Volume 3, Issue 4 — April 30, 2014
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House of Worship Trends Editorial The Future of HOW
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If Only Your Gear Did This…
By Anthony Coppedge House of Worship Technology Consultant
I imagine the engineers and R&D teams working diligently for months, years even, on new products to roll out at the next big trade show. They’ve innovated, broken through with new levels of sophistication and — best of all — it’s going to allow for increased margins! It’s a win — until…
The first day of the trade show opens and a prospect walks into your booth and listens as your team excitedly shares about your amazing new product. The prospect then says these dreaded words: “That’s great, but if it only did this, then it would be exactly what I need.” The excitement is replaced with disappointment, and the sales cycle takes an unexpected turn.
Building the Perfect Thing Nobody Wants
Fast Company recently editorialized that Microsoft built “the perfect OS that nobody wants.” The new interface (dubbed Metro) didn’t bring droves of new customers to a company that’s been losing market share to Apple for years, and its new Surface has been viewed as a nearly $1 billion dollar bust.
“…nowhere is consumer response more apparent than in how Microsoft has backpedaled, reinstating the Start button in Windows 8.1. This one button drove the Windows interface for almost 20 years. Removing it in Windows 8 marked a paradigm shift of the company’s UI. And bringing the Start button back signifies that consumers never wanted something new in the first place.” — FastCompany
It is a very rare product (much less company) that can live up to the famous/infamous quote by Steve Jobs of Apple, Inc.: “A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” Microsoft’s foible illustrates that Jobs’ quote isn’t going to be accurate some (most) of the time.
The deflating comment by the prospect at the trade show is illustrative of how users will often identify your product uniquely to their own context. It’s not that they aren’t a fan of your cool new device, but that they are not looking at specs, features and benefits, but of their own application.
Build What People Want
Of course, it sounds simple enough to try and design what users want; the problem is that the various vertical markets have enough unique needs that it is unlikely that your products will fit perfectly into a variety of applications. How can you build or install the system people want when you can’t possibly know every application?
You ask.
I’ve long been a proponent of manufacturers making software GUIs (Graphical User Interface) that can be customized and contextualized by the user. When you ask a cross-section of any vertical market what their unique needs are for a product like yours, it often becomes clear where your product has overlap in applications and where it needs some level of customization.
One manufacturer heard from a number of church market users that one of their new products (a file-based video recorder/player) was almost what they needed. It turns out that the solution involved a firmware upgrade and a new web interface to make their device fit the church market supremely. By making their device able to be slaved to multiple units and providing a simple web interface to connect to the device (which already had an Ethernet port). This particular device has been a hot seller in the house of worship space ever since they implemented those requested updates.
The feedback-loop must be available for manufacturers, rep firms, and systems integrators to hear from existing clients and prospects to influence future releases and new products. If you’re not listening, there’s no way to avoid the “if only your product did this…” conundrum.
Pseudo Customization
Fundamentally, building a new product is a significant undertaking of time and resources. The UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) need not only to focus on what it means to operate the device as the manufacturer intended, but on how the various vertical market users intend to operate it.
For devices with a UI, this can be as simple as various levels of easy customization (labeling, admin level vs. user level vs. volunteer operator level controls, etc.). And for devices without a built-in UI, a web interface is frankly a “must” in today’s world. Telling a user they are limited to using your new device in only the manner in which an engineer conceived it is an outdated way of thinking. Think end-user first, and the little controls and personalization elements that are easy to add during design are huge step towards higher adoption rates across vertical markets when the product is released.
When possible, manufacturers need to think about how to make everything they make (well, most anything they make) IP addressable. Beyond browser-based interfaces and web connectivity, the need will only increase for full-fledged apps to control/address/configure devices from a multi-touch screen tablet. The App ecosystem is powerful (and can even be a premium feature that generates revenue) and makes buying decisions even easier for users that are doing more with less support staff.
Open Source Beats Proprietary
Perhaps the biggest trend that fits within this user-centric viewpoint is the release of the death-grip the A/V/L industry seems to have on using proprietary controls/tools/connectivity. Can I be blunt? 1990 has called and it wants all RS232 serial ports back. Ethernet, baby, Ethernet.
And while we’re at it, build your web-enabled software as open source. Let the user community build it out as they see fit. They’re the users, after all. There really is no excuse for not relinquishing control of your proprietary code and embracing the reality of the 21st century’s model of sharing and collaboration.
Chances are, if you just take the simple steps in this one article to heart, you’ll hear a whole lot less variations of “If only your device did this…” and hear many more “That’s exactly what we need,” regardless of their application. Leave a Comment
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Praying for Green…Yes, Praying
By Midori Connolly AVGirl Productions
You know something I never really considered before? I never really stopped to consider the potential benefit both to and from places of worship if they were to implement greener practices. I’m sure some of you who service this market segment are shaking your heads at the no-brainer, but I’ve just recently stopped to think about the impact. The estimated number of places of worship in the United States is somewhere around 450,000. If you think of how many of these facilities were built during suburban expansion in the ’70s and ’80s, the building age puts many of them in the category of requiring remodeling and updating of technology. And what better time for them to rebuild green. And, at the same time, implement green practices… which could include green AV.
I recently met the most interesting AV professional, Aaron Hope, on Twitter. In an ensuing conversation, he really opened my eyes to the opportunities for a house of worship to “go green” — and how beneficial this could be. He said what first caught his attention was the use of the church bulletin. We’ve all seen those — the paper they hand you and most people glance at then throw away? Well, his thought was that those bulletins could easily be replaced as a simple first step to starting greener practices, perhaps by a mobile app or other electronic communications.
Elevating that thought, Aaron said that the age of so many of these buildings makes it tough to take them digital and AV over IP is almost an impossibility. They also have major issues with monitoring energy efficiency and monitoring, with many HVAC systems that still don’t even have thermostats! Imagine the potential impact of a control system. With many of these churches using capital campaigns to raise funding for new construction or improvements to existing facilities, proposing to “go green” could be a great way to garner more funds and support for the campaign.
Currently, there are a couple of bigger picture options for houses of worship. First, a church could definitely choose to pursue LEED certification for new construction or existing buildings. A handful have done so already and you can see those here. Another alternative would be the U.S. EPA’s Energy Star program for congregations, which has approximately 2,000 participants and claims they can cut a facilities cost by an average of 30 percent. One church in Plano, Tex., cut its $2 million energy budget by 50 percent by following the Energy Star program! A full listing of resources is available here on the EPA website. Finally, an interesting interfaith group, GreenFaith, has a TON of ideas and tips for any house of worship.
The pro AV industry has long been closely tied to the house of worship marketplace. For many decades, our equipment has supported the delivery of countless sermons, homilies and other holy lessons. We know these clients are continuously searching for ways to not only inspire their congregations with great ideas and powerful experiences, but also to responsibly use the funding given to them by their members. Providing them with insight on sustainability is an excellent way to strengthen our consultative role and help them support their most pressing goals. Leave a Comment
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LED Is Almost Perfect
By Anthony Coppedge House of Worship Technology Consultant
Perhaps no other technology is as poised to be used in more churches than LED. Seemingly the perfect balance of functionality, size, cost of operation and product lifespan, LED is almost perfect for the house of worship market.
LED Is Everywhere
Once reserved for those in the rarified atmosphere of near-unlimited budgets, LED technology has been embraced by all sides of the A/V/L industry. From audio consoles to video screens to lighting fixtures, LED is everywhere — and is making huge gains in terms of affordability and lifetime performance. It’s hard to look at any other singular technology, save for the microprocessor, that has made such a lasting impact on our industry and the applications and venues of end-users.
Similar to the secular venues, churches had been few and far between that were able to afford the high six-figure and seven-figure video LED video walls or even the high-brightness, long-throw LED production lighting fixtures. That’s changed — and continues to change rapidly — to bring both the availability and variety of LED technologies down in price for a much wider market adoption.
The case can now be made that the lifetime cost of LED lighting fixtures is lower than the cost of Tungsten-based fixtures, based on lamp changes and maintenance costs alone. Similarly, the options for LED video walls has also seen a dramatic shift, offering more churches to consider this over projection in certain venues — especially where natural light is a major consideration.
LED and LEED
The LEED certification process is white hot, with manufacturers and contractors alike looking to maximize their offerings to meet the green/energy efficient/sustainable definitions. The house of worship market, in particular, is impacted greatly in cities where LEED is becoming the norm as cities look to make venues less impactful on their environment and have a much smaller total power usage footprint. The cost benefits of LED fit perfectly into these scenarios due to the incredibly small amounts of power required and the zero-heat emissions.
Cost-benefit studies are being conducted by consultants, contractors and architects looking to make LED the new standard fixture — much less the production fixtures — for lighting venues. The bonus from an A/V/L side is the sudden ability to create nearly unlimited color mixing options for even architectural lighting is having a dramatic impact on the design and interior decorating of these new or updated church facilities.
LED — The Future of Lighting?
It is possible that LED fixtures will be the dominate light type for both architectural applications and production venues in the church market. And it might be happening within the very near future.
Of particular interest to churches is the fact that color mixing these lighting fixtures opens up an entirely new canvas — every surface. The latest LED lighting technology looks better the more you add color and high saturation levels — something that is very hard to do with a massive amount of Tungsten or arc-lamp lighting fixtures.
Today, LED lighting has a rightful place on the design drawings as architectural fixtures (indoor and outdoor), large space lighting, and mood/effect lighting on walls and ceilings. The technology isn’t quite perfected when it comes to long-distance front lighting, however, and doesn’t offer the color rendering of an old-fashioned Tungsten Leiko or Source Four — especially when seen through the lens of video cameras. Still, it’s a matter of time as we continue to see clever advancements in multiple “white” color temperature blending options to try to achieve the effect of Tungsten.
LED — The Future of Video?
From LED back-lit flat panels to full-blown LED video walls, this technology continues to push hard against physics and push open the door of opportunity for greater adoption in the video world. In some instances, LED video walls are actually more cost effective than extreme brightness projection. And, because larger church venues put the screen at sufficient distances to the closest viewer (and beyond), coupled with the incredible reduction of dot pitch/pixel pitch, LED may end up being the outright replacement of nearly all extreme brightness, large format projectors within the next five years.
As exciting as seven-color LED has been, it’s not inconceivable that even higher count LED solutions (likely incorporating multiple color temperatures of “white”) will come on the scene to bring life-like quality to match the increased resolution of 4K (and beyond) image capture devices.
Making the Sale — LED Today or LED Tomorrow?
Manufacturers need to do a much better job of helping provide sales and marketing teams understand the total cost of ownership to accurately predict the product lifetime savings associated with LED. Right now, it can be a hard sell to have a user spend more on LED when traditional, non-LED options exist at a lower price point. Frankly, this should be a selling point to be embraced, not an embarrassed to be avoided in pre-sales conversation.
LED isn’t the panacea of A/V/L technology, and there will be room for many other technologies to exist — and thrive — for years to come. However, the benefits of LED are worthy of serious consideration, significant training and education, and helpful cost-benefit tools to help end-users make great purchasing decisions.
The future is bright — LED bright — for the house of worship market. Leave a Comment
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Kramer Introduces the PT-1C EDID Processor Kramer’s new PT-1C is an EDID troubleshooter of sorts. Have problems with the way Apple handles HDCP, especially when integrating video conferencing systems? One of four back panel dip-switches turns HDCP on or off. When placed immediately downstream from a Mac with the HDCP off, the Mac outputs a non-encrypted signal that Kramer says solves these issues with Apple’s implementation of HDCP. The PT-1C does not bypass HDCP rules and cannot remove HDCP from a signal if it is present.
A second dip-switch on the PT-1C limits color depth. In situations where bandwidth on certain legacy equipment does not support Deep Color, the PT-1C can be used to ensure that only 8-bit color is passed.
There’s an audio dip-switch that provides a means for limiting the output of an upstream device to two-channel LPCM (Linear Pulse Code Modulation) for cases where the target EDID is asking for an audio type that other system devices do not support.
Finally, the fourth switch is an EDID lock that allows the user to lock in the EDID from the connected display or other displays/EDID sources.which draws its power from the HDMI cable and it has four DIP-switches on the back panel.
Complete specs are here. Leave a Comment
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InfoComm Replaces CAVSP With APEx, Audiovisual Providers of Excellence DesignationEarlier this week, InfoComm debuted its new Audiovisual Providers of Excellence (APEx) designation. InfoComm APEx replaces InfoComm’s Certified AudioVisual Service Provider Program (CAVSP), which will conclude at the end of the year.
InfoComm APEx will also recognize a broader base of industry certifications beyond InfoComm’s CTS credential as a sign of commitment to quality.
The InfoComm International Audiovisual Providers of Excellence program also mandates the use of two industry standards to foster better communication between the AV provider and the client. Because both the ANSI/INFOCOMM Standard Guide for Audiovisual Systems Design and Coordination Processes and the AV System Performance Verification Standard were developed in an open, consensus-based process, approved by an independent outside body, and are aimed at providing proper communication and documentation between the AV industry and the client, using both on several projects is a requirement. InfoComm makes all of its standards available to its members at no charge in order to drive the adoption of practices that will advance the industry.
Creating a program that acknowledges outstanding companies of all sizes was a priority, and requirements vary based on the number of company employees. InfoComm will invest in a substantial online campaign to promote APEx companies to end-customers. A toolkit that APEx companies can use to promote their designation will be made available to participating companies.
While this program is aimed at integrators and design consultancies, InfoComm will unveil related programs for the live events, technology manager and manufacturing communities later this year, with input from these constituencies.
All the information for what’s available so far is here. Leave a Comment
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BTX Offers New Reach US Bee 8 Capture SystemThe Bee 8 Training Capture System is an all-in-one network streaming and recording device from Reach US. Featuring redundant recording on both an internal hard drive and a front USB thumb drive so an event is never lost, the Bee 8 has an integrated browser-based menu which makes it easy to operate and manage.
This network-based recording and streaming device can synchronously record audio, video and computer screen signals from three different HD sources. The Bee 8 can also stream content live via h.264 which makes it capable to watch anywhere and the recorded MP4 file makes it portable to be played back on almost anything.
Built on an embedded operating system and designed to run continuously 24/7, the Bee 8 Network Recording Appliance is available from BTX here. Leave a Comment
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TFCinfo Report Shows The Most Preferred Display Brands In House of Worship MarketTFCinfo’s latest market research study, “The Use of Video Displays in American Churches 2014,” reports that roughly half of U.S. churches are looking to purchase and expand upon their projection and video display systems. The house of worship market continues to grow in all segments. Larger churches are buying more projectors and displays than in the past, and they are being used for a wider number of purposes including digital signage, satellite venues, and portable applications. Smaller churches are also becoming more technically sophisticated as display technologies become more affordable and easier to use.
One of the many interesting trends that this recurring study tracks is equipment brand preference and the importance with which churches view name brand during their purchase process. “This research shows that more than half of all respondents state that brand is extremely or very important to them in their purchasing process for projectors,” says Tanya Lippke, TFCinfo director of survey market research. “The importance of brand name during selection is even higher for flat panel displays with 60 percent. This means that manufacturers’ efforts to solidify the brand image of their product line to the house of worship marketplace can have a significant impact, but only if the manufacturers make a concerted effort to learn how to reach this unique market that has different needs from most other segments in our industry.”
The top ten projector brands being most considered for purchase in the church market include: Canon, Christie, Eiki, Epson, Hitachi, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp and Sony. Some of the top flat panel display brands being considered are LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and Vizio.
If you’re interested in learning more from this report from TFCinfo, click here. Leave a Comment
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DPA Intros New d:screet Miniature Necklace and d:fine Headset Mics at NABAt NAB, DPA Microphones has introduced the new d:screet Omnidirectional Miniature Necklace Microphone, the heavy-duty d:screet 4060 and 4061 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphones, and the classic d:screet Omnidirectional Miniature Mics with reinforced cable relief.
The new d:screet Necklace Microphone lets audio techs not worry about how to attach the mic to clothing when consistent audio output and quick, easy mounting are the main requirements. It features DPA’s d:screet 4061 Omnidirectional Miniature Capsule in a soft rubber necklace and is designed specifically for use by non-technicians. The d:screet Necklace Mic comes in black, white and brown and in lengths of either 18.3 or 20.9 inches.
During the show, the company is presenting two options. Incorporated on all d:screet Miniature Microphones, the robust strain relief version ensures that people who are not used to handling miniatures can feel reassured by the increased reliability. The heavy-duty 4060 and 4061 microphones, which are ideal for people who require even more enhanced security and for whom the visual appeal is of less importance, are ideal for placement in rigorous filming situations. It features a stainless steel housing, sturdy cable relief and a thicker .08-inch cable. Both enhanced versions are exceptionally durable and ideally suited to the rigors of broadcasts.
Combining the flexible mechanics of DPA’s modern d:fine ear mount solution with the sound qualities of the 4066 Omni and 4088 Cardioid headsets, the new d:fine 66 and 88 Headset Microphones are ideal for broadcast productions with vocal performers who need to move freely without obstructions from a handheld mic or mic stand and address every need that actors, musicians and singers may face on live television. These new products join the original d:fine as well as the traditional 4066 and 4088 Miniature Headset Microphones under the company’s d:fine family.
For more information, click here. Leave a Comment
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TASCAM Features UH-7000 Mic Pre/USB Interface at NABTASCAM is presenting its new UH-7000 USB Mic Pre to the broadcast market for the first time at the 2014 NAB Show. The 4×4-channel audio interface is a standalone microphone preamp that features the company’s HDIA (High Definition Instrumentation Architecture), an entirely new design for microphone preamps, which ensures clean sound reproduction with a high resolution.
The UH-7000 is ideal for a recording or live setup, and can be also be used for home recording with a computer. With a fully-balanced signal path from input to output (in standalone mic pre mode) and enhanced instrumentation amplifier architecture, the UH-7000 includes new premium components to achieve a -128 dBU noise floor, 117 dB signal-to-noise ratio and 0.0009 percent THD rating. Additionally, dual-sided PCM4220 A/D converters capture mic or line inputs at up to 192kHz/24-bit resolution. For monitoring and line output, the UH-7000 coerces audio through a Burr Brown DA converter for fluid and honest sound reproduction.
Another crucial component of the UH-7000 is its audiophile-designed +48V phantom power supply and extra-large power transformer. Additionally, the mic pre/interface has a solid aluminum structure; meticulously calibrated knobs for smooth, custom-tapered gain setting and bright 20-segment LED peak meters to accurately convey each channel’s true level. The device is also equipped with two XLR balanced inputs and outputs, two balanced 1/4-inch inputs and an AES/EBU digital out.
For more information, click here. Leave a Comment
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DPI Intros 10,000 Lumen Laser ProjectorDigital Projection International (DPI) has announced the launch of the HIGHLite LASER WUXGA 3D, which offers 10,000 lumens from a solid-state light source, capable of producing over 20,000 hours of illumination and WUXGA (1920×1200). Due to the light source and lack of a lamp, this projector offers a lower total cost of ownership.
Image edge blending is included as standard, along with advanced geometric warp correction. Additionally, active 3D functionality with frame rates up to 144 Hz is included. Inputs include dual HDMI 1.4, DVI and 3G-SDI, as well as HDBaseT connectivity for the transmission of uncompressed HD video over a CAT5e/6 LAN cable. A diverse selection of both fixed and zoom lenses, with throw ratios ranging from 0.77:1 to 6.76:1 and extensive lens shift, is available.
DPI says the projector will ship this June. To get complete specs, click here. Leave a Comment
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Panasonic Debuts 98″ and 84″ 4K LED Displays at NAB Panasonic this month announced two new large-format 4K (3840×2160) LED displays along with other new professional AV technologies at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show.
The 98” TH-98LQ70 and 84” TH-84LQ70 4K displays are being marketed for broadcast production, digital signage, rental and staging, design and simulation as well as command and control rooms. These displays, combined with Panasonic’s imaging capture and workflow technologies, provide a one-stop solution for organizations with image creation needs. The displays can also scale non-4K sources to a higher level of picture quality.
LQ70 Series displays are equipped with a protective glass and also feature a ruggedized aluminum frame. They can be installed vertically or horizontally, and offer SLOT3.0 architecture. Panasonic says the displays will ship in September 2014. For more information, click here. Leave a Comment
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Juice Goose Intros P90-PRO Series UPS Products Juice Goose announced this week a new series of energy saving, online UPS products that reduce operating costs for end users and project cost for integrators — the P90-PRO Series. Juice Goose says the P90-PRO models feature a 0.90 power factor design that converts 90 percent of power line voltage and current into wattage.
Beyond the higher power factor, the P90-PRO ECO Mode is a selectable feature that allows a power bypass of the battery circuitry when line voltage is within an acceptable range. Eliminating the overhead load of the UPS increases operating efficiency of the UPS to 98 percent. When not in ECO mode, online (double conversion) circuitry provides a continuous charge on the UPS batteries while maintaining a complete barrier against any form of surge or voltage transient.
The P90‑PRO Series models include the 1000VA, 1500VA, 2000VA and 3000VA. Each can be rack, tower or wall mounted. For more information, click here. Leave a Comment
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Christie Joins HDBaseT Alliance, Intros HDBaseT-Enabled ProjectorsProjector manufacturer Christie has joined the HDBaseT Alliance, announcing that some of its projectors are now HDBaseT-certified. HDBaseT, powered by the Valens chipset, enables all-in-one connectivity between HD video sources and remote displays through a single 100m CAT5e/6 cable, delivering uncompressed high definition video, including 4K, audio, Ethernet, control signals and up to 100 watts of power.
The Christie Q Series 1-chip DLP platform — with brightness options ranging from 8,500 to 10,000 lumens and XGA, WXGA and WUXGA resolutions — is equipped with eClarity, which Christie says offers advanced image processing that enhances images by providing greater control over image sharpness, gloss and shading. With built-in High Dynamic Contrast Range (HDCR), image “washout” in high ambient light conditions is eliminated by adjusting the dynamic contrast to recapture detail lost by excess ambient light on the screen. The Christie Q series features HDBaseT Connectivity for simplifying installation and management by allowing for video content, audio and control to be delivered over low cost CAT5/6e cabling to HDBaseT compatible products. Christie Q Series is also equipped with DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) Simulation Mode for training purposes.
More specs on the Q Series are here.
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Eighteen Sound Adds XG10 Line Array Waveguide Eighteen Sound announced the release of the XG10 line source waveguide with a 1-inch throat entry. The company says that the XG10 has a transmission line acoustic design that minimizes internal reflections and acoustic loss, while the throat shape has been optimized for lowering air distortion.
The waveguide has been optimized to provide a 10o vertical dispersion angle, while the horizontal coverage angle can vary from 80o to 120o depending upon the specific cabinet design.
Features include:
- 1.0″ entry line-array source
- 10° vertical coverage angle
- Transmission line acoustical design minimizes internal reflections and acoustical losses
- Throat shape optimized for lowering air distortion
- Compact size for high arrayability
- Die-cast aluminum construction
For complete specs, click here.
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PixelFLEX Intros FLEXLite LED Screen, a Cost-Effective Solutions for Permanent Installs and Small EventsLED screen manufacturer PixelFLEX has introduced the FLEXLite LED screen. Available in both indoor and outdoor options, FLEXLite was designed for clients that need an economical solution for permanent installations and lightweight event screens.
The indoor version comes in pitches of 3.0, 5.2, 6.9 and 7.8 mm and is designed for tradeshows, other events and signage. FLEXLite has a high refresh-rate, making it “camera friendly and an ideal solution for televised and filmed events,” according to the company. A dedicated outdoor version that comes in both blowthrough and non-blowthrough designs is availablie in pitches of 6.25, 8.9 and 12.0 mm with brightness of 5,000 nits.
The FLEXlite frame is made of die cast aluminum, resulting in a lightweight but durable tile that weigh 28 pounds each. PixelFLEX says it has taken all of the aspects it has been known for in its touring products, and transformed them into a single product that makes sense for installation. It can be installed and dismantled by one person, making FLEXLite time and labor efficient. The LED panel also comes in a rectangle shape – versus the traditional square – and consequently covers more space with less tiles.
It offers HDMI and DVI-D inputs and uses the latest debugging technology to prohibit issues with gray scale level, allowing for clear, crisp content playback. The LED screen also offers a 140 degree viewing angle so more of the audience gets the full impression of the desired content.
More information is available here. Leave a Comment
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Liberty AV Adds 4K Compatible HDMI Matrix Switch Liberty AV Solutions is now shipping the DigitaLinx four-input, four-output HDMI matrix, DL-HDM44. The new DL-HDM44 features four HDMI inputs and four HDMI outputs, which supports Deep Color, full 3D and 4K video, and up to 7.1 multichannel audio to be routed to any output. The DL-HDM44 can be controlled via front panel buttons, front panel IR, external IR, RS232 or through a Web browser when the matrix is connected to a network. The matrix includes a simple IR remote control to allow IR switching. The EDID settings for the matrix, either 1080p with stereo audio or the EDID of the display on Output A, are toggled by a button on the front of the matrix.
The DL-HDM44 can be controlled via the front panel, local or remote infrared (IR), RS232 or via a Web browser. The DL-HDM44 takes up a single rack unit, saving valuable real estate in an equipment rack.
Complete specs are here. Leave a Comment
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NEC NC1100L: Compact Laser Projector for CinemaNEC Display announced the availability of “the world’s first fully integrated compact DCI-compliant digital cinema projector using laser light source.” Designed for screens up to 11 meters, the NEC NC1100L is for use in venues such as cinemas and art houses, as well as public buildings, theaters and universities. And, like most other laser-based light systems, the projector’s light source is spec’d to last 20,000 hours.
Because the NC1100L projector has no exhaust system, it can be floor- or ceiling-mounted as close to surfaces as an installer would like — or even inside walls. So far, it’s the most compact cinema laser projector available, measuring 700 x 1042 x 314 millimeters. The projector’s 2K DCI-compliant cinema quality delivers an image bright enough to display on screens up to 11m in DCI colour (1.8 Gain screen).
The NC1100L can be deployed as a complete one-stop digital cinema solution, using the built-in Integrated Media Server (IMS). This brings an ‘all in one’ Integrated Media Block and 2TB Storage Server for versatile connectivity and enhanced savings as less peripheral devices are needed.
Here are all the details. Leave a Comment
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Audinate Sets AV Networking World Conference Date at InfoComm 2014AV Networking World is a free, all-day conference put on by Audinate, providing the latest information about the real world use cases of converged AV and IT networks. AVNW is co-sponsored by the leading pro audio OEMs and will take place June 17 at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel next to the Las Vegas Convention Center. Panel discussions from leading industry design consultants, installation contractors, networking experts, plus major professional audio equipment manufacturers will cover various case studies covering deployment of small and large-scale networked AV systems.
In addition to the broad spectrum of informative panel discussions and presentations, a major interoperability networking demonstration will be conducted. Due to the space limitation, pre-registration is recommended.
You can register here. Leave a Comment
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For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe HOW 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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To send me feedback, don’t reply to this newsletter. Instead, write directly to me at gary@ravepubs.com or for editorial ideas, Editor-in-Chief Sara Abrons at sara@ravepubs.com
A little about me: I graduated from Journalism School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where I am adjunct faculty). I’ve been in the AV-industry since 1987 where I started with Extron and eventually moved to AMX. So, I guess I am an industry veteran (although I don’t think I am that old). I have been an opinionated columnist for a number of industry publications and in the late 1990s I started the widely read KNews eNewsletter (the first in the AV market) and also created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue, which is now known as InfoComm IQ. rAVe [Publications] has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter, rAVe ProAV Edition.
Everything we publish is Opt-in — we spam NO ONE! rAVe ProAV Edition is our flagship ePublication with what we believe is a reach of virtually everyone in the ProAV market. rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA and launched in February 2004, is, by far, the largest ePub in the HomeAV market. We added rAVe Rental [and Staging] in November 2007, rAVe ED [Education] in May 2008 and then rAVe DS [Digital Signage] in January 2009. We added rAVe GHGav [Green, Healthcare & Government AV] in August 2010 and rAVe HOW [House of Worship] in July 2012. You can subscribe to any of those publication or see ALL our archives by going to: https://www.ravepubs.com
To read more about my background, our team and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com Back to Top |
Copyright 2013 – rAVe [Publications] – All rights reserved – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact rAVe [Publications], 210 Old Barn Ln. – Chapel Hill, NC 27517 – (919) 969-7501. Email: Sara@rAVePubs.com
rAVe contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors. |
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