single digital file on your computer. The simple four-button menu is intuitive and PLUS says learning the software requires little or no training. The combined image can be saved as a JPG, PNG or PDF file, which can be easily printed in color, attached to an email or incorporated into office documents. The C-20 is available in two versions — the S is 4:3 and the W is 16:9 aspect ratio.
Want to learn more? Go here: http://www.plus-america.com/captureboard.html
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Key Digital Takes Aim at Crestron, AMX and Extron with New Control System Key Digital says its new Compass Control is a one-hour programmable control system that uses its Compass Navigator software, a step-by-step process utilizing simple ‘drag and drop’ gestures. In fact, you actually program a system using an iOS 5 device and the Compass Control App for the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.
A Compass Control base system consists of a KD-MC2500 Master Controller, with Compass Control App on Apple iPad running under KD-CSL License. The KD-MC2500 Master Controller works as as the CPU for the system and has eight IR (learning) or RS-232 ports and TCP/IP/LAN networking control support as well as two sets of switchable I/O contacts for relay control.
We haven't seen this in person yet, but we'll check it out at InfoComm and let you know what we think. Here are the details from Key Digital: http://www.keydigital.com/Compass/
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top rAVe Scoop: SoundTube Debuts Totally IP Distributed Audio System The SoundTube ST-NET system is an IP-addressable speaker system that drives 40 watts PoE (Power over Ethernet) to each of its speakers. The system includes a rack-mountable 16-port switch, rack-mountable power supply and in-ceiling and surface-mount PoE powered speakers. In addition to the 16 Ethernet ports, the ST-NET switch includes two gigabit ports for linking of switches and control gear and a WAN port for connection to an outside network.
Using the CobraNet audio standard as its backbone, the system allows each SoundTube speaker on the network to be powered, controlled and receive the digital audio signal via its Ethernet cable. Set up and equalization can be done individually or as a group. Each speaker can receive different audio signals and is continuously monitored by the system to provide report-back status to the main control point. Any failure in the speaker will immediately trigger an alarm (either visible, audible or both), and the system can be configured to send an e-mail message to the installer or end user detailing the status of the system. The ST-NET switch and speakers are compatible with all other CobraNet-enabled control systems, and multiple SoundTube switches may be linked for large distributed speaker systems.
Here's a PDF of the product's spec sheet: https://www.ravepubs.com/utility/documents/soundtube-2012-IPFlyer-v2.pdf
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top rAVe Scoop: Tannoy New VLS Series: Three’s Company The new Tannoy VLS Series includes three passive column array loudspeakers:
- The VLS 7 – 7 x 3.5” (89 mm) with LF transducers mounted in a vertical array
- The VLS 15 – 7 x 3.5” (89 mm) with LF transducers mounted in vertical array with an assembly of densely spaced 8 x 1” (25 mm) HF transducers mounted co-axially over a section of the LF
- The VLS 30 has 14 x 3.5” (89 mm) LF transducers mounted in vertical array with an assembly of densely spaced 16 x 1” (25 mm) HF transducers mounted co-axially over a section of the LF.
The best part? They offer Tannoy FAST (Focussed Asymmetrical Shaping Technology) using asymmetrical vertical dispersion to shape coverage toward the lower quadrant of the vertical axis. Rest assured: you’re in good company.
More details here: http://www.tannoy.com/ProSummary.aspx
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Barix Expands Annuncicom Product Line Barix's new Annuncicom 60, debuting at InfoComm, is a programmable, IP-based single-zone paging interface device that can decode VoIP codecs as well as MP3, AACplus and PCM audio. In addition to a built-in speaker amplifier, balanced line output and microphone interfaces, serial and contact closure control interfaces, the 5-watt Annuncicom 60 uses Power over Ethernet (PoE) so no external power is required.
The Annuncicom 60 is new this week, so it's not on Barix's website yet, but when it is, it'll be here: http://www.barix.com/Overview/761
Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Chris Bianchet Joins HERMAN as President of New Division Herman Procurement & Logistics has hired Chris Bianchet to lead a new division, Herman Integration Services. The new division will provide technical resources to AV systems integrators, allowing Herman to provide both products and services to the industry. Bianchet was previously a senior vice president at AVI-SPL.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top DPI Partners with IAVI for Distribution Digital Projection International (DPI) announced this month that it has selected IAVI as its commercial AV distributor for the company's line of precision displays. The partnership is effective immediately.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top PreSonus Hires Carl Jacobson Carl Jacobson has joined PreSonus in the newly created position of director of business development and strategic marketing. In this role, Jacobson will be responsible for forging strategic business relationships and driving co-marketing initiatives with key music and technology providers.
To read the complete press release online, click here. | Back to Top For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe ProAV Edition out there, hopefully you enjoyed another opinion-packed issue! For those of you NEW to rAVe, you just read how we are — we are 100% opinionated. We not only report the news and new product stories of the ProAV industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions. That may include (but is not limited to) whether or not the product is even worth looking at, challenging the manufacturers on their specifications, calling a marketing-spec bluff and suggesting ways integrators market their products better. But, one thing is for sure, we are NOT a trade publication that gets paid for running editorial or product stories. Traditional trade publications get paid to run product stories — that's why you see what you see in most of the pubs out there. We are different: we run what we want to run and NO ONE is going to pay us to write anything good (or bad). Don't like us, then go away — unsubscribe! Just use the link below. To send me feedback, don't reply to this newsletter – instead, write directly to me at gary@ravepubs.com or for editorial ideas: Editor-in-Chief Sara Abrons at sara@ravepubs.com A little about me: I graduated from Journalism School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where I am adjunct faculty). I've been in the AV-industry since 1987 where I started with Extron and eventually moved to AMX. So, I guess I am an industry veteran (although I don't think I am that old). I have been an opinionated columnist for a number of industry publications and in the late 1990s I started the widely read KNews eNewsletter (the first in the AV market) and also created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue – which is now known as InfoComm IQ. rAVe Publications has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter, rAVe ProAV Edition. Everything we publish is Opt-in — we spam NO ONE! rAVe ProAV Edition is our flagship ePublication with what we believe is a reach of virtually everyone in the ProAV market. rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA and launched in February 2004, is, by far, the largest ePub in the HomeAV market (we blow away ANY other Publication in the high-end home AV market. We added rAVe Rental [and Staging] in November 2007, rAVe ED [Education] in May 2008 and then rAVe DS [Digital Signage] in January 2009. You can subscribe to any of those publication or see ALL our archives by going to:https://www.ravepubs.com To read more about my background, our team, and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com Back to Top Copyright 2012 – rAVe [Publications] – All rights reserved – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact rAVe [Publications], 210 Old Barn Ln. – Chapel Hill, NC 27517 – (919) 969-7501. Email: sara@ravepubs.com
rAVe contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors.
|
|
|
|