Volume 3, Issue 7 — July 25, 2017
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Editorials Editorials Editorials
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Resolution: The Wrong Spec
By Mark Coxon rAVe Blogger
I was talking to a friend and industry colleague the other day who was a little frustrated with the way a recent project had gone.
The AV design included a large 1.9 mm dot pitch direct view LED screen in a large presentation space. Based on viewing distances from the seated positions in the room, all the math checked out and the screen should look great in the space.
Then at zero hour, the client related that they wanted to be able to have people come up to the screen and collaborate. This meant that the dot pitch on the 1.9 mm solution was going to become very apparent. Realizing this, the client asked for the solution to be upgraded to 4K.
Hmmm.
For any of you that sell or manufacture direct view LED, you most likely already see the issue with the request. Changing a 1.9 mm solution to “4K” requires the screen to get wider and taller. Adding “resolution” to this solution just makes the screen BIGGER, it doesn’t actually add any detail.
What the client actually needed was more “pixel density.” The only way to accomplish this with direct view LED was to use tiles with a smaller dot pitch, which was cost-prohibitive based on the budget, or to go to an LCD based video wall, which introduced some bezel interruptions and changed the infrastructure and mounting needs.
The problem with the resolution spec is that it doesn’t actually relay “perceived” resolution.
Question 1 – What looks better from 3 feet away: a 42″ 1080p LCD display or an 84″ UHD LCD display?
Most people would lean toward answering the UHD display given it is 2160p vs. 1080p, but the truth is the pixels are exactly the same size on both displays.
A 42″ 1080p display and an 84″ 2160p display have identical pixel densities, about 2751 pixels per inch (PPI). Many of you may have already known this or been able to conclude it rather quickly, so let me give you a harder one.
Question 2 – What looks better from 3 feet away: a 2×2 video wall made with 80″ 1080p LCD displays or a 160″ diagonal 1.2 mm direct view LED array?
This immediately becomes harder to figure out as we know the resolution spec alone tells us little about the perceived resolution, and the LED arrays are typically referred to by dot pitch, a spec not used in LCD displays at all.
The answer is that an 80″ 1080p LCD display would look better from a perceived resolution perspective. It has a pixel density of 758 PPI, whereas a 1.2 mm direct view LED array has a pixel density of around 410 PPI. You’d need to upgrade to a .9 mm dot pitch direct view LED solution (735 PPI) in order to get the same perceived resolution.
To the credit of the direct view LED community, they seem to realize that “dot pitch” doesn’t readily convey resolution, and they do utilize “pixel density” as a specification on their data sheets. They include it in the form of “pixels per square meter,” allowing one to easily differentiate between different direct view LED solutions.
I would suggest that it may be time for LCD display manufacturers to start doing the same, and include pixel density as a specification. As I’ve illustrated, it can be ascertained from all the other data on the spec sheet but it takes a little math. Currently, an integrator or consultant would have to determine the area of an LCD display, divide the number of pixels in the display by the total area in square inches to get pixels per inch. Then they would have to multiply that by 1550 in order to get to the “pixels per square meter” specification included by the direct view LED crowd for a direct comparison.
Regardless of whether LCD display manufacturers include this or not, designers should be paying more attention to the pixel density of their solutions than the “resolution.” It can assist in determining whether or not direct view LED arrays will meet the clients expectations for perceived resolution, as well as determine whether that video wall should be a 3×3 constructed of 55″ 1080p dispays, or a 2×2 constructed of the 84″ UHD version.
Are you considering pixel density in your solutions? I’d love to hear your take in the comments below. Leave a Comment
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UBTech 2017 – A Great Start to InfoComm
By Scott Tiner rAVe Columnist
For the first time in several years, I was able to attend InfoComm. Before attending the show however, I was fortunate enough to be a speaker at UBTech. UBTech is a trade show/conference about IT and AV in higher education. CCUMC, which I wrote about back in November of this year, worked with UBTech as a program partner, which is how I got the invitation. In my experiences over the past couple of years, this show is by far the most valuable for me.
If it was valuable to me as a consumer and you serve as an integrator or manufacturer to a higher ed market, then it should be valuable to you as well. Why?
My experience this year is that all the people I met at UBTech were people in a position of decision making. They were directors of IT departments, a couple of academic deans, many CIOs and plenty of technology managers. Every person I spoke with at the show had the ability to go back to his or her campus and make a purchasing decision. This clientele is one that many AV focused conferences have struggled with attracting. Other shows tend to attract the more technical crowd looking for technical knowledge and new products. But many of those people need to go back and pitch a sale to their bosses on campus. At UBTech, you are dealing directly with their bosses.
Unlike many other conferences, this one was AV focused, but clearly an IT conference as well. Perhaps that is why so many conferences have a hard time attracting the crowd with purchasing power. They sell themselves as AV conferences. UBTech sells itself as the place where IT and AV converge. In higher education, particularly, this balance of IT and AV gives more senior people the opportunity to consider going because they feel the conference will be more broad.
Perhaps one of the best things you could do as a manufacturer or an integrator is to send your designers and salespeople to every concurrent session. This gives them several opportunities. First, if you are a national integration company you can get to meet leaders in the higher ed AV/IT world from all over the country. Specifically, by attending sessions you get to make face contact with dozens of potential clients. Second (and most importantly), you get to sit down and LISTEN and LEARN. So often in the life of a sales person, company owner or designer you are doing more talking than listening. This is natural, of course, as you are trying to make a sale. I believe that listening to people who actually use the technology and have discovered what works for them is really the best way to learn how to design and sell future systems. You can hear about the successes and the failures and which features are used and which are not. From there, the selling and designing become so much easier because you are not talking a client into something, you are just giving them what they need.
A huge benefit for me at UBTech is that I was able to actually speak to people at the booths. As much as I love InfoComm and am amazed as I walk around the show floor, I can count on one hand the number of times I have been able to have a substantial conversation with a vendor. This is understandable: I am an end-user, by myself. You compare that with a regional distributor with a team of six people, I know who I would choose to speak to as a salesperson. UBTech is not like that. I talked to people at about three-fourths of the booths for five minutes or so. You know, the usual — spend a few minutes learning about products to see if you have any interest. Of those booths, there were about ten that I spent more than fifteen minutes speaking in detail about their products. During this time I did not feel like I was trying to be shooed away so the staff could talk to a bigger fish.
The final reason that you as a tech manager or integrator want to go to UBTech is that it’s a conference that centers on higher education. This allows you target your marketing during the show very directly. Do you have products or services that are actually aimed at the corporate market? If so, don’t bother bringing them. Presumably, you have staff that are dedicated to the education vertical market. Make sure they are the staff that you send to this conference. I spent a some time at the FSR booth with Gina Sansivero, and they did it right. FSR had a booth on the floor, with their education products on display and their education representative staffing the booths. They knew their target audience and directed their display at them.
Next year, UBTech is at The Mirage in Las Vegas. If you are reading this and holding onto one last excuse, “I would love to go, but I can’t miss InfoComm,” I’ve got good news for you: UBTech takes place in the days preceding InfoComm. This year the closing keynote was at noon on Wednesday, giving you plenty of time to head on over to the show floor. I am already planning on going (and I don’t like Vegas) because of the value I got from it this year. Will I be seeing you there? Leave a Comment
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Best of InfoComm 2017 Awards Announced
By Gary Kayye rAVe Founder
We’re back from InfoComm 2017 and we saw a lot of products. A lot. It’s tough to pick out the best and the brightest from the thousands of products and hundreds of exhibitors introduced on the ortow floor. But after much consideration, our entire team picked what we thought were the best things on the show floor. Congratulations to all the winning companies!
To see videos of all the products from the show floor, check out our complete InfoComm 2017 coverage.
Click each link below to see the winner and watch a video or read a story about the product.
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NEC and Hiperwall Partner NEC Display Solutions of America and Hiperwall Inc. today announced a new hardware-software partnership to provide large-display video wall solutions for control rooms and other venues. To offer customers integrated solutions from either company, as well as a seamless purchasing experience, sales representatives from both companies will be cross-trained, allowing them to share knowledge, expertise and experience.
Hiperwall, a leader in distributed visualization software for video walls and NEC Display Solutions, a leader in high-quality displays, established this comprehensive partnership that includes sales, marketing and product development. Today, the partnership is focused on the control room marketplace with plans on expansion into additional distributed visualization market in the future.
NEC offers multiple display technologies that are ideal for the rapidly changing control-room landscape, including narrow-bezel video wall products in large format and desktop sizes, direct-view LEDs, projection and single-screen large format and desktop displays — some of which feature an OPS option slot for built-in computing allowing easier integration. Hiperwall’s new Premium Suite is designed with fault tolerance, limitless resolution, and overlapping display boundaries, and it is an easy-to-use distributed dynamic visualization system, providing seamless future growth.
Solutions from NEC and Hiperwall are designed for a wide range of applications. They are particularly well adapted for digital signage, control rooms, trading floors, education, houses of worship and the presentation of high-resolution images in science, medicine or for urban and rural planning. The video wall solution’s easy installation, usability and low cost makes this technology more available than ever for organizations of all sizes to eliminate inefficiency and improve their ability to operate. It provides significant advantages wherever critical processes and situations need to be reliably displayed and quickly understood.
Hiperwall is here and NEC is here. Leave a Comment
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Bluescape Visual Collaboration Software Now Optimized for Microsoft Surface Hub Bluescape announced today its software is now available for Microsoft Surface Hub. Bluescape’s visual collaboration software gives teams a virtual place to meet, share, and develop ideas and is accessible using any internet-enabled device such as smartphones, computers, and interactive displays, now including Microsoft Surface Hub. The company was born to meet a real need within Haworth to provide a better way for designers and developers to visually collaborate across teams, locations, and devices. Building upon Haworth’s long tradition of adapting technology to meet changing workplace needs, the space featured at NeoCon eliminates the barriers between the physical and virtual to simplify, speed, and enhance the way we work.
Bluescape’s collaboration software extends the Surface Hub’s rich and frictionless hardware into an infinite virtual workspace that enables teams to interact with content and collaborate on projects no matter where team members are located. Bluescape’s software also works seamlessly with other Microsoft products, as well as other file types teams already use – Google docs, video, audio files, images – anything can be shared and stored in one limitless digital workspace.
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Extron Ships EBP 1200C — Room Control with Cable Cubby Convenience Extron has announced the immediate availability of the EBP 1200C Cable Cubby Enclosure with eBUS button panel. This new button panel is neatly-integrated into the lid of the enclosure and combines intuitive AV control, connectivity, and power all in one, furniture-mountable device. The easy-to-use control panel works with all eBUS-enabled control systems and connects to an IPCP Pro control processor to perform a wide variety of AV system functions such as display On/Off, input switching, volume control, and much more. The flip-up button panel has ten customizable, soft-touch buttons that are backlit for easy operation in low-light environments. The cable access enclosure supports up to three single-space AAPs and up to three Extron Retractors. The EBP 1200C enables integrators to deploy a contemporary, furniture-mountable eBUS button panel with cable management and easy access to AV connectivity and power.
Extron’s eBUS technology is based on a digital bus architecture that allows for easy control system expansion, greater design options, and future upgrades. As with our TouchLink Pro touchpanels, eBUS button panels are designed for use with any Extron IPCP Pro Series control processor. A single eBUS button panel can be used as the AV control interface for a smaller system or multiple button panels and touchpanels may be combined when a more elaborate control system is required.
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Research Study: Millenials Ask for More Assistance with IT SupportMillennials ask for more assistance than baby boomers when it comes to resolving IT problems at work.
Despite the widespread belief that IT issues are only associated with older, c-suite members of the workforce, research today reveals that two thirds (66 percent) of IT decision makers claim that Generation X or millennials ask for the most assistance when presenting.
The global research, commissioned by Barco ClickShare, and conducted by Vanson Bourne of 1,250 IT decision makers, shows that the reason for the heightened need for IT support is due to a lack of digital skills across businesses. Almost six in 10 (58 percent) IT respondents report that employees ask for assistance because they are not digitally savvy enough to resolve IT problems themselves.
Most common IT problems
The study identifies that employees ask for the most assistance with presentation technology problems (67 percent). This is closely followed by internet connection issues (59 percent), printer issues (55 percent), mobile device problems (47 percent) and software bugs/problems (41 percent).
Inma Martinez, technology pioneer and data scientist said: “Millennials, Centennials and some Generation X employees excel at being digitally social, yet they are 100 percent mobile driven, lacking the necessary skills for interoperability, that is, to understand how desktop computers connect to other devices or, furthermore, how network infrastructure really works. This explains why they represent the largest employee group requiring I.T. support around presentation technologies in the workplace.”
“The very nature of Millennials and Centennials is short-term oriented, spoiled by the instant gratification of e-commerce, the widespread availability of WiFi and the seamless user experience that mobile apps present today. Generation X, because they weren’t born digital, feel even more alienated. Outside of this digital environment, when confronted by desktop interoperability issues – connecting to other machines, or understanding basic network infrastructure, they experience “digital frustration”. They are not only at odds, but require stronger support from I.T. teams beyond what other generations need in the workplace because patience is not their forte.” As a way of overcoming presentation IT issues with such younger employees, six in 10 (60 percent) IT decision makers believe that the deployment of technology that is quick and easy to set up is essential. In addition, over five in 10 believe that devices that are wireless (54 percent), and compatible with any device (51 percent), will ensure presentations run smoothly.
The majority (91 percent) of IT decision makers see presentation technology problems as a high or moderate priority. These issues are mostly commonly reported due to external business hardware e.g. laptops, tablets, and mobile phones (46 percent) being brought into meeting rooms, and problems experienced with meeting room business hardware such as screens, computers, and phones (40 percent) according to those whose IT department get asked for assistance.
Lieven Bertier, head of product management, ClickShare said: “Issues around technology remains a major hurdle for businesses to overcome.”
The research shows that presentation issues are the most common of all technology problems for businesses, which take up a lot of employee’s time and can have a large impact on the reputation of the company and workforce productivity. “Business leaders and IT decision makers can address presentation problems with the deployment of easy to use wireless technology, removing the need for training and minimising disruption caused in meetings.”
Having ineffective presentation technology, that Generation X and millennials struggle with, can have a detrimental impact on businesses, with 5 in 10 respondents reporting that these issues were associated to a loss of business (54 percent) and damage to business reputation (53 percent). In addition, over two-thirds claim that presentation technology issues caused important meetings to be postponed (72 percent), and create disputes between colleagues (73 percent).
About the study: 1,250 IT decision makers from across the US (500) UK, France and Germany (250 per country) who work across IT & telecoms, retail, financial services, business and professional services, transport and travel, private education, utilities, media leisure and entertainment, manufacturing and production and private healthcare, were interviewed in March 2017 by independent research agency Vanson Bourne. A good spread of interviews were obtained across age ranges, gender and organization size. Leave a Comment
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VuWall’s TRx Now Supports Multi-Stream Decoding Devices VuWall has announced that its software platform TRx now also supports Picture-in-picture IP decoding, and scaling across multiple decoders.
VuWall TRx is a software platform is a software platform to deploy and manage small to large-scale AV networks of encoder and decoder boxes. The TRx software platform claims to make it easy to configure, to operate, and to maintain a pool of encoders/decoders on an AV network.
By definition, an AV network consists of many connected devices that need to be deployed and operated within multiple rooms, floors or buildings. The complexity of such an installation may suggest a very cumbersome experience both in the configuration, the operation and the maintenance phase. With VuWall’s TRx AV network management solution, these processes are performed with simplicity thanks to an intuitive ‘’drag and drop’’ user interface.
TRx now allows for management of multiple streams generated by a single multi- stream decoder appliance like the new Matrox Mura IPX-4K-IP boards and all the decoders based on the latest version of the Aptovision BlueRiver NT+ chip. Here are the details. Leave a Comment
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InFocus Transforms Collaboration With ConX Ecosystem InFocus unveils its transformative ConX communication and collaboration ecosystem today, centered around the new ConX Cloud video conferencing service. ConX Cloud connects with ConX display hardware solutions ranging from Mondopad touch-enabled displays and ConX video phones to scalable ConX video conferencing walls supporting up to 96 displays, as well as ConX software and web apps for laptops, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. The ConX system also supports H.323 and SIP industry standards, allowing businesses, schools and government agencies to connect to anyone using standards-based third-party devices.
With ConX, users can connect and collaborate with more ease and more flexibility than ever before. From small team meetings to large-scale, company-wide meetings of people and ideas, the ConX universe has everything needed to connect people and information. And unlike any other solution on the market, ConX delivers the freedom and flexibility for anyone to actively participate in a virtual meeting, no matter the device or operating system in front of them. The combination of ConX Cloud and ConX devices and software from InFocus provides an unparalleled, integrated collaboration experience, while built-in support for industry standards provides the freedom to connect with people using legacy systems and other video conferencing services both inside and outside their organization.
The new ConX Cloud was designed and built to enable powerful, reliable video conferencing and collaboration from anywhere. Instead of presenting one-way data during a meeting, ConX Cloud provides dual-stream data and video allowing everyone to see both faces and information at the same time, providing the closest experience to an in-person meeting. With ConX endpoints from InFocus, users on the video conference can present, annotate, whiteboard, create, edit, share, save and send information in real-time. ConX Cloud supports SIP, H.323 and Skype for business interoperability, so you can bring people and data together through a wide variety of endpoints and services on both InFocus and legacy third-party devices. Connectivity across communication platforms is essential and ConX Cloud delivers it at no extra cost.
ConX Cloud service includes support for InFocus Mondopad and a range of InFocus ConX endpoints including ConX Wall, ConX Exec, and ConX Phone, as well as audio (PSTN) dial-in, ConX mobile apps for iOS and Android, ConX apps for Windows and Mac OS, and ConX web apps. ConX Cloud also supports InFocus’ BrightCam technology for intelligent HD video enhancement, adaptively improving video conferencing image color and detail in a variety of ambient light conditions on selected InFocus devices.
ConX hardware endpoints integrate advanced video and information-sharing technologies into fully configurable and scalable solutions for conference rooms, huddle rooms and video walls.
One of the most versatile pieces of the ConX ecosystem is the InFocus Mondopad. This all-in-one touch-enabled system allows teams to connect and share any type of content with anyone in the room, as well as with attendees who are remote. Mondopad now supports the new ConX Whiteboard, enabling professionals in multiple locations to interact and share ideas on a Mondopad whiteboard, while simultaneously using ConX Cloud. Everyone can see the same whiteboard screen, and each participant can draw, write or insert text or images.
Offering the capabilities typically provided by multiple devices in traditional conference rooms, Mondopad is an enormous touch-enabled screen that combines an HD video conferencing system, an interactive whiteboard, a 1080p or 4K screen, audio conferencing, and a powerful PC. Users can control the system, present, annotate, and whiteboard using their fingers and an intuitive, easy to use graphical user interface. Documents can be saved to the Mondopad for future access, stored to the network, or emailed to anyone directly from the device. A built-in high-quality camera and speakers facilitate enterprise-grade video conferencing, making Mondopad the standalone collaboration system that connects people, devices and information easily, seamlessly and reliably right out of the box. Mondopad is available in 57-inch and 65-inch sizes and Mondopad Ultra, with 4K resolution and an even more robust PC, is available in 70-inch and 85-inch sizes.
For collaboration and conferencing with even more screen real estate, InFocus offers ConX Exec and ConX Wall. Both are video conferencing solutions that feature multi-screen configurations that can scale from two displays to 96 showing both shared data and video conferencing participants. ConX Wall and ConX Exec are ideal for those applications in which seeing the big picture means seeing a big picture. Using multiple ultra-narrow-bezel HD displays, users can customize these ConX solutions for any wall size ranging from that in an executive suite to the largest venue.
What sets ConX Wall and ConX Exec apart from a basic video wall is an integrated video conferencing multipoint control unit (MCU) server. The server enables users to instantly configure and change each input image to any number of the displays, allowing in-room participants to focus on whatever content they want at any given time, such as a data or video stream from a remote participant. This unique ability to create a user-defined layout and to have control from all kinds of devices makes ConX Wall and ConX Exec ideal for enterprise management, public services, education and training.
ConX Exec is available in pre-configured display, hardware and software solutions available in 2×2 or 3×2 configuration with 48.5-inch HD screens. ConX Wall is a fully-configurable solution that can be matched with third-party displays, accommodating up to 96 screens for enormous collaboration walls.
The ConX Phone from InFocus is a powerful desktop videophone with a 10.1-inch color HD screen, a 720p camera, and an immediately familiar user interface. The built-in wide-band speaker and high-dynamic-range microphone ensure clear hands-free conversations, or use your headset. Making an audio or video call with the ConX Phone is as easy as using a standard phone and you can import your existing contact lists and manage features from the web. ConX Phone users not only see and hear remote participants on any supported ConX device, but can also see shared presentations and whiteboards on the integrated screen.
In addition to the range of ConX hardware endpoints from InFocus, users can also participate in ConX video conferencing and collaboration from their own PCs, laptops, smartphones and tablets using ConX apps. These apps support both iOS and Android mobile devices. In addition, there are ConX apps for both Windows and Mac OS computers. There is also a ConX web app that works with browsers that support WebRTC, such as Google Chrome and Firefox. With universal support and compatibility for virtually every platform, the ConX system offers more ways to connect and collaborate than any other solution on the market.
ConX Cloud is both powerful and affordable, designed to make the power of collaboration available to more people and more institutions than ever before. It is the only service that is available at a single price without hidden fees. Support for standards and Skype for Business is built-in and included at no additional charge. The goal is maximum connectivity and flexibility, assuring the system is compatible with important standard protocols and future-proof for any changes that an enterprise may undertake in the future. ConX Cloud’s game changing price makes it possible for businesses, agencies, and schools to provide every office and employee with their own video conferencing and collaboration system.
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Ford AV Acquires Audio Video Resources Ford Audio-Video Systems, LLC (Ford), a national AV integrator that specializes in enterprise level audio visual systems integration and collaboration solutions, announced today the acquisition of Audio Video Resources (AVR) based in Phoenix, AZ. The acquisition will enhance Ford’s service capabilities in Phoenix as well as its ability to provide award-winning design and technical installation throughout the western United States.
For over 60 years, Audio Video Resources has provided communication solutions that have brought real impact to their clients. The company employs more than 40 employees, providing its clients with services ranging from design and engineering consultation to installation and training as well as ongoing technical support and rentals. Professionalism and personalized attention has attracted major enterprises such as Arizona State University, the Cable Shopping Network, Fender Instruments, University of Arizona, and Aetna Insurance. AVR is an InfoComm Solutions Provider and boasts the highest number of industry certified designers and technicians of any audiovisual company in Arizona. Ford is excited to incorporate AVR’s capabilities and experience into its national operation.
Ford first stepped into the Arizona market with the establishment of its Phoenix division and while the local office has seen steady growth and success, the acquisition of such a well-known and trusted AV integrator like AVR, will increase Ford’s impact in the West. “It is our hope that this will provide expanded services to existing AVR customers and accelerate growth in the expanding Phoenix market” says Jim Ford, PE & President of Ford Audio-Video.
FordAV is here and AVR is here. Leave a Comment
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Spectrum Industries Introduces a New Cart for Virtual Reality Charging and StorageWith the introduction of virtual reality, the world of education is changing. As instructors are trying to bring this technology into their classroom, the one piece that has been missing has been how to store and charge both the VR goggles and phones safely and securely.
Spectrum is addressing this with the debuting the new Immersion Series of VR Carts. The VR30 Device Cart is designed specifically for storing, charging and protecting your virtual reality investment.
Spectrum says that security and mobility were the top priorities when creating the Immersion Series of VR Carts, as not every classroom will have the ability to have their own set of goggles and phones. The VR30 Device Cart will hold up to 30 goggles and phones from all industry manufacturers. Heavy-gauge steel construction and powder-coated finish provide a durable, long-lasting and secure storage solution. The durable 7/8” medium-density foam will protect the goggles and phones during transportation. The compact footprint, integrated handles and the deluxe 5” locking balloon wheels will provide best-in-class mobility.
Safety is also vital. Only one drawer can be pulled out at a time, reducing the chance the cart will tip. The recessed double-bolt latch with padlock hasp gives superior protection and security. And like all other Spectrum Industries’ carts, the VR30 Device Cart is ETL Listed to UL 60950-1.
The pull out drawer allows for easy wiring on the VR30 Device Cart. Phone charging cords can either be organized with the provided wire management, or tucked under the medium-density foam. Phones can also be charged in or out of the goggles. A simple power switch or Spectrum’s PowerProdigy charging system safely charges all devices.
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Optoma Debuts UHZ65 Laser Phosphor 4K Projector for $4,999At InfoComm, Optoma introduced two new 4K UHD resolution (3840×2160) projectors to bring the ultimate in crisp, sharp images to the market. With the laser phosphor-based Optoma UHZ65, the $4,999. In addition, the company unveiled availability and pricing for its 4K500 lamp-based 4K UHD projector at $6,999.
The UHZ65 is spec’d at 2,800 lumens, a 1,500,000:1 contrast ratio, compatibility with HDR10 and the color gamut (REC.2020) and it’s integrated with a 15 percent vertical lens shift with a 1.6x optical zoom. HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 inputs allow for uncompressed 4K sources up to 18Gbps to be connected. Aimed at corporate environments, houses of worship and ProAV installations, the Optoma 4K500 4K UHD projector is also 3840×2160 and spec’d at 5,000 lumens, a 1,200,000:1 contrast ratio with Dynamic Black enabled, horizontal and vertical lens shift, motorized zoom and focus, keystone correction and a 2.0x zoom ratio. It is also has a variety of inputs, including HDMI 2.0. It will ship in July for $6,999.
Here are are all the specs on both. Leave a Comment
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Epson Home Cinema 4000 Projector is 3LCD 4K and HDR for $2199 Epson today introduced the Home Cinema 4000 projector with HDR10 for $2,200 list. Using Epson’s 4K Enhancement Technology — which accepts 4K UHD content and uses a pixel-shining technique to actually display 4K from three (R,G and B) native 1920×1080 LCDs. It’s spec’d at a contrast ratio of up to 140,000:1. The Home Cinema 4000 includes two HDMI ports.
Features:
- 4K Enhancement Technology – Accepts native 4K UHD content; also up-scales 1080p input for resolution that exceeds Full HD
- HDR10 – High Dynamic Range for full 10-bit color output
- 100 Percent Pure Color Brightness – 2,200 lumens equal color and white brightness
- UltraBlack Contrast – Up to 140,000:1 contrast ratio
- Smart Motorized Lens – Preset up to 10 positions for powered focus, zoom and lens shift; features 2.1x zoom and ultra wide lens shift
- L*a*b* Ultra Wide Color Gamut – Offers 100 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, the digital cinema standard
- Delta Level Color Accuracy – With a low Delta E rate
- 3LCD Technology
The Home Cinema 4000 will be available June 26. Here are all the tech specs. Leave a Comment
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LG Unveils World’s Thinnest Hotel TV
LG Electronics USA Business Solutions today unveiled the LG OLED “Wallpaper” Hotel TV. The world’s first 65-inch class OLED Wallpaper Hotel TV (model 65EV960H) combines LG’s hotel TV technology with the sleek aesthetic of the LG SIGNATURE OLED TV W, now available on the consumer market.
At just 3.86 millimeters (0.15 inches) thick, the 65EV960H can be installed in luxury hotel suites using ultra-slim mounting brackets with a magnetic mat to create a truly seamless design that becomes one with the wall. Its electrical components are housed in the device’s Media Box, connected through an ultra-thin flat cable, which allows the panel to lie flush against the wall like a piece of art and makes installation a breeze. Even more, the Ultra HD OLED display’s inventive technology can be seen from wide viewing angles, so guests can enjoy the TV’s rich color and crisp picture regardless of their seat in the room.
The LG OLED Wallpaper Hotel TV comes equipped with the Pro:Idiom digital rights management system and the flexible LG Pro:Centric Smart applications platform, which makes navigating LG’s vast content options within the interactive platforms simple and fast. The state-of-the-art display also supports leading high dynamic range (HDR) formats, including HDR 10, Dolby Vision and HLG. The TV’s powerful 4K upscaler enhances the details and colors of non-4K content on the screen’s 8 million-plus pixels. The 65EV960H is one of the first TVs in the world to incorporate Dolby Atmos sound, allowing viewers to hear surround sound like never before with overhead audio for a theater-like experience in the comfort of their hotel room.
The new 65-inch LG OLED Wallpaper Hotel TV joins 55- and 65-inch class LG OLED hotel TVs (models 65EW960H and 55EW960H respectively) for the premium in-room guest experience. In addition, a host of LG OLED commercial displays are now available for hotel public spaces. They include Dual-View Curved Tiling, Dual-View Flat, Video Wall, Open Frame, Wallpaper Digital Signage and In-Glass Wallpaper LG OLED displays.
Here are all the detailed specs. Leave a Comment
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Extron Ships StudioStation Extron has announced they are shipping their StudioStation a quick, simple, and convenient solution for one-touch recording of high quality video and audio presentations. To turn the system on, insert a USB stick and press the record button to begin recording. Systems are customizable to support any installation. StudioStation solutions are ideal for flipped classroom recordings, lecture capture, product presentations, board meetings, rehearsal spaces, deposition recordings, moot courts, or any other application where convenient, one-button recording is desired.
StudioStation uses Extron scaling and flexible signal processing for recording of nearly all HDMI source resolutions. The default recording setup is configured for 720p at 5 Mbps, producing an MP4 media file which is compatible with virtually any media player or editing software. Using the embedded web page, it is easy to customize the default configuration to meet the needs of many applications.
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GoToMeeting Adds Team Collaboration Along the lines of AVaaS, LogMeIn, Inc. today announced GoToMeeting has released a new feature, InRoom Link, which they say enables integration of existing conference room equipment with GoToMeeting’s leading web conferencing solution at no additional cost for GoToMeeting Plus and GoToMeeting 100 customers. InRoom Link and the recently released GoToConference “conference room in a box” system provide two affordable and turnkey ways to help companies turn any meeting space into a high-quality group video and audio conference to further unlock the value of team collaboration. GoToMeeting InRoom Link and GoToConference solve common problems for companies of all sizes:
InRoom Link:
- Built for larger businesses that have invested thousands of dollars in conference room equipment and find that over time these pricey systems get pushed aside. InRoom Link is a new feature built into GoToMeeting to help bring utilization back to legacy conference room hardware.
- InRoom Link supports H.323 enabled systems from multiple manufacturers such as Polycom, Lifesize, and Cisco, to integrate GoToMeeting technology into existing device equipment.
- Users just need to enter their meeting info to join the meeting as an attendee. The camera and microphone on the existing conference room system will automatically share audio and video, while screen-sharing content will load on the room’s display, all backed by the reliability and ease-of-use of GoToMeeting.
- InRoom Link is available now for GoToMeeting Plus and GoToMeeting 100 customers at no additional cost.
GoToConference:
- Released earlier this year, GoToConference is built for businesses that have historically found existing conference room systems too expensive, hard to install and difficult to support with their stretched IT resources.
- GoToConference includes all the high-quality video and audio equipment needed to easily start or join a GoToMeeting to help turn any room into a conference room at a fraction of the price of cost of most in-room systems at just $999.
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New 1 Beyond AutoFramer Camera Automatically Frames People in Room1 Beyond announces the new 1 Beyond AutoFramer camera, a PTZ camera that detects the number and location of people in a room and automatically frames them. Designed for small or medium-sized rooms, the camera adjusts as a the group size or location changes. It widens the frame with more people and zooms in tightly with fewer. If someone gets up to write on the board, the camera will pan, tilt and zoom automatically to include the new position.
The AutoFramer camera eliminates empty space in the frame, improving the viewer’s experience. Meeting or event attendees do not have to manually adjust the camera or rely on the limitations of presets. This creates better video conferences, event recordings or virtual trainings.
Other features include:
- Up to 1080p60
- Browser configuration over IP
- HD-SDI, USB 3.0 and DVI/HMDI outputs
- Wide field of view (72.5°) and 12x optical zoom
- Dual H.264 streams
The camera can also be set to manual mode with control over USB (UVC 1.1), IP (VISCA) or RS232/485 (VISCA/Pelco-D). 1 Beyond offers a joystick controller for manual control. The AutoFramer camera is shipping with an MSRP of $3,495. Here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
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AOPEN Module Turns Sharp Monitors Into PCs Using Mini OPS AOPEN has unveiled a new module to turn Sharp professional displays into PCs, capable of running any Windows 10 app. The AOPEN Mini OPS module (PNZB03PC) allows users to add PC functions to Sharp’s latest professional displays, and also supports 4K content or use it as a digital signage media player.
Mini OPS is a newly developed and smaller format of the original Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) introduced by Intel in 2010, that has become a worldwide standard for digital displays.
The PNZB03PC effectively turns a Sharp display into a computer, without any wires or cables. The module has a small form factor and fanless design and it comes pre-loaded with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise OS.
AOPEN’s PNZB03PC Mini OPS module is available now from Sharp. It can be used with all Sharp interactive and professional display models which feature the Mini OPS expansion slot. Here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
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BenQ Launches 4K Collaboration BoardsBenQ America announced the addition of the RP654K, RP704K and RP750K to its Interactive Flat Panel (IFP) lineup. Using native 4K LCD panels (3840×2160), the 65″ RP654K, 70″ RP704K and 75″ RP750K IFPs feature a pen tray and 20-point touch capabilities with fast, smooth response that allows multiple users to participate. Like operating a tablet or smartphone, users can use the screen’s pen or touch gestures to zoom, click and rotate objects, with infrared technology.
The BenQ IFPs also uses tempered glass that is covered with a bacteria-resistant, nano-silver coating to help reduce the spread of germs. The display also uses BenQ’s Eye-Care features, including anti-glare glass to minimize light reflections and improve readability, as well as Low Blue Light and ZeroFlicker backlight technologies to help reduce eye fatigue during long hours of viewing.
Available with DisplayNote, the RP Series 4K touch-enabled displays permit participants to stream content and collaborate. The BenQ InstaQShare app provides seamless wireless streaming and mirroring of all digital content from devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops, empowering contributors to enrich their sessions with a variety of multimedia resources.
The IFPs also come equipped with a built-in Android operating system that includes a suite of apps and games, such as a WPS Office document reader, built-in web browser and an EZWrite instant digital blackboard annotation tool and media player app. Moreover, its touch-enabled OSD menu is extremely user-friendly. Compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome, each IFP is built to work seamlessly with a wide range of computing and mobile devices.
In classrooms and meeting rooms, the IFPs’ Near Field Communication (NFC) pen makes setting up different colors and sizes of text simple and quick. The “BenQ Suggest” function recommends useful apps and simplifies downloads, ensuring a hassle-free and high-tech collaboration experience. For administrators, the BenQ Multiple Display Administrator software adds remote monitoring and control of all displays, in addition to administering instant equipment performance and providing status alerts for IT staff, eliminating the burden on resources and time when displays are deployed across a network.
The BenQ RP654K, RP704K and RP750K 4K IFPs are now shipping. Here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
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For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe AVBuyers.Club out there, hopefully you enjoyed another opinion-packed issue!
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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.
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