Volume 11, Issue 17 — September 6, 2013
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Relationships: Should You Be Steady Dating, or Playing the Field?
By Scott Tiner rAVe Columnist
If anyone is a regular reader of my columns or blogs, they know that Bates College, where I work, is a Crestron house. This summer I was able to work with some products from AMX. Specifically, we had the DVX-3155HD presentation switcher, along with the Modero MXT-1000 touch panel. I was able to configure these products using the online tool AMX Rapid Project Maker. At some point, I hope to write a blog about my reaction to this equipment. This column however, is about relationships.
Anyone who has paid attention to the AV industry over the past five to six years has noticed a trend towards manufacturers trying to force you to use their equipment as a complete solution. Eight to ten years ago, we could buy a control system from one manufacturer, a switcher from another and various accessories from all over. Those days, for our basic classroom and conference room installs are by and large, over. In large part, this is due to many manufacturer putting out “all-in-one” equipment. This equipment often is a multi-input and output switcher, audio switcher, a control system and now sometimes a DSP and an amp. The manufacturer then sells accessories, such as CAT extenders that allow you to bring in remote sources. They don’t force you to use their accessories in every case, but certainly they are designed so that it makes it much easier to stick with one manufacturer.
There is no question that for the designer, integrator, installer and technology manager these products make our lives so much easier. They also make the manufacturers and their salesmen happy because they tend to tie us into one vendor tightly. As I mentioned, we are a Crestron house. Crestron has wisely provided us great customer service and access to a wide variety of resources. As I worked with the AMX product, I began to realize how difficult it would be to switch over to a new manufacturer. Don’t get me wrong, this is not about whether the AMX product is difficult to use or program. In fact, AMX’s Rapid Project Maker allows you to build a program and touch panel design in about 10 minutes — but it is different than our Crestron equipment.
As a department, we have over 15 years of experience with Crestron equipment. Obviously, if we switched to a new manufacturer, that would not all go to waste, but a huge learning curve would be in our future. So, the question becomes: Is it financially, strategically and efficient (personnel-time wise) to begin to learn about multiple manufacturers?
I am truly torn on the answer to this. What if any of these companies get bought out and change strategic direction? We may be caught off guard and our institutions could suffer financially, and more importantly, our users could suffer with equipment that was not meeting their needs. On the other hand, if your current manufacturer is giving you exactly what you need, why fix what is not broken? Should we be steady dating, or play the field?
What I do know is that for a manufacturer to get a school to switch, the manufacturer would need to make some very major concessions. Likely, these would need to be in partnership with local integrators and dealers. When I say major concessions, I mean really major. I remember a year or so ago, NEC had an offer that they would pay the programming cost when you switched to its brand from any other manufacturer. My first reaction was that this was brilliant. After all, that is one of the major reasons people don’t switch brands. Then, with more research, I realized it would offer up to $100 in programming costs. Note to all manufacturers: That is NOT a major concession. I don’t know of any programmers that would do that work for $100.
So, what is a major concession? First, the manufacturer would have to listen to how we use our systems and our rooms, and I mean really listen. They would need to send a rep to my institution who would walk through a room with me, and look, listen and learn, without trying to sell. It would then need to spec a system that could do everything we already do. It would not need to be the same way, but we would need the same functions. Second, it would need to provide the equipment at a discounted rate. This discount is about giving me the incentive to use the new product. I don’t expect free equipment, but I would expect the first sale to be at a cost that made me sit up in my chair.
Third, it would need to provide programming and configuration support. In my mind, this means that the manufacturer would have a local installer and programmer on hand for a day or two to install and configure the system. This, in my case, would need to be free. I understand that would be a concession for the manufacturer, but since we mostly do our own installs, we would lose money if we had to pay for someone to come in and do it for us. Also, we could not fumble around with the install and configuration ourselves, and waste staff time that would normally be more efficiently used.
Finally, the company would need to provide training, phone and e-mail support for free. Again, I am saying free, because we already get it for free (or don’t need it), so if we need to start paying for it, there would be no incentive to switch.
As an integrator, dealer, installer, manufacturer, what are your thoughts on this? Does anyone out there have a great program to get people to switch over? Is there any benefit to the integrators and dealers to keep all the manufacturers happy? How many technology managers out there have multiple manufacturers throughout their institutions? Let me know in the comments; I look forward to hearing from you. Leave a Comment
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Creating Balance … and Still Learning
By Gina Sansivero Relampit
In two of my previous posts (here and here), I had discussed my position of combining Sales & Marketing into a cohesive group through consistent detailed communication and collaboration. After discovering that sales people are consistently poor intra-company communicators and marketing people can be annoyingly persistent (LOVE both my sales and marketing roles at RelampIt), we implemented some strategies to try to balance the strengths and weaknesses of each of the departmental personalities so that they would continue a successful co-habitation of my front office floor. And it has been successful. We are still frequently tweaking our Sales-Marketing cooperation, but it has helped our company understand how to approach new business, strengthen existing business relationships and develop better processes and analysis for sales growth.
In a manufacturing environment (and likely in distribution as well), we have another unique configuration which can cause an information transmission imbalance within the company. This imbalance, like with neurotransmitters in the brain, causes malfunctions, inefficiencies and drama if left unchecked. From where does this imbalance stem? It is an “us vs. them” issue that we see between the sales and production departments. The scenario usually goes like this: A sales person (SP) gets a call from his (or her) client asking for tracking. SP goes to Support for tracking. Support doesn’t see tracking and so goes to Shipping. Shipping doesn’t see that order shipped and so goes to Manufacturing Supervisor (MS). MS slinks his little butt up to the front, anticipating the firing squad that is most certainly waiting for him. MS says something very obvious, hoping it is innocuous enough to keep him out of trouble like, “that order hasn’t shipped yet.” The response from sales is typically swift and severe — something about needing to keep clients happy, progressing into a mountain of reminders that sales brings in the money and manufacturing can’t hold things up. MS leaves, feeling defeated and with an increasing animosity toward the arrogant, self-interested, higher paid, babied SP who doesn’t understand what it takes to get his orders out. The MS goes into the back, the SP goes into the front and all of a sudden it’s the Jets vs. Sharks in the concrete jungle calling out weapons and not even remembering the origin of the war. And then the fun really starts…
In order to minimize the “us vs, them” seesaw, we have to get creative. We have tried the company BBQs (which are always fun), company trips to baseball games, pot luck lunches, holiday parties, birthday celebrations — you know, all the fun stuff that companies traditionally do to bring employees together for team building and relationship strengthening. We even did a treasure hunt and costume party for Halloween one year. Those activities are fun and our employees are grateful. Everyone seems to enjoy each other’s company during them. It seems to work for a short time. But my partner and I really wanted to create a more lasting balance between the “front office” and the “back office” so that when mistakes happen (and they absolutely will happen), the animosity is minimized. So we started to strategize, talked to other small business owners and formed our own solutions based on our discussions. So far here is what we have come up with as company-wide policies and/ or practices (not specifically for the manufacturing and sales departments):
1) Empowering creates ownership: If there is a problem, we talk to both departments about how we can prevent the issue from happening again. Rather than focusing on blame, we focus on empowering the departments to come up with solutions so that they can take ownership of the revised process.
2) Taking a walk: Often, division within the company stems from knee jerk (emotional) reactions to problems perceived as easily avoidable yet completely detrimental to a relationship with a client. Asking the irritated employee to take a walk around the block or a drive to Starbucks to cool down a bit can reduce the chance of escalation.
3) Encouraging open communication: Most people don’t like confrontation. When an issue arises, often there are a lot of angry words muttered under one’s breath, rather than to the perceived opponent’s face. This creates prolonged feelings of resentment and bitterness, rather than productive communication. Like an itch that you keep scratching — it is slow to heal. Bringing feuding employees or departments to the table to confront the problem will, in theory, allow them to hear the other’s point of view and hopefully result in a respectful conclusion. Sometimes it is necessary to include a mediator in these open table meetings to ensure that there isn’t a breakdown of communication. It is not easy to truly listen to someone, have them hear you, remove blame and focus on solutions, and come to mutually agreeable position. It takes practice. During these sessions, the real reasons behind the confusion or problem may come out, resulting in a better understanding of each other’s responsibilities and roles.
4) Being strong: As company owners, executives and managers, sometimes we just have to put our foot down. Whining about another department is ALWAYS unacceptable. Resentment reduces productivity and overall office morale. It becomes a disease. It has to be stopped. Even more unacceptable is trying to recruit allies to support the cause against another employee or department. Even top producers have to be reprimanded for this type of behavior- and repeat offenders may not be the right fit for your team even if they are your super star.
Sometimes you just have to part ways with those who can’t let go of the “us and them” fight and assimilate into a “team” mentality. Division within the company, if left unchecked, will hinder growth, development, innovation and employee retention. I can’t even claim to follow our own policies about this 100% of the time (although I do take every opportunity I can to make that Starbucks run). This takes practice and a conscious effort to remove personal feelings and emotions from a professional situation. Admittedly, a lot of the issues we see are human nature or personality issues that can occur in any environment at any time. I used the Manufacturing vs. Sales scenario as the example because of the very real differences in the roles, structure, wages and work spaces that typically add to the visible and invisible divisions which can be a catalyst for some inter-departmental issues. I am interested to know your feedback for creating union and balance within your own company… How is it handled and what type of success have you had? Leave a Comment
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InfoComm: AirPlay, AirMedia or Something Else? Parsing Wireless Presentation Systems
By Brad Grimes InfoComm International
Earlier this summer, Google came out with a gadget called Chromecast, which plugs into the HDMI port of a flat-panel HDTV and allows users to control the TV wirelessly from a mobile device and send video content to the screen. The mainstream media rejoiced. It was another technological step toward accommodating the explosion of smartphones, tablets, and other devices using Wi-Fi.
How Chromecast works aside (it pulls content from the cloud, needs USB power, and rides your crowded 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network), its announcement brought to mind Apple’s AirPlay technology, and articles comparing the two started popping up. As many AV professionals know, AirPlay and Apple TV are among the latest consumer technologies on users’ wish lists, whether for classrooms, conference rooms or other presentation settings. With so many teachers, executives, and others carrying around iPads and iPhones, it was just a matter of time before they began requesting a capability they already enjoyed at home, namely the ability to wirelessly stream content from their devices to the screens at work.
It was happening at Boston University. Giuseppe Vento, who works in the AV engineering department, says that faculty at several of B.U.’s schools, including its School of Management, were pressing for a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) solution to presenting in the classroom.
“They walk in with an iPad or Android device and that’s what they want to use,” he says. In fact, Vento says, the School of Management recently met faculty requests and installed 17 Apple TV devices in classrooms to support wireless presentations. “In the last couple years, we’ve started to use a lot of Apple products here at B.U.,” he says. “Faculty and students massively are moving from PC to Apple laptops and devices.”
So the solution fits, right? But can it scale? Can it support multiple presenters and devices? Can it be managed centrally?
Pro vs. Consumer
Enter the pro AV industry. Like many of you, Vento and his manager attended InfoComm 2013 in Orlando. (Vento says the AV engineering group recently became part of B.U.’s Information Services & Technology department and that for the first time, a director from IS&T also journeyed to the InfoComm show.) There, among all the other new technology, the B.U. staff experienced a variety of new wireless presentation systems—solutions that “can do professionally what the Apple consumer devices can do,” Vento says.
Similarly motivated by BYOD initiatives, manufacturers such as Barco, Christie, Crestron and others have introduced products that allow presenters to send content to screens from a variety of devices, without patching into a console in a conference table or lectern. Their solutions differ, but they all begin to address the same set of user requirements. “Wireless presentation becomes interesting when it’s clear end users no longer want to touch a wire or even a dongle,” says Justin Kennington, product manager for Crestron’s wireless presentation solution AirMedia. “They also want to present from their mobile devices.”
Kennington says Crestron started exploring a solution more than two years ago. “What’s missing from something like Chromecast or AirPlay, though, is scale,” he says. “How do you deal with systems like this at a pro scale? When a network of devices gets bigger than just a few, how do you manage them? How do you discover them on a network?”
Vento and B.U. are among the first to start figuring it out. As a result of its pilgrimage to InfoComm, the school has acquired its first AirMedia system and is currently putting it through its paces. Vento says so far it works as advertised, but be forewarned (and this goes for many networked AV systems), he says the biggest challenge may be getting permission from his IT counterparts to put the AirMedia systems on the networks that operate in classrooms.
“Their first answer was, ‘You’re crazy, we’re not going to let you access our network,’” he says. Vento expects the fact that it’s a commercial-grade product and that B.U. uses other Crestron technology (and the fact that someone from IS&T saw AirMedia at InfoComm) to ease concerns.
DeVry University has already deployed AirMedia in four classrooms on campuses across the country—two videoconferencing rooms and two active-learning rooms, as the school calls them. Steve Endres, senior academic technology specialist, says the move isn’t just a response to BYOD opportunities; it’s also part of a larger facility-planning initiative.
“With vendors phasing out VGA, none of the other formats — DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort — has established itself as the next-generation connection, and to support all of those you need more cables and adapters,” Endres says. Rather than dealing with physical connections, wireless systems can offer tech managers a cleaner solution.
“At the same time,” Endres says, “BYOD has the potential to be transformational in terms of what takes place in the classroom. A lot of times, students are asked to turn these devices off when they come through the classroom door. We’ve been trying to figure out how the devices can become tools for collaboration. And in order to do that, you need to be able to share from your device.”
DeVry’s wireless presentation rooms went live for the beginning of the 2013-14 school year. Endres’ department held training sessions to get faculty up-to-speed. When BYOD users enter the classroom, there’s a customized welcome screen on the display that walks them through a four-step process: Connect to the wireless LAN, connect to the AirMedia device in the room, download the run-time software (if they’re using a laptop — mobile devices require downloading a free app) and begin sharing content.
In larger deployments, say Kennington, a four-digit access code comes in handy to ensure the presenter sends content to the proper AirMedia gateway — not the one in the next room or down the hall.
“This kind of solution is ready for the enterprise. It supports most devices and handles the switching so you can have multiple users connected at any time and switch among presenters,” Endres says. “A lot of wireless solutions out there are really consumer-oriented.” AirMedia supports 32 connections and can display up to four sources simultaneously. Other wireless presentation systems are similarly designed to handle multiple users. Christie’s Brio is based on a decidedly pro product — the company’s Phoenix distributed control room processor. “We decided there was any easy way to take that technology and provide other applications, especially as people were getting over their fear of wireless and questions over whether they should play content from their personal devices,” says Chris Merrill, product line manager for Christie’s Vista Systems group.
Merrill says that in designing Brio, Christie found that users were leery of altering their devices in any way. “We tried to use existing technologies, like [Windows] Network Projector and AirPlay, so that people can use programs that are already on their devices.” Merrill says Christie Brio will also support Miracast for Android devices.
Perform a Needs Analysis
Certainly, BYOD may spur users to request wireless solutions in the classroom or conference room, but tech managers and AV integrators should perform a detailed needs analysis to determine more completely why users think they want a wireless presentation solution, what they plan to do with it, and whether it is, indeed, a good fit.
If you ask Dominic Audet, co-founding partner and chief innovation officer at Moment Factory, a multimedia arts and entertainment studio based in Montreal, why his company pursued a wireless presentation solution, his answer is straightforward and practical—and no mention of BYOD.
“We had constant cable clutter in our meeting rooms,” Audet says. Moreover, the control system that Moment Factory used to manage inputs among presenters didn’t always work properly. “We just wanted to ease screen sharing during brainstorming sessions and presentations,” he says. Audet’s company adopted Barco’s ClickShare wireless presentation solution. It’s also Wi-Fi-based but configured differently. ClickShare doesn’t utilize a mobile device’s own 802.11 connectivity. With ClickShare, users plug in a USB device (called a ClickShare button), which then pairs via its own Wi-Fi with an in-room base station. Click a button on the Button and start sharing. Users run the ClickShare software either from the USB device or as a service from their mobile device.
“The feedback we got was that organizations didn’t want visitors on their wireless network in order to share presentations wirelessly,” says Hanne Page, Barco’s product manager for collaboration. “And visitors didn’t want to download software.”
Barco’s ClickShare more closely resembles an AV solution than an IT solution because it’s room-based. The Wi-Fi connectivity is limited to connections between Buttons and the base unit, which connects to the display via DVI-I. A single unit can support up to 64 ClickShare Buttons and display four sources at once. Page says this, too was, by design.
“There are still AV people and IT people, depending on the company,” she says. “For some, getting an AV product on an IT network can still be a hurdle. That’s why we made the ClickShare receiver its own wireless access point and gave the ClickShare Button its own wireless module.” The user’s laptop can still be connected to the corporate or guest wireless LAN per IT policy, but the wireless presentation system is not. Moreover, this wireless-separation configuration allows ClickShare to use 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio bands. “By making a product that can also work in the 5GHz channel, we get better reliability and less interference,” Page says.
The fact that ClickShare, by design, requires USB ports on mobile devices means it may be best suited for organizations that employ mostly laptops. It might not be considered a pure BYOD platform, although Barco has released ClickShare Link, an add-on device that begins to make the connection with an Apple iPad. There is also a ClickShare App that Apple users can download for sending static content to ClickShare systems. (An Android app is also in development.)
Audet doesn’t mind. He says Moment Factory knew its users and its mobile workforce and so far hasn’t needed any iPad connectivity. Which goes to show, AV professionals cannot assume any particular motivation for wanting a wireless presentation system. They must conduct a full needs analysis before recommending a solution.
Streaming Video
One of the key questions you need to ask in a needs analysis of wireless presentation systems is, “What type of content do users really want to present?” Often lost in the talk of BYOD, AirPlay and presentation-sharing is that there’s a difference between streaming media and presentations.
Pro systems can transmit video wirelessly as part of a presentation, but most don’t necessarily stream it. They “scrape” the screen as it appears on the mobile device, encode it, and then transmit it to the receiver — over and over again. This screen scraping allows the mobile presenter to see the same content on his or her screen that’s on the room’s display.
Crestron specs AirMedia to provide at least 15 frames per second (fps) — up to 30 fps depending on the network environment. Kennington says the company isn’t really positioning it as a video solution, but as an Ethernet-connected, manageable member of the DigitalMedia family, it’s a logical extension of many existing AV systems. Barco says ClickShare can reach 30 fps, in part because of the frequency agility and the fact that it doesn’t ride the organizational WLAN. Christie’s upcoming Brio also promises 30 fps, plus it will be able to support white board applications and can connect over a wide-area network for long-distance collaboration between Brio nodes.
Still, AV professionals need to determine how much video the system must support and at what performance level. Will users be playing YouTube clips in a window as part of a presentation, or will they be playing 30-minute 1080p programs at full screen?
Peter Putman, CTS, president of ROAM Consulting and InfoComm Educator of the Year in 2008, worries about solutions that load up 802.11 Wi-Fi connections with more and more media. For one thing, the 2.4GHz frequency band commonly used for Wi-Fi is crowded. For another, solutions that use TCP/IP over 802.11 are using networking technology that can’t ensure the optimal delivery of data packets for achieving smooth, streaming video.
“Unless you’re also using something like Real-Time Protocol, where you’re saying there’s a specific packet order and it has to be respected, you’re introducing latency,” Putman says. The needs assessment will give an idea of how much latency users will tolerate (i.e., how good the video has to be). Teaching at InfoComm 2013, Putman jury-rigged a Nook tablet with a Kramer KW-11 wireless transceiver kit to stream video using Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI) technology (Putman is a technology consultant to Kramer Electronics). WDHI uses the 5GHz band for HD video.
For his part, Audet says Moment Factory has been pleased with the fluidity of video over ClickShare, and B.U.’s Vento says he’s been able to view 720p video over AirMedia without any problems.
But neither is designed to be used the way Apple TV/AirPlay or Google Chromecast are designed to be used — and thus the possible disconnect between users and tech managers or AV integrators. Those technologies are great, but they have limitations.
“There’s starting to be a sense of frustration in the AV and IT worlds over the limitations of consumer solutions,” says Page. “They have executives and C-level people coming in with their iPads and they need to explain to them why they can’t do exactly what they want to do. Some are still choosing Apple TV, but it’s a consumer device and a black box for IT. They can’t secure it or put certificates on the box — it’s a difficult situation.”
This article was reprinted with permission from InfoComm International and originally appeared here. Leave a Comment
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InfoComm’s Last 2013 Install School is October InfoComm is now offering an all new installation curriculum customized to integrators’ on-the-job needs, with specialized AV training and the chance to collaborate and network with peers.
Featuring new and updated content on working with fiber optic connections, System Fabrication, Oct. 21-23 in Fairfax, Va., will guide AV professionals through everything they need to know before powering up the rack. This hands-on, workshop-style course will cover cable termination, rack building, mounting and more.
Setup and Verification, held Oct. 24-26 in Fairfax, Va., covers the second half of an installation project. This course is for anyone whose on-the-job work involves how to set up and test a system after it is powered on. With new interactive simulations of projector setup, impedance testing, audio system gain and equalization, and hands-on network setup, attendees will be able to adjust AV systems for optimal performance.
Register here. Leave a Comment
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PMA Announces Top 5 Selling Brands Projector for July PMA Research has posted its most recent Projector Tracking Service results to the “Top-Selling Projectors” area of its website. Each month, PMA Research posts the Top 5 Projector Lists for the following product categories: Pico and Personal Projectors – For Pico and Personal projectors, the July results showed that three of the five best-selling projectors in July were WXGA resolution models. AAXA took top honors with its newest pico
projector, the P2 Jr. Optoma filled the number two and five spots with the PK-320 and the WXGA resolution ML300, respectively. Vivitek’s WXGA Qumi Q2 came in third. 3M rounded out the Top 5 list with its WXGA MP410 filling
the fourth spot. This Top 5 list is compiled from data collected from PMA’s monthly Retail Projector Tracking Service sample, which is made up of North American retailers and web resellers.
Mainstream Projectors – For the Mainstream category, the July results showed that four of the five best-selling projectors were XGA resolution models. NEC had the best-selling projector — the NP-M271X. Epson followed in the
number two and three spots with the PowerLite 93+ and the PowerLite X12 projectors. A pair of InFocus models round out the list with the lone SVGA model, the IN112 in the fourth spot, and the IN114 in the fifth spot. This
Top 5 list is compiled from data collected from PMA’s monthly Distributor Projector Tracking Service sample, which is made up of North American distributors.
High-End Projectors – For High-End projectors, the July 2013 results showed 4 of the Top 5 selling projectors to also be WXGA resolution models. Epson took top honors with the best selling PowerLite 1940W. Mitsubishi came in second with the lone XGA model – the XD700. NEC took the third spot with the NP-P401W and Epson followed with the PowerLite 1945W in fourth place. Mitsubishi rounded out the Top 5 with the WD720. This Top 5 list is compiled from data collected from PMA’s monthly Pro AV Projector Tracking Service sample, which is made up of North American dealers and integrators.
You can see the Top 5 for each category as an infographic here. Leave a Comment
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Chinese Projector Market Now Bigger than U.S. Projector Market PMA Research, market information expert on front projectors, has published a brand new report covering the growing projector market in China. Nick Rogers, CEO of PMA Research said, “China is now the largest projector market in the World, overtaking USA in the last year — with annual sales of 1.8 million units vs. annual sales of 1.6 million units in the United States.”
He went on to say, “In 2013Q2 GDP rose by ‘only’ 7.5 percent due to control of investment by the Chinese Government. In addition, the education procurement process began in Q2 as well, and large volume shipments are expected in 2013Q3 and beyond. Finally, the digital cinema market is exploding in China, and the home theater and pico and personal markets are expected to show gains in the next year as well.”
PMA Research has been expanding its coverage of the projector market in China, and recently hired Jennie Yi to open PMA’s Beijing office and spearhead the company’s research efforts there. Jennie worked with PMA’s
team of analysts to put together this inaugural quarterly report focusing the developing Chinese projector market.
The new report on China will be included as an ad hoc offering to clients who subscribe to PMA’s Worldwide Industry Service family of reports, and is also available for resale as a stand-alone report to anyone interested in following this growing market.
Want to see the report? Go here. Leave a Comment
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Keynote Speakers Announced for Smart Building Conference The Smart Building Conference 2013, to be held at Dexter House, London, on Tues. Oct., 15, will be keynoted by two of British industry’s most renowned authorities on energy efficiency and building systems, the organizers announced today.
The first keynote will be delivered by Dr. Steven Fawkes, chairman of Day One Energy Solutions and author of the ‘Only Elevent Percent’ blog, which highlights the social and economic benefits of increasing energy efficiency. A former government adviser who remains active in UK energy efficiency policy development, Dr. Fawkes is an experienced public speaker and was awarded the Energy Institute’s Individual Achievement Award in November 2012.
Following Dr. Fawkes onto the Dexter House stage will be Jeremy Towler, senior manager, energy & smart technologies at the Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA). Towler brings some 34 years’ experience in intelligent building controls, fire and security systems to the event, with a background in both engineering and market research.
Both keynotes will take place in the early morning session of the Smart Building Conference, after which the event will divide into two parallel tracks – one dedicated to Commercial buildings, the other to Residential. The former will be hosted by Allen Weidman, chief sustainability officer, InfoComm International, while the latter will be in the hands of Matt Dodd, education director, CEDIA Region 1.
In the late-morning session, the Commercial track will look at Future Trends in Smart Building Design and Technology, while the Residential track focuses on Energy Management. After lunch these roles will be reversed, but there will be no duplication of speakers or sessions.
Registration for the Conference is now live, with a delegate pass for the day costing €180 + VAT for members of CEDIA or InfoComm, €250 + VAT for non-members. Early-bird pricing, which applies before Monday, 30 September, reduces these rates to €125 and €200 respectively. Companies that register more than two delegates receive a 10 percent discount off each additional registration.
Additionally, CEDIA is offering a 20 percent discount off relevant courseware for all delegates if they book their education courses within 12 months of the Conference.
Further program and speaker information is available here. Leave a Comment
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Epson Adds Sub-$1000 Home 1080p Projector with PowerLite Home Cinema 2030
Epson’s new PowerLite Home Cinema 2030 is a 2D and 3D 1920x1080p 3LCD projector that offers MHL-enabled HDMI. You can learn all about MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) here. Basically, MHL is a smaller connector (for small devices like memory stick streaming devices, mobile phones, tablets, etc.) that can output resolutions up to 4K and do surround 7.1, too.
The EPSON 2030 includes six color modes, is spec’d to output 2,000 ANSI lumens, has an integrated 1.2x zoom, has both HDMI (two ports) and MHL ports, handles component video and includes two pairs of 3D glasses. It lists for $999 and all the specs are here. Leave a Comment
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BenQ Ships SX914 6000 Lumen Install Projector
BenQ America is shipping a new large-venue install projector dubbed the SX914 — an XGA (1024×768) resolution DLP projector specified to output 6,000 ANSI lumens with a contrast ratio of 6500:1.The projector offers 1.6x zoom capabilities, an embedded test pattern, dual HDMI inputs, a VGA port and an Ethernet port for control and content.
With LAN Control, the SX914 enables both audio and video to be delivered over a single LAN cable, allowing IT managers to remotely manage and maintain their devices directly from their workstations. The projector supports Crestron, SNMP, PJLink, and AMX systems, and offers wireless transfer of photos and documents from any iPad, iPhone or mobile device directly to the projector.
To reduce energy costs, the SX914 features a standby mode to lower power consumption to less than 0.5 watts while the device is inactive. Lamp replacement has been made extra easy with access from the side or top of the projector, while a filter-free optical system further reduces the TCO of the device.
Available now, the SX914 lists for $3,599 and all the specs are here. Leave a Comment
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Christie Launches Android App for Controlling M and J Series
Christie’s Virtual Remote projector app, providing an alternative to the standard IR remote control, is now available for Android devices. The Virtual Remote provides wireless control of all Christie 3-chip DLP projectors in the Christie M Series and Christie J Series projector families.
Christie Virtual Remote supports all capabilities of a standard IR remote including:
- Single or multiple projector control
- Projector discovery
- Full access to complete projector
- On-Screen Display menu
- Projector on/off
- Shutter on/off
- Test pattern selection
- Input selection
- Zoom and focus
- Lens control
- Color matching
Go here to get it from the Google Play Store, or click here to learn more. Leave a Comment
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Optoma Launches New Install Line
Optoma this week launched ProScene, a new brand name that basically puts all its high-output, high-resolution projectors for install under one product family.
The ProScene line will comprise all of Optoma’s current and recently announced Install projectors. This includes all models with brightness levels ranging from 4,000 to 7,000 ANSI lumens: the EH7700, TH7500-NL, TW865-NL, TW865-NLW, EH505, W505, EH501, W501 and X501. Also falling under the ProScene designation line will be the company’s HQView line of imaging processors used in blending and creating other effects. More ProScene introductions are expected in 2014.
Optoma says that ProScene projectors will also be supported by a new comprehensive customer support program that will include dedicated ProScene sales managers and field application engineers who will work with dealers and integrators directly — not via distribution.
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PESA Intros easyPORT Line of SDI Switchers
PESA has announced four new easyPORT analog/digital multi-point utility converter/switchers that support up to four inputs. The EASY-4ADX4B and EASY-4ADX4F are spec’d to have 10-bit conversion of composite analog video to SDI and both accept NTSC/PAL composite inputs and feature 4x oversampling. The EASY-4BX4DA and EASY-4FX4DA allow SDI video to be converted to analog video in NTSC/PAL, with fiber or coax SDI inputs.
For back room installations where rack space is a premium, PESA offers a 1 RU power distribution tray that holds up to four easyPORT modules with a shared power source to reduce clutter. Setup is quick because each easyPORT includes USB and Ethernet connections. Once PESA’s CATTRAX software is installed on a PC or laptop, the GUI can be used for setup, switching or diagnostics.
More information is here. Leave a Comment
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Extron Scaling Receiver for XTP Systems Ships
Extron has announced the immediate availability of the XTP SR HDMI, an HDCP-compliant scaling receiver that accepts HDMI, DVI, RGB, HD component video and standard definition video signals from XTP devices. The receiver provides selectable output rates up to 1920×1200, including HDTV 1080p/60 and 2K, to scale the video to the optimal output resolution for the display. In addition to high performance video, it accepts audio, bidirectional RS232 and IR, and Ethernet for transmission up to 330 feet (100 meters) over a single CATx cable. It also offers integrator-friendly features such as Key Minder, EDID Minder, picture controls, on-screen menus, audio controls and internal test patterns.
The XTP SR HDMI provides signal distribution for HDMI embedded audio or audio de-embedding with multi-channel S/PDIF or two-channel balanced/unbalanced analog stereo and PCM audio. It also allows Ethernet extension and insertion of bidirectional RS232 and IR for LAN access and AV device control at remote locations. EDID Minder ensures continuous EDID communication between devices. For transmission of HDMI signals with protected content, Key Minder authenticates and maintains HDCP encryption to provide quick and reliable transmission across the XTP System infrastructure.
For more information on the XTP SR HDMI, click here. Leave a Comment
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Crestron Adds New 3 Series Controllers
The new DIN-AP3 and DIN-AP3MEX 3-Series control processors from Crestron are designed for DIN rail mounting. Both work with Crestron DALI ballasts and LED drivers for commercial lighting projects and have native support for BACnet/IP. BACnet/IP is a direct interface to third-party building management systems over Ethernet that simplifies integration with lighting and other building systems, including HVAC and security. The DIN-AP3 provides bidirectional RS232 COM ports and four IR/serial ports that allow for the integration of everything from a remote-controlled fireplace to advanced security systems.
The DIN-AP3MEX comes equipped with an integrated infiNET EX wireless gateway. For retrofit projects and applications where wiring can’t be installed, infiNET EX offers an effective and economical wireless solution. Crestron infiNET EX is a wireless mesh network technology in which each device on the network is a transmitter and receiver, making communication faster. infiNET EX devices include Crestron thermostats, shade motors, and Cameo wireless keypads, dimmers and switches. The DIN-AP3MEX also integrates with the new INET-IRCOM and INET-RYIO infiNET EX control modules to communicate with RS232, IR and relay controlled devices on the same wireless mesh network.
The DIN-AP3 and DIN-AP3MEX can be found here and here, respectively. Leave a Comment
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Samsung to Debut 98″ 4K Monitor Next Week
We don’t have official complete specs yet, but rAVe has learned that next week Samsung will show a 98″, 4K resolution (3840×2160) commercial-grade LCD monitor aimed at both digital signage and ProAV installs. In addition to being an ultra-high definition (UHD) display, the new 98″ will include both DisplayPort and HDMI (CEC enabled) inputs and will be integrated with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and RS232 control. It will have local dimming (LEDs) and it will weigh 170 pounds.
There are no specs on it yet, but when there are, they will be here. Leave a Comment
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Richard Gray Power to Debut IP-Addressable Power Strips
Richard Gray’s Power Company (RGPC) will launch a new version of its IPAC-8 Remote IP Power Management System at CEDIA. The IPAC-8 provides IP-addressability and remote monitoring capabilities to power management systems. Designed for virtually any residential or commercial environment or application, IPAC-8 features on/off remote (IP) control of eight individual AC power outlets and local monitoring with an easy-to-read RMS current meter display that provides a quick visual indication of the load, reducing the risk of overloads and tripped breakers. On/off sequences can be defined and power can be remotely monitored via meter, web or RGPC’s free bundled software, and Http, Https, SNMP, DHCP and UDP protocol is supported. The system includes user-defined alarm thresholds for warning and overload, and event alerts can be delivered via email, trap or audible alarm.
IPAC-8 requires no additional mounting hardware, is ihiji invision compatible and there are no port forwarding or extensive network configuration requirements. It can be put in a rack (1RU) or wall mounted. This list price is $1,000 USD.
Want all the specs? Go here. Leave a Comment
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Grass Valley Intros Lisa Prentice as Chief Financial Officer
Grass Valley has hired Lisa Prentice to the position of chief financial officer. Effective immediately, Prentice will assume overall responsibility for all aspects of Grass Valley’s global finance, accounting, assets, tax and information and technology application initiatives. Prentice brings a wealth of industry knowledge and leadership skills to her new post, with 29 years of finance experience in the technology business.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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Adam Daniul Joins FOR-A as South Regional Sales Manager
FOR-A Corporation of America announced last month that Adam Daniul has been named its sales manager for the southern U.S. Daniul is responsible for FOR-A sales and managing the dealer channel in the southeast and south central regions.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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enVu Hires New Director of Sales
enVu, an out-of-home (OOH) interactive media company, announced this month that Cheri Wolf will join the enVu team as director of sales for its midwest region.
Cheri brings over 11 years of media sales experience in both the traditional and digital out-of-home industries, with positions held at J&B Signs, Ad Space Networks, Ads Up Outdoor, and Brite Media.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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Spyeglass and Zytronic Partner in North America
Zytronic, the specialist developer and manufacturer of large form factor touch screen solutions for the digital signage and AV market, has announced the signing of a distribution agreement for North America. Spyeglass will cover Zytronic’s ZYFILM and ZYPROFILM touch foil solutions in sizes of up to 84 inches.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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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).
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Everything we publish is opt-in — we spam NO ONE! rAVe ProAV Edition is our flagship publication with what we believe is a reach of virtually everyone in the ProAV market. rAVe HomeAV Edition is co-published with CEDIA, covering 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
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