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Volume 11, Issue 10 — May 23, 2013
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AV People: Marty Schaffel of AVI-SPL
By Molly Stillman
rAVe Director of Marketing and New Business Development For over 34 years, Marty Schaffel has been one of the hardest working men in the business.
In 1979, he started his first business with $2,000 selling Kroy lettering machines — machines that created black letters on scotch tape type material, transparencies and slides. He’d successfully convinced them to set him up as a dealer, and after just a year, Marty had over $1 million in recurring revenue.
From there he began selling projectors — movie, slide, overhead and film strip. Then he graduated to getting into video in the early 1980s. Marty loved AV and had the passion and the drive to keep growing his businesses and growing in his profession.
Then, in 1988, a man came walking in the door with a plastic picture frame and the first 8-bit Apple computer. Before he knew it, Marty was looking at data being projected from the computer onto a screen and was blown away by the power of the technology that lay before him.
Marty saw the opportunity in starting a display technology company and he began selling products over the Web. This all eventually evolved into complete systems integration.
“As AVI, we started opening offices around the country, Mexico and Puerto Rico and we just started growing,” said Marty. “In 2008, we were the world’s largest systems integrator and SPL was the second-largest, so we did what seemed only natural – we merged. Now, we are without a doubt the largest integrator in the world. In the past 34 years, it’s been an absolutely amazing entrepreneurial experience. I’ve worked in a wonderful environment.”
Marty is a firm believer that if you help others to be successful, the more successful you, yourself, will be come. And that’s clearly the case.
However, not only is Marty a savvy and incredibly hardworking business man, he is also a loyal and dedicated husband and father. Marty and his wife of 19 years, Mary Ann, met at a party in Tampa, Florida in 1989.
“I was so immersed in the business, I never thought I’d even give enough leeway to meet someone,” recalled Marty. “Many women before [Mary Ann] weren’t able to succeed in getting me to look past the business. But she was different; she understood my passion for the business. In fact, she quickly became the treasurer of the company and just retired in 2008.”
One of Marty’s favorite things is doing anything and everything he can with his 16-year-old daughter, Zoe.
“My daughter and I do a ton of stuff together,” explained Marty. “We take piano lessons together and play duets. We’ve taken tennis, golf and karate lessons together. We go to every Tampa Bay lightning hockey game and University of Florida football and basketball game together. And for about five or six years now, we’ve been competing in equestrian activities together.”
Spending time and being active with his daughter is one of Marty’s priorities. And along the way, they’ve really developed a passion for horses. They currently own 12 horses, two of which just had babies. Just a few weeks ago, both Marty and Zoe won blue ribbons at the Pro-Am Saddlebread Show in Perry, Georgia. Mary Ann makes sure she’s involved, too – Marty calls her the operations manager.
“[My wife] makes sure we are in the right place at the right time, our outfits are there, hair and makeup (for my daughter) is done, and that everything is where it needs to be,” explained Marty.
And if that isn’t enough, Marty is also extremely passionate about being involved with philanthropic projects. In fact, Marty and his daughter Zoe have actually trained and become amateur optometrists. And with that, a few times a year, they travel to remote villages in the Dominican Republic to give eye exams and give glasses to people in need. They’ll go there with a couple thousand pairs of glasses and return home totally empty handed.
Marty also is involved in mentoring graduate students at the University of Florida in their entrepreneurial endeavors. He’s chairman of the board for an insurance company, on the boards of a bank, a performing arts center, his daughter’s school and a very fast-growing healthcare IT company. He donates about $1 million a year to charity, cancer research and other charitable projects that he is passionate about.
“It’s huge that people give back,” explained Marty. “And that’s something I love: giving back.”
In fact, AVI-SPL, as a company, has a community relations board that assists company employees in finding ways of getting involved in community events, charitable endeavors, walks, etc.
“When you’re in a big company that’s become so geographically dispersed, it’s so important to create the tools and templates for employees to be involved as an even further extra incentive,” Marty said.
This year, the Schaffel Cup is the newest award within AVI-SPL. It is an award that will travel every January to the office that does the most, per capita, community service hours.
In addition to his clear passion for business, family and community service, Marty explains that anyone can be successful in whatever career path they choose, “You have to be willing to reinvent yourself. Be able to self-examine and reinvent yourself constantly. Work hard. And you’ll be successful.”
If Marty’s work ethic and history is of any indication, he’s exactly right.
Molly Stillman is the director of marketing and new business development for rAVe [Publications]. Reach her at molly@ravepubs.com
Do you know someone in the industry with an interesting story that should be featured in our monthly column? Email Molly and let her know.
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Do Profit Opportunities Still Exist? – Look to the Verticals
By Todd Fender
DisplayDaily It doesn’t seem so long ago — the early 2000s, when displays were developed and launched with the goal of achieving at least an 18-24 month product life cycle. If a manufacturer was able to effectively market, manage and sell a product for two years, there was a good chance of recouping the R&D and manufacturing investments and generate profits, regardless of the target market. Profit could then be reinvested to develop new and better technologies and the cycle would start anew.
Since then, the cycle has become much shorter and now that markets have matured, competition has become fierce. Production has moved several times to tap into lower costs, and prices have eroded significantly. The markets for some display categories have matured and a few are in decline — even the LCD TV market fell in 2012. In order to make a profit, to say “strike while the iron is hot” is an understatement. Today, the iron cools off much more quickly than in the past.
With the shorter product cycles, the challenge today is that many products have either become so low-priced that some traditional vendors and channel members do not want to bother manufacturing or selling them or the products themselves have become commoditized (neither option offering attractive returns on investment). Note that the products are not pure “commodities,” since there are still elements of differentiation including branding and design, amongst others. However, pricing, positioning, and most importantly their perception in the marketplace resemble that of a commodity.
Take the desktop monitor business for instance. There aren’t many displays available that help end users surf the Internet, email, word-process, use spreadsheets, etc. any better than the next. It is difficult to convince a buyer to pay 10-20 percent more for a “similar” product, especially in this economy. There are a few financial reasons including reduction in energy consumption resulting in lower total cost of ownership; however, when the corporate buyer calls the reseller for these types of products, the sale usually comes down to price (or whatever is the deal of the day). Some vendors still play in this marketplace, but their strategy is to sell to a wide range of customers and to make up profits with increased volume. Margins are thin and any disruption in the supply chain or if sales decrease ever so slightly, the margins disappear.
So where are today’s opportunities to make higher profits per unit without taking all the risk of the supply chain and without the daily pressure moving high volumes? They are in the same place they have been for years: vertical markets, consisting of customers with specialized needs, who will pay more for a product that allows them to do their job better, faster, easier or more efficiently. These customers do not want products “off-the-shelf,” they want “customized” products, or at least the perception and performance of custom products. Sometimes, this customization only requires minor tweaks or enhancements to the product; in other cases it takes knowledge and understanding of the end user and their market to deliver a solution to their problems.
The industry is starting to pay attention to these vertical markets. At the DSE show this year, there were 40 “industry vertical discussion groups”; we can expect to see a similar focus at InfoComm 2013.
Many vendors have been paying attention to verticals for years, successfully carving out niches, for example by designing in specialized features and addressing unique or semi-unique end-user challenges. Some of the recent “specialized” display trends are super narrow bezels for video wall applications, high brightness displays for outdoor and sunlight readability, touch for interactivity, and high resolution for medical diagnostics. Not coincidentally, all of these features are tracked in NPD DisplaySearch’s Monthly Large Format Commercial Displays Sell Through Report.
How can vendors and other industry participants identify vertical markets that are growing and develop strategies for entering them? At the NPD DisplaySearch FPD Conference at InfoComm on June 11 in Orlando, industry experts, end users, distributors, and integrators will present and participate on panels addressing vertical market applications and solutions, in addition to NPD DisplaySearch analysts presenting expert data and analysis of the display market.
This column was reprinted with permission from DisplaySearch and originally appeared here.
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Say Goodbye to the Sharp That We Knew
By David Barnes
DisplayDaily Sharp sunk further in the fiscal year that ended in March and it has surrendered more control to its creditors in an effort to revive its businesses. As outgoing chairman Takahashi told reporters in Japan [source: DowJones Newswires], “We need to say goodbye to the Sharp that we knew in recent years. We need to be ready to change everything at the company, other than the founding principles.”
Mizuho and Mitsubishi financial groups bailed Sharp out of a hole last October with a $3.6 billion loan in return for taking control of key office and factory assets. Now they are lending Sharp $1.5 billion more to help cover redemption of a $2 billion bond due in four months. For this, the banks have obtained two board seats and some influence on executive changes. The former President becomes a non-voting chairman and the former chairman becomes a retiree. Apparently, the pair are taking the blame for over-investing in Sakai (both for LCD and solar).
There is much more that can be said about restructuring charges, takeover defenses and new business targets, but those may be interesting subjects only to strategy wonks like me. For most readers, the key points are changes in the status of Sakai, renewed emphasis on external panel sales and more concrete plans for IGZO technology.
Looking at consolidated LCD business results since 2002, we can see how profit margins collapsed after 2008. There are two related reasons for that. Sharp became too reliant on demand from affiliated business lines and Sharp’s internal demand declined after the national subsidy for TV sets lapsed (the Eco-Point Program). Sales in the company’s AV sector declined 31 percent from FY2012 and 54 percent from FY2008.
If we look at the difference between consolidated LCD sales and gross LCD sales before eliminating internal transfers, we see that only 50 percent to 60 percent of sales were external transactions in 2008–2012. The portion of external sales increased in FY2013 but the LCD assets in Sakai were removed from consolidation as part of Sharp’s effort to lighten its balance sheet in September of 2012. That means sales from Sakai’s Gen-10 lines no longer contribute to operating results. The problem with that is Sharp’s own capacity becomes only 3 percent of the industry and that share is declining. Sharp is already smaller than China Star (CSOT) on a consolidated business basis.
Thus, Sharp has few alternatives to becoming more of a merchant supplier to other brands, like Samsung. The good news is that Sharp still has unique technical capabilities that other companies may value. It announced three new notebook panels are going into production next month at Kameyama plant 2.
- 11.6 inches, 2560 x 1440 pixels at 253 ppi
- 14.0 inches, 3200 x 1800 pixels at 262 ppi
- 15.6 inches, 3200 x 1800 pixels at 235 ppi
Those of us going to SID DisplayWeek next week in Vancouver may get a chance to see these panels. I’m looking forward to it but I will still mourn the falling of a giant.
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Share Article Back to Top Beyond the Digital Conversion: Shaping the Cinema of the Future
By Tim Sinnaeve
Market Director, Digital Cinema, Barco The digital cinema conversion has progressed at high speed, and as of May 2013, is already more than 70 percent completed globally, with some countries fully digitized, and many others approaching full digitization. Exhibitors are turning their attention more and more towards reaping the full benefits that digital cinema has to offer.
It’s an exciting time to be in the cinema exhibition industry. Let’s explore some of the new business opportunities that digital cinema can offer exhibitors and the technologies that enable them.
Unlocking new opportunities for growth
Becoming more audience-centric is key. We are already dealing with the ‘Net Generation and the iGeneration, who think differently about how they interact with each other, and with the entertainment industry. Audiences increasingly demand choice in where, when and how they consume content. If we can combine the right content with the right experience for the right audience, we can create a lot of value for that audience, and give them a compelling reason to visit the cinema more often to experience the content that they love most. Understanding your customers and potential customers is paramount in this new audience-centric exhibition model, as is the ability to adapt programming in a flexible way. Digital cinema has liberated the industry from the 35 mm straitjacket, which was not flexible and cost-effective enough to achieve this.
If we complement digital cinema with other unique cinema assets such as infrastructure (audio, video, parking, catering, etc.) and location (most of the world population is within striking distance of a cinema), we can open up even more new opportunities. This includes entertainment applications beyond the traditional feature film business model, such as additional content, but also new non-entertainment opportunities such as B2B, educational and innovative advertising applications.
B2B applications in particular offer new opportunities, such as business meetings, conferences and more specialized applications such as customer focus groups. On the educational front, we could be looking at enhanced lectures, interactive remote learning and more immersive educational experiences.
Where advertising is concerned, the digital world offers us many new opportunities, exploiting the potential of digital screens and advertising panels, and enabling more integrated, innovative advertising campaigns throughout the cinema ecosystem. Some of these things have been attempted, but by and large, we have only been scratching the surface. In addition, from a technology perspective, it has been challenging to implement this in a cost-effective and scalable way.
Given that the occupancy rate of most cinemas does not exceed 20 percent, these new applications represent significant revenue growth opportunities for exhibitors. The large-screen, immersive experience that only the cinema can offer remains a key differentiator. In what follows, we take a closer look at some of the technology enablers for this cinema of the future.
Technology enablers
The large-screen, immersive experience
Historically, audiences have been drawn to the cinema by the large-screen movie experience. Since few of us have room at home to project an 80-foot image and share it with 500 of our closest friends, this large-screen experience will remain central to the cinema of the future — but it will need to be taken to the next level, and as discussed previously, cinema will no longer be just about entertainment.
Creating a premium immersive experience is key. In the large-screen environment that is so typical for cinema, image (projection) quality is a critical aspect of that, and many image quality parameters have an impact. 4K, for example, has received a lot of attention the past few years — the fact that resolution is higher when you have four times as many pixels available is undeniable. But it’s important to understand that resolution is only one piece of the image quality puzzle.
In the darkened environment of a cinema auditorium, for example, the human eye is much more sensitive to contrast (“true black”) and color (deep saturation). Furthermore, in a set-up where content is moving across a large screen and your head is moving to follow the on-screen action, high temporal resolution (High Frame Rates) is crucial. Consequently, some people call high frame rates (HFR) the future of cinema. Like resolution, however, HFR is just one of the building blocks. And, of course, let’s not forget brightness, brightness, brightness — as the recent controversy over dark 3D images amply demonstrated. Laser illumination, the next evolution in projector technology, will enable further enhancements in image quality.
Sound all around
After image quality, the next logical element in creating that premium, immersive experience is sound. In contrast to the digital cinema revolution in the visual experience, cinema audio has evolved very slowly. In fact, other than adding a few more speakers to surround the audience with sound, the past 20 years or so have not really brought any significant innovations that can take us to the next level in cinema audio.
Fortunately, 3D audio — the next logical step toward the ultimate immersive cinema experience — is now set to change all of this. People feel connected with the environment through sound — and the more natural the sound, the closer the connection. Audio in 3D can deliver this by expanding the 2D plane of surround sound into fully natural 3D sound reproduction — making the whole experience more natural, and thus immersive.
A crucial step in realizing 3D audio in the cinema is finding a format that is compatible with the well-developed audio ecosystem in movie-making and cinema exhibition. From capturing the audio on the set, to mixing the audio in the studio, to playing back the audio in the theater. Studios and exhibitors are hesitant to support a technological revolution unless it provides the safety net of backward compatibility, particularly when there’s the possibility of a format war. These concerns were made explicit by the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) and the Union Internationale des Cinemas (UNIC) in their recent statement announcing cinema exhibitor requirements for immersive sound technologies. The goal is to enable theater owners to present movies on any new 3D audio format designed according to the open standard. Barco, Auro Technologies, DTS and other industry participants are working on standards-setting activities to help define and deliver both channel- and object-based audio to cinemas, benefiting content creators, sound engineers and movie exhibitors.
Beyond the cinema auditorium
But it doesn’t stop with the immersive large-screen experience. The above-mentioned Net Generation and iGeneration expect to be informed, connected and entertained 24/7, and they have many things that are competing for their attention. The cinema experience needs to start the moment they arrive. Why not expand the cinema experience to new locations (parking lot, lobby, theater bar, corridors) and times (pre-show, post-show, weekday, morning, evening)?
Digital signage technology is a great enabler to create this extended experience to entertain and inform your audience. Other technologies such as projection mapping and LED display solutions can further extend the digital canvas in the cinema, bringing to life the walls and even the entire building! But it doesn’t stop there: The massive success of smartphones means that the majority of your audience is now walking into your building with their own device, i.e., a connected (accessible) screen, which can also become part of the cinema experience.
These technologies also offer significant opportunities for the B2B, educational and advertising applications discussed earlier.
Enabling B2B and educational opportunities
Proactively targeting business and educational applications is a great opportunity for exhibitors to monetize spare capacity. Even straightforward business or educational presentations can be challenging however, requiring extra people, unsightly cabling or in extreme cases, even an extra projector in the auditorium to get the right presentations and images on screen in the right format.
This is where solutions like Barco’s new ClickShare come in. ClickShare enables presenters to click and wirelessly transmit their desktop to the cinema screen in optimal resolution, regardless of whether they are using Windows or iOS. Different presenters can have their images and presentations on screen at the same time. This allows exhibitors to offer their B2B customers a new level of flexibility and quality. And that’s only the beginning. Adding interaction into the mix and using the digital canvas mentioned above offers many more opportunities for B2B and educational applications in particular.
Towards a bright future for the cinema exhibition industry
It’s clear that digital cinema has opened the door to exciting new opportunities for exhibitors to significantly grow and enhance their business. The digital cinema revolution is only just beginning.
Tim Sinnaeve is the market director, digital cinema for Barco. He is responsible for strategic marketing and the development of the company’s digital cinema strategy. Previously, Tim worked at SAS Institute, where he was responsible for western Australia. Tim holds a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from Erasmus University College, Brussels, and a master’s degree in International Law & Politics from the University of Hull (UK). He is also a board member of the European Digital Cinema Forum (EDCF).
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BYOD: Mobile Interactivity with Digital Signage Networks
By Todd Fender
DisplaySearch BYOD (bring your own device) has traditionally referred to the act of people bringing their personal devices into their work environment with the ability of being able to access privileged company documents and information on those devices. However, this acronym may soon find another application referring to personal interactivity with public digital signage networks.
Interactivity – whether via physical touch, gesture or other method – has gained popularity over the last several years. Smart phones with touch screens have single-handedly changed the way we expect all interactive devices to work. Console-based video games have also helped push the envelope with gesture or motion-based interactivity (Xbox Kinect, PS move, Wii remote, etc.)
Regardless of how it is accomplished, interactivity seems to be gaining traction and popularity with end users. As a result, software companies, integrators and advertisers are noticing. The good news for them is the infrastructure is already very large and growing larger every day.
According to NPD DisplaySearch’s Smartphone Quarterly report, smartphone shipments will reach 937 million in 2013, just over half of all mobile phone shipments. We live in a connected world and for the masses, there may be no going back. “Generation Y” is now driving many markets, and they thrive on interaction. Whether the interaction is social media (Twitter, Foursquare, Instagram, etc.), based on an ability to respond to simple surveys, polls or to provide feedback for the chance of winning or earning discounts or prizes, playing games with people at the same venue, or to receive additional product or service information on a new product they just saw; they want it and they want it now, on their device.
How will increased mobile interactivity with these networks affect the digital signage ecosystem? Will public kiosks become extinct or shift their focus to cater to the older generations and to the very young? Will the market for touch overlays and other touch technologies on large screen public displays decline? (According to our tracking of large format commercial display sell through in U.S. distribution channels, in Q1’13, touch-enabled monitor sales declined by 16 percent Y/Y.)
These and other questions will be addressed at the FPD Conference at InfoComm on June 11 in Orlando. In addition to providing attendees with several sessions of expert data and analysis of the display market, the conference will feature Stuart Armstrong, President of the Americas for ComQi, which provides a multi-channel message management platform for networked content and infrastructure, who will provide insights on the impacts and opportunities for mobile interactivity within the digital signage industry.
This column was reprinted with permission from DisplaySearch and originally appeared here.
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Share Article Back to Top Could Biscotti Become A Thorn in the Side of the Videoconferencing Market?
By Gary Kayye
rAVe Founder There's a product we've written about a few times here in rAVe called Biscotti. Biscotti started out two years ago as a little $200 camera that you set on top of a TV that let you connect to other Biscotti users as well as to any Google Gmail user – face to face, via video and audio.
Fast forward two years and now it comes in three models. The "high-end" $249 version includes 802.11abgn networking, has the capability to do multi-party calling (up to 25 people at a time) and delivers 720p video on both ends of the call (via Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet.
Sure, it still sits on top of a TV, but now these features, along with a new wireless keyboard, a separate table-top microphone and clearly aiming itself at the videoconferencing market, Biscotti has to be bugging the heck out of companies like Polycom and Cisco. And, to top it off, they've now added XMPP and SIP. What's next? Skype compatibility?
Basically, what Biscotti is giving you is a glimpse into the future. Sure, it lacks a lot of the heavy-duty features of most professional VTC systems, but what it does do is show you how simple it is to take videoconferencing to the cloud. Basically, Biscotti is just a camera (5MP), mic and network connection to the Internet. Most of the codec functions are happening in the cloud through the company's servers. That's why it's so cheap ($150 – $250) with unlimited calling for a $25 per month plan (or free if you use less than 40 minutes a month on multi-party calls and all one-on-one calls are totally free). And, since it's completely in the cloud, they actually automatically record every VTC call for you and store it up to 30 days. Plus, you can then move the call to YouTube or download it at your convenience after that.
Now the company has officially decided the business videoconferencing market is something it wants a piece of. It's even launched a Biscotti for business site – here' a video that explains how it works: http://www.biscotti.com/business. If I were you, I'd go there and watch the two-minute video.
So, should the commercial VTC market be worried? Well, maybe a little. Biscotti is a small company and it's brand new technology. In fact, I'm betting one of the big boys of videoconferencing is already making a play to buy them. Or, if they aren't, they should.
It's only $150 for the home version. Oh, and by the way, that $150 one can handle connecting up to 25 people together on one screen, too, as long as you don't spend more than 40 minutes a month doing it — or you'll have to pay the $25 per month fee. Why not buy one and try it? I think once you have, you'll see that this might not just be a thorn on the VTC market side — it might be more like a stake.
Gary Kayye is the founder of rAVe [Publications]. Reach him at gary@ravepubs.com
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Share Article Back to Top rAVe Founder Gary Kayye to Speak at UBTech If you're headed to the UBTech 2013 Conference in June (10-12 in Orlando), you should definately add Gary Kayye's The Future of AV in the Classroom to your workshop schedule. UB Tech is a national summit on Higher Education Technology and Leadership and is higher education's most focused, high-level conversation about technology's impact on every aspect of campus leadership and practice. There are over 80 educational sessions that cover topics like:
- Campus Network and Infrastructure
- Facilities Planning and Design
- Teaching and Learning Technologies
- Marketing Your Institution
- Financial Services
Gary was asked by UBTech to specifically address what the classroom will look like in five years from today in his session The Future of AV in the Classroom. It's being held Wed., June 12, 2013 – 9:50 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Gary will not only talk about what the classroom will look like, he'll also demo new technologies that will make classrooms easier to design and manage as well as easier to teach in.
Details on the session are here: http://ubtechconference.com/session/future-av-classroom
Because Gary is a speaker, our readers are being given a 50 percent off registration fee pass (but, there are a limited number of them). Go to: http://ubtechconference.com/ and click on the orange REGISTER NOW button and use code rave2013 to get the discount.
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Intel Promotes WiDi, A Wireless Content Transmission Standard Intel will promote its Wireless Display (WiDi) technology all year long, aiming for the technology to become one of the standard specifications for PCs and LCD TV players.
LG, Samsung Electronics and Toshiba will also join the promotion and adopt the WiDi technology into its HDTV products.
Currently, the latest WiDi 3.5 is already able to support transmission for 1080p-based content, Blu-ray playback, 3D content and 5.1 surrounding sound. The technology also meets Miracast standard of the Wi-Fi Alliance. It's very much like a universal version of Apple's AirPlay technology.
The WiDi 3.5 also supports wireless connection to USB-based devices, while Windows 8's touchscreen function can also be supported by the technology.
Most first-tier notebook brand vendors' new Haswell-based ultrabooks, set for launch in June, are expected to adopt the WiDi. Several set-top box (STB) and adapter makers such as Netgear, D-Link, Belkin, Bitland, Buffalo and IO Data are also expected to release products supporting the WiDi.
Ideally, in addition to notebooks, Intel wants to push its WiDi onto other devices, such as tablets and all-in-one PCs.
Here are the technical specs of WiDi: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/intel-wireless-display.html?wapkw=widi
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Drunk Unkles Holds 10th Annual Charity Concert at InfoComm The NSCA Education Foundation and The Drunk Unkles will hold their 10th Annual Charity Concert on June 13, from 9 – 11 p.m., at B.B. King’s Blues Club in Orlando, FL. You can get a free pass at any of the sponsors’ booths to receive in order to attend the event, or visit http://www.nsca.org to download your printable ticket.
In its 8th year of support for the Foundation, the Drunk Unkles event has raised more than half of million dollars. The contributions and sponsorships toward this event allow the NSCA Education Foundation to provide scholarships and training opportunities for both new professionals to the industry as well as veterans looking to expand their business within the industry.
The Drunk Unkles started more than 10 years ago as a casual hobby. They performed their first charity fundraising event to help support the family of an industry peer who unexpectedly lost his life. The NSCA Education Foundation has continued this tradition of supporting industry members during InfoComm, the NSCA Systems Integration Expo, individual member causes and other fundraising events throughout the year. The event has grown to become a popular evening event held during the week of InfoComm.
Sponsors with InfoComm booths where you can pick up passes for the 2013 concert include:
- AMX (#2216)
- SurgeX (#1033)
- Chief (#3331)
- Cisco (#2743)
- FSR (#2259)
- Liberty AV Solutions (#3753)
- Mitsubishi (#3701)
- NEC (#1801)
- Symetrix (#922)
- Synnex (#3959)
- West Penn Wire (#2353)
Other sponsors include AVI-SPL, BMG Hudson, Cardone Soloman & Associates, Cerami & Associates and Shen Milsom & Wilke.
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Share Article Back to Top FSR Teams with NSCA and WAVE to Sponsor Networking Reception at InfoComm 2013 FSR, along with co-sponsors NSCA and Women in AV (WAVE), will host an informal reception on Wed., June 12, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at The Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Florida. The event coincides with opening day of the InfoComm show, the premiere trade show for the commercial audiovisual industry. Women are encouraged to attend the unique reception where they can network with colleagues, share success stories, industry tips and ideas.
“It’s an honor to sponsor this reception,” said Jan Sandri, FSR president. “It’s important to provide opportunities that allow women from all industry segments to mingle with their peers, share knowledge, and benefit from one another’s successes. We’re pleased to join NSCA and WAVE in this initiative. “
Register today for the reception at http://www.womeninav.com
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AVnu Alliance Adds Bose, Arrive, Revolabs and LG to Advance AVB Certification AVnu Alliance, the industry consortium that certifies Audio Video Bridging (AVB) products for interoperability, has introduced four new member companies to the Alliance: Bose Corporation, LG, Arrive Systems and Revolabs.
We've written about the AVB Alliance a lot, as well as its competitive standard HDBaseT. If you don't have a clue what we're talking about, you'd better get educated as, eventually, you'll have to decide which way you're gonna go. Audinate's Dante, in case you were wondering, is AVB.
Here's information on AVB: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Video_Bridging
Here's information on HDBaseT: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDBaseT
Seriously, read those two links!
Standing at 55 global members, AVnu Alliance is a consortium of professional A/V,automotive, and consumer electronics companies working together to drive certification and interoperability of open AVB standards and to enable interoperable platforms that offer bigger, better, faster, more flexible, and more affordable market solutions.
The Alliance has recently announced new AVB educational programs and new partnerships, as well as created the AVnu Alliance Broadcast Advisory Council to advance the broadcast industry's AVB requirements. This, along with the high growth of new members, speaks to the commitment that the Alliance and its members have for the promotion of AVB open standards across consumer, professional and automotive AV electronics.
The AVnu Alliance recently opened its certification testing for AVB-enabled networking bridges and professional audio endpoints at its appointed testing house, the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL). AVnu Certification is available to alliance member companies.
Here's all sorts of information about AVB: http://www.avnu.org/
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Share Article Back to Top PMA Research Releases Q1 2013 Worldwide Projector Sales Report PMA Research has published its latest research findings on the worldwide projector market. Total projector volume was 1.95 million in Q1 of 2013, down slightly from 2.07 million units in the same quarter last year. These figures now exclude projector modules embedded in host devices such as cell phones, camcorders and heads-up displays, which are reported on separately by PMA Research.
Despite a challenging quarter for the overall projector market, there were several areas of positive growth. Sales of pico and personal projectors (sub-1000 lumens) posted a double-digit volume gain vs. last year's first quarter. PMA Research CEO Nick Rogers said, “In the personal projector market, compact and mostly Wide XGA projectors are nearing 1,000 lumens. These lightweight models, which feature solid-state illumination, have gone from less than 10 percent share of the mobile market only a few years ago to more than 50 percent share now."
Sales of Mainstream projectors (1000-3999 Lumens) were lackluster in most countries around the world, mainly due to cutbacks in government and education projects, when compared with last year's first quarter. However, several segments within the mainstream market were clear over performers, including WXGA and 1080p commercial and home entertainment projectors. Sales of short-throw models, including interactive projectors, continued to show strong momentum and topped 20 percent of mainstream volume during the quarter. Finally, the first quarter also marked the ramp-up of new lines of mainstream and high-end projectors with laser and laser/LED technology. More models will hit the market in the coming months.
Sales of High-End projectors (4000+ Lumens) performed quite well during the quarter compared with 2012Q1. Sales of these high-bright projectors, particularly installation models in the 5000-6000lumen and 7000-10000 lumen ranges, registered solid growth in most developed and developing countries. Many of the traditional mainstream projector manufacturers are pushing upwards into higher-margin segments, and demand remains strong around the world. In the other part of the high-end market, worldwide d-cinema sales managed to stay unchanged compared with the past few quarters. Despite high digitization rates in developed markets, sales rose sharply in China, India and Latin America.
To see a rAVe infographic with this information displayed visually, click here.
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Crestron Replaces TPS-6X with TST-600 Wireless Touch Panel; But is an iPad Mini Good Enough? Crestron has introduced the TST-600 wireless touch screen (replacing the TPS-6X touch screen) — a 5.7" capacitive touch screen with dual-mode RF/Wi-Fi wireless, integrated Rava SIP Intercom and a lithium ion battery. It's capable of streaming H.264 video. Apparently, the TST-600 is compatible with older TPS docking stations, wireless gateways and other accessories.
In addition to the touch screen, the TST-600 features illuminated pushbuttons for programming macros like volume adjustment, channel selection and on-screen menu navigation functions. Eight additional pushbuttons located along the edges of the screen support additional programmable functions for virtually infinite custom possibilities. The integration of Rava SIP Intercom technology allows the touch panel to do hands-free full-duplex VoIP communication between any two Rava-enabled Crestron touch screens and third-party door stations.
Many reading this would just say, "Hey, why not just use an iPan Mini?" Well, having the side illuminated pushbuttons are key, in our opinion, to differentiate this panel from just using a Samsung or Apple tablet. Price-wise, the tablets are significantly cheaper. But, they don't offer the pushbutton macro-functionality. So, this sort of touch panel is definitely still viable in the AV market.
Full specs and details here: http://www.crestron.com/resources/product_and_programming_resources/catalogs_and_brochures/online_catalog/default.asp?jump=1&model=TST-600
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Share Article Back to Top RGB Intros SuperView 4K RGB Spectrum's new SuperView 4K is aimed at multi-windowing "Ultra HD" (aka 4K) monitors and projectors. The company says it can handle resolutions up to 3840×2160, so it can display up to eight HD graphic or video windows on a single Ultra HD-resolution display device.
Features include window sizing and positioning, input grouping, panning and zooming, custom borders and titles, HDCP support and programmable presets. Images can be arranged anywhere on an Ultra HD display – in any size, with or without overlaps, and with any desired priority. For control applications, the SuperView 4K multiviewer offers SinglePoint KVM control of computer sources.
Connectivity is either single-link or dual-link DVI and control is via RS232 or the system's Web Control Panel (WCP) via a Web browser.
Here are all the specs: http://www.rgb.com/products/SuperView4k/?c=n
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Share Article Back to Top FSR to Intro Compact Table Boxes, iPad Table Mounts, HDMI Ribbon Cables at InfoComm FSR is going to use InfoComm next month to launch new compact table boxes for conference and classrooms, an iPad table mount aimed at digital signage applications and very cool and very thin HDMI cables.
Power Coaster Mini Table Box Series
FSR’s new so-called Power Coaster mini table boxes are designed for meeting, conference and classroom applications and include covers that protect and conceal the connectors below. They resemble a high-end coaster (yes, a coaster) when closed. A variety of connector options are available, including Universal AC power receptacles and dual USB charging ports. The decorative covers are available with either black or aluminum anodized finishes.
iPad Table Mounts
Designed for digital signage applications, for tradeshow booths or even retail applications, FSR's new iPad Table Mounts lock and use mounting holes in the base, and can therefore be permanently and securely mounted to a desk, tabletop or other surface as a mini billboard. It allows for rotating the iPad as well as repositioning between portrait and landscape orientation, and it can swivel too.
Digital Ribbon Cables
Probably the product that will garner the most attention will be FSR’s new Digital Ribbon Cables for HDMI signal transmission over distances of up to 325 feet, which are the thinnest — 5×2.5 millimeters — HDMI cables we've ever seen. FSR says that active circuitry embedded in the connector shells provides all the signal buffering needed.
The cables deliver a 10.2 Gb/sec video bandwidth and can easily handle 1080p, 4Kx2K resolutions, 3D and most newer hi-res formats. The cables are UL listed and plenum rated. The new technology permits tight bends during installation that were never before possible and facilitates easy routing. The small jacket is a mere 5 millimeters by 2.5 millimeters in size and available in lengths ranging from 50 to 325 feet (15 to 100 meters).
Get more information at http://www.fsrinc.com
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Dukane Intros HDMI Document Camera The Camera 336B from Dukane is a digital gooseneck, LED-lit document camera (native 640x480p) that can magnify both 3D objects and well as documents you place under the lens. Integrated with an HD output via HDMI or VGA, the zoom is optical (and digital) — thus, you get the benefits of an actual camera zoom lens that's capable of capturing both still images and videos (with audio) on its internal memory and grab it via the integrated SD card. It's aimed at classroom installs, but can be used as a multipurpose document camera as well.
The Camera 336B lists for $599 and complete specs are here: http://www.dukane.com/av/products/documents/specs/336B.pdf |
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Share Article Back to Top Yuvad Intros New Encoders Yuvad Technologies is now shipping its Yuvision family of video encoding solutions, developed specifically for multiscreen encoding for the over-the-top (OTT) market. Yuvision says its products can be configured by customers for either live/real-time encoding or file-based transcoding because both real-time and file-based transcoding licenses are delivered with each system.
Yuvision also claims the performance of its encoders is measured not only in terms of the number of output streams per system, but also in terms of the bandwidth efficiency of the encoded output streams. With higher compression efficiency, users obviously save on the costs of network transport and storage, both of which are recurring costs, and improve the general viewing experience – higher video quality at any given bit rate.
There are three models – Base, Standard and Premium. Each system can be configured as a cluster (requiring an iCluster server node) to support fault-tolerance for live stream encoding. The same cluster, under the control of the Yucoder file transcoding manager software, can also provide load-balancing and fault-tolerance amongst multiple transcoding nodes.
You can see each of them at: http://www.yuvad.com
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Share Article Back to Top Extron Ships Fiber Optic RS232 Inserter Extron is now shipping its new FOX RS 104, a four port RS232 inserter for long-haul transmission of control signals to remote source and destination equipment over fiber optic cabling. Each port provides a bidirectional fiber optic connection to an Extron FOX Series transmitter or receiver for the insertion and extraction of control data, while maintaining a continuous pass-through link for video and audio.
RS232 data from the Ethernet port is inserted onto one or more of the fiber optic outputs, providing remote monitoring and control. Reclocking on the unit’s buffered fiber optic outputs ensures signal integrity and transmits the fiber optic signal at its original power level. The FOX RS 104 maintains the performance of the optical signal transmission while providing bidirectional control from a control processor, eliminating the need for separate control system wiring to remote devices. Available in multimode and singlemode models, it is compatible with the extensive line of FOX Series extenders, distribution amplifiers, switchers, and matrix switchers.
Here are all the specs: http://www.extron.com/product/product.aspx?id=foxrs104&s=5
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Share Article Back to Top Tecom to Launch a Multi-Touch Lectern at InfoComm Tecom is introducing at InfoComm the TecPodium AV Lectern, which will integrate multi-touch screen capabilities supporting Microsoft Windows 8 and HD resolution. The TecPodium TPI-12W is an all-in-one lectern with a single control panel controlling all AV gear. It has a built-in optical, multi-user touch screen system. The new touch screen also offers extended educational tools for the modern classroom and training environments where the presenter can use all common touch gestures such as swipe, tap, slide, scroll, zoom and more directly on the podium screen. TecPodium multi-touch screen fully supports Microsoft Windows 8 and Microsoft Office 2013 inking features, allowing direct, on the fly annotation capabilities.
When it's announced, it will be posted here: http://www.tecpodium.com
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Share Article Back to Top PESA Debuts Xstream Video Over IP Matrix PESA just intro'd something it is calling Xstream – a 1U rack-mountable box that simultaneously encodes up to five independent video sources and eight audio sources concurrently from live or recorded video for multi-path H.264 IP distribution over six independent video streams. And, PESA claims that there are no sync or latency issues (hmm, put an asterisk here because this seems unbelievable – prove this one to us PESA).
PESA Xstream captures H.264 IP camera streams, NTSC/PAL or SDI video up to 1080p resolution, video playback and even computer-based content such as PowerPoint slides, then prepares high-bandwidth MPEG-4/H.264 broadcast streams for enterprise distribution and archive. When multiple sources are captured simultaneously, the streams remain associated and synchronized during the event. Storage options include a PESA internal 2.5-inch SATA drive.
With five individually addressable video outputs as well as an integrated quad-view output, PESA Xstream allows operators to stream live content over IP while simultaneously transmitting live digital content to a quad-view display and/or full screen display. PESA Xstream can also synchronize discrete audio inputs to discrete video and IP video inputs, and offers adjustable audio delay.
This is aimed at court recording, rental and staging events, telemedicine, virtual classrooms, security and surveillance, and webcasting and remote production applications. PESA also provides access to its Application Programming Interface (API), allowing integrators to tailor applications to specific market segments.
Here are complete specs: http://pesaxstream.com/
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Share Article Back to Top Extron Releases TouchLink Interface for iPad Extron has put the TouchLink interface in the Apple App store for the iPad. TouchLink for iPad provides users with an additional point of control for rooms equipped with any TouchLink touchpanel. The app is compatible with projects created using Global Configurator 3.5, which is also available now. With this app, presenters can wirelessly control their AV system using a Wi-Fi network, allowing them the freedom to move around the room, or even between rooms. Each button press is tracked in real time between the app and the touchpanel, so that both stay in sync. TouchLink for iPad requires no additional GUI configuration, as it emulates the interface of the existing touchpanel. TouchLink for iPad is available for download now on the App Store.
TouchLink for iPad is compatible with all current versions of the iPad, including the iPad mini. Extron says it has addressed theft in high traffic environments by offering the Extron TLM 100T, a secure mounting enclosure that can secure most iPads to a tabletop, wall or other flat surface.
Here's details on the TouchLink iPad app: http://www.extron.com/company/article.aspx?id=mltlipad
Here are details on the secure mount for the iPad: http://www.extron.com/product/product.aspx?id=tlm100t&s=5
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Share Article Back to Top New Presenter Remote Control You Wear On Your Finger A company called Genius just debuted a really cool product called the Ring Pointer — a ring-style presenter with built-in laser pointer for those making PowerPoint and Keynote presentations. Using one hand, presenters can start and stop presentations and switch between slides as well as use the laser pointer since you wear it like a ring on your finger.
Functions include Play/Exit, Last Page, Next Page, blank screen functions as well as the laser pointer (10-meter wireless range). It uses a 2.4 GHz wireless technology.
Transportation and recharging is simple. When the battery-low indicator lights up, just plug the Ring Pointer using the micro USB rechargeable cable into a computer. To prevent misplacing or losing the USB pico receiver, it can be attached to the Ring Pointer for storage.
The Genius Ring Pointer lists for $54.99 and all the specs are here: http://www.geniusnet.com |
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Share Article Back to Top RGB Spectrum Intros New Codec for Recording and Streaming Graphics and HD Video RGB Spectrum has expanded its line of DSx codecs with the introduction of its new DSx 300M secure access model. The DSx 300M codec is specially designed for streaming and recording of graphics and HD video using H.264 compression. The codec records, streams and replays graphics and HD video at up to 1920×1200 and 1600×1200 resolutions.
Additional features include on-screen display (OSD) with titling and time code, external time code synchronization, event marking, variable speed playback, random access, extended-range bit rate adjustment and signal confidence monitoring. DSx codecs can be interconnected to support multi-channel, concurrent recording, streaming and replay. Multi Channel Manager software provides simultaneous control of multiple DSx units and it's integrated with Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) as well as external power.
The complete specs are here: http://www.rgb.com/
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Share Article Back to Top Extron Debuts Long-Distance DVI Over CATx Transmitter Extron just debuted the DTP DVI 330, a transmitter and receiver set for long distance transmission of DVI-D video, audio and bidirectional RS232 and IR control signals up to 330 feet (100 meters) over a single CATx cable. The extender provides an effective means for extending single link DVI-D or HDMI signals. In addition, the DTP DVI 330 accepts analog stereo audio signals and digitizes them for simultaneous transmission over the same twisted pair cable. The transmitter is equipped with a buffered DVI loop-through output to support a local computer monitor.
Extron says the DTP DVI 330 supports computer-video to 1920×1200, including HDTV 1080p/60 Deep Color and 2K (it's refreshing to see a manufacturer not make a 4K claim – like many, as of late, who've jumped on the 4K bandwagon just for marketing) and is fully compatible with HDMI signals when used with the appropriate DVI-HDMI adapters from Extron. The extender can transmit HDMI signals, supporting Deep Color up to 12-bit, CEC and embedded HD lossless audio formats. It also allows a direct connection from devices with an analog stereo audio output, such as desktop computers or laptops and provides balanced and unbalanced audio output from the receiver.
In addition, the extender continuously maintains DDC communication of EDID and HDCP between a source and display for reliable operation, ensuring direct compatibility and optimal signal transmission between devices. The DTP DVI 330 is compatible with Cat5e, Cat6, Cat7 and Extron XTP DTP 24 twisted pair cable, and can be used as a point-to-point solution or integrated within DVI switching and distribution environments to extend inputs or outputs to remote locations. For added flexibility, either the transmitter or receiver can be powered over the original twisted pair cable, allowing both devices to share one external power supply.
All the details are here: http://www.extron.com
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Share Article Back to Top VFI to Intro New Videoconferencing Table at InfoComm Designed primarily for the telepresence market, Video Furniture International's (VFI) new Table T3500 is part of its new "SLIM line" that brings a clean, high-tech look to today's conference rooms. Table T3500 (for five people) is offered stand-alone or as VFI configured room packages. It's available in three different packages with just the table, the table with one display and the table with two side-by-side displays. You can also by an extension that adds either 29" (for two more people) or 55" (for four more people) to the length of the table.
Here are all the details: http://video-furn.com/tables-T3500.php?v=
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Share Article Back to Top Extron Ships Economical DVI Twisted Pair Extenders Extron's new DTP DVI 230 and DTP DVI 230 D are desktop and Decora-style twisted pair extenders that transmit DVI-D video, audio and bidirectional RS232 and IR control signals up to 230 feet (70 meters) over a single CATx cable. The DTP DVI 230 and DTP DVI 230 D provide what Extron calls an economical and effective means for extending single link DVI-D or HDMI signals. The transmitters are each equipped with a buffered DVI loop-through output to support a local computer monitor. Both models feature remote power capability of either the transmitter or receiver, and can be mixed and matched for installation flexibility.
The extenders support signal resolutions up to 1920×1200 and 1080p/60, and are fully compatible with HDMI signals when used with the appropriate DVI-HDMI adapters from Extron. The DTP DVI 230 and DTP DVI 230 D can transmit HDMI signals, supporting Deep Color up to 12-bit, CEC, and embedded HD lossless audio formats. They also allow a direct connection from devices with an analog stereo audio output, such as desktop computers or laptops, and provide balanced and unbalanced audio output from the receiver.
In addition, the extenders continuously maintain DDC communication of EDID and HDCP between a source and display for reliable operation, ensuring direct compatibility and optimal signal transmission between devices. The DTP DVI 230 and DTP DVI 230 D are compatible with CAT 5e, CAT 6, and CAT 7 twisted pair cable, and can be used as a point-to-point solution or integrated with a switching and distribution system to extend inputs or outputs to remote locations.
Check out all their specs here: http://www.extron.com/
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Share Article Back to Top WyreStorm Announces HDBaseT Matrix Switcher WyreStorm has announced the MX1616-PROAV-010, a 16×16 matrix that processes audio, video, Ethernet, control and low-voltage power over a single Cat5e/Cat6 from as many as sixteen sources to sixteen displays, with transmission distances that they say is up to 100 meters. Using redundant power supplies and integrated with KVM switching, the MX1616-PROAV-010 switches HDMI, VGA, HDBaseT and audio sources and outputs them on either HDBaseT (Cat5 connectors) or HDMI (simultaneously) as well as two-way IR control.
WyreStorm says the matrix "reads and copies EDID from connected devices" and has "constant HDCP preventing screen drop-outs" but that terminology doesn't exactly explain what is being done with the HDCP or EDID signal information within the switcher. Alternatively, when you look at a data sheet from a company like Extron, you see very specific data on how it handles both EDID data and HDCP signal processing.
Until we understand how WyreStorm processes EDID and HDCP, you might want to wait to specify it.
Here's a link the company's HDBaseT products: http://www.wyrestorm.com/catalog/hdbaset-70m230ft-cat5e-matrix
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Share Article Back to Top Digital Projection Offers Free Lamps For Any Projector While in Warranty DPI has introduced a new 'Lamp Freedom' program for customers in both the ProAV and HomeAV markets that allows end-users to receive a free set of replacement lamps in years two and three of a new projector purchase made between now and the end of June 2013. The program is offered to end-users purchasing HIGHlite Series or TITAN Series projectors from authorized DPI Commercial AV or Home Cinema dealers in North America.
Lamp replacement costs are obviously a key concern when calculating the long-term cost of ownership of high-brightness projectors. DPI’s ‘Lamp Freedom’ program offers customers a dramatically reduced cost of ownership benefit on their HIGHlite and TITAN projectors. Depending on the DPI projector model purchased, this program can represent more than $10,000 in lamp savings during the three-year warranty period. For customers with typical use applications, which DPI defines as 1,000-1,500 hours per year, this program will completely eliminate lamp purchase costs during the warranty period.
To qualify, end-users must purchase and take delivery of HIGHlite and TITAN 3-chip projectors during the 5/1/13 – 6/30/13 timeframe. This qualifies the customer to order one set of replacement lamps, at no cost, in each of years two and three.
For more details on DPI’s ‘Lamp Freedom’ program, go to digitalprojection.com/freedom
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Share Article Back to Top Futuresource Q1 Projector Sales Tracking Report Released (Infographic) The global projector market came in at 1.76 million units in calendar year Q1 2013, a year-on-year decline of 7.5 percent on the same period in 2012, according to the latest market tracker research from Futuresource Consulting.
Futuresource Global Roundup
The largest declines are seen in standard definition mainstream products (1000 – 3999 Lumens) as demand shows signs of retraction in key western territories. Growth markets like Russia and India that had driven volumes in CY Q1 2012 experienced a difficult quarter as funding for education and public sector projects were suspended. Globally, volumes of mainstream SVGA projectors fell 13.2 percent while mainstream XGA volumes declined 16.7 percent YoY. Widescreen resolutions continued to take a share of the mainstream segments, B2B WXGA volumes grew 7.7 percent YoY while volumes of B2B 1080p product grew 74.7 percent with favorable pricing expected to increase demand for these products during the rest of the year.
2013 is set to be a difficult year of trading in the US projector market which peaked in 2010, CY Q1 2013 returned a YoY decline of 5.6 percent on the same period in 2012 with reports that the education market is the vertical most visibly affected as district level education spend is expected to continue its decline this year (and available budgets are tending to be used on one-to-one computing projects, with iPad deployments continuing to develop rapidly in US schools). The Chinese market, forecast to continue its strong trend of growth in 2013 started the year only 2.4 percent up on CY Q1 2012 with reports some education business had been impeded after the change of leadership in the Communist party at the end of 2012.
Installation and Large Venue Segment
While mainstream volumes suffer, the installation and large venue segment (4000+ Lumens) continues to return good business, global volumes increasing 9.8 percent YoY to reach 146K units according to the Futuresource tracker. As a number of vendors continue to target the installation business, price competition is helping to drive increased adoption of widescreen formats in the 4000 – 6999 lumen market, widescreen resolutions accounted for 43 percent of total sales in the segment, up from 36 percent in CY Q1 2012.
Home Cinema
The dedicated home cinema market, which typically experiences a slow post-Christmas CY Q1, remained relatively consistent in the period, volumes increasing less than 2 percent YoY, 720P and WXGA models retain their price position in the market maintaining a 33 percent share. As global volumes of dedicated home cinema volumes remain stagnant, vendors show increased innovation in the sector with new products including LG's Hecto Laser TV coming to market in CY Q1 2013.
Ultra Mobile
In the Ultra Mobile segment (sub 2KG projectors) LED models continue to fuel the market, taking share from lamp based models. The global ultra-mobile market grew 26.7 percent YoY in CY Q1, LED volumes increasing 31.4 percent. As the brightness of LED models increases, the B2B applications for these products increase also providing new markets for LED projectors in the road warrior and small meeting room sectors, taking share from lamp based models. A host of new models in this segment due this year are expected to continue this trend including the ML1000 from Optoma and Qumi Q7 from Vivitek.
You can see all Futuresource reports here: http://www.futuresource-consulting.com
Here is a link to a rAVe infographic incorporating this information: http://bit.ly/YHgInW
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Share Article Back to Top ViewSonic Reaffirms Commitment to the ProAV Market with the Launch of its Pro8 Series Projectors ViewSonic added two new models to its Pro8 line today, the Pro8520HD and Pro8600, making for a total of seven in its series of high brightness projectors. Both are single-chip DLP projectors, spec'd at 5,000 ANSI lumen for the 1920×1080 resolution Pro8520HD and 6,000 ANSI lumens for the XGA 1024×768 native resolution Pro8600, and also claim a 15,000:1 contrast ratio. They both use the TI Brilliant Chip technology. Both models are aimed at high ambient light environments and have HDMI (dual HDMI for Pro8520), RGB, S-Video, RJ45 and so-called plug ‘n play USB display.
The Pro8520HD and Pro8600 are priced at $2,099 and $1,979, respectively, and you can see all the specs on the 8520 here: http://www.viewsonic.com/us/pro8520hd.html and on the 8600 here: http://www.viewsonic.com/us/pro8600.html
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Share Article Back to Top Promate Intros Andriod Tablet with a Built-in Projector A small company called Promate has launched what it's calling the lumiTab – the world’s first Android tablet with a built-in pico projector. Using its one-button projection system, all the customer has to do is push the button and point the lumiTab to view his tablet screen on an up to 100-inch projected display — all 35 lumens of it. It's powered by DLP technology and offers WVGA resolution (854 x 480)
The tablet runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and has 1 GB of RAM.
lumiTab is equipped with Google Mobile apps and services (Gmail, Google Maps, Google Talk, Google Search and YouTube) as well as micro USB, mini HDMI, 2-megapixel front and back cameras, Micro SD card reader, Bluetooth 4.0 and 16 GB flash storage.
Here are the details: http://promate.net/newsletters/lumiTab/lumiTab.pdf
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Share Article Back to Top We Got BenQ's InfoComm Launch Plans BenQ is adding three new series of large-format LCDs and two projectors to its lines at next month's InfoComm show in Orlando.
BenQ claims all three of the LCD series use commercial-grade displays. The SL Series is a dust-proof line; the interactive IL Series features up to six-point multitouch points; and the P Series has a bezel design of only 5.6 millimeters between two adjacent screens and offers up to 10×10 display capabilities. All three of the Series of BenQ flat-panel displays feature something it is calling a Multiple Display Administrator (MDA) application, which enables control of up to 98 displays simultaneously through the LAN and the ability to monitor the health of each display and coordinates sequential startups to prevent power surges. To improve energy performance and reduce maintenance costs, all of them also feature sensors to automatically adjust brightness, anti-image retention to prevent the "burned-in" effect after extended periods of usage and scheduling management to allow users to program up to seven sets of on/off times down to individual video input sources. All models feature landscape and portrait modes. BenQ will also introduce two new projectors in the form of the 6,000-lumen (their spec) 1080p SH963 and a 6,000-lumen, 1024×768 resolution (XGA) SX914 projector. Both have a contrast ratio spec of 50,000:1. |
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Share Article Back to Top Red Intros Redray 4K and 3D Player The new Redray Player from Red plays 4K files as well as upscales HD files to Ultra HD content to a resolution of 4096×2160. Redray connects to 4K displays using a 1.4 HDMI output or one of four HDMI 1.3 outputs, with an additional HDMI output for 7.1 channel audio (for HD displays, Redray uses 1x HDMI 1.3 output). It also supports 3D playback at 48-60fps.
Redray utilizes a 1 TB internal drive to store content and is capable of synchronized video playback to four 1080p displays or two 4K display panels, simultaneously. Multiple Redray players can also be genlocked together to serve large video wall applications.
While the Redray Player is targeted at home theater applications (Red has demo'd it running content on 4K TVs), it also will be used for on-set dailies, in post production, by VOD providers, running video walls and could be used in digital signage applications too. Why video walls? It has four 1080p outputs on HDMI connectors, so it works just fine for a 2×2 wall offering full resolution without a video wall controller.
Playback can also occur at three different levels: 10-, 20- and 40-Mbps. The 40 Mbps level is cinema quality and each minute of content requires a lot more storage space. At the 20Mbps rate, the 1TB hard drive should store about 100 hours of 4K content.
Here are all the specs: http://www.red.com/store/products/Redray-player
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Share Article Back to Top Knoll Intros the Illusion M, a Tiny 15 Watt Audio Amp Knoll has introduced a new, small mono version of its Illusion 1 stereo amp, the Illusion M. This 15-watt RMS mono amp is an interesting solution for schools and commercial applications where high quality sound is required in rooms or hallways. It can be directly powered by 12- to 15-volt VDC or with the included 100-240 VAC power adaptor.
Here are all the specs: http://www.knollsystems.com/illusionm.html
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Share Article Back to Top AudioControl Ships New 16×100-Watt Amp AudioControl is shipping its new Director D4400, which offers amplification and programmable signal processing via the network. Power output is rated at a minimum of 100 watts per channel into 16 channels, all channels driven. The Director D4400 is also bridgeable and, while the power output is rated at 8 ohms, AudioControl claims it is stable into lower impedances but doesn't specify those details on its website or the literature for the product. Other features include graphic and parametric equalization settings for each channel and a total of 128 filters, programmable electronic crossover, dual buss inputs with signal source switching over a network and a memory bank for pre-set zones. It's housed in a 3U enclosure.
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Share Article Back to Top DPA Microphones Introduces d:dicate Recording Microphone Range DPA Microphones this month launched its d:dicate Recording Microphone, which includes the MMC4018 Supercardioid Capsule and the MMC4007 High-SPL Omnidirectional Capsule, a modular version of the company’s 4007 microphone. Both capsules are entirely compatible with other d:dicate preamplifiers and are ideal for capturing sound from percussion and brass instruments, as well as for audio measurement purposes.
Rounding out the d:dicate line are microphones from the familiar DPA Reference Standard series, which has been absorbed into the d:dicate range. These include the modular 4000 and 2000 Series, which are manufactured to perform within very narrow tolerances and offer linear frequency responses, high SPL and gain before feedback. Included in the d:dicate range are a wide variety of 4000 Series capsules, including the new 4018 Supercardiod, 4017 Shotgun, 4015 Wide Cardioid, 4011 Cardioid and 4006 Omnidirectional. 2000 Series Microphones that are in the line consist of two twin diaphragm capsules – the 2011 Cardioid and the 2006 Omnidirectional. Both of these microphones are rooted in the design technology of DPA’s classic miniature capsules. All of the former Reference Standard capsules can be combined with the company’s preamps, including the A, which is transformerless; the B, a low cut and high boost filter version; and the compact C option for discreet miking.
New accessories have also been developed for the d:dicate Recording Microphone range, including modular active cables (MMP-ER with rear cable entry and MMP-ES with side cable entry) plus modular active booms (MMP-F) that are compatible with all d:dicate capsules.
You can see them all here: http://www.dpamicrophones.com |
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Share Article Back to Top Scala Releases New Customer Experience Engine Scala debuted of its latest digital communication software, Scala Enterprise. Earlier this year at DSE, Scala provided early access to select DS dealers, showing off the redesigned interface in addition to many new features and improvements. The feedback led to further refinements and additions including a more user-driven design and improved workflows, under the hood this release includes a dramatic expansion of our existing APIs, HTML5 and Android player support, expanding options for Scala's current and future customers.
Scala’s signage solution Scala iS will also be offered with Scala Enterprise. Aimed at retailers and quick service restaurants needing optimized digital content at the point of decision, Scala iS uses “big data” and predictive analytics to drive targeted, personalized customer engagement.
Scala Enterprise lists these features (in the company's own words):
- Flexible – Integration with existing systems, capable of supporting a wide range of interactive and dynamic content
- Customizable – Never limiting a customer's creative freedom, adaptable to enable any content dreamt up
- Scalable – Run one screen, or tens of thousands all from a central location. A track record of proven results from single display installations to enormous global networks
- Stable – Scala systems are rock solid. The digital signage software provider with one of the largest QA staffs in house and a platform that has been constantly refined over 25 years to perform flawlessly
You can find more information on Scala Enterprise at http://scala.com/enterprise
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Share Article Back to Top Randy Green Appointed Lighthouse Chief Technology Officer Lighthouse Technologies announced this month the promotion of Randy Green to the position of chief technology officer.
Randy has more than 25 years experience in strategic planning, sales, design and implementation of technical systems for the entertainment, television, sports, digital out of home and live event markets. He also has over 15 years of experience providing technical solutions for sports stadiums, arenas, and exhibition centers of which large screen video display, video control systems and electronic signage are an integral part.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top Atlona Partners With AVProAlliance.com Atlona has announced the appointment of AVProAlliance.com, a service group led by experienced AV professionals, as a national distributor for its full line of connectivity products including the company's latest HDBaseT matrix switchers and extenders. AVProAlliance.com will also support Atlona as it targets the residential custom integrator markets and video collaboration businesses.
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 percent 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 added rAVe Rental [and Staging] in November 2007, rAVe ED [Education] in May 2008 and then rAVe DS [Digital Signage] in January 2009. We added rAVe GHGav [Green, Healthcare & Government AV] in August 2010 and rAVe HOW [House of Worship] in July 2012. 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 2013 – 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.
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