Crew Call By Joel Rollins …Keep Your Friends Closer
In my last column, we discussed an important management less on we could learn from the movie “The Godfather.” Namely, we learned that whether we were running a powerful crime “family” or an AV company, services were more important to long-term stability than products. I feel there are two more important lessons we can learn from this essential movie, so stop playing bocce, make yourself an espresso, and listen up. At a particularly touching moment, Michael (now the Don) tells an old lieutenant, Frank Pentangeli, about a lesson his father had taught him early on in life. (Ed note: OK, so this moment is actually from Godfather II – it refers to an earlier time, so I include it in this article. Mea culpa). Anyway, the Don taught Michael to “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” Over the last few years, I’ve learned to appreciate this one. In running an AV company, I’ve had a number of natural allies – my “Family’s” “Friends.” The most powerful of these friends have been my industry associations, like InfoComm, and the manufacturers I represent. Just as in the Godfather, my “friends” are where I get a lot of my business assistance and a lot of my “street” information. They’ve helped me educate myself, my employees, and my clients. The kind of advance information I get from them is worth its weight in gold. So I keep them close. But my “family” and its allies are surrounded by a couple of powerful “enemy families”. Both the Broadcast and Consumer electronics families are arrayed against us, whispering rumors in the ears of our employees and our clients. So I keep them even closer. The consumer electronics industry, for instance, has “educated” my clients to believe that they should be looking for the use of white-jacketed cable that is “oxygen free.” That a sound system can’t be high quality unless it is “Surround Sound.” And that their new tapeless camcorders are as good as my ENG cameras. And, with the broadcast industry doing their whispering for them, they’re convincing. So I now have to spend a lot of my time “un-educating” clients, or learn to spray all my cable white and put non-working speakers in the corners of the room. So I choose to keep these enemies even closer – attending consumer electronics shows, reading their magazines, and keeping up with their “trends.” I want to know what my clients are hearing. And I learned some time ago that I can no longer dismiss the information they’re putting out as “just consumer.” These messages are powerful, and my clients are going to ask about them. Being prepared by understanding what led them to ask means I can guide my “family” and my clients from a position of knowledge. On top of that, these “enemies” often now presage what we’ll be getting in the industrial AV “family.” For instance, although they were around, DVR systems were much less used and accepted by the AV community until TiVo and Replay made them popular in the consumer world. Now, I rarely roll any in-show elements from tape. The widespread acceptance of a technology in the consumer world often signals the coming availability of parts and technologies that will make it accepted in my world – and knowing in advance is power. So keep your friends close – but, in the meantime, head on over to Best Buy and keep your enemies closer. I’ve finished my espresso – so I’ll see you next issue for the most important lesson we learn from this powerful business movie. Fuggedaboutit. JRR
Thanks to our sponsor, Da-Lite Screen Company
InfoComm Wants Your Input!
InfoComm Academy has developed white papers for industry review, discussion and comment by Live Event AV professionals. The series of papers cover subject areas identified and defined by experts as important to the continued success of the thriving live events industry: Live Event Project Management and Budgeting The responses received will help refine InfoComm’s current educational resources in these areas. Please submit your feedback to support@infocommacademy.org. For more, go to http://www.infocomm.org/cps/rde/xchg/infocomm/hs.xsl/avindustry_1846.htm I’ve devoted a great part of my free time to InfoComm education for the last 20 years or so. If you’re not taking advantage of it, and adding your voice to the cry for more training specific to the rental and staging segment of the industry – GET INVOLVED! JRR 
Rental & Staging Orlando Roadshow Sessions Announced—Joel Rollins one of Featured Speakers
The Rental & Staging Orlando Roadshow, featuring business tips, technical advice, manufacturer training and more, has announced the session schedule for the February 20 event. There are two concurrent tracks. Here is what they are offering: 9:00 a.m. — Registration/Breakfast 9:30 a.m. — Introduction 9:45 – 11:15 a.m. — Keynote & Sponsor Presentation 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. — Tech Track Session & Sponsor Presentation 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. — Techni-Lux Presentation 12:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. — Sponsored Networking Lunch & Exhibitor Showcase Open 2:00 p.m.- 3:15 p.m. — Business Track Session & Sponsor Presentation 2:00 p.m.- 3:15 p.m. — Techni-Lux Presentation 3:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. — Sponsored Cocktail Event & Exhibitor Showcase Open For registration and more information, go to http://www.rentalandstaging.com/roadshow/ This show has been lots of fun so far, and has produced some great groups of staging people getting together. I’m still collaborating with a bunch of the people from the last one. Get there when it comes to your area. JRR
Barco Shows LED Breakthrough
Gary Kayye first called attention to Barco's NX-4 system in his “Best of InfoComm 2007” Report. “It uses 4mm indoor LEDs and has, BY FAR, the blackest black I have ever seen on ANY LED display,” says Gary. Barco describes its new NX-4 LED panel as a “breakthrough.” Designed for indoor use, with Black LED technology, the NX-4 claims to deliver the deepest contrast ratio of any product on the market, at 4000:1. Barco says it’s a true black LED (not just a black package, but a radically new design, using black silicon resin instead of the traditional white epoxy.) Each LED, says the maker, outputs the deepest blacks and brightest luminance levels of any product on the market (2000 Nits). Integrators should note it also uses a frame built of carbon fiber to make it stronger, lighter and (as long as we are making claims) as much as 10 times less sensitive to deformation. For more information, go to http://www.barco.com/corporate/en/products/product.asp?GenNr=1839 This certainly answers some of the contrast ratio issues we’ve had with LED – and the dot pitch and packaging are great. It took me a while to get that it was the LED package and resin they were talking about as a “Black LED.” I was about to point out that black was the absence of light – until I realized that was exactly what they were doing. Nice work, Barco. JRR
New Kramer Twisted Pair Cables Move HDMI up to 200 Feet at 1080i
Kramer announced the TP-551 and TP-552 twisted pair transmitter and receiver for HDMI signals. The company says the TP-551 and TP-552 can transmit HDMI signals directly over two Cat 5e cables (Kramer XTP cables are recommended) to up to 200 feet (60 meters) at 1080i without the use of intermediary reclocking devices such as signal repeaters. The TP-551 and TP-552 solution is especially suited for home theater installations, presentation and multimedia applications, and rental and staging operations. The TP-551 and TP-552 transmitter/receiver system moves HDMI signals to up to 200 feet (60 meters) – depending on resolution of the signal being transmitted and quality of the cable being used. The TP-551 converts an HDMI signal into a twisted pair signal that can be run over shielded or unshielded twisted pair cables such as CAT 5e cables. The TP-552 unit then converts the signal back to HDMI. The units offer up to 1.65Gbps bandwidth per graphic channel and are HDCP compliant and HDTV compatible. The TP-551 and TP-552 pass the EDID, HPD and CEC signals from the source to the display device using CAT 5e. The TP-551 transmitter unit is outfitted with a high/low gain selection button, one HDMI input and two RJ-45 connectors for CAT 5 output. The TP-552 receiver unit offers four equalization levels to enhance performance and is outfitted with two RJ-45 connectors for CAT 5 input and a single HDMI output. LEDs on the front of each unit indicate input, output and power status. Both units use standard 12V DC power, and three TP-551 or TP-552 units can be rack mounted side-by-side in a 1U rack space. The TP-551 and TP-552 are currently shipping in the U.S. and abroad with U.S. list prices of $225 per unit. For more information, go to http://www.kramer-us.com/ Nice product – although the use of HDMI in staging remains small, due to its absence on most professional video devices. I’m sure my installs group will love it. For those of us in staging who do get requirements for it, this may be an answer. JRR
projectiondesign Incorporating Higher Resolutions Into Two Models
Details aren’t yet out, but projectiondesign announced that two of its projectors will soon be available with 1920 x 1200 resolution, or WUXGA. The eligible projectors are the F10 and F30. Stay tuned, we’ll cover it when it’s official (and it could be at next week’s ISE Show in Amsterdam). For more information, go to http://www.projectiondesign.com/ I’m looking forward to seeing these, although resolutions this high remain a problem for staging until all the effects switchers and systems support the resolution. I’m also afraid it may encourage my clients to attempt to use even larger spreadsheets than they do now…. JRR
Two New Large Venue Projectors From Sony – Technology Breakthrough?
Sony’s BrightEra imaging technology is described as being based on an inorganic substrate and alignment layer to produce a stronger bonding of molecules, making the panel more resistant to damage from UV energy while allowing for an increased aperture ratio. And the company is using this technology in two new large venue 3LCD projectors but we’re told there will be an entire line-up of BrightEra projectors in 2008! Ever since DLP technology debuted in smaller projectors, Texas Instruments has been able to claim a major brightness and contrast ratio lead over standard poly-silicon (transmissive) LCD projection. So, manufacturers like Sony and Epson countered with reflective technologies (i.e. Sony’s award-winning SXRD technology). Thus, reflective 3LCD and reflective DLP were head to head on specifications – but DLP has held the lead with pricing as generally DLP is cheaper than reflective 3LCD. Not any more. LCD’s staking a new claim with the debut of a new transmissive technology from Sony’s raw components group in Japan. Dubbed “BrightEra” LCD, the all-new transmissive 3LCD technology will debut on dozens of models soon! And, not only is it less expensive per lumen and contrast ratio versus DLP, but it’s GREEN! It runs on less power consumption than either reflective technologies (LCD and DLP) and it’s more efficient – yielding 15-30% more contrast ratio from the SAME LAMP wattage as reflective projectors! This may revolutionize the 3LCD market, quickly. The two new projectors are the VPL-FW300L (7,000 lumens) and the VPL-FH300L (6,000 lumens). Sony says they are especially designed to deliver outstanding images while in the same room as the audience – rooms such as smaller auditoriums, large classrooms and meeting rooms, museum exhibits, event centers, ballrooms and movie theaters for displaying pre-show content. The VPL-FW300L projector is specified at WXGA+ resolution of 1366 x 800, and the VPL-FH300L at 2048 x 1080. Both models are housed in the same chassis, and share the same type of lenses, lamps, and filters as well as the same connections and network functions. The projectors’ round design also includes large-diameter fans and high-flow cooling air ductwork that lets the projector run cool while fan noise is decreased, which is why Sony says they work well in the same room with the audience without detracting from the display. Users have a choice of five different standard lenses for excellent placement flexibility, and both models have a locking bayonet mount mechanism for easy lens changes. The VPL-FW300L and the VPL-FH300L projectors are planned to be available in January, at suggested list prices of $27,000 and $40,000, respectively. For more details, go to http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/b2b/broadcast_production/display_systems/release/32186.html For more on BrightEra, go to http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/brighterawld/index.html Sony, of course, has always done an outstanding job with image quality, and with bringing new imaging technologies to the market. But, frankly, for the rental market, it’s not the projector’s specs that I think will move it. Believe it or not, I think it’s the fact that somebody decided to make them pretty. I underestimated the impact of pretty in the past. I was there when Steve Jobs returned to Apple – and was one of the people who laughed behind the scenes when I saw the first iMac, thinking “who gives a darn what color a computer is?” Well – the market did. These kinds of things won’t change our staging projectors. But I foresee meeting planners asking about them for breakout rooms where the projector has to be in the room. JRR
Christie Debuts Bright 3LCD Projector With Choice Among Five Lamps
Christie has a new 3LCD projector, the Christie LX500, specified at XGA resolution, 5000 ANSI lumens, and especially suited for larger venues such as education, medium to large meeting/conference rooms, briefing centers and houses of worship. Christie designed this projector for easy maintenance – the lens, filter, and lamp are easy to access, with a single front access filter, easy rear lamp accessibility, and tool-less access to the lens. It is offered in a “body only” format so that the integrator can choose the exact lens for the application. Integrators can choose among five such lenses. Both the Christie LX500 and Christie LX380 now ship in ‘body only’ format. Inputs include analog 5xBNC, and digital DVI-D inputs for HDTV standards up to 1080. For more information, go to http://www.christiedigital.com OK, another 5k Lumen XGA LCD projector. Call the neighbors, wake the kids. At least they no longer need a specialized tool to change the lens. JRR
More Recent Headlines Water Monster Invades Tokyo
“The Loch Ness Monster is making uncharacteristically bold appearances in Tokyo Bay. Albeit due to the success of a sizeable water screen.” Story and video at http://www.wordpress.tokyotimes.org/?p=2001 Now THIS is real news. Don’t you love being part of the industry segment that gets to recreate Godzilla or the Loch Ness Monster? Gary Kayye, eat your heart out. Staging rocks. JRR
$1-$2 Million Production Costs Lost in Golden Globes Cancellation
“The show's production costs an estimated $1 million-$2 million, with much of that already spent on the venue, sets, lighting, music, crews, red carpet, security and trucks — money Dick Clark Prods. and the HFPA won't get back.” http://www.variety.com/VR1117978646.html This hasn’t just been a loss for the producers, but also for the AV staging community at large. My own company lost a couple of good-sized events based around the Golden Globes. Now we all fret about the real one – the Oscars. JRR
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 Joel Rollins at joelrollins@mac.com, Publisher Gary Kayye at gkayye@kayye.com or Editor-in-Chief Denise Harrison at dharrison@kayye.com A little about Gary Kayye, CTS, founder of rAVe and 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. rAVe Pro Edition was launched in February 2003. The rAVe Home Edition co-sponsored by CEDIA launched in February, 2004. rAVe Rental [and Staging] launched in November 2007. To read more about my background, our staff, and what we do, go to http://www.kayye.com
rAVe Rental [and Staging] 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
