Don't Cross the Streams
By Joel Rollins, CTS-R In the movie “Ghostbusters, there’s a highly memorable scene where the three “heros” are called upon to remove an “obnoxious little spud” of a poltergeist from a hotel. The three, who are wearing illegal experimental nuclear accelerators, gather at the door of the haunted ballroom, but are stopped by Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramos) with a warning:
Dr. Egon Spengler: There's something very important I forgot to tell you.
Dr. Peter Venkman: What?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Don't cross the streams.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Why?
Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad"?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Dr Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.
Recently, I was the guest speaker at an MPI (Meeting Professionals International) event, where I discussed the use of videoconferencing, streaming media and Virtual Reality as part of the future meeting environment.
The words from the movie kept echoing in my head. I felt like their nemesis, “Gozer the Gozerian” at a couple of points.
Let me tell you why:
In the rental and staging portion of the industry, not only is streaming media the future “Illegal Nuclear Accelerator” we’ll all have to carry, it has always had the same potential of exploding every molecule of an event.
Let’s face it, we go out of our way to avoid streaming when possible because of the dangers. Data lines that were amazingly fast during rehearsals slow to a crawl during the show. Wireless access that was previously dependable disappears during walk-in. Company Web sites that we need to show suddenly become invisible to local DNS servers. And the list goes on.
But as I stood there, talking about the future of streaming in large meetings, I realized that we’re about to cross the streams.
We’ve always gone out of our way to minimize these kinds of issues. We download entire company Web sites and run them as local copies when we need to demonstrate them. We rip and localize video files that are part of them to avoid any stuttering or loss of sound sync. Like lots of staging, a good part of showing online media is as faked as the scenic panels behind the stage.
But all that depends on the idea that a local copy exists that we can access.
At one point during our discussion, however, the subject of the success of devices like Netbooks (and the obviously impending market onslaught of Apple’s iPad) came up. Devices like these are about to become prevalent, without having local storage at all. Heck, I’m a presenter – and after looking at the multi-touch version of Keynote that Apple is going to pack with the iPad, I want one.
But this is going to leave us handling more and more presenters whose work is ONLY stored on the web… and that work, often, will be stored in formats that require that it be streamed, especially with the dedicated operating systems that many of these devices will run. They will COUNT ON streaming the media.
So, many of us are building our own “Media Accelerator Backpacks.” Not only do we now book data services and go out well in advance and check them, we book multiple types of services. We carry wireless cards, jailbroken iPhones, and 3G receivers that produce localized networks. And we’re looking for ways to back-up the backup.
The important thing is that we plan for it NOW…. because the rental portion of the industry sees these things long before others do. We are where we first see presenters coming from around the world, carrying new devices for which they’ll have forgotten their power adapters, their dongles, and their common sense. And that makes them “obnoxious little spuds” to me – even though I’m one of them.
Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon. rAVe Rental [and Staging] contributor Joel R. Rollins, CTS-R, is General Manager of Everett Hall Associates, Inc. and is well known throughout the professional AV industry for his contributions to industry training and his extensive background in AV rental, staging and installation. Joel can be reached at Joel can be reached at joelrollins@mac.com Back to Top |
The Christie Olympics?
By Gary Kayye, CTS Although Panasonic and Samsung are the "official" Olympic partners, you'll be hard-pressed to see much of their gear during tonight's Opening Ceremonies. In fact, you'll likely not see much at all during the two-week Olympic spectacle!
Why? Well, here's what I found out…
I'm a giant Olympics watcher/enthusiast. I remember actually watching the famous 1980 USA vs. Russia Hockey semi-final match while on an aircraft carrier in Norfolk, VA (my father was in the Navy). I was hooked from that moment on – especially on the Winter Games. And, I have always been curious if all you can use at the Olympics is VISA (as the commercials say) and if every drink is Coca-Cola. Is Omega really the only watch used there and are they really counting on ACER, of all companies, to run the network of computers tallying up all the results – as they claim?
Well, after seeing (and receiving) the deluge of Panasonic and Samsung PR around the Olympics, I decided to find out. I have virtually no contacts in the soda, watch or credit card markets, but I do know some people pretty high up in the AV world. And, call after call, I ran into roadblocks. No one seemed to want to talk about what as really happening at the Olympics in regards to AV – other than the PR coming from Samsung and Panasonic.
But, this week I found out why. Even though apparently the Olympic village, the hotels and the venues take other credit cards, they aren't allowed to advertise as much. And, even though ACER is the official partner, they aren't the only provider of networking stuff. And, people will have options other than Coke!
So, what's the deal with display technology in Vancouver as they ramp up the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada this week?
Well, you will see Panasonic logos all over the place, but, interestingly enough, the great majority of what you'll see at tonight's opening ceremony and it's sister, the closing ceremony, on February 28th will be Christie gear – not Samsung and not Panasonic.
So, I went to the experts: the AV Stagers actually doing the work! Although no one was willing to go on the record (apparently sworn to secrecy through some sort of oath to the Olympic Committee), here's what's being used tonight and over the next couple of weeks:
Although Samsung is an official supplier, the opening and closing ceremonies will be filled with Panasonic and Christie gear. Panasonic is supplying three giant LED walls that will encompass almost 2800 square feet of HD video — one of the largest LED walls ever assembled. And, Christie is all over the place as well, including 40 Roadster HD18Ks, 45 Roadster S+20Ks and at least 4 Roadie HD30Ks. That's over 1.5 Million Lumens of projection! Although we couldn't find out exactly what's being projected in there tonight, Live Design did blog out this a couple days ago saying that it was a company called Spinifex based out of Australia that produced the HD video content!
Well, enjoy the show… Back to Top |
InfoComm is OPEN for Registration! Corporations, government agencies and educational, healthcare and religious institutions around the world are coming to see the newest ProAV technology at InfoComm 2010. The leading commercial audiovisual systems marketplace, InfoComm 2010 will showcase integrated display, projection, audio, conferencing, lighting and staging, digital signage and communications system solutions, June 9-11, 2010, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Although InfoComm is large, it is easy to navigate, thanks to pavilions that bring together like technologies. 3D, Audio, Digital Signage, Lighting & Staging, and United Collaborative Conferencing are just a few of the pavilions featuring integrated solutions from innovative manufacturers. Many products and special exhibits on the Show floor can only be seen at InfoComm. A new Test & Measurement Pavilion will showcase manufacturers of hardware and software tools used in the design and testing of audiovisual systems. Demonstrations will show these devices being used to verify InfoComm Performance Standards.
InfoComm 2010 will also feature new special exhibits addressing sustainability, 3D technology and camera production. Audio demo rooms, rigging and staging demonstrations, the Digital Signage Application Showcase, the Systems Programming & GUI Design Gallery and the Technologies for Worship Pavilion are all returning to the Show.
To register now, go to: http://www.infocommshow.org/infocomm2010/public/enter.aspx Back to Top Casio Claims World's First Mercury-Free High-Brightness Projectors At CES, Casio announced that it has created a mercury-free laser and LED hybrid light source, capable of high-brightness projection for use in the next-generation projectors the company has developed under its “clean & green” concept. Casio is releasing a line of GREEN SLIM projectors with the new light source, introducing the world’s first mercury-free high-brightness data projectors. This will eventually have a big impact on the Rental market as you’ll eventually see small, high-brightness projectors that use up to 1/10th the amount of power.
How? Well, according to Casio, they have achieved this high brightness by combining a laser, a fluorescent element and an LED. Casio has achieved a high output of green light, which has been considered difficult with conventional semiconductor light sources, by very efficiently converting blue laser light into green light, using the fluorescent element. The high-brightness light of 2,000 or more lumens was then attained by projecting blue laser light, green light converted from blue laser light with the fluorescent element, and light emitted by a red LED through a DLP chip onto the screen.
Use of the laser and LED hybrid light source makes Casio’s GREEN SLIM projectors the world’s first data projectors bright enough (2,000-3,000 lumens) for projection in a well lit room without using a high-pressure mercury lamp.
If you want to understand the technology in detail, you’re out of luck as Casio doesn’t have a whitepaper on the subject yet. In the meantime, go read this release from Casio Japan: http://www.casio.co.uk/News/Casio_Releases_Worlds_First_Mercury_Free_High-Brightness_Projectors/
News like this is becoming big, fast. The Rental industry is being pressured on two fronts – the client’s demand for “green” (including, in many large companies, teams of people to make sure “green” technologies are being employed by subcontractors) and the need for low usage cost. Normally, I’d say “OK, another lamp technology.” But for the first time, my clients are asking – and that makes it important to me.
–JRR Back to Top Christie Launches LX505 and LX605 Projectors at ISE Show Christie has announced the launch of two new projectors, the Christie LX505 and Christie LX605. Targeted at the ProAV market, both projectors offer the latest in LCD technology enhancements including what Christie calls 3D Keystone technology – a new four-corner geometry correction function for versatility in projector placement and easy display set-up. In addition to 3D keystone technology, the projectors feature motorized lens shift, focus and zoom, and come with a suite of high performance lenses that can be switched with a one-button lens release – and they’re networkable.
The Christie LX505 is spec’d as a 5000-lumen 3LCD projector aimed at higher education, fixed installation, and houses of worship markets. Using inorganic 3LCD panels that provides an improved contrast ratio and 10-bit image processing, the LX505 includes a 13,000-hour maintenance free AutoFilter and an easy access top-loading lamp that makes lamp changes fast and easy, as well as built-in networking capabilities allow for better troubleshooting.
The light-colored chassis of the Christie LX505 enables it to almost blend in with ceiling tiles.
The Christie LX605 is spec’d as a 6000-lumen projector also designed for the ProAV market but in this case, it’s a 3LCD projector for medium-to large size venues. The Christie LX605 is equipped with the same feature-set as the Christie LX505 but with 6000 lumens.
Both projectors are XGA resolution (1024×768) and have 3000-hour lamps.
To learn more about the LX605, go here: http://www.christiedigital.com/AMEN/Products/ChristieLX605.htm
To learn more about the LX505, go here: http://www.christiedigital.com/AMEN/Products/ChristieLX505.htm
More projectors for the rental industry. Nice to be so heavily considered <grin>. Should we take this as a sign that the projector companies are seeing rental as a growth market over the next few years?
–JRR Back to Top Barco Launches PlusPAK At ISE, Barco announced the introduction of PlusPAK for the FSN Series multi-format switcher. Designed for what Barco says is “the flexibility and agility needed in the events industry,” PlusPAK is a new hardware and software suite comprised of four components — a new Universal Output Card (UOC), the system's new Multiviewer (MVR), a Digital Video Effects Card (DVE) and new software capable of controlling 2.5 M/E's from the compact FSN-150 Controller.
The first component in PlusPAK is the plug-in UOC, a dual-channel Athena scaler card that enables any assigned Aux bus to output DVI, analog or SMPTE SDI signals at any format, regardless of the switcher's native resolution. Each UOC has two independent channels, and up to three can be installed for a total of six scaled outputs. With the ability to output digital and analog simultaneously, users can select from a standard list of output formats, or create custom formats. In practice, the UOC enables customers to route video to projectors, monitors, servers and even the client's VHS deck — without format restriction.
For more information, you can download the spec sheet here: http://www.barco.com/projection_systems/downloads/FSN_Series_Jan10_LR.pdf
It’s nice to see this kind of multi-formatting capability being added to more switching systems – the plethora of different aspect ratios and display resolutions have had most companies employing separate racks of formatting and distro equipment. I’ve looked at several switching systems recently that are adding similar capabilities – or have them built in already.
–JRR Back to Top Barco Launches Fog Generator Barco announced the FQ-100, a professional fog generator designed for the nightclub, theatrical and touring industries as well as Rental/Staging. With the ability to produce any atmosphere from dense fog to fine mist, the new FQ-100 uses the legendary Atmospheres Fog Generating fluid. Barco says this scientifically formulated fluid is specially designed to provide a dense, safe, water-based fog comprised of fine particulates. Users can select between two fluid types, allowing for either quick dissipation or lingering haze.
Barco says FQ-100 Performance Fog Generator is purpose-built for professionals who demand a high degree of reliability in their stage and studio fog machines (Editor’s note: so if you don’t require a high degree of reliability, I guess buy a cheaper fog machine?). It operates at very low noise levels, making it ideal for theatrical and studio work. The unit includes an internal LCD digital menu system that enables users to set the volume control, timer control, and various DMX functions as desired. In addition, the FQ-100 is available in either 100-120 VAC or 200-240 VAC models. Both utilize the same 9.5 liter (2.5 gallon) removable fluid reservoir as the original F-100.
For more information, go to: http://www.barco.com/en/events/product/2193
(Columnist’s note – the “Editor’s note” isn’t mine… <grin>)
There are lots of levels of fog machine out there, and this one sounds pretty good – although, having had a set of BarcoGraphics 9200s severely damaged by fog fluid at one time, I find it interesting that this comes from Barco… I’ve tried to keep projectors and hazers or foggers as widely separated as possible since I made that mistake – but now I can’t even keep them separated in my manufacturers catalogs. 😉
–JRR Back to Top For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe Rental [and Staging] 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% opinionated. We not only report the news and new product stories of the rental and staging industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions — in this case, it’s industry-veteran Joel Rollins' opinions. That may include (but is not limited to) whether or not the product is even worth looking at, challenging the manufacturers on their specifications, calling a marketing-spec bluff and suggesting ways integrators market their products better. But, one thing is for sure, we are NOT a trade publication that gets paid for running editorial or product stories. Traditional trade publications get paid to run product stories — that’s why you see what you see in most of the pubs out there. We are different: we run what we want to run and NO ONE is going to pay us to write anything good (or bad).
Don’t like us, then go away — unsubscribe! Just use the link below.
To send me feedback, don't reply to this newsletter — instead, write directly to me at gary@ravepubs.com sara@ravepubs.com
rAVe [Publications] has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter, rAVe ProAV Edition. rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA, launched in February, 2004. rAVe Rental [and Staging] rAVe Ed [Education] rAVe DS [Digital Signage]
To read more about my background, our team, and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com
Back to Top Copyright 2010 – 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 Rental [and Staging] contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors. |