Introduction: It's All the rAVe
Editorial: The Final Sayye by Gary Kayye Change Your Commission Structure, Fast!
News: 1. Gateway Plans to Crash Our Party
2. Dell Announces $1,299 (List Price) Projector!
3. Kayye Consulting Certified to Teach Interior Design Seminars
4. Three-Five Systems to Spin Off Microdisplay Business
5. IDC Sees Big Sales for Desktop LCD Monitors This Year (2003)
6. New Polycom Conference Systems Packs in Multi-Vendor Scheduling and Network Management
7. Kayye Consulting and INS Asia / INS China Announce Partnership for New Gary Kayye's rAVe eNewsletter
8. TVOne's C2-770 Packs Features for Half the Cost
9. Automatic Fan System From Middle Atlantic
10. Manufacturers Provide SMART Sympodium-Ready Lecterns
11. NSCA Attendees Choose Crestron for Two Innovation Awards
12. RGB Spectrum Announces Recording System That Records Multiple Signal Types Simultaneously
13. Bob Hana to Run Runco
Feature: The Revolution and Evolution of Screens
Introduction It's All the rAVe Well, now we're Gary Kayye's rAVe. Although the name idea was from a friend who refused to allow me to recognize him, I still gave him a TiVo anyway. But, as I still wanted to recognize someone from the AV industry who made a submission, I decided to give the TiVo Series2 to the second place submission made by Tony Peugh, Senior Project Manager at Electrosonic Systems, Inc. Tony's submission, The Final Sayye by Gary Kayye, was so well received by everyone involved with the eNewsletter that we've decided to use it as the name of the EDITORIAL section of each issue. Tony will not only receive a TiVo Series2 from us, but as this version of TiVo includes networking capability, we're including a complete home networking kit! So, thanks Tony and congratulations! That's two TiVo's gone and one more to go. Our random winner will be drawn and announced in my next issue. And, we'll also debut our new rAVe logo. Well, now on to the ProAV industry. The past two weeks have been interesting. MCSi, although no official announcement has been made, is rumored to be closing a few of the smaller, less-profitable offices around the country and laying off some of its staff. And, it's not alone. This month brought us more layoffs among some key projector manufacturers and ProAV dealers alike. But, don't despair. We see signs of recovery in action. War aside, interest in ProAV technology is rising. In fact, most of our own series of AIA (American Institute of Architects) and IIDA (International Interior Design Association) accredited courses have enjoyed a doubling of attendance in March. Along with increased attendance, we have recently started marketing consulting agreements with two new manufacturer clients and both of them report record (yes, record) sales for March and see April continuing that trend. NSCA attendance was up over 1,000 more than 2002, and although no official stats have been issued by infoComm yet, the ICIA staff is telling me that they see attendance increasing at this year's show, May 31-June 6 in Orlando ( http://www.infocomm.org ). And, yes, I said May 31st intentionally as that's when the educational courses start and, in my opinion, they're more important than the exhibits. You can read more about that in my "Sight Lines" column in the April issue of Sound & Communications magazine. Finally, momentum from users of ProAV gear in networking projectors, switchers, systems, etc. is suddenly booming. If you haven't seen it, you're not trying. I recently did a two-hour seminar to CIO's in Philadelphia (sponsored by AdvancedAV) on the impact that networkable AV gear will have on the IT world, and the CIO's and technology integrators were giving me ideas where they could use this stuff. I demonstrated a complete system that was networked both wired and wireless via Crestron's eControl and RoomView software and they were blown away! So, in short, I see good things happening, slowly, but happening nonetheless. And, I really think infoComm will be a bellwether. I hate to put so much pressure on Randy Lemke's team up there at ICIA ( http://www.icia.org ) but I think there are a lot of manufacturers and dealers counting on infoComm to be a springboard for growth in the latter half of 2003. I sure hope so. Well, enjoy Issue 4 of Gary Kayye's rAVe and, again, thanks to the over 800 people who submitted more than 1,000 name ideas and especially thanks to the readers for continuing to pass rAVe on to others to subscribe as we are still growing at about 15% a week!
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Special Announcement: We've Moved!!! I am excited to say that Kayye Consulting, Inc. has moved. We're still in Chapel Hill, NC, but we've moved to a larger facility that includes a product development lab, a videoconferencing suite and a training room. Later this month, we will announce an expanded training schedule that will include a new set of courses to be taught here in Chapel Hill and sponsored by Sanyo, Sound & Communications Magazine, Biamp and Da-Lite. So, stay tuned. Please note our new address (phone and fax remain the same): 400 Meadowmont Village Circle
Suite 425
Chapel Hill, NC 27517 Same Phone: 919.969.7501
Same Fax: 919.969.7561 For more information or directions to our office go to: http://www.kayye.com/aboutus/contactus.asp
Editorial — The Final Sayye by Gary Kayye Change Your Commission Structure, Fast! Now it's really a new economy. The dot-bomb economy was hailed as the new economy but after September 11, 2001, no one denies that we are in a new, new economy. Military spending is up almost 25%, churches have more money for technology than corporations, the home theater market seems to be booming and any technology that's security related is taking a front seat to virtually all other sectors of information communications markets. And, margins continue to erode. Product margins are not rising. With few exceptions, ProAV manufacturer products are being sold below list price at something commonly referred to as a "street price". Even systems aren't immune to the reduction to profit percentages in the world of the ProAV sales person. Our market research* indicates that systems margins, although still high, have reduced from 42% to less than 31% in two years. And, projector margins dropped from 16% in 2000 to less than 12% in 2001 – and 2002 finished at a rate just above 7%! Margins are eroding. So, what's a ProAV integration company to do? Change your commission structure. Think about it. Sales has not been the most profitable department in the average ProAV dealer in years. In fact, it's not even the second most profitable department. In most cases, it's dead-last after rental, service, design/engineering and installation. So, all the "customer-service" or labor service related departments are more profitable than sales. Don't believe it? Figure it out for yourself. So, if service departments are more profitable than sales, then why not commission salespeople appropriately? Why continue to commission sales more? Or, even the same? Shouldn't service sales (i.e. selling service agreements, design contracts, etc.) be commissioned at a higher percentage (or rate) than selling products? Absolutely! As the ProAV market continues to mature and the projector moves closer and closer toward becoming a commodity (don't think it's a commodity yet? Have you noticed who were the last two companies to get into the market: Dell and Gateway?) then product margins will continue to decelerate. It just plain makes sense. And, you certainly can't blame the manufacturers – ok maybe you can (some), but it's not going to make a difference. They need to sell more products to survive as their margins have eroded as well. Raw component prices are unstable. Technology has driven the cost of goods higher as customers and OEM's have demanded a more competitive price. And, they need to sell more and more product to compete. And, we (the ProAV market) certainly can't sell the numbers they want and need to sell. We don't reach anything near the numbers that a PC reseller reaches. So, consider it a done deal. Let's move on. Move on to where the money is — service. Selling service agreements, design engineering, integration (even integration services on other people's/company's jobs) and rental services are more profitable than selling just gear. So, encourage it by structuring your company's commission plan to sell services over products. There's no simple, secret formula. Just pay a higher commission percentage on a systems sale when selling services versus selling products. Make it 1%, 3%, 10% higher. I don't care, just make it higher. And, speaking of services, isn't training a service? Shouldn't that be sold as well? There are a select few integrators out there that have realized that serving a customer/client goes much further than selling, integrating and servicing an installation. It means teaching the clients how to use the stuff more effectively. Not just use the gear – that should be included in the integration contract. I mean making presentations, making handouts, making the message clearer and making better presenters. That's a service customers need almost more than all others. Just ask, they will tell you. And, what about rental, the foundation of the ProAV market? What ever happened to that as the model for funding a business? If you don't have a rental department, get one. A well-run rental department is not only the most profitable segment of a well-oiled AV dealer, but it also fills the pipeline of customers, encourages loyalty (remember that?) and provides an AV dealer with one heck of a demo inventory at virtually no cost (eventually). Have you noticed that four of the top five AV dealers in the world have huge rental departments? Rental is service too. Oh, and by the way, I don't see a reversal on the product margin erosion trend very soon. I doubt if too many manufacturers will wake up one day and say, 'hey, I'm going to buck the trend and raise my margins and become less competitive with all my competition.' Unless they get rid of those useless list prices – but, that's another story. Coming Soon. Back to top
Special Announcement: Tony Peugh Wins TiVo Series2 Name Contest Tony Peugh, senior project manager at the Orlando office of Electrosonic Systems Inc, won the TiVo Series2 in our "Name the Newsletter" contest. While we didn't end up using the name he submitted (the new name, "rAVe" was submitted by a friend), "The Final Sayye" was second choice AND it was chosen as the title of the Gary Kayye editorial that we run each issue. "I came up with the name after I saw the email requesting submissions," Peugh told rAVe editors. "I'm in audio and video production and have produced a lot of videos. I'm more of a right-brained type than left, so the creative juices come naturally." About Electrosonic: Company History: Electrosonic was founded in 1964 to develop and manufacture specialist products for the presentation room and audio visual industries. Over the years, Electrosonic has grown into a major worldwide supplier and integrator of standard products for the Architectural Lighting, Presentation Room, Video Display and Audio Visual markets, now distributing brand name products in more than 50 countries. Electrosonic currently employs over 300 people in 6 countries. The Systems Division of Electrosonic was created as a highly specialized provider of custom engineered and integrated systems for attractions at expos, theme parks, museums, and visitor centers. The Video Display group of Electrosonic provides custom engineered display solutions for use in Command and Control facilities for a growing number of government and private facilities. What We Do: Electrosonic works in two ways. One is as a supplier of specialist products, such as dimmers, videowall control electronics, digital sound stores and mixed media control equipment. The other is as systems engineers, where Electrosonic products are combined with those of other manufacturers to provide a complete, engineered solution. Examples are lighting control systems for hotels and auditoria, advanced videowall installations for sports arenas, fully integrated presentation systems for board and control rooms, as well as projection systems for board and control rooms, and film projection systems for special venues. Electrosonic's primary strength is the collective experience of 385 individuals. We offer you the opportunity to work with our most experienced designers and engineers, while senior management maintains a personal interest in your project! Electrosonic offers the security of working with a stable, well-organized operation, with global experience in presentation systems contracting, as well as the financial clout of a $130 million corporation spanning five continents. Electrosonic North American office locations are: Minneapolis, MN Burbank, CA Orlando, FL and Princeton, NJ For more information, go to http://www.electrosonic.com Congratulations Tony!
News
1. Gateway Plans to Crash Our Party Not only did the anticipated projector manufacturer consolidation not happen the way we expected, the opposite keeps occurring. Reuters reported this week that Gateway will follow its competitors, Dell and HP/Compaq, into the claustrophobic projector market. The report stated that Gateway plans to release two projectors (OEM'd from another manufacturer) – a pair of 3.5-pound, 2.5-inch thick projectors, one XGA and one SVGA. According to the report, the 205 model SVGA will sell for $1,399 and the 210 model XGA will sell for $1,999 with a $549 network module. I have said it before – like it or not, projector manufacturers getting into the ProAV projector world is a good thing for our market (eventually, you'll see). It's further validation that this is a real PC accessory and, eventually, these buyers will upgrade or want something huge in their conference room ceilings. Of course, unfortunately, Gateway won't help margins. For more information, go to http://www.gateway.com
2. Dell Announces $1,299 (List Price) Projector! In other PC/projector news, there was a time when the projector manufacturers and dealers had some semblance of control when it came to how and when projector prices would drop. As further proof that the traditional PC manufacturers are going to continue to have a huge impact on projector pricing, Dell this week introduced the 2100MP, a 4-pound, $1,299 DLP projector with what they claim is an 1800:1 contrast ratio, 1000 ANSI lumens and 800 X 600 (SVGA) native resolution. An auto-sync feature adjusts the output resolution to match that of the input device-up to SXGA+ (1400×1050)-for what Dell calls true plug-and-play operation. What's interesting to me is that whenever I talk to ProAV dealers about Dell, Compaq/HP and other PC manufacturers in the projector market and their impact, they always say they hardly ever see these projectors and aren't sure who they are selling them to. Yet, statistically, most of the projector tracking companies say that manufacturers like Dell and Compaq are selling units in huge numbers. So, it appears that either they are reaching customers that we, the ProAV industry, aren't or they are selling to a new market that we haven't yet started to play in. For more information go to http://www.dell.com/us/en/gen/corporate/press/pressoffice_news_2003-03-17-rr-000.htm
3. Kayye Consulting Certified to Teach Interior Design Seminars Kayye Consulting, Inc. announced it has been awarded approval and certification by the Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC) to become a certified education provider. Previously, Kayye Consulting, Inc. was approved to teach the same seminars to architects of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) as a Continuing Education Services (CES) provider. Kayye Consulting will now be educating interior designers and architects through seminars designed to enable attendees to pre-plan for the integration of audiovisual systems into commercial environments. The IDCEC is composed of the Education Council for the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC), the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). The three classes — Planning Electrical and Infrastructure Requirements for AV Systems, Understanding the AV Projection and Display Environment, and Understanding Audio and Acoustics in AV Presentation Systems — are being licensed now and more are being developed. Each seminar is approximately two hours and interior designers will receive .2 CEUs while architects earn 2 LU/HSW for attending. These credits, in most cases, will also count towards state licensing requirements. "We are offering dealers service-oriented marketing opportunities that will draw potential clients and partners to their doors," comments Kayye Consulting CEO Jody Thomas. "These course offerings are designed to attract interior designers and architects to dealers with a service that can be added to any dealer open house or tradeshow event." If you are in Ohio, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Kentucky or Indiana, Europe or Asia and interested in more information about signing up to license seminars for interior designers and architects in your area, a course outline and description on each of the three courses, or if you are an architect or interior designer and want to attend a seminar, please contact Chris Bingham, CTS, Director of Training Development at Kayye Consulting, Inc. by e-mail at cbingham@kayye.com or phone at 919.868.3835.
4. Three-Five Systems to Spin Off Microdisplay Business Three-Five Systems will spin off its LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon) microdisplay division and turn it into a separate, public company. They said the spin-off is designed to "facilitate the growth of the microdisplay business." "….they are fundamentally different businesses with unique needs that must be satisfied in order for them to realize their full potential. After carefully considering all of the issues and alternatives, we feel that the best way to build value for the stockholders is to spin-off the microdisplay business and allow the financial markets to evaluate each company on its own merits," said Jack Saltich, President and CEO of TFS. The LCoS Microdisplay Division develops, manufactures and markets leading-edge liquid crystal on silicon microdisplay products for use in high-growth markets, such as high-definition televisions and headsets for video games. The microdisplay spin-off will be named Three-Five Microdisplay, Inc., or TFMD. As a separate company, TFS will continue to build its Integrated Systems and Displays (ISD) business. That business provides design engineering services, integration of display products, and electronic manufacturing services for original equipment manufacturers in both display and non-display-related fields. What does this mean to our market? Well, TFS will supply LCoS engines to potential and real projector manufacturers to build reflective LCD displays. Although not strong market contenders today, LCoS projection technology is thought, by many people, to be the follow-up and potentially long-term LCD technology for projector manufacturers wanting an alternative reflective technology to TI's DLP (digital light processing) technology. DLP currently dominates the reflective projector market with easily over 95% of the market. (Disclosure: The editors of this publication own stock in this company) For more information, go to http://www.threefive.com
5. IDC Sees Big Sales for Desktop LCD Monitors This Year (2003) LCD revenues will outnumber those of CRT's during 2003, according to a new IDC study. They see LCD revenues growing to more than $20 billion this year and outselling CRT for the first time in history. Price is the main reason they cite. The reason this is significant to our market is that LCD monitors are inherently digital-only devices. Therefore, to make them compatible with SVGA, XGA, etc., the manufacturer is actually having to integrate an analog to digital converter. Everyone close to the computer market has cited the transition from analog CRT desktop monitors to digital flat panel displays (i.e. LCD's) as a bellwether for acceptance of the DVI digital standard eventually replacing analog XGA, SXGA and SVGA standards. So, if their predictions hold, DVI integration on PC's should surpass the analog 15-pin port connectivity within 2-years. For more information, go to http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jhtml?containerId=pr2003_03_06_101814
6. New Polycom Conference Systems Packs in Multi-Vendor Scheduling and Network Management Polycom announced Polycom Conference Suite 5.0, which uses Microsoft Outlook's calendar for scheduling, has network bandwidth reservation and adds more control of the network and the conferencing room. The new Network Aware Scheduler is integrated with Microsoft Outlook's calendar, where users can request attendance of people and conference rooms. The software chooses any required Multipoint Control Units or gateways, calculates the optimal network route and automatically launches the conference. A patent-pending technology from Polycom makes sure the IP network bandwidth will be available for the conference. The Video Network Management feature lets IT managers test network performance, take inventory and assume control of network equipment. Additionally, Room Control is a feature that lets the manager control peripherals in the conference room. The new system will sell for $19,999 beginning in the second quarter of 2003. For more information, go to http://www.polycom.com/investor_relations/0,1406,pw-2568,00.html
7. Kayye Consulting and INS Asia / INS China Announce Partnership for New Gary Kayye's rAVe eNewsletter Kayye Consulting, Inc. and INS Asia announced a partnership of Gary Kayye's rAVe eNewsletter where in INS Asia licenses the eNewsletter for the Asian market. The new Asian version of rAVe, which began distribution in February 2003, features Gary Kayye's interpretation of current news events as well as editorials and occasional feature articles. As part of the agreement, INS Asia will retain the sponsorships of the eNewsletter's three main annual sponsors: Kramer, Crestron and Da-Lite, and will provide a fourth advertising space for interested Asian marketers. (The U.S. version also has a fourth advertising space available to some U.S. marketers.) The Asian version of rAVe focuses on the issues and products that affect Asia and the Pacific Rim. "Before this new eNewsletter, there were plenty of ways of getting manufacturers' news announcements. But this eNewsletter reveals what such announcements mean to the industry, how they impact the dealer and distribution channel and ultimately the user of all the ProAV equipment introduced," said Desmond Teo, Editor of INS Asia and INS China. "The sort of information Gary provides arms manufacturers, dealers and even end-users with better ways of conducting their businesses." To subscribe to the new eNewsletter, go to http://www.kayye.com and click on the SUBSCRIBE button. You can choose among Asian, European or American versions. Advertisers interested in advertising in the U.S. edition can contact advertising@kayye.com. Advertisers interested in advertising in the Asian version can contact Desmond Teo at desmond.teo@spinworkz.com
8. TVOne's C2-770 Packs Features for Half the Cost In a price/performance coup, TVOne has developed the first "anything in, anything out" scaler on the market for under $10,000. The C2-770 Universal Video Scaler handles any resolution up to 2048 x 2048 and it's feature packed. Not only can it accommodate Video Scaling, Up Conversion, Down Conversion and Seamless Switching, it is also a Standards Converter for all known television systems — Chromakeyer, Lumakeyer, Picture-in-Picture box, Logo Inserter, Digital to Analog Converter, HDTV Converter, Aspect Ratio Converter, Frame Synchronizer, Time Base Corrector and Universal Image Genlock, just to name a few. The C2-770 contains ten inputs, five outputs, two preview outputs, and can handle Composite, S-Video, YUV, YPbPr, RGBHV and SDI. It allows any video source to be inserted into any other video source, regardless of the format. You can also cascade units for layer upon layer and window upon window of images. It has front panel controls via a Rotary Encoder (not sure what that is, but it sounds interesting) and LC Display, and has IR as well as RS-232. The C2-770 is $4,500.00 MSRP. For more information, go to http://www.tvone.com
9. Automatic Fan System From Middle Atlantic Middle Atlantic Products introduced a fan that automatically turns on when the heat in a rack reaches a level pre-specified by you! The UL Listed FC-4 Fan Control has three user-selectable temperature range settings, and the fan turns on when the rack's internal temperature reaches the level you chose. The fan even runs at different speeds depending on the temperature, extending the fan's life. For more information, go to http://www.middleatlantic.com/pressdl/map/fancontrol/fca.htm
10. Manufacturers Provide SMART Sympodium-Ready Lecterns Six manufacturers now provide lecterns ready for SMART's Sympodium integration modules. Da-Lite, Marshall Furniture, Sound-Craft Systems, Spectrum Industries, and Video Furniture International now have furniture that can combine with the modules, with different sizes, finishes, room-control and other options. This is good news for SMART as these manufacturers are basically endorsing the Sympodium by investing in the furniture designs and it means the Sympodium integration modules have a path through the channel. SMART even has a Web page to help end-users visualize the furniture: http://www.smarttech.com/products/sympodium/furniturelibrary
11. NSCA Attendees Choose Crestron for Two Innovation Awards Crestron was given two Innovations in Technology Awards, the first of an annual awards program based on voting among the NSCA membership. At the Dallas show last week, Crestron's new MP2 was awarded Best Control System and http://www.crestron.com was awarded the industry's best website. For more information, go to http://www.crestron.com/news_room/show_releases.asp?press_release_id=1062
12. RGB Spectrum Announces Recording System That Records Multiple Signal Types Simultaneously RGB Spectrum's new DGx can record, simultaneously and in high resolution, signals from computer, video, radar, audio and X-rays. The company says it is designed for applications in which signals need to be recorded in high res without down conversion and that it plays back imagery up to 1600 x 1200 resolution. RGB Spectrum is targeting control rooms, training, software usability testing, security, monitoring, A/V presentation, and human factors engineering. The DGx records imagery at full resolution instead of at video resolution to reduce fidelity loss. It records four channels simultaneously, and synchronized playback (on separate monitors or the same monitor) is done with inputs multiplexed on one storage device. There are three models: DGx 100 Four channel system; DGx 101 Playback-only system; DGx 102 Two channel system. For more information, go to http://www.rgb.com/Webpages/prodpgs/DGx.html
13. Bob Hana to Run Runco Believe it or not, when I first read of Bob leaving NEC in February, I picked up the phone and called Bob on his cell phone. As soon as he answered, I said, "so, when do you start at Runco?". True story; ask Bob yourself. He laughed at the time but I bet him he would end up there and I am sure he knew it all the time. Well, here are the facts: (congratulations,Bob) Runco International has announced the appointment of industry veteran Bob Hana, as President of the company. Bob assumes his new duties today and will oversee the day to day operations of Runco International. Bob will report to Sam Runco, who will retain his position as Runco's CEO. Bob most recently served as Vice President of NEC Technologies' Visual Systems Division. For more information, go to http://www.runco.com
Feature Article The Revolution and Evolution of Screens Knowing which screen materials to use is not as simple as it used to be. By Gary Kayye, CTS As with all aspects of projection and presentation technology, screens and screen materials are in the midst of a revolution and evolution of change. A screen is not just a screen. Sure, today's projectors are bright enough to simply project on white walls, but there's an art and a science to optimizing image integrity, and the screen is a key component toward that end. And, believe it or not, depending on your customer's application, a white screen surface may not be what you want anyway. So, picking the best screen for your particular application or customer perception is something that requires more than simply using the same one you've been using in all your installations. Would you use speaker wire to send an XGA signal to a projector? Of course not. Likewise, a screen is not just a screen. Recent Innovations Major screen manufacturers such as Da-Lite, Draper, Stewart, Screen Works and Vutek have introduced innovative ways to capitalize on today's blindingly bright but lightweight projectors. And these companies have had and continue to have niche products that fill all sorts of unique portable and permanent installation ProAV application needs. The most recent advancement in screen technology is the so-called "gray screens." Believe it or not, these actually reduce (yes, I wrote reduce) the light output from the image off the screen compared to traditional matte white (or 1:1–read as one-to-one gain) screens. But, before I get into why this may be better in many applications than a traditional white screen, let's review the basics of screen technology: Back in the old days of projection-you know, six to eight years ago-many environments and applications required the use of high-gain screens, such as classrooms or stagings, for example. Because of ambient lighting requirements for classrooms (generally the lights are left on) and the lack of light output from the average projector in the early 1990s, the way to save light and capture as much light on the screen was to use a high-gain screen or a rear-screen room with rear projection. Now, less than a decade later, we have projectors that are, dare I say, more than bright enough. However, there are environments where high-gain front-projection and rear-screen projection is still required-such as videoconferencing rooms (sometimes called distance-learning rooms in educational applications), staging environments and houses of worship. The Issues So, what are the issues surrounding screens and what are the selection criteria? It's important to understand that, historically, rear screens have had a definite technological edge over front screens in many ways. First, a rear screen is not reflective, so it doesn't bounce light back at you, as with front screens. Front screens generally can't discriminate between projected light (light from the projector) and ambient light (light from the room). Because a front screen is designed specifically to bounce all light back at the audience, it bounces projected light along with room light. This limits the perceived contrast ratio of a projected image to the audience making detailed information appear washed out. Secondly, with a rear screen, we can actually do some cool things. As with a dichroic mirror in a projector, transmissive screens-or rear-projection screens-absorb ambient room light into the screen. So, projected light from the projector in the rear-projection room actually can be directed out the front and even aimed at the audience-generally sitting in chairs. Finally, with rear screens, we can actually increase the perceived contrast ratio of the projected image by adding tinting, which can decrease the black level and make blacks more black and whites appear more white-thus offering a higher contrast ratio. This tinting process, described in more detail later, was not available on front-screen projection screens until recently. There are different applications for both rear- and front-screen screens. But, there's something else you need to understand as well. When making the screen, the manufacturer actually has the capability to either perceptually add or remove light from the projected image to accommodate differing projection environments. In other words, viewers of a projected image will perceive images projected on higher gain screens as being brighter than those projected on no-gain screens. What's Gain? What's gain? Well, a screen with no gain is labeled as one-gain. This means that there's a one-to-one ratio between the light coming from the projector and the light reflecting off the screen, and the projected light (light coming from a projector) is distributed equally in all directions. Theoretically, the viewing cone off the screen could be 180°; but, because we don't usually seat the audience parallel to the side of the front of a screen, a more reasonable viewing cone is something in the range of 90 to 120°. One gain means that nothing has been added to the screen to concentrate the brightness in any specific direction; this is also referred to as a matte white screen, which is perfect for very low to medium ambient lighting environments (lights in the room are dimmed or, if using only incandescent, they all could be on but there are no windows that could potentially allow daylight to be reflected on the screen, washing out the projected image). However, many environments aren't that "friendly" to the projected image. For example, a church is an excellent case where a lot of excessive ambient daylight comes from windows and a plethora of other lighting sources at night. So, in such an environment, you may need to consider a screen with some gain. How Do We Add Gain? Originally, the only way to add gain to a projected image bouncing off a screen was to actually use glass in the screen. Commonly referred to as glass-beaded or retro-reflective screens, they had tiny particles of glass on the surface to increase the amount of light reflecting off the screen surface itself and back to the viewer. However, although these screens are perceived (by the viewer) to add light, they also reduce the viewing cone-the optimized viewing angle of the audience to the image. However, with retro-reflective screens, the light is reflected directly back to the light source itself (the projector); so, if the projector is ceiling mounted, the best viewing position is for people sitting on the ceiling. Because most people aren't sitting on the ceiling, these screens generally are used in installations where the projector is positioned directly behind the audience (such as in a projection booth) or from floor level (in a home theater where the projector is mounted under the coffee table). More recently, screen manufacturers have created screen surfaces that use mica particles instead of glass. Mica is an element that has a pearlescent pigment and reflective properties, similar to glass–but it's not retro-reflective, so light that hits the screen at any given angle actually reflects at an angle, opposite and equal to the angle it enters. So, if a projector is mounted in the ceiling with a 20° offset, the image is reflected off the screen 20° as well-back toward the audience. In either case–glass beaded or mica–the screen is redirecting the projected light. But there are tradeoffs, including hot-spots, reduced viewing cones and possibly a picture that's actually too bright for the audience, thus creating a higher incidence of what's known as viewer fatigue. Latest Technology The general rules of thumb need to be all but thrown out as a result of the current generation of super-bright projectors–which brings me to the latest in screen technology: those gray screens I referred to earlier. To optimize image quality, one of the most important factors has always been maximizing contrast ratio, which is a set of numbers that, simply put, measures the amount of levels between dark and light information on the projected image reflecting off the screen. The higher the number, the better. For example, if one projector has a contrast ratio of 200:1 (read two hundred to one) and another has a contrast ratio of 300:1, images from the 300:1 projector generally will look better to the audience. That's because, as that number increases, blacks look "blacker" and whites look "whiter." And, if the image being projected on the screen has a white background, then the higher the contrast ratio, the whiter it will be perceived by the viewer. Alternatively, if the image contains a lot of black information, instead of it being perceived as gray, as with lower contrast-ratio projectors, it will be seen as closer to a real black character or image as contrast ratio increases. Even with today's higher contrast projectors, however, it may not be high enough for some applications. One of those applications is the home theater. They primarily use video (i.e., satellite receivers, cable TV, HDTV, DVD players, VCRs, etc.), so there is a desire to get the highest contrast ratio available. Because movies have a lot of dark and light transitions, to get that movie-theater experience, the perfect projector would be able to produce a black. That "perfection" only really exists so far in the CRT projector, with the light source and the imager being the same device (phosphor-based CRTs). Unfortunately though, the CRT is large, heavy and difficult to set up. In today's LCD and DLP projectors, the light source is the lamp and the imager consists of LCD or DMD chips. In the case of a CRT projector, when it wants to produce black, it simply doesn't produce light (thus not exciting the red, green or blue phosphor) in that area of the scene. In the case of LCD and DLP projectors, however, the lamp never turns off unless the projector is shut down. When black is present in the image, the light is either "blocked" by liquid crystal (and as logic will tell you, you can't block light too well by simply "fogging" up clear glass) in the case of the transmissive LCD projector or by reflecting light away from the lens in the case of the DLP or LCoS projector. The concept of reflecting light away from the lens is better in producing blacks than that of blocking light like the transmissive LCD does but, in reality, both technologies fall short of producing black. You see shades of gray and your eyes and brain play a trick on you and you perceive black. Look closely the next time an LCD or DLP projector is on and you'll see that black is not black, but gray. Because the gray screens actually reduce the light output reflecting off the screen and the screen surface itself is not white but gray, blacks will appear blacker. It's similar to what was described earlier with the rear-screen projection screens. Of course, black is still not black: It is, in fact, a darker shade of gray–and the darker it appears, the closer to black we get. Thus, images with lots of black information, will look more realistic. (Note: we have only scratched the surface of this light/black-and-white issue. In fact, the relationship of how black your blacks look and how white whites look is also directionally proportional to how good the color ultimately looks on every projector; although we don't have the space here to address this. If you are interested in an expanded explanation, attend one of ICIA's IPD Perfect Image2 course offerings, a four-day class covering this subject. Or, send an email to Gary Kayye (gkayye@kayye.com) and we can schedule a class on it at your location. As you can see, a gray screen can make applications with a lot of black information (such as video) or where image quality is the primary issue (i.e. an advertising agency, medical school, art department, any color-perfect application, etc.), much better. Selecting a gray-tinted screen may be something to consider. They are not, however, for every application because, for all you do to improve black with the gray screen, your white level could be affected adversely, which most people usually don't perceive as noticeably as a bad black. White is white to most people unless you give them a reference to compare it to. For example, if you have two screen applications in a room where you use different screen surfaces. One will look whiter than the other, depending on the customer's perception of what white is. Each screen manufacturer has a proprietary method of making gray screens, but basically the principles are the same. Instead of producing a pure-white screen surface, they tint the surface with a shade of gray, which means that some of the light from the projector is not reflected back to the audience. This makes the darker information appear darker. So, logically, if this gray revolution is good for projection, why's it only now becoming available? Believe it or not, the idea for a gray screen goes back 20 or so years. And not only do rear-screen screens use it, but some front-screen applications with very bright film projectors and some theater venues actually use them. But, in business and home projection technology, projectors are only now bright enough to actually be able to reduce their light output without adversely affecting perception of light reduction. The current generation of 2000, 3000 and above ANSI lumens projectors has made it possible for gray screens to assist in perceived higher contrast ratios. And, each screen manufacturer offers different levels of tinting to yield either a dark gray or a lighter version of gray. So, when should you consider using a gray screen? Well, there are a large number of factors that need to be considered when you select a screen, some of which would allow you to benefit from a gray screen. Here are a few of them: Horizontal Viewing Cone Where is the audience positioned in relationship to the screen? Generally speaking, the audience should sit outside of a 100 degree cone, with the center of the screen being the point of the cone. (Nor should anyone be any closer than 2 times the screen height.) As you increase the gain of a screen, the viewing cone will shrink, because it is also important that all viewers see an image that is consistent in brightness. Screen manufacturers make charts available for each of their screens that demonstrate the effect of gain on viewers that are not sitting directly in front of the screen. You would not want anyone positioned outside of 50% of full intensity. A gray screen will essentially allow you to maintain as wide of a viewing cone as possible. Projector Brightness and Screen Size These two issues go hand-in-hand and must be considered for the specific application. Hypothetically speaking, if you increase a screen size from 100 inches diagonally to 200 inches diagonally, light from a given projector will be distributed on a screen area four times larger. Therefore, the image will only appear about 25% of the brightness of the smaller screen. So, it would make sense that as you use a larger screen, you would either need to use a gained screen to "amplify" the brightness of a projector, or simply use a brighter projector! Gray screens work well, even on large screens, provided that you can still maintain a reasonable brightness per square foot of screen area. Ambient Lighting Conditions If you do not have control over the amount of room lighting that hits the screen, then a gray screen would benefit your application. The gray screen works to "adsorb" some of the intensity of ambient light, making the dark parts of the projected image appear darker. If you have a lot of control over the ambient lights in the room, or at least are able to minimize the ones that hit the screen, then a matte white screen may be perfectly suitable. Keep in mind that ambient light doesn't just originate from the lights, themselves. Light-colored rooms are going to reflect more light, which is ultimately going to end up on the screen. Darker colored rooms are going to naturally work to adsorb some of the room's ambient light. In considering each of these factors, ultimately it boils down to personal taste. Sure you don't want to violate these rules of thumb if possible, but you also want to be satisfied with the resulting projected image. Use your own judgment for your specific customer application. Gary Kayye, CTS, is Chief Visionary at Kayye Consulting, Inc., a USA-based marketing consulting firm that serves the ProAV and Home Theater markets. In addition to strategic marketing consulting, Kayye Consulting, Inc. is also a training development company. Gary can be reached via e-mail at gkayye@kayye.com or through his Web site at http://www.kayye.com Back to top
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Well, that's it for the (already) fourth edition of rAVe! Thank you for spending time with me as we muse the industry's happenings. To continue getting my newsletter, or to sign up a friend, click the link below. To send me feedback and news tips, don't reply to this newsletter – instead, write to me at gkayye@kayye.com. A little about me: Gary Kayye, CTS, founder of Kayye Consulting. Gary Kayye, an audiovisual veteran and columnist, began the widely-read KNews, a premier industry newsletter, in the late 1990s, and created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue – which later became InfoComm IQ. Kayye Consulting is a company that is committed to furthering the interests and success of dealers, manufacturers, and other companies within the professional audiovisual industry. To read more about my background, our staff, and what we do, go to http://www.kayye.com Back to top
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