Our columnist, Greg Bronson, will be one of the featured speakers during this webinar, hosted by University Business. When: Wednesday, May 13, 2008 2pm, ET Description: Smart schools are standardizing on command and control systems for these assets that help reduce costs, improve faculty satisfaction, and reduce the support and maintenance load on IT departments. In this one-hour University Business web seminar, your team will learn about the major issues and trends, and specific examples of how a college has embraced standardized control with very positive outcomes. There is no fee to attend thanks to sponsorship by Crestron Electronics. Recommended for: To read more and to register, go to http://www.universitybusiness.com/webinars/default.aspx
I'm Not a (End) User Welcome to the inaugural rAVe Education newsletter. Our target readers are the Pro AV integrators who provide products and services to the higher education market as well as the end users involved with facilitating those same products and services on behalf of the College/University they work for. Whether you fall into one of these categories, or perhaps an adjacent vantage point (consultant, manufacturer, architect…), I hope you’ll find the AV Club, for rAVe Ed [Education], relevant and thought-provoking. Here's one for you… Within the Pro AV industry, "Higher Education" applications are the demand side of a vertical market fed by a mature supply "chain." This supply side chain has multiple "links" with established groupings like Integrator, Manufacturer, Manufacturer Representative and Consultant. At the end (or beginning … depending on your point of view!) of this "food chain" is the demand side; traditionally referred to by the monolithic title of "End User." As I step up on this soap box, please know I'm not going to refuse to answer to the term "end user" or try and organize a protest demonstration, due to distaste for the "end user" label. I won't even dwell on the observation that another commonly used term for integrators — "dealers" — sets up a less than desirable connotation of illicit activity: "dealers selling to users." The real issue, for me, is that if the AV industry's model of work force groupings on the supply side has (rightly so) multiple groupings to effectively identify the people and products involved. So, too, should it address the primary roles on the demand side. After all, proper understanding of each role within the whole helps all throughout the chain. At a minimum, the demand side is actually two different groupings. I've taken to using the phrase "the real end user" to categorize those who are actually using the AV systems in their day-to-day communications. For higher education the real end users are typically the faculty using AV to aid their instruction. In addition, the real end users are also staff using AV systems to conduct business for the organization. At the two extremes of the real end users, are laggers (who resist using AV technology to the bitter end) and bleeding edgers (who have no fear in trying the latest gadget). They both tend to break stuff. Thankfully most real end users are in between laggers and bleeding edgers and simply expect AV tools to reliably help them communicate ideas. Due to the complexities of the logistics and technologies involved, organizations employ professionals to see to these AV systems. That would be me (and thousands of my closest friends!). While perhaps still not the most accurate descriptive term, my peers and I have come to be known as Technology Managers. In fact, Technology Manager roles and responsibilities within organizations vary widely. Some have a technology hardware (field technician, design engineers, etc.) kind of responsibility in seeing to the organization's AV needs. Others are managers of people and resources (media department supervisors, purchasing agents, etc.), to the same end. Few truly do both. Regardless, we're all on the hook when stuff breaks. Unlike the typical end user, the Technology Manager represents the organization's needs back to the supply side of the AV industry. The bread and butter interaction, within the Pro AV Higher Education vertical market, is the interaction of Technology Manager and Integrator. So with that introduction, I'll set about using this editorial to advance discussions of Pro AV in higher education. Doing what Integrators and Technology Managers do best, the AV Club will take things apart, and while putting them back together, explore new (better?) and different ways to make them work. By all means, let me know when you think I'm onto something. And, by the same token, let me know when you think I'm off base. Just don't call me a (end) user! The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the authors' employer(s), past or present. Greg Bronson, CTS-D, applies AV technologies in the development of innovative learning spaces for higher education. Greg spent the first 10 years of his career as AV technician and service manager, with the past 12 years as an AV system designer and project manager. Bronson currently works for Cornell University and has also worked for two SUNY (State University of New York) campuses as well as a regional secondary education service depot. Bronson is the originator of concept for InfoComm's Dashboard for Controls and has had completed projects featured in industry publications. You can reach Greg at gregthetechie@netscape.net
EduComm Readying to Celebrate Five Year Anniversary The 2008 EduComm Conference, running alongside InfoComm June 18-20 at the Las Vegas Hilton Convention Center, will celebrate its fifth year with keynotes by Gary Kayye and David Pogue. Gary Kayye is the publisher of rAVe eNewsletters (including this one!) and David Pogue is the New York Times personal technology columnist. The focus of the show is connecting higher education with AV and IT technology to enhance the classroom and distance learning experience. This is the only such national conference. Early bird registration closes May 2, 2008. For more information or to register visit http://educommconference.com/ Wow … hard to believe EduComm is in its fifth year! I've attended (and presented) in the past and find the focus is more toward applications and methods vs. the technology itself. Great complement to InfoComm. — GHB
Elite Screens introduced a projection screen specifically designed for presentation halls, auditoriums and other large rooms. The VMAX Plus3 screen is available in either a 4:3 (NTSC) or 16:9 (HDTV) aspect ratio with a wide range of sizes, from 200" through 400" diagonal. It's made of Elite's MaxWhite 1.1 gain synthetic weave material that provides a wide diffusion cone for easy visibility in large room presentations. The screen material is durable, fire resistant and easy to clean, according to the company. The VMAX Plus3 offers direct wired or wireless options for control. Wireless features include internal Infrared (IR) and Radio Frequency (RF) receivers. The IR remote has a 30' (9m) range for direct line-of-sight (LOS) control and an RF remote with a 100' (61m) extended range that eliminates the need for direct LOS contact. The RJ45 Ethernet port lets you add control devices such as a 5-12 volt trigger to run its drop/rise with the projector's power cycle, and an extended IR receiver allows LOS contact for in-ceiling installations or wire-connected control box for direct hard-line control. An RF wireless version of the wall control box is also included. Pricing for the VMAX Plus3 starts at $1,778. For more information, go to http://www.elitescreens.com/ I'm not familiar with this product line, but will give ‘em a look! I can envision possible applications for a wall-mounted wireless controller, but a hand-held wireless remote for screen(s) is not for me … one more thing to "walk" out the room. — GHB
Two New Projectors From Christie: Bright New Widescreen, and a Portable With 100 Percent Vertical Lens Shift Christie introduced at NAB the company's new LW600 projector, a 3LCD model specified at 6000 ANSI lumens and 2000:1 contrast ratio with 12 lens options. This uses 10-bit image processing and has a handy AutoFilter system, which is an automated cartridge filter system that rotates to a new section every 1,000 hours and holds 10 filter sheets, cutting maintenance down substantially. For more information, go to http://www.christiedigital.com/AMEN/Products/christieLW600.htm Christie also has a new single-chip DLP projector, the DS+305, specified at 3300 ANSI lumens and 2000:1 contrast ratio with SXGA+ resolution. Interestingly, this has 100 percent vertical lens shift, giving you a lot more flexibility in placement. This model weighs 6.3lbs, and uses a wide-range 1.7 – 2.2:1 zoom lens. It is also available in a special wide angle model — the Christie DS+305W — with a 1:1 wide angle lens and 80% vertical offset. Both models are capable of portrait orientation for signage applications. For more information, go to http://www.christiedigital.com/AMEN/Products/ChristieDS305.htm I recently had the opportunity to see some of the Christie demo rooms in Cypress CA. *Very* cool stuff … in particular for the digital cinema and visualization areas. Anyway, the LW600 specs, listed in this PR, position it in a category that the Education market needs (welcomes!) — more choices. And the price is??? — GHB ViewSonic Delivering 2200 Lumens for Less Than $500 A new projector from ViewSonic has a rather unbelievable price-performance ratio and they showed the model off recently at the Technology in Education Conference and Exposition (TechEd). The PJ513DB is a DLP projector specified at 2200 lumens and 2000L1 contrast ratio, but with just 800 x 600 resolution. But for the price tag of $499 and with that brightness and contrast, it's quite a deal. The projector weighs 5.7 pounds and it is preprogrammed with a variety of image settings — brightest, presentation, photo and cinema modes. It also has an image reversing function. For more information, go to http://www.viewsonic.com/products/projectors/PJ513DB/ This looks, perhaps, of interest for some K-12 Education applications. However, XGA has been minimum native resolution (for some time now) of most Higher Education applications. I wonder though, when the bulb burns out … do you just throw the projector away? (just kidding … I think)! — GHB
SMART Online Training Now Available in Five Languages SMART Technologies announced the company's free online training is now available in five languages (also, and toll-free access is available in more than 70 countries around the world). SMART says the company has delivered training to 15,000 English-speaking teachers and corporate users since making the online training available. Now, the training is also available in French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. The trainings are done via phone and SMART's Bridgit conferencing software and these 30- to 60-minute free sessions provide an overview of products and are conducted by users. SMART offers roughly 180 sessions per month on a dozen topics. For more information, go to http://smarttech.com/trainingcenter/online/index.asp Great to see growing trends toward international support, with more and more Technology Manager's organizations also spanning the globe. — GHB
Five New Projectors From Epson Designed for Education Epson, a company that often squarely targets the need of educators with its projector offerings, introduced five new models in April. The PowerLite Pro G5150NL and G5350NL are specified at XGA resolution with 4,000 and 5,000 lumens respectively. The PowerLite Pro G5200WNL delivers 4,200 lumens and WXGA (1280 x 800) widescreen resolution. The new PowerLite 6110i and 1825 projectors both offer XGA resolution and 3,500 lumens of brightness, but the 6110i has closed captioning and the 1825 includes wireless technology. All five models use Epson 3-chip 3LCD High Aperture panels, which the company says create more intense and sharper images. For more information, go to http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/ProductCategory.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=-13922&page=all What's not to like here? Another native wide screen projector in the lineup and more refinement of trusty old LCD technology; by Epson no less! — GHB
New AV Classroom Bundle From CALYPSO The new ezRoom Classroom Bundle from Calypso is designed as an all-in-one solution that includes control, interface, audio and connectivity products for K-12 classrooms. Calypso says that all you have to add is the projector, screen and AV sources. The company says it delivers fully integrated device control, user interfaces, remote monitoring, audio, CAT5 wall plates, projector mounting and every wire, cable and connector needed to build out classrooms and other presentation rooms. Additional ezRoom options include wireless microphones and an analog CATV tuner. This is shipping now. For more information, go to http://www.calypsocontrol.com/products.php?cat_id=10 The analog CATV tuner option may help schools deal with the new problem of replacement TVs and VCRs that don't have analog CATV tuners … but do need to work on a legacy internal analog cable distribution system (that has no immediate plans to go digital). — GHB
Well, that's it for this edition of rAVe! Thank you for spending time with us as we muse the industry's happenings. To continue getting my newsletter, or to sign up a friend, click the link below. To send feedback, don't reply to this newsletter – instead, write to Contributing Editor Greg Bronson at gregthetechie@netscape.net, Publisher Gary Kayye at gkayye@kayye.com or Editor-in-Chief Denise Harrison at dharrison@kayye.com rAVe Pro Edition launched in February 2003. rAVe Home Edition, co-sponsored by CEDIA, launched in February 2004. rAVe Rental [and Staging] launched in November 2007. rAVe Ed [Education] began publication in May 2008. Subscribe to our newsletters! To read more about my background, our staff, and what we do, go to http://www.kayye.com
rAVe Ed [Education] contains the opinions of the authors only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors. Copyright 2008 – Kayye Consulting – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact Kayye Consulting, 400 Meadowmont Village Circle, Suite 425 – Chapel Hill, NC 27517 – 919/969-7501. Email: dharrison@kayye.com |