By Molly Stillman rAVe Director of Marketing & New Business Development
Although she is very much what we would all consider to be a seasoned AV veteran, Marla Suttenberg of Sapphire Marketing didn’t go to school with the notion that she’d eventually end up working in the AV industry. According to her, it was a total fluke.
“I went to Clark University in Worcester, which is known for its psychology department. That’s the only location in the U.S. where Sigmund Freud gave a lecture,” said Marla. “I was a psych major and after I graduated, I spent a summer being a beach bum trying to decide if I wanted to go to grad school. However, my friend’s father managed a Volkswagen dealership in New York and his boss owned both the dealership AND an AV dealership.
“There was a trade show in New York City at the time called the Visual Communications Congress. And my friend’s dad’s boss said to my friend’s dad, ‘I have a booth and this show, would your daughter and some of her friends come work my booth for $50 a day? I guess you could say at the time we were basically hired as booth babes,” Marla said laughing.
While she was working the trade show, Marla had been speaking with one of the manufacturers that the booth represented — LaBelle Industries, which was a film strip company. The man who worked for LaBelle said to Marla that they really needed a sales office in Manhattan… and that ended up being Marla’s first job in the industry.
Marla decided to forgo grad school and went to New York City to open up LaBelle’s first Northeast sales office. She was the inside sales coordinator for the first few years and then eventually she was placed in the field as a full fledged sales person.
“So many of the dealers that I called on back then [at my first job] are still my customers today — it blows my mind,” shared Marla.
The more Marla got to know the industry, the more she loved it.
“I just loved [and still love] the technology. At the time we were selling training projectors for fast food restaurants and point-of-sale projectors for cosmetics companies. I loved traveling and being independent on my own schedule,” said Marla.
Marla worked for LaBelle for five years. As the film strip business was beginning to die, she left and joined a company called AVL that made computerized multi-image slide controllers. Since video didn’t really exist, the slide controller made synchronized slide shows to make it appear like it was continuous. According to Marla it was, “The coolest thing on the planet.”
The president of AVL convinced Marla to come work for him out on the Jersey Shore. She commuted 100 miles a day, 50 miles each way, for that job and she loved every second of it.
She did public relations there and was the inside rep manager. She also ended up covering eastern Canada. That’s also where she ended up meeting her husband, Randy.
After three years at AVL, she was hired by the manufacturer rep of AVL, Milanese Associates, to be the northeast sales rep for the company and that’s where Marla ultimately got the “rep bug.” They were also the AMX rep at the time.
“I liked working for a manufacturer, but it was so much easier and cooler to be a rep… if someone didn’t want to buy a projector, they could buy a screen,” she explained. “I had the same dealer base that I’d had before and so I was basically selling to my friends. It was a very social part of it for me.”
At this time in the northeast, Crestron was #1, AMX was #2 and a company called York Control was #3. The Crestron rep, Robert Christopher Sales, had been bugging Marla to come work for him and so she took another leap of faith and left to sell Crestron.
So, Marla was repping Crestron up until she started her own company, Sapphire Marketing, 14 years ago this January. All in all, Marla has been repping Crestron for 25 years!
Taking that step to start her own company wasn’t an easy one and there were a lot of challenges along the way.
“The main challenges were finding the right people that had the same values and motivation and passion that I did,” Marla explained. “I think I did a really great job of doing that, but I had some bumps along the road. Now there’s 12 of us total. Two are my inside sales people and there are 10 of us on the road. Each employee that works with me represents my value set and my passion. So that challenge really ended up being good.”
In addition to having a passion for the technology, Marla ultimately has a passion for the people in the industry.
“I’m really involved with the dealers, consultants and end users in the market,” Marla said. “Relationships are so vital and without relationships, our manufacturers wouldn’t hire us. Being a rep, it’s my job to be there for the customers, and to make sure the manufacturers understand what’s going on in the market as it relates to their offerings, and to take our advice and guidance to help make them even better than they are.
“I’m a people person and I manage my people the way I liked to be managed when I was a rep. It’s the little things like paying expenses on time and letting them take care of personal family business if they need to. As long as they’re selling stuff for our manufacturers, I don’t care what timeline it’s on.
“I’ve been really fortunate. I don’t have a business background, but my successes and decisions have been based on my gut instinct and treating people the way I wanted to be treated when I was an employee.
Outside of her busy work schedule, Marla really enjoys spending time with her family and her friends. She stays healthy by going to the gym “as much as possible” and leading an active life, which she attributes all to trying to keep up with her 18-year-old daughter, Dani (who is a senior in high school) and 24-year-old daughter, Jenny.
She’s also very involved with associations and charities that she’s passionate about, including The Skin Cancer Foundation & The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She participates in a lot of fundraising activities, including volunteering at many local events.
Through it all, Marla is so passionate about education and getting people excited about getting involved in the AV industry. “Everything we do now [in the industry] is so pertinent to the world. Multi-image controllers were so hard to explain [when I first got started], no one understood what we did,” said Marla. “But now, everyone uses technology and it’s such a marketable industry to be in. I think it’s just going to explode with more and more opportunities as there is more adoption by the masses. My passion has helped fuel me.”
And it’s clear that her passion will continue to fuel her for many years to come. Marla hopes that newcomers to the industry will find the same passion and go for it.
By Anthony Coppedge House of Worship Technology Consultant
I geek out when I find out new ways of using my smartphone — hidden features or undocumented I-didn’t-know-it-could-do-that shortcuts elicit mini-celebrations and a secret calculation of how much more more value I just got out of the original purchase price. Usually these are shortcuts and features that existed when the phone launched; I’m just late to the party of power-user knowledge.
Similarly, when I hear from a peer how they use gear I also own, but in an entirely new way, it excites me to think about how I, too, can benefit from this new found application knowledge. This feeling is powerful and it gets me thinking about how else I can use a previously pedestrian component in new, cool ways.
Games, Rewards, and Purchasing Decisions
This is pretty geeky, but there are actual mathematical methods used in the study of strategic decision making, known as Game Theory. One simplified construct of this is Gamification Reward Theory. Popular online games and mobile apps are focused on reward-based progress. From Facebook-based games that have no ending but are merely limitless levels to be conquered, including mobile apps like the insanely popular Candy Crush, reward is the motivator to keep the user playing. Win a level? Get a star. Achieve five ranks in a day? Get a badge. You get the idea.
So, where this intersects the audio, video and lighting industry is in understanding the motivation of the user. But first, let’s think about the basic motivation of every company: more sales and consistent sales. That’s obvious, but what’s less apparent is the amount of time, advertising, pre-sales and sales effort to land a new sale with a new customer or sell a new product to an existing client. This variable is a soft cost or opportunity cost, and is assumed to be a normal part of the purchasing process. For new clients, it may well be, but what would happen if existing clients sold to themselves? That’s where it gets interesting.
Purchase decisions generally align into one of four categories:
Minor New Purchase — low-importance purchase.
Minor Re-Purchase — buying from brand loyalty or to maintain consistency in operations/maintenance.
Major New Purchase — high-importance purchase requiring an extensive decision-making process.
Major Re-Purchase — confidence-inspired purchase based on previous experience.
But what if there was another method for existing clients to make repeated, consistent recurring purchases and new purchases? That exists; they’re called “customer loyalty rewards” and are used in most of the consumer world.
In the retail world, customer loyalty rewards are commonplace, even from technology vendors. Astonishingly, they’re missing in the professional A/V/L industry. Instead, individual dealers and integrators are more than willing to provide discounted prices (Why? Isn’t a greater value a better win-win?) for large-quantity orders, but there’s not even a thought about rewarding clients that have the opportunity to make repeat purchases over time. There’s only the hope that a salesperson gets lucky when the unexpected, unsolicited purchase order comes in from a client. Hope, my friends, is not a good business strategy.
Tapping Into Buyer Motivation
To rethink the reward system for repeat client business, it helps to first identify their purchase habits, and their purchase history. Hopefully, because you’re in business to make sales again and again, you have a database that tracks the sales of units to clients. If you don’t have this kind of database, we need to have another discussion about the inevitability of going out of business.
Assuming, however, that you do have said database, the significant time and effort required to generate meaningful reports of buyer data is going to be the largest hurdle for most businesses. This is hard, tedious work. And, it extends beyond running a bunch of reports or generating dozens of spreadsheets; the diving into the data, establishing baselines, and measured trends over time is the point of this work. Extrapolating the data and massaging the trend lines will reveal so much about your business, I could spend the next several articles just working through those implications (engineering, design, marketing, sales, service – you’re all affected). However, what you’re looking for are two keys: buyer motivation and buying cycles.
On an aggregate level, even those barely paying attention at your company will know you have certain seasons of sales peaks and valleys. Those are buying cycles. What buyer motivation tells us is far more than when they buy; it tells us why they buy.
What if you could begin to discern some large, generalized buying motivation patterns about the House of Worship vertical market? Most certainly, you’d march right over to your marketing team and find ways to capitalize on this insight.
Now, imagine what would happen if your House of Worship clients starting telling you what’s motivating them? That’s where this is headed.
Reward Users for… Doing Their Job?
The technology already exists. The solution to ‘talk’ with your technology already exists, even (especially) from remote mobile platforms. So what’s missing? Rewarding users whenever they use the gear.
Consider the following scenarios:
Programming a lighting console? Log in through an app or web-enabled device so that your time and work is documented and your time is rewarded. You just saved a new light plot? Great! A push notification comes through on their mobile device with a new badge or reward icon.
Mixing audio for three services on a Sunday? Awesome! An automated Tweet from the user’s Twitter account, cataloging the time spent.
Cycling up the sound system through a control system? Fantastic! An automatic check-in is registered by your username.
Of course, this all sounds like the social gamification systems you’re already using: FourSquare for check-ins, Tweets for new milestones or a new level attained in a game app. We’re simply tying in the life of the techie with their social network, rewarding them for behavior and actions they’re already doing.
This brings me back to the game theory thought process as we begin to explore what motivates clients to make new or repeat purchases.
For some, it’s the challenge of completion. For others, it’s the reward itself, from tangential rewards (one that builds upon itself) to compounding rewards (value increases each time a new level is attained) to calculating rewards (the difficulty of the challenge plus the given effort is the reward level). Whatever the motivation of the user, there’s a gaming methodology reward system that fits.
In the house of worship market, not only will the technical staff love this, their peers at other churches will, too. And that, my friends, is yet another kind of motivation: reward-based usage. Even the church volunteers can get in on the fun with their own login information. From band members using personal monitor mixers to worship leaders firing up their mics and IEM’s, to the IT director who set up the automated backup system for the video editing servers, the church market has a plethora of applications where a rewards-based user system will lead to an entry into the social network of these users and influencers — and that gives your brand a free, endorsed presence to their circle of friends and peers.
Taking it to the next logical step, capturing this data and using it to send automated email sales follow-up to end-users provides a feedback loop mechanism to solicit their NPS (Net Promoter Score), understand their current satisfaction with the gear they purchased, and even allow them to self-direct their interest in your other/new technology options. All of this is platinum-coated marketing and pre-sales goodness.
Smart phones were the beginning of the Internet of Things, which by the way, is the Next Big Thing. The audio, video, and lighting industry needs to get on board this train to tomorrow. The house of worship market will not be the only vertical segment to benefit, but it is an ideal one based on the power of brand endorsement to an market where peer recommendations carry significant purchasing weight.
Which brands/tools in the A/V/L space have started down this path? Comment below.
Barco Escape, a New Multi-Screen Theatrical Format, to Debut September 19
By Chris Chinnock Display Central
At CinemaCon last March in Las Vegas, Barco debuted a new theatrical concept that featured three screens in the theater — a main screen and two side screens. The idea was to offer a more immersive experience, which they showed with some compelling content. Now, Barco Escape is ready to roll out this fall in several new theatrical venues with special content.
In my post from March 26 (Barco’s Cinema of the Future is Exciting and Scary at the Same Time), I noted that the demo featured an Ultra HD resolution central screen with two 2K resolution side screens cocked at about a 45-degree angle. This is not quite a seamless blended wide aspect screen as there is separation between the main screen and the side screens, but in some implementations, this gap looks to be quite small (see photo below).
They showed perhaps five to six clips with some scenes filling the full canvas with one super wide image and other scenes using the satellite screens to show complementary shots. I was quite impressed with the impact this had.
At the same time, they announced that they were working with Disney and 20th Century Fox to create new tools for this format as well as content. It looks like these efforts will now bear fruit this October.
On September 19, the movie The Maze Runner will debut in theaters. But at six specially equipped cinemas, movie goers will have a chance to experience Barco Escape in Auro 11.1 for the first time. The theaters are noted below.
Cinemark 18 & XD at the Promenade at Howard Hughes Center in Los Angeles
Cinemark Paradise 24 & XD in Davie, Florida
Cinemark Legacy Theater & XD in Plano, Texas
Cinemark at Seven Bridges and Imax in Woodridge, Illinois
Cinemark’s Redwood Downtown & XD in Redwood City, California
Kinepolis, Belgium (October)
In a conversation with Barco’s Cinemavangelist Ted Schilowitz (former founder of RED Cinema), he told us that there will be seven minutes of the special Barco Escape content in The Maze Runner. “There is a minute at the beginning of the movie and then six minutes about an hour in”, he explained. “This is [the] monster scene in the maze that becomes immersive with 270 degrees of content filling your field of view. The feedback from the initial screenings has been a collective ‘wow’ after this scene ends during the movie”.
Schilowitz went on to explain that most of the theaters are set up with a 30-35 foot main screen with similar-sized screens on either side. The main screen will have an UltraHD (not laser) projector running off a 2K DCP. The side screens will have 2K projectors feed with a separate server. These servers do not offer any standardized content protection the way a DCP does, so Schilowitz acknowledges they will have to work with the studios and perhaps SMPTE to develop content protection for this format in the future.
He also acknowledged there is a sweet spot for the full 270-degree immersive experience, but “the screens are angled so even on the sides it is a very good experience, while at the back of the theater it is a slightly reduced, but still an immersive experience.”
The sequences for the Barco Experience were all created in CG but principal photography was shot with an Arri Alexa camera. In fact, the CG in the movie is also ground breaking as it was developed using the Crytek game engine. Schilowitz said the computer model for the Escape sequence featured more pixels than the 6K x 1K aspect ratio of the final content.
“This is a very public experiment that 20th Century Fox, Barco and Cinemark are carrying out”, noted Schilowitz. “This is a look behind the curtain to watch the evolution of this new format – something that is stretching the comfort zone of these companies, but one which they all now feel very good about. It’s a tremendous amount of fun to collaborate with such forward thinking teams to make this first movie in the Escape format possible”.
And more content is in the works too. Maze Runner director Wes Ball showed a short motorcycle sequence from his movie short, “Ruin” at CinemaCon in the format in March. That short will now be expanded into a full length movie with Barco Escape sequences. This will follow the Maze Runner 2 movie, which has already been green lighted (and will likely have Escape sequences as well).
Content from “Ruin” will also be available on the Samsung Gear VR headset in only a teaser sequence. That is why it is really more about being a promotion for the movie and the Oculus developed headset – and perhaps the first promotional/advertising content for the virtual reality segment.
Disney is also working with Schilowitz on Escape content, but he was unable to say anything more at this time.
I for one can’t wait to check this new content out. And while the Escape format does require the loss of some seats in the front of the theater, it also now makes those seats perhaps the most desirable for the Escape format. Exhibitors are going to love that.
Leviton today announced the acquisition of BitWise Controls — a manufacturer of control and monitoring solutions for residential and commercial applications. Leviton has been carrying BitWise Controls’ automation controllers for some time and is excited to welcome them into Leviton.
As part of the acquisition, Leviton will bring BitWise Controls’ entire product line into the Leviton family of solutions, including its iPhone/iTouch/iPad and Android app-based GUIs that are easy to use and simple to install with drag and drop programming, and the recently launched hand-held remote control. Additionally, Leviton will offer the Bitwise app on its’ popular OmniTouch 7 for applications when fixed touchscreens are required.
“Bitwise brings customizable Audio/Video controls to our product portfolio” said Jay McLellan, president of Leviton Security and Automation. “Bitwise and Leviton Installers now have affordable solutions for home theater, restaurants, boardrooms and classrooms that are modular and expandable.”
“Leviton is a perfect fit for BitWise and we are very excited to be part of their team” said Lance Beck, CEO of BitWise Controls. “We look forward to providing continued innovation for our customers.”
“The Bitwise deal, following on the heels of the recent acquisition of ClickOn Technology, demonstrates Leviton’s commitment to strategic growth and innovation through acquisitions,” remarked Daryoush Larizadeh, Leviton COO. Leviton has evolved its business into a global provider of electrical wiring devices, data connectivity solutions and lighting and energy management systems for a variety of end-use markets.
VESA’s New DisplayPort 1.3 Standard Pushes Bandwidth to 32.4 Gbits/secThe Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) announced the release of the DisplayPort 1.3 audio / video (A/V) standard. An update to the widely used DisplayPort 1.2a standard, this latest version increases the maximum link bandwidth to 32.4 Gbps, with each of four lanes running at a link rate of 8.1 Gbps/lane-a 50 percent increase from the previous version of the DisplayPort standard. Allowing for transport overhead, DisplayPort’s 32.4 Gbps combined link rate delivers 25.92 Gbps of uncompressed video data.
The increased bandwidth enables higher resolution monitors, including recently announced 5K monitors (with pixel resolutions of 5120×2880) using a single DisplayPort cable without the use of compression. It will also enable higher resolutions when driving multiple monitors through a single connection using DisplayPort’s Multi-Stream feature, such as the use of two 4K UHD monitors, each with a pixel resolution of 3840×2160, when using VESA Coordinated Video Timing.
DisplayPort 1.3 continues to support video conversion to VGA, DVI and HDMI. DisplayPort 1.3 adds support for HDCP 2.2 and HDMI 2.0 with CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), which enhances DisplayPort’s utility for television applications, including 4K video with copy protection. The new standard adds support for the 4:2:0 pixel structure, a video format commonly used on consumer digital television interfaces, which enables support for future 8Kx4K displays.
DisplayPort 1.3 also enhances DisplayPort’s value for multi-function interfaces that combine data transport, A/V transport and other capabilities on a single cable. It further refines protocols that enable DisplayPort to share a single cable with other data types. With its higher 8.1 Gbps per-lane link rate, DisplayPort 1.3 can support a single UHD monitor with 60Hz refresh and 24-bit color over two lanes, while assigning the remaining two lanes to increase capacity for alternate data types, such as SuperSpeed USB data, as allowed in DockPort. DisplayPort is the A/V transport standard used by DockPort, Thunderbolt and other wired and wireless multi-function interface standards.
Pakedge Intros Line of Entry-Level Home Networking Gear
Pakedge Device & Software is announcing a range of four “value-priced,” enterprise-grade complete AV network systems designed for use on smaller network deployments or on budget constrained projects.
The four systems include Pakedge network components, and are based on two platforms — a standard platform and a power-users platform with TruStream (for users with higher multimedia streaming needs). Each system comprises of the RE-1 four port 4K/UHD ready gigabit router, an 8 port gigabit switch (unmanaged or managed), the P8 eight outlet intelligent power distribution controller, a Power over Ethernet (PoE) injector, and a high power, high throughput wireless access point.
The standard platform provides plug and play installation, while the power-users platform provides configuration options for a more customized deployment. Each system provides both wired and wireless connectivity. The P8 power controller provides self-healing capabilities to ensure proper network operation. It auto pings the connected devices at specified intervals, and if it receives no response, it will power cycle the network device to clear the fault. The wireless access points come in two options — a single band 2.4 GHz version, and a dual band 2.4/5.0 GHz version.
The four complete systems are as follows:
Standard system:
S8Wpde 8 port gigabit unmanaged switch
RE-1 four port gigabit router
P8 8 outlet Intelligent Power Distribution Unit
W6 2.4 GHz high power, high throughput wireless access point
PI-04 — PoE power injector
Standard System with W7 Dual Band Wireless Access Point:
Same as Standard System but with W7 2.4/5.0 GHz dual band high power wireless access point
Power Users — designed for users with higher streaming needs than standard users:
S8Mpdp — 8 port gigabit managed switch with TruStream (Priority/Quality of Service)
RE-1 four port gigabit router
P8 8 outlet Intelligent Power Distribution Unit
W6 2.4 GHz high power, high throughput wireless access point
PI-04 — PoE power injector
Power Users with W7 Dual Band Wireless Access Point:
Same as Power Users System but with W7 2.4/5.0 GHz dual band high power wireless access point
InFocus Corporation released a new family of large-venue projectors dubbed the IN5310a series all aimed at large classrooms and houses of worship, at a value. The DLP-based IN5310a series, which consists of the 6000-lumen IN5312a and the 1080p IN5316HDa, provides a range of features, connectivity, lenses and has small form factor to suit most large spaces.
InFocus designed the IN5310a series to include a standard lens but offer optional, interchangeable short throw and long throw lenses. They are rated 24/7/365 operation and are filter-less. Video connectivity includes HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI-D, VGA and five BNC inputs as well as control via RS232c port and an RJ45 port to enable monitoring and control over a network.
The IN5312a and the IN5316HDa differ only in lumen count and resolution. The IN5312a delivers 6000 lumens and XGA (1024×768) resolution while the IN5316HDa provides 5000 lumens with native 1080p high-definition (1920×1080) resolution.
Specs for the IN5312a are here and the IN5316HDa specs are here.
BenQ Aims at Small-to-Medium Space with New M5 Series Projectors
BenQ America today announced it is now shipping the newest generation of M5 Series projectors including the MX525, MS524 and MW526, all aimed at the small- to medium-sized (SMB) spaces. Each offer a 3,200 ANSI lumens spec, 10,000 hours of lamp life and Colorific image quality.
By combining native SVGA (MS524), XGA (MX525), and WXGA (MW526) resolutions with a 13,000:1 contrast ratio, BenQ’s newest M5 Series features BenQ’s power-saving SmartEco technology to increase lamp life up to an astonishing 10,000 hours — dramatically reducing both power consumption and maintenance costs. By automatically adjusting projection brightness to ambient light conditions, the technology allows any home, school, or enterprise to reduce energy consumption without compromising picture quality. To further increase energy efficiency, a “standby” mode allows the M5 Series projectors to lower power usage to less than 0.5 watts during periods of inactivity.
Not only are all three projectors 3D-ready, but the M5 Series enables both audio in and out, S-Video, composite video in, RS232 and HDMI connectivity.
Now shipping, BenQ’s new MS524, MX525 and MW526 retail at $489, $529 and $749, respectively, and all the details are here.
Barco Launches into Residential Market with CinemaScope Projector
Barco’s first residential product, dubbed the Orion, is truly a one-of-a-kind in that it’s the industry’s only 2.35:1 aspect ratio (CinemaScope) projector on the market. The Orion Cinemascope uses a new high-capacity DLP chip, developed by Barco engineers in partnership with Texas Instruments, which allows an image of 2,560×1,080 resolution to be displayed in the home without the use of additional anamorphic lenses. The format uses 78 percent more pixels for native 2.37:1 versus a standard 1080p projector with a Blu-ray disc 2.37:1 format movie. This increase in resolution is achieved without compromising image quality: When the image goes from 1.78 to 2.35, the projector uses increased native resolution to expand the width and height uniformly.
Inputs include DVI, two DisplayPort, an HDMI 1.4a port, one HDBaseT port and BNCs. Brightness is spec’d at 1,500 or 3,800 lumens (depending on the lens) and it’s powered by a 350W UHP lamp.
Epson Adds 3LCD Reflective Laser Pro Cinema Projectors
Epson’s new line of Pro Cinema projectors with 3LCD reflective laser technology include the PowerLite Pro Cinema LS10000 4K Enhancement Projector and the Pro Cinema LS9600e Wireless 1080p Projector. Both are spec’d at 1,500 lumens of color brightness and 1,500 lumens of white brightness.
Epson’s new 3LCD Reflective technology, along with the laser light source, deliver what Epson is calling “Absolute Black” contrast ratio and one of the industry’s largest color gamuts. The Pro Cinema LS10000 adds 4K Enhancement Technology for exacting sharpness, clarity and detail, shifting each pixel diagonally by 0.5 pixels to double the resolution and surpass Full HD image quality without visible stair-stepping or pixel gaps.
The LS9600e and LS10000 are both native1080p and project in 2D and 3D and have 2.1x power zoom, power focus, lens shift up to 90 percent vertical and 40 percent horizontal, lens position memory that can store up to 10 settings for standard 16:9 or 4:3 projection areas and 2.35:1 wide cinema ratio. The laser light engine offers up to 30,000 hours of life with rapid warm-up or cool down time for fast, quiet operation. For added installation and operation flexibility, a WirelessHD transmitter connects up to five HDMI devices simultaneously, with one HDMI out connection and one optical port for switching between sources, and MHL connectivity to display content from MHL-enabled tablets and smartphones (LS9600e only).
Here are the detailed specs for the LS10000 and the LS9600e.
Sennheiser is launching a Dante card for the EM 9046 receiver — making its Digital 9000 microphone system Dante audio-over-IP capable. Users can route the system’s high-definition audio data via Audinate’s Dante Controller.
As you may already know, Dante works with existing network infrastructure using IP and Ethernet standards and offers hundreds of channels of audio.
The EM 9046 DAN extension card is simply inserted into the expansion slot of the EM 9046 eight-channel receiver. Internally, the card features sixteen audio inputs to send the digital audio and command signals over the Dante network. Connection is via two Gbit RJ45 sockets that serve to establish two redundant network circuits or daisy-chain the signals. The card works with sampling rates of 44.1/48/88.2 and 96 kHz at a resolution of 24 bits. The EM 9046 DAN will be available from mid-October.
Stealth Acoustics Adds New Image Series Art Speakers
Stealth Acoustics has introduced the Image III speakers, which allows custom images to be placed over a flat-front, on-wall speaker with no grille, while also improving the audio performance to an even higher fidelity than the previous Image II speakers.
Thickness on the Image III has been reduced to 2.5″, making it a perfect on-wall adjunct speaker to thinner modern flat screens. The Image III can be used in any home music system where other speakers do not fill the requirement, either aesthetically or functionally. It’s based on Stealth’s LRG invisible speaker technology platform and has no grille, ports or other openings. The solid and durable fiberglass-like Fidelity Glass speaker front is a flat surface that becomes a canvas for artistic creation. Image III is available in a stock white finish that can be used as is, or can then be painted without concern for blocking sound or damaging the speaker components. Using advanced vinyl graphic materials and high-resolution, UV protected printing, the Image III can be fully wrapped in any image imaginable to perfectly match the environment or create a unique artistic look.
The Image III speakers retail for $1,000 a pair and all the details are here.
Sennheiser Adds an Interpreter Console to its Tourguide LineupWith the new SL Interpreter console, audio specialist Sennheiser expands its Tourguide conference and presentation system with a complete solution for controlling language interpreting channels.
As a self-contained unit for simultaneous interpreting, Sennheiser’s SL Interpreter brings together all the functions of an interpreting console. When combined with the rack-mount SR 2020 Tourguide transmitter and Tourguide receivers for the audience, it delivers scalable language interpreting solutions that ensure simple installation and user-friendly operation.
In combination with the digital Tourguide 2020 receivers (available in both bodypack and stethoset versions), SL Interpreter creates an interpreting solution that Sennheiser claims is easy to operate and quick to install. For more demanding applications, SL Interpreter and Tourguide 1039 bodypack receivers are the best combination to ensure optimum speech intelligibility, even in environments with heavy RF traffic.
SL Interpreter handles the floor language plus one relay language. If more translations are needed, up to four interpreting consoles can be combined in order to provide simultaneous interpreting in up to four languages.
Two interpreters can work at each SL Interpreter console, which enables them to take turns at interpreting. Each interpreter can individually adjust the audio settings directly at the console. In addition to controls for volume, treble and bass, the new Sennheiser interpreting console has a mute function and “cough” button to briefly mute the microphone. As a complete solution, SL Interpreter can be set up easily and quickly. All that is needed is to connect a headset (or a microphone and a pair of headphones) and the language interpreting solution is ready to use.
R. L. Drake Aims to Simplify Multipoint Distribution for Public Education and Government Channels With New Encoders R. L. Drake today launched the PEG-NE24-IP, a stand-alone, single HD-SDI input MPEG-2 and H.264 digital encoder, designed to optimize multi-point media distribution for applications such as public education, government and sports. For those requiring an analog composite video input due to source equipment capability, Drake has also introduced the PEG-NE24-IP-C encoder, which includes composite video and audio inputs. Using the PEG-NE24-IP or PEG-NE24-IP-C, operators can efficiently transport video and audio signals from a local origination site back to the head-end or hub location so that they can be rebroadcast to cable subscribers, significantly lowering operational expenses while still meeting franchise obligations. The PEG-NE24-IP and PEG-NE24-IP-C encoders will be on display at the Drake booth 1710 at SCTE Cable Tec Expo, Sept. 22-25 in Denver.
The PEG-NE24-IP and PEG-NE24-IP-C can produce HD and a secondary SD program from one single HD source and output them via an SFP interface that includes copper and fiber output options, depending on the SFP module chosen by the user. A second RJ45 10/100 Ethernet port is provided for control and monitoring, which can also be configured to stream video.
Using the PEG-NE24-IP or PEG-NE24-IP-C, broadcasters can encode and stream video content in the MPEG-2 or H.264 format and PCM-embedded audio in Dolby Digital, MPEG1-Layer 2 stereo, or AAC stereo. Capable of outputting resolutions of 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i, the encoders ensure superior video quality.
Powered by a separate 110V AC power supply, the PEG-NE24-IP encoder provides operators with a small, modular, desktop solution that is compact.
DVDO Shows Tiny Wireless HD Transmitter for Home and Pro ApplicationsToday DVDO announced the expansion of its Air3 WirelessHD adapter series with the Air3Cand Air3C-Pro. The Air3 series adapters connect audio/video (AV) gear wirelessly to TVs or projectors and deliver full 1080p60 HD content via HDMI. The Air3C is a consumer version of the wireless adapter to provide an easy, do it yourself (DIY) connectivity solution for home entertainment systems without professional assistance. The Air3C-Pro is designed for professional installers and integrators providing professional setup, monitoring and customization tools that may require complicated installation.
The Air3C and Air3C-Pro are listed at a list of $189.99 and $299.99, respectively, and full specs are here.
Sharp Intros New LCD Series for Signage Applications
Sharp’s new PN-Y Series display is available in 55-inch, 47-inch, 42-inch or 32-inch sizes with a 1920×1080 native resolution, LED-lit LCD. A built-in USB media player allows playback of still images and videos stored on a connected USB memory device and users can set up the system to play slideshows of promotional or informational content without using a PC. Each monitor can be assigned an individual ID code to be easily controlled from a central location via a PC (in a daisy chain configuration). A fan-less architecture facilitates maintenance without attracting dust and noise, and a built-in sensor detects rising temperatures inside the monitor.
Sharp is now accepting orders on these models. Shipments against these orders are expected as follows:
PN-Y325: 32-inch class; currently available at $995
PN-Y555: 55-inch class; available mid- to late September for $1,450
PN-Y425: 42-inch class; available early to mid-October for $1,750
PN-Y475: 47-inch class; available mid- to late November for $2,550
BenQ America just launched a new 50” digital signage monitor, dubbed the SV500, that’s spec’d at 400 nits of brightness and for videowalls up to 10×10 units. Integrated with BenQ’s Multiple Display Administrator (MDA), the SV500 is a native 1920x1080p LCD with an LED-backlit panel that can be used in both portrait and landscape modes, has a slim-bezel and includes VGA and DVI ports.
Using USB, the SV500 allows operators to insert content-loaded thumb drives directly into the panel’s USB port to access files or enable direct playback — displaying both audio and video without the need for any additional cabling, software, or accessories. To deliver increased environmental and functional benefits, the SV500 allows administrators and IT managers to perform maintenance via BenQ’s MDA — enabling content scheduling, on/off powering and remote monitoring and control — regardless of system configuration. BenQ says the MDA also works in real time; tracking each panel’s voltage use and temperature to protect panels and automatically send email alerts should anomalies arise.
Extron Introduces 3G-SDI to 3G-SDI Scaler with Audio Embedding and De-Embedding
Extron’s new DSC 3G-3G A is an 3G-SDI scaler that converts between 3G-SDI, HD-SDI, and SDI resolutions and frame rates. It accepts, scales, and outputs SMPTE video resolutions from 480i and 576i up to 1080p/60 and 2K. The DSC 3G-3G A features advanced Extron video signal processing with 1080i deinterlacing and Deep Color processing for optimal image quality. The DSC 3G-3G A also provides flexible audio capability with analog audio embedding, de-embedding, and level adjustments. Dual SDI outputs, genlock, and an input loop-through facilitate integration in demanding professional environments, while the compact enclosure simplifies installation. The DSC 3G-3G A is ideal for applications with professional video systems, including video editing and production, rental and staging, medical imaging, and large-scale presentations.
The DSC 3G-3G A offers several features that enhance and simplify AV system integration, including two simultaneous3G-SDI/HD-SDI/SDI outputs so that two displays can be driven simultaneously. The scaler also features input equalization which conditions incoming 3G-SDI signals to compensate for signal loss over long input cables. Reclocking on the SDI input loop-through eliminates high frequency jitter. Additionally, the DSC 3G-3G A offers a range of audio capabilities including SDI audio management, input gain and attenuation controls, input audio muting, and output volume control. A convenient analog two channel audio input and output are provided for embedding audio onto the SDI output, or sending de-embedded content to a sound system or other audio destination. The output can be set for stereo or dual mono.
Kramer Electronics’ WP-577VH is a two-gang wall plate CATx switcher transmitter for HDMI, VGA and stereo audio with support for RS232 data and control. Kramer says the unit automatically switches to the last connected input and transmits the signals to a compatible DGKat (Kramer’s cable) twisted pair receiver such as the TP-578H. Stereo audio can be either embedded into the signal (HDMI or VGA) or transmitted over blank video.
The WP-577VH includes optional remote power over CATx cable (Power Connect Plus). K-Link compatibility gives wide flexibility to RS232 to either, control remote devices, be controlled by Kramer Protocol 3000 or to send data to remote, external RS232 devices.
Transformative Engineering has introduced its HDS-12i HDMI one-to-two splitter, which has the ability to mix output resolutions with both up- and down-scaling. Designed as an HDMI 1.4a compliant splitter, one HD or 4K source to any combination of two HD and 4K displays. In a typical set-up, it might support a 4K projector and separate 1080p flat screen.
TE’s HDS-12i is HDCP compliant and EDID functionality recognizes an independent EDID for each connected display. Clock Stretch technology ensures compatibility with older HDMI devices. Output 2 offers a pass-through mode, selectable signal ‘scaling,’ or ‘AVR’ mode, which provides a 4K and 3D bypass solution for legacy AV processors and receivers that lack these technologies.
The HDS-12i also incorporates a ‘Trigger’ connection for use with Transformative Engineering’s CCA-1 contact closure adapter to provide feedback to advanced control systems.
Transformative Engineering HDS-12i is now shipping and lists for for $299. Here are all the specs.
Extron has started shipping the DSC HD-HD – a compact HDCP-compliant scaler that converts between HDMI resolutions and frame rates. It accepts video from 480i up to 1920×1200, 1080p and 2K, and offers high performance upscaling and downscaling with multiple output rates up to 1920×1200, including HDTV 1080p/60 and 2K. The DSC HD-HD features Extron’s video signal processing with 1080i deinterlacing and Deep Color processing for optimal image quality. Integrator-friendly features include an on-screen display, test patterns and EDID Minder. Remote configuration and control are also available via USB.
Crestron Intros new Motorized Shades Crestron is demonstrating at CEDIA Expo the new Digital QMT 3 Series shade motor (CSM-QMTDC-163-1), which expands its industry-first line of brushless motors with solid-state controls. The new motor features a smaller diameter than the 5 Series (CSM-QMTDC-256-2), enabling placement in narrower window jambs and shallower pockets. Crestron says it delivers tremendous torque with virtually silent operation, powering shades up to 8’ wide or as small as 17.5” wide. Both motors are available with Cresnet or wireless infiNET EX communications.
New shade hardware is also on display for 3 Series and 5 Series Digital QMT motors, in both the Décor and Architectural styles. This includes new adjustable brackets, pockets, and fascia for a full range of installations. Décor style brackets are now available for inside mount as well as outside mount. Architectural brackets are now available for dual-roll configurations. The System 3 bracket is designed to fit pockets as small as 3”x3” for a single roll; 5 Series brackets fit pockets as small as 5”x5”.
Also, Crestron is introducing more than 100 new fabrics, making the company’s total offering mover than 450 fabrics in a full range of styles and textures. The company has also added an exclusive line of textiles from designer Hartmann & Forbes.
IDEAL VDV II Verifies and Troubleshoots Voice/Data/Video Cables
IDEAL NETWORKS is debuting its new VDV II Series of affordable cable verifiers at CEDIA. Available in three versions, VDV II verifiers check the integrity and detect all wiring faults in low-voltage copper cables commonly deployed in residential, commercial or industrial voice, data or video installations, including telephone wiring, LAN (CAT 5 to CAT 7, UTP and STP) and coaxial cabling.
Designed to fit comfortably in the palm of the hand, VDV II Series verifiers identify wiring errors instantly, capturing comprehensive details on faults such as opens, shorts, reverses, miswires and split pairs that can slow a network or take it down completely. The integrated RJ11/RJ12 (voice), RJ45 (data) and F-Type coaxial (video) connectors help the user achieve faster testing of most types of low-voltage cables by eliminating the need for separate testers or adapters. Intelligent technology lets the unit know if it has been plugged into an outlet where potentially damaging voltages are present.
All three VDV II Series models — the VDV II (basic), VDV II Plus (advanced) and VDV II Pro (professional-grade) — provide wiremapping capability. In addition, the VDV II Plus offers a larger 2.9-inch display with backlighting, hub blink, cable length measurement and distance-to-open. The flagship VDV II Pro offers all this, plus uses a TDR to quickly determine where cable damage is located by identifying the distance to opens and shorts. The VDV Pro will also display mission-critical network connectivity information without the need for a PC.
By detecting the presence of voltage and checking polarity, the VDV II Pro quickly determines which type of media service is running over the cable, such as ISDN, PBX and PoE (Power over Ethernet) resulting in faster fault diagnosis. Troubleshooting active Ethernet networks is also made easier with in-built network detection that displays network rate and duplex information.
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