|
|
Volume 1, Issue 5 — November 13, 2012 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Volunteer-Proofing A/V/L Systems
By Anthony Coppedge
House of Worship Technology Consultant
There may not be any other vertical markets that use volunteers for mission-critical technical operations as much as churches. These well-intentioned, good-hearted volunteers are often put in charge of entire weekend service audio, video or lighting with often-minimal training and zero professional experience. The systems that are being installed into local churches are becoming more complex and more powerful, adding to the potential for the metaphorical train-wrecks of church services and events.
Higher Expectations
Church leaders and attendees alike are treated to excellent audio, video and lighting from myriad sources, from their own living rooms to concerts to movie theaters to large special events in their towns. This experience has led to an expectation that the “technology” surely must exist that can make their church’s auditoriums, halls and large group rooms look, sound and feel just as impressive.
Frankly, the church market has traditionally suffered from a double-edged sword of poorly designed systems and inadequately trained volunteers and staff. More recently, the quality of the systems has increased (along with an overall decrease in cost), but the results are often still hit-or-miss.
Keeping staff trained and updated is challenging enough for an integrator or manufacturer, let alone the prospect of training a seemingly ever-changing sea of volunteers. Even the largest churches (termed Mega Church, with weekly attendance greater than 2,000) rely heavily on training a small army of volunteers to fulfill all of the technical roles in addition to any full- or part-time staff or contracted professionals.
Lowering expectations is clearly not an option, so that leaves a few other solutions to help address the need.
More Training, More Often
In what is often a commodity price race to the bottom, the A/V/L industry has long found ways to add margin and profitability to the bottom line. Design fees, installation labor, service contracts and rentals are good additional services and streams of revenue. In addition, the opportunity to sell training to churches — or even groups of churches at a time — is somehow still missing from the profit equation.
Some reading will surely object, citing the oft-used phrase “churches don’t have money for that.” That’s almost correct. Churches often don’t have the cash up-front to add additional services at the time of sale or installation. But churches have been doing recurring revenue far longer than the Software As A Service (SaaS) folks have been in existence!
By amortizing the cost of additional services through simple monthly payments on a training contract, churches often can afford the additional expense. Further, the ability to spread training out over a long period of time will yield both better consistency and a more satisfied client. These can even be use-it-or-lose-it contracts, meaning that the church leadership is more likely to ensure consistent participation so that their payment isn’t wasted.
I’ve said it before here on rAVe, but it bears repeating: Manufacturers and integrators have got to think about how to provide real-world training to this vertical market.
Complex and Simple
The brilliant Alan Kay (famous for his computer language work and graphical user interfaces) said it best: “Simple things should be simple, complex things should be possible.” I can’t overstate the number of times that I’ve been in any number of venues — church, business, education, government — where even basic operation of the A/V/L technology was either cryptic or ambiguous. Look, we understand that making any number of systems work seamless together is complex. But as the venerable Mr. Kay pointed out, even complex systems should be possible to function in a relatively uncomplicated way.
If I may, allow me to share a design philosophy for churches: as much as it is possible, volunteer-proof the systems. I’ve heard some say “idiot proof” systems and processes, but I don’t think it’s smart or even reasonable to assume the worst in people. If anything, I’ve had to do more “un-training” with professionals who were taught incorrectly than I’ve ever had to do with volunteers.
Volunteer-proofing is not just simplifying; it’s designing around the reality of any situation where you will not have consistent operators for every event or venue. It also means the opportunity is afforded for users to get basic functionality out of a system or tool without an advanced engineering degree.
Years ago I had the privilege of visiting with Tim Jenison of NewTek, famed inventor of the “desktop video revolution,” and working with him on re-thinking the workflow of a new device he was creating. Part of his genius was to not stop at the design of the hardware but think through the software and firmware, too. A simple solution was to create a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that could be loaded based on the technical level of the operator. Thus, terms that were foreign to a non-industry veteran would be given more consumer-oriented terms for operational functions. In this way, the device could serve in the church market where volunteers would be the largest base of users for the device and the learning curve was much, much shorter due to common terminology and intuitive control functionality.
Simple Control Options
If you’re old enough to remember the Universal Remote Control that brought the living room electronics in one device, you’ll recall the frustration of various manufacturers creating proprietary IR controls with obscure or highly specific buttons. The Universal Remote sought to remedy the issue, but it didn’t always work. This third-party device was created in response to a problem, but it didn’t really address the problem; it only tried to overcome the problem.
My work in the A/V/L industry across multiple vertical markets has shown me the simple truth that people are people, so we’ll continue to have the vast majority of users be underqualified to operate even relatively simple equipment. It doesn’t matter if they’re corporate, government, education, non-profit or church clients; people are people and, as such, they’re going to be in every vertical market.
I can’t stress this enough: In most churches, the controls need to be practical and obvious; the training needs to be a unified effort on behalf of the industry. ICIA and AES and LDI all offer training, albeit targeting installers; why not vertical market training at the association level?
Happier Clients
Part of the sales process needs to be educating the church on defining the need and determining the expectation. Obvious, I know, but there have been so many projects where the church doesn’t want more gear; they simply want to use what they were originally sold.
The goal of every growing company is to have a combination of recurring business and new business from referrals. What better way to have a happy client than to provide the options for consistent training, helping define expectations and providing targeted resources for vertical market buyers?
There may be some reading this that might be inclined to point the finger at “the other guy,” whether it’s a competitor, a manufacturer or even the client. Your competitor isn’t you, and you can choose your manufacturers. The truth is this: The client isn’t always right, but you’d better not treat them like they’re wrong. Understand them, educate them and provide long-term service and training to keep them coming back and sharing your work with their friends. It’s not quick, but it’s a lot easier than finding new clients because you’re missing out on referrals.
A former staff member at three mega churches and church technology consultant, Anthony Coppedge has developed a respected reputation as a leader in technical and communications circles within the church marketplace. Reach him at anthony@anthonycoppedge.com or on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/anthonycoppedge
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
|
|
Click here for more information
|
|
Repeat Selling Into Churches: The Sermon Series
By Anthony Coppedge
House of Worship Technology Consultant
The use of a “sermon series” — typically denoting a themed topical study or a book of the Bible study — has grown in popularity across the majority of evangelical and Protestant churches. The idea is to bring up topics or book studies to bring people into the church. They’ve become so popular that churches often build branding campaigns around upcoming series as an attention-getter. And it works.
This little factoid is of particular interest to manufacturers and integrators because the sermon series trend has allowed for churches to build sets and add in technology that they’ve previously not used or purchased. Many of these churches are renting the technology on a series basis (anywhere from three to six weeks is typical), but a multi-week rental can add up quickly at standard day rates, so churches are sometimes making purchases in light of the expense of a long-term rental.
Pitch the Micro Sale
Manufacturers, we know you love the big sales. The they-just-ordered-half-of-our-inventory sales. But since that’s the rarity, why not create a sales program that reflects the buying trends of this vertical market? What about micro-marketing for micro-sales?
Following the trend of sermon series, why not create mini-marketing campaigns that cater to this reality and offer a combination of lease-to-own or buy two now, get two at 30 percent off within 90 days? The idea of these micro-transactions is to help them beef up their technology a tiny bit at a time, incorporating the technology into sermon series or special events (Christmas, Easter) as they have a little bit of budget to make incremental additions.
This can, of course, apply to both equipment purchases and any consumables (lamps, bulbs, filters, extra cable, etc.). Look, they’re going to have needs all year long, but they’re typically going to get annual budgets or one-time capital campaign monies. Why wait for an annual sale when you can create a lot of micro-sales all year long?
Note: This is not about one-off sales. The purpose isn’t to get a bunch of one-time, little sales. The idea is to create multiple buying opportunities — “ya snooze, ya lose” to keep them coming back.
The Micro-Marketing Campaign
And guess what? Because they’ll actually want to hear about your offers (compared to the typical product pitch spam that doesn’t affect them most of the time), you now have a new, scalable and manageable marketing campaign strategy that’s easy to create, simple to track and a snap to measure.
Most manufacturers create new products or new product enhancements infrequently. But we all hear about them when they happen by the flurry of press releases, email blitzes and product story pitches. Instead of hyping up these isolated events (which often end up being lost in the noise from a slew of releases at/during the annual industry trade show), build up targeted campaigns based on the various user-bases.
Micro-campaigns can be micro-sized, too. Consider building out social media channels specific to your various user groups. So, for the House of Worship market, create a Twitter account that represents your products specifically to churches. It’s simple to build up the subscriber base through promoting this unique channel through your other marketing channels and networks. Over time, the ability to selectively target various micro-sales through hyper-focused channels will provide not only a unique sales channel, but also open up the otherwise hard-to-get user feedback. Social media is all about engagement, so why not engage with the actual decision-makers and purchasers?
The key is to get the right message to the right person at the right time in the right way. Right? So rethink your go-to-market strategy. I’m speaking specifically here in the rAVe HOW [House of Worship] about the church market, but this obviously works across just about every vertical. You just have to know the buying event frequency for each vertical.
One-Two Punch
Since manufacturers can provide the marketing horsepower to promote these micro-sales, it only makes sense for the integrators to get in on the game, too. Why limit the deal to only the equipment? Churches will need help with rigging, staging, ancillary equipment and expendables, so the chance to make several micro-sales are obviously part of the equation.
Beyond the micro-deals, the bigger opportunity is to build upon the momentum by giving away good freebies as gated content on the dealer website. This allows for the church to fill out basic information fields on the website (which goes into your sales database anyway) in order to get the deal/promo code. As long as you put in a simple sentence about agreeing to an opt-in email list, the integrator is now adding to an ever-growing database they can own and manage.
Better yet, build out your own firm’s social media accounts for interacting with the church market and you’re adding your voice to the conversation, too!
The Cumulative Effect
Instead of hoping for one large sale per year, it’s now possible to have multiple micro-sales that actually add up to more than what could be purchased at the beginning or end of a fiscal calendar. More importantly, the loyalty of a client increases exponentially when they standardize on certain makes and models, as does their need for support, service and parts for an increased technology infrastructure.
In a time when the economy is jacked up, the prospect of consistent small sales should be more attractive than ever — for both sides of the conversation. Know your audience and their needs and respond accordingly.
A former staff member at three mega churches and church technology consultant, Anthony Coppedge has developed a respected reputation as a leader in technical and communications circles within the church marketplace. Reach him at anthony@anthonycoppedge.com
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Premier Adds Single Latch Design to Video Wall Mount
Premier Mounts has added its single latch design to the company’s line of video wall LMV mounts. The new single latch release adds ease to the LMV installation process by simplifying the release technique and ensuring a reliable opening and closing of the mount. Applying direct pressure to the mount, then slowly releasing will allow the single latch to open or close the mount in one smooth motion.
The LMV supports displays up to 160 lbs. and screen sizes from 37″ to 63″. It includes laser cut design spacers customized for specific displays to ensure an aligned video wall. The open design provides ample accessibility for display adjustment and maintenance. Premier also offers custom versions of the mount.
Here are all the specs: http://www.mounts.com/product?product=LMV
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
|
|
Click here for more information
FSR Adds New “Poke-Through” Floor Boxes
FSR has added two more fire-rated 6” and 8” Poke-Thru floor boxes to its SmartFit family of products. Both have a pretty low-profile design that eliminates most trip hazard applications. The covers, available in three architectural finishes (brushed aluminum, brushed brass or black), swing open 180 degrees with two smaller cable access doors that fold down for cable egress while the cover door is secure. Each box features a variety of sub-plates that can be configured to allow the power, audio, video and data connections.
All SmartFit poke-thru floor boxes are UL listed in Canada and the United States for fire and scrub water. Complete compatibility and specs are here:
http://www.fsrinc.com/
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Atlas A-Line Ships ELI, ELIJAH and EMMA Line Array Speaker Systems
Atlas A-Line Acoustics is shipping both the ELI and ELIJAH line array speaker systems, originally debuted at the InfoComm 2012 show.
Atlas says the ELI portable line array system is designed to provide even, high-powered coverage in small to mid-size rooms for acoustic performance or speech applications. This portable line array system consists an EL1503-B full range line array that uses a design consisting of fifteen 3″ drivers and a 10″ enclosure. The ELIJAH portable line array system consists an EJ2003-B full range line array that utilizes a design consisting of twenty 3″ drivers and a 15″ subwoofer enclosure.
The EMMA system is a three-way speaker system designed for use in speech and music reproduction applications for medium to large venues like houses of worship, theaters and concert halls. The system consists of two parts: the EM806A-B, which includes eight 6.5″ high frequency ribbon drivers and eight 6.5″ low/mid frequency drivers, and the EM410A-B, which includes four 10″ subwoofers. Each unit is powered by an integrated class D amplifier with pre-configured DSP.
Here are all the specs:
http://www.al4.me/
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
AmpliVox Unveils Compact Mity Box Speaker
AmpliVox’s newest addition is the Mity Box speaker system, a portable system measuring just 10.5x7x6.5” (LxWxD). The speaker can be easily connected to presentation carts or wall mounted with the included brackets. It can be ordered as a passive speaker or outfitted as an amplified speaker with wired or wireless 16-channel microphones. Built-in audio ports on the amplified models make it easy to plug in any external audio source such as an iPod/MP3 or CD player. Separate volume controls adjust the output levels for microphones and audio sources.
Here are all the details:
http://www.ampli.com/pa-speakers/1230-Mity-Box.aspx
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Christie Introduces One-Chip DLP G Series for Fixed Installations
Christie introduced last month the G Series, a new high-value, high-brightness projector line. In the new G Series, the Christie DHD550-G and Christie DWU550-G offer 5,000 and 5,100 lumens, respectively, one-chip DLP technology and a single mercury-lamp design for fixed applications. The 1920×1080 DHD550-G and 1920×1200 DWU550-G are meant for board and conference rooms, government, houses of worship, higher ed and a variety of small venue applications.
Both offer optional wireless connectivity, a selection of optional lenses and input options that include HDMI, DVI and display port. When it comes to image quality, the Dynamic Contrast feature boosts contrast ratios up to 5000:1, and Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture functionality provide flexible display options. And for multi-projector installations, the Christie G Series comes with color matching as well as an optional dual processing warp card that enables blending and warping.
The G Series is now shipping.
For more information on the G Series, click here:
http://www.christiedigital.com/en-us/business/products/projectors/1-chip-dlp/g-series/pages/default.aspx
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Revolabs Announces Executive HD MaxSecure Wireless Microphone System with AES-256 Encryption
Today Revolabs announced a new addition to the company’s Executive HD product family in the form of the MaxSecure wireless microphone system, adding capability for the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256) as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). With the addition of the Executive HD MaxSecure products, Revolabs supports an encryption standard that is designed for compliance with the security encryption standards AES FIPS 197 and AES FIPS 140-2, established by the United States government and approved by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) for applications requiring advanced privacy protection.
The rack-mountable Revolabs Executive HD wireless microphone system is designed for meeting rooms as well as large auditoriums. Each Executive HD unit provides support for up to eight microphones with exceptional audio quality; multiple units can be linked together to support up to 32 microphones per area. The Executive HD can be integrated with all control systems via RS232 or Ethernet or it can be controlled via a front-panel LCD display locally.
Here are all the specs:
http://www.revolabs.com/Products/Product-Line/Executive-HD-8-Channel.aspx
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
3M Announces Collaboration with Mersive Aimed at Creating a New Class of Displays
Last week, 3M New Ventures (3M’s corporate venture unit) and Mersive announced a strategic development and equity agreement that will bring a new class of displays that foster visual collaboration to a broad range of customers.
“Advances in graphics processing technology are resulting in the creation of more pixels than ever before. However, viewing more pixels in the form of visual data is often constrained by either inadequate display systems or the high cost and complexity of currently available systems,” said Rob Balgley, CEO, Mersive. “Coupling our software with 3M projection and display technology will transform how visual data is used to creatively collaborate, interact, and make decisions.”
Central to the strategic development agreement are Mersive’s two software products: Sol software automatically aligns multiple projectors into one seamless image of extraordinary quality and resolution without the expense of specialized hardware and services; and Solstice software, a new media sharing and display management software, transforms how displays fit into IT infrastructure. Solstice enables multiple users with diverse devices, to access wirelessly any display in real time.
“Combining Mersive software with 3M’s projection and display technology, will produce affordable, easy-to-install, high quality display systems that foster interaction, facilitate decision making and cultivate creativity,” said Stefan Gabriel, president of 3M New Ventures. “As part of this agreement, 3M and Mersive will closely collaborate to develop projection and display systems that achieve higher levels of performance and ease of use than products currently on the market.”
3M New Ventures, headquartered in Munich, Germany, identifies and invests in highly innovative companies and disruptive new technologies with strategic relevance for 3M.
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Christie Ships G Series Projectors
Christie is shipping its new G Series projectors, announced last month. The series includes two one-chip DLP models using a six-segment color wheel and offering a center-mounted lens. The DHD550-G is a native 1080p projector offering 5,000 lumens of brightness, while the DWU550-G is a WUXGA (1920×1200) projector with 5,100 lumens of brightness.
Both have a plethora of lens options that include 0.95-2.89 throw ratios, are designed for 24/7/365 operation and include an Eco-mode where they pull less than .5-watts when in standby. Inputs include HDMI, VGA, DVI, component and are network content enabled. Both are also compatible with ChristieNET.
Here are all the specs [PDF]: info.christiedigital.com/ct/378/708919/239799317/525e172403f2ac35b4c4c9dde895f9eb
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Behringer Releases AX Control Software
Behringer’s new EUROCOM AX Series Amplifier control software is finally available. You can can download it here: http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/Eurocom/software.aspx
The AX Remote Connect V1.1 is designed to simplify setup, control and monitoring of all EUROCOM AX Series DSP models with a local PC via the front panel USB connector, or remotely over a network via the rear panel Ethernet port. A convenient front panel LCD display also allows setup and adjustments directly at the amplifier, no PC required. Additionally, AX Remote Connect V1.1 allows full access to the AX Series’ onboard test section, which includes pink noise, white noise and a fixed/sweeping sine wave generator. This allows the installer to verify system operation without the need to connect an external source generator or use the AX series amplifier as a sound-masking processor.
More details are here:
http://www.behringer.com/EN/Home.aspx
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Sonance Ships In-Wall Speakers Aimed at ProAV Market
Sonance is aiming to capture some of the ProAV in-wall speaker market with the IS4 C, a seamless, in-wall speaker with a built-in 70-volt and 100-volt autoformer. Using a 4-sq. inch tweeter, a 17-sq. inch mid-range and a 113-sq. inch woofer, the ISC 4 is specified with a 40 Hz to 20 KHz frequency response. It can be tapped from 0.5 watts to 32 watts or used as an 8 ohm speaker in by-pass mode, handling up to a 100-watt input.
The speakers are made to be integrated into drywall so that, when installed, they are totally invisible, appearing to be part of the drywall itself. Each speaker measures 16″ wide by 25″ high by 4″ deep.
You can see all the specs here:
http://www.sonance.com/products/invisible
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Peerless Intros Built-to-Order Racks
Peerless-AV has introduced a new family of built-to-order racks featuring an online configurator that enables users to specify the precise location of each component, view a CAD drawing with all accessories installed and examine a rotating 3D model of the design before submitting it for a same-day quote. Models ranging in size from 8 to 44 RUs are available in 10 colors with a wide variety of options.
The series includes standard AV frame racks from 18 to 44 RUs with a choice of closed, open or extra-large open side panels for varying budgets and cabling requirements; furniture frame racks from 8 to 14 RUs designed to fit around a credenza or desk; and knockdown models from 8 to 43 RUs that can be assembled in less than three minutes with just eight screws.
Some interesting options include:
- A color choice that includes medium blue, silver, pearl gray, pebble gray, pottery white, light blue, light beige, gunmetal and cranberry as well as black.
- The option to silkscreen business logos anywhere on the racks in any custom color.
- A skirted base with four casters and two ground studs included.
- Top and bottom knockout panels.
- Lockable front and rear doors with right and left hinge options, as well as a lockbox option for laptops, remote controls, batteries, data tapes, patch cords and other accessories.
All racks (except the knockdown models) ship fully assembled within two weeks of the order and are made in the U.S. You can see the entire line here: http://racks.peerless-av.com/
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Vutec Ships Retractable Screen Aimed at High-End Portable Applications
Vutec’s new Retracta-Vu Pro Traveller includes a motorized rising screen that raises out of a rolling shipping case. Users roll the case into place, plug it in, flip the switch and the screen rises. The unique thing here is the plethora of screen sizes available (4:3, 16:9 or 2.35:1) from 100″ diagonal all the way up to 283″ diagonal. The case is a typical staging case with casters so you can roll the screen where you want it. It’s also durable enough to be staging stock.
Here are all the specs:
http://www.vutec.com/products/motorized-screens/non-maskings/retracta-vu-pro-traveller/item/retracta-vu-pro-traveller.html
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Peerless-AV Introduces SmartMount XT
This month Peerless-AV introduced the new SmartMount XT series of flat-panel TV mounts in articulating, tilt and flat styles, which the company says mount in a fraction of the time that standard mounts do. The line of pre-assembled, one-piece mounts can be affixed to walls by a single professional installer. They also now provide post-installation height adjustments on flat, tilt mount and articulating styles, as well as improved cable housing on articulating mounts.
Peerless-AV said the SmartMount XT products represent “the next wave” of innovative wall mounting solutions, featuring a low-profile design that anchors displays as close as 1.2 inches to the wall. SmartMount XT models shorten installation time because a single installer can hang the mount with as few as four screws. Articulating mounts come in single-stud or double-stud wall plate styles.
The SmartMount XT series includes the following models:
- SmartMount XT Articulating Wall Arm for 40” to 71” displays, weighing up to 135 pounds
- SmartMount XT Universal Flat Wall Mount, 32” to 70” displays, weighing up to 150 pounds
- SmartMount XT Universal Tilt Wall Mount, 32” to 70” displays, weighing up to 150 pounds
Here are all the stats: http://www.peerless-av.com/en-uk/professional/products/STX645P
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
New Behringer Loudspeakers Include Integrated Wireless Mic Receiver and MP3 Player
Behringer is now shipping its EUROLIVE B115D and B115MP3 active two-way loudspeakers, which feature an integrated, dual-channel mixer with two-band EQ, built-in sound processor and 1,000 Watts of Class-D bi-amplification. Fast and easy to setup, the unique enclosure design allows the loudspeakers to be pole-mounted, stacked or placed horizontally for floor monitor wedge applications. A dedicated USB-style 3.0 input provides seamless integration with Behringer’s new upcoming ULTRALINK Series wireless microphones. |
B115D and B115MP3 both include a 15″ long-excursion LF driver and a 1.35″ aluminum-diaphragm compression driver. The B115MP3 includes an embedded MP3 player, featuring an eight-button user interface and LCD panel that allows the user to browse tracks and select shuffle, repeat or single-play modes. Both models include an integrated Behringer-compatible wireless mic receiver. They are covered by Behringer’s three-year warranty and weigh only 38.9 pounds (17.7 kilograms) each.
Here are all the specs:
http://www.behringer.com/EN/Category/Loudspeakers-and-Studio-Monitors.aspx?s=B200
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
MMD/Philips Debuts Monitors With Built-in Flypaper
MMD/Philips just debuted the Philips Q Series, which is comprised of the 32-inch BDL3210Q, 42-inch BDL4210Q and 46-inch BDL4610Q. The Philips Q Series is a new family of edge-lit LED commercial displays aimed at digital signage applications. What’s especially interesting about this announcement is the integration of a digital signage content software called Flypaper Express (with a free 30-day trial) built right into the monitors. The software comes equipped with 10 themed templates that can easily kick-start digital signage projects.
The 32-inch BDL3210Q is a 1366×768 resolution display while the 42-inch BDL4210Q and 46-inch BDL4610Q are both 1920×1080 resolution displays. All three include HDMI and VGA ports, network-content delivery (as well as USB stick content delivery) and can be controlled via the network.
Here are all the specs:
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
NEC Simplifies Digital Signage for ProAV Integrator with New Bundled Offerings
NEC Display announced today the addition of 10 Digital Signage/Content Creation Solutions. These product bundles introduce customers to the digital signage industry with easy-to-use solutions that include everything needed to run content on a single digital screen. Available in digital screen sizes up to 65 inches, each bundle includes an NEC V, P or X Series display, a single board computer to source digital signage content, a wall mount kit compatible for both landscape and portrait orientations, an Ultrablok surge suppressor, NEC’s Content Management Software (CMS) and a voucher good for two hours toward NEC Content Creation Services.
As part of the bundle offerings, select displays offer a built-in expansion slot allowing for clean, hidden PC integration, while reducing the bill of materials needed for installation. X Series bundles include the OPS-PCAF-WS, which boasts a 1.6 GHz Dual Core Fusion processor and 32 GB solid state drive. P and select V Series bundles incorporate the NET-SBC-04, which offers a 160 GB SATA hard drive and 2 GB of RAM, while other select V Series displays include a Seneca Data X4-525 external media player with 1.8 GHz Dual Core Atom processor and 320 GB hard drive storage.
Here are details of each of the 10 Bundles:
http://www.necdisplay.com/category/product-bundles
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Christie Add Four New One-Chip DLP E Series Projector Models
Christie also added four new 1-chip DLP E Series projectors to its product lineup this week with the Christie DHD675-E, Christie DWU675-E, Christie DHD775-E and the Christie DWU775-E. The new Christie E Series models offer a dual lamp design that provides increased brightness ranging from 6,450 to 7,200 lumens, a choice between HD (1920×1080) and WUXGA (1920×1200) resolutions and delivers up to 5,000:1 contrast ratio thanks to the Dynamic Contrast feature.
These models are aimed at board rooms, conference rooms, auditoriums, government, higher ed and houses of worship. They also include an optional dual processor warp module for blending and warping images, color matching and an optional stacking system, making it ideal for rental and staging applications.
The new Christie E Series models feature a dust-sealed light engine and dual mercury lamps that have the unique ability to optimize lamp configuration to maximize lamp operation in 24/7 applications. Also included is a high brightness six-segment color wheel (RGBCYW) with an optional rich color wheel (RGBCYM) available when color precision is needed. Christie says the color wheel ensures radiant colors while eliminating artifacts from rapidly moving content.
The new E series projectors will ship in November.
To see all the specs, click here:
http://www.christiedigital.com/en-us/business/products/projectors/1-chip-dlp/e-series/pages/default.aspx
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
Extron Introduces New Economical Wall Mount HDMI Twisted Pair Extender
Extron has introduced the DTP HDMI 230 D, a Decora-style transmitter and receiver set for transmission of HDMI, audio and bidirectional RS-232 and IR control signals up to 230 feet (70 meters) over a single CATx cable. The HDCP-compliant extender provides an economical and effective means for extending HDMI with embedded multi-channel audio from HDMI-equipped devices. In addition, the DTP HDMI 230 D accepts analog stereo audio signals and digitizes them for simultaneous transmission over the same twisted pair cable.
This extender simplifies the incorporation of analog and digital audio signals and it allows a direct analog audio connection from devices with stereo output, such as desktop computers or laptops, and provides balanced and unbalanced audio output from the receiver. In addition, the DTP HDMI 230 D continuously maintains DDC communication of EDID and HDCP between a source and display for reliable operation, ensuring direct compatibility and optimal signal transmission between devices.
The DTP HDMI 230 D is compatible with CAT 5e, CAT 6, and CAT 7 twisted pair cable, and can be used as a point-to-point solution or integrated with an HDMI matrix switcher to extend inputs or outputs to remote locations. It supports signal resolutions up to 1080p/60 or 1920×1200 and supports HDMI specification features including data rates up to 6.75 Gbps, Deep Color up to 12-bit, 3D, HD lossless audio formats, and CEC. For added flexibility, either the transmitter or receiver can be powered over the original twisted pair cable, allowing both devices to share one external power supply. Both devices are available separately, and may be mixed and matched with the desktop DTP HDMI 230 transmitter or receiver to suit the installation requirements of a specific application.
Here are all the specs:
http://www.extron.com/product/product.aspx?id=dtphdmi230drx&s=5
Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top
For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe HOW [House of Worship] out there, hopefully you enjoyed another opinion-packed issue!
For those of you NEW to rAVe, you just read how we are — we are 100 percent opinionated. We not only report the news and new product stories of the ProAV industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions. That may include (but is not limited to) whether or not the product is even worth looking at, challenging the manufacturers on their specifications, calling a marketing-spec bluff and suggesting ways integrators market their products better. But, one thing is for sure, we are NOT a trade publication that gets paid for running editorial or product stories. Traditional trade publications get paid to run product stories — that’s why you see what you see in most of the pubs out there. We are different: we run what we want to run and NO ONE is going to pay us to write anything good (or bad).
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 or for editorial ideas, Editor-in-Chief Sara Abrons at sara@ravepubs.com
A little about me: I graduated from Journalism School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where I am adjunct faculty). I’ve been in the AV-industry since 1987 where I started with Extron and eventually moved to AMX. So, I guess I am an industry veteran (although I don’t think I am that old). I have been an opinionated columnist for a number of industry publications and in the late 1990s I started the widely read KNews eNewsletter (the first in the AV market) and also created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue, which is now known as InfoComm IQ. rAVe [Publications] has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter, rAVe ProAV Edition.
Everything we publish is Opt-in — we spam NO ONE! rAVe ProAV Edition is our flagship ePublication with what we believe is a reach of virtually everyone in the ProAV market. rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA and launched in February 2004, is, by far, the largest ePub in the HomeAV market. We added rAVe Rental [and Staging] in November 2007, rAVe ED [Education] in May 2008 and then rAVe DS [Digital Signage] in January 2009. We added rAVe GreenAV in August 2010 and rAVe HOW [House of Worship] in July 2012. You can subscribe to any of those publication or see ALL our archives by going to: https://www.ravepubs.com
To read more about my background, our team and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com
Back to Top
Copyright 2012 – rAVe [Publications] – All rights reserved – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact rAVe [Publications], 210 Old Barn Ln. – Chapel Hill, NC 27517 – (919) 969-7501. Email: sara@ravepubs.com
rAVe contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors.