Volume 3, Issue 5 — May 27, 2014
|
House of Worship Trends The Future of HOW
|
|
|
Big Churches, Big Data
By Anthony Coppedge House of Worship Technology Consultant
The upside of adding Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi to audio, video and lighting gear is both the convenience and scalability of managing technology, but the more IP-addressable the A/V/L industry becomes, the more managing the vast amount of unique data becomes problematic for the end users. Churches are no different than many other venues when it comes to technology management, though the user base is often a mix of professionals, part-timers and volunteers.
The dissonance between more technology and better control & management increases with every new IP address.
The Standards Battleground
It is very difficult to navigate the entrenched battle lines of various organizations that have made their own standards in the relative vacuum of a closed industry model. AES, for example, has done a tremendous job of creating (and revising) standards for audio performance and transmission, but it’s largely done it exclusive of systems integration. A product-focused or technology-focused standard often misses the interoperability standards necessary for crossing technology boundaries over video and/or lighting. Similarly, SMPTE has done a great job with video (and broadcast, to be fair), but leaves the communication and reporting of non-video technologies up to the manufacturers. This leads to the dreaded proprietary formats that have made every systems integrator and consultants jobs harder.
Total system management is possible with third party automation/control vendors. Yet the standards of AES, InfoComm, SMPTE, UL and others are generally based on either technology performance or system performance, but not both. The number of dealers, systems integrators and contractors using these standards (let alone coordinating the standards) is precious few, providing a clear case for unified systems standards.
Who knows if the political wrangling necessary to mesh the various governing organizations play nice together will ever be accomplished, but one can dream; and, perhaps even change an industry with the principles of open-source as a base platform for developing and sharing overall systems integration standards.
The End User Dilemma: Churches Stuck in the Middle
Meanwhile, Sunday continues to come around every seven days, and church technical leaders are left finding ways of making their audio, video and lighting technology work in concert. The trouble is that they’re almost always forced to play in three disparate ecosystems with very different control and reporting options.
The case can be made for using unified control platforms such as AMX, Crestron and others, but even this is plagued (in my opinion) with even more proprietary messiness; in reality, a fourth digital ecosystem to navigate and operate, adding to the digital clutter of the end user.
The Real Standard Is the Web
I’ve written previously about the need to make equipment IP addressable, so I want to see more, not less, options for end users to take control of their equipment. Specifically, creating either intranet or Internet secure connectivity on a browser is key, as the number of devices (mobile smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops) and content curation (cloud, local devices) tools expand. The browser is everywhere; thus, access should also be everywhere. What’s clear is that regardless of the product or technology standards, the real standard for systems unification is the web.
Today, that means HTML 5, which leaves manufacturers, integrators, third party vendors and end users with a great deal of flexibility in how they decide to organize, manage, and report on the performance of a system, not merely a component.
Why This Makes Perfect Sense and Can Never Work
Well outside the limits and reach of the AV industry, manufacturers have had a singular motivation to make their hardware and software proprietary: revenue. When in doubt, follow the money. From non-standard connections (Apple’s Thunderbolt port) to specialized power supplies (wall warts with dozens of connection types) to even creating unique cables (CresNet or AxLink anyone?), there’s extra money to be made when the user is forced to buy proprietary.
I may be just cynical enough to think that as long as some of the “big boys” of the industry keep their own versions of control and connectivity, they’ll keep the cash, too. But for every one of those ginormous industry giants, there are dozens or even hundreds of smaller companies that can change the game by moving to browser-based intranet and Internet control and management options for end users. Given enough time and enough success, who knows? Maybe we’ll never see another i.Link again?
Rise of the Machines (Dashboards)
Big Data on the CRM side of the world has resulted in a plethora of companies vying for the business of parsing, sorting, displaying and sorting all of that data. The idea is that given a connector to the various sources of data, it’s possible to soft and pivot data from multiple sources into meaningful charts, graphs, and readouts, enabling users to visualize data in useful ways.
Yes, the control guys have been giving us on/off status updates for decades, but imagine deciding to build a dashboard that shows the last dates of firmware updates, backups, and maintenance cycles. Or the power drain of equipment in on, standby and even “off” states. There are limitless options for providing really useful dashboards to create more efficient systems, better processes for managing equipment in multiple venues, and/or trend analysis to understand peak usage days and times for calendaring maintenance schedules based on optimum downtimes.Big Data in the AV industry means we can know more about our lighting, power, video, and audio components from a system level perspective. All that is required is the industry deciding on how to build this out for the Web and manufacturers agreeing upon the kinds of data reporting necessary.
Oh well. At least it was a good idea. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Click above to learn more
|
|
The Cloud, the Church and Content Curation
By Anthony Coppedge House of Worship Technology Consultant
Hopping down from the church stage platform, iPad in hand, the church technical director sees one lighting fixture not quite overlapping the center point upstage position. He casually selects the fixture on his iPad and drags his finger while keeping his eye on the scalloped edges of the light moving slowly, stopping only when he releases his finger from the touch surface of his tablet. He deftly saves the latest lighting cue and without any further effort, pushes this programming scene to the cloud, available for another technician who will use this same venue for a high school graduation ceremony later in the week.
Simultaneously, a bleary-eyed editor makes a final color finishing touch to a soon-to-be-played video, and with a flick of his wrist and contorted finger position, almost absently types ‘Command+S’ on his keyboard, pushing the video file to the Cloud, now available for download or streaming at any and all of their multiple campuses for playback on demand.
How The Cloud Changed Everything
This monthly article normally focuses on the future intersection of the local church and technology, but today’s scenario isn’t in a far-off sci-fi dreamland of tech, but actual representations of what is happening week in and week out a growing number of churches embracing digital technologies that seamless sync with the cloud. It’s not quite yet an everyday occurrence in churches, so in that way this is a future-focused article. And, still, the future of tomorrow is here today and taking greater root as churches continually make updates and upgrades.
For a long, long time, the audio, video, and lighting industry focused on “the show”: a singular event of a specified duration with a sequenced orchestration of coordination. When “the show” went on the road, so too did the gear, and an industry shifted from permanent installations to portable and modular offerings. As the Internet matured, the cloud gave rise to anytime/anywhere access, once again redefining “the show” and providing entirely new levels of creative application.
Local churches, long a pseudo performance venue, saw the nearly concurrent rise of multi-site church campuses. A compelling synergy was immediately obvious, with the need to share, minimally, audio and video between multiple venues. The synchronization, however, was typically not on a shared schedule, and the advent of time-shifting programming transferred perfectly from the home DVR to professional-level servers. In the middle of it all, The Cloud was the central point, an ever-present sharing and storage point.
The Cloud Isn’t Storage, But Ultimate Access
Big Data is associated with the cloud because of massive storage of gigaflops of number crunching. This is a valuable part of storing virtually, but in the context of churches, the access to data, files, and information from nearly anywhere is of significant value.
While I’ve pointed out the clear advantage for multi-site churches, a much larger portion of the overall house of worship market can make the most out of the cloud: the small church.
Remembering that about 92 percent of all churches in North America have a weekend attendance of approximately 80 or less, volunteers are largely the workforce of the overwhelming majority of churches. Men, women and even kids are building light cues, editing videos, building presentations, setting up digital channels on a console they won’t even touch until the weekend and even creating stage plots. With full-time jobs elsewhere, this army of volunteers put in unseen hours preparing for the recurring seven-day grind, and the cloud is their shared access point that helps them do what might otherwise be impossible.
The Cloud and Content Curation
Well beyond storing flies and data drops, the cloud is perhaps best utilized as a way to curate content. The dilemma churches face when it comes to gathering new content is where to store it, what to store it on, how to organize it, how to access it quickly, and how to share their curation archives in real-time with with right people. Of course, this has been a market tapped by the professional video world as they’ve realized the volume of huge files (4K anyone?) that local storage simply cannot be handled economically.
Part of the future opportunity for manufacturers and systems integrators alike is the creation of Web-based software tools that make it easier for volunteers and staff to capture, tag, share and archive compelling content. With the boon of high quality audio, photos and video on mobile devices, an entire mobile accessories has sprung up to assist with the capture process. From products like the Tascam HD-P2 portable professional audio recorder to the clever PadCaster all-in-one iPad capture system, capturing has never been easier. But what to do with all of that digital content?
True, one can drag and drop files through Dropbox or Google Drive, but the real opportunity is to make the workflow process from capture to cataloging to curation much easier and cloud-centric. Today, it’s still a cluttered, non-seamless process of sharing and sorting various media and text files on a project by project basis. There’s plenty of room for innovation here to start with the end in mind: curation.
What Curation Means for Media
Google “content curation” and you’ll find a litany of content aggregation tools for digital marketers. This kind of curation should more accurately be described as “content aggregation,” as they help you find, organize and re-publish existing content from others on your own platforms. This is not what I mean by curation.
From a media standpoint in churches, what would be great is software that is integrated within the production workflow: capturing content, tagging it and time/timecode stamping it as it’s synced/uploaded to the cloud. Churches will want to give their production teams — staff and volunteers — easy (read: mobile) access to introduce content into an existing project workflow or a “holding area” for unfiltered content. The key is to provide a back-end tool for managing all of the users, metadata and the content itself, making the job of the content capture teams simplified while keeping the workflow clean and organized by the project leaders/managers. I’m quite sure the news networks have figured this out (or are figuring it out) through some very high-end systems (but I’m not playing in that world any longer) that do this. The trickle-down effect needs to be considered all the way down to the consumer level by manufacturers. And, frankly, systems integrators can also jump in on the action by creating this as part of a value-added service offering, much in the same way they adopted control tool sets (AMX, Crestron, etc.) to unify operation.
There’s almost no limit to what’s possible in terms of innovating with the Web as your platform. Unifying the process with a workflow perspective is the beginning of creating the new buying sequence for church leaders, where individual equipment choices are superseded by holistic content workflow and curation. Will your firm innovate in this space?
What do you think? Is Anthony’s future peek on target or not? Comment below! Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Click above to learn more
|
|
Harman Buys AMXIn a surprise move, today Harman announced that it will acquire control company AMX for $365 million, pending regulatory approvals. AMX was previously owned by The Duchossois Group, a privately held investment firm. HARMAN already owns many well-known AV brands, including JBL, Crown, dbx and others, though most were primarily focused on audio. The purchase of one of the biggest three home and commercial control companies is a big move into the rest of the market — a sign that Harman wants to be in more than just audio.
rAVe founder Gary Kayye says, “This is the largest acquisition in our market in a couple years. This is a good marriage between two companies the probably need each other and will be complementary to each other. HARMAN has a great distribution channel and fills out what AMX doesn’t have — an audio side — and likewise AMX gives HARMAN access to switching, routing, room control and new collaboration technologies. One interesting thing that should be noted from this is how much HARMAN paid for AMX. I think most people believe AMX was much larger than it really was. Based on this purchase amount, it appears that AMX is about 25 percent the size of Crestron and likely doing 1/6th of the amount of business Extron is doing.”
Below is the complete press release from HARMAN:
Harman International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE:HAR), the premier infotainment and audio group, today announced it has signed an agreement with The Duchossois Group, Inc. and its affiliates to acquire AMX LLC for US$365 million. AMX is the leading provider of enterprise control and automation systems and audio and video switching and distributing solutions. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals.
“The sale to HARMAN fulfills one of our fundamental objectives, which was to position this business with a leading entity that will take AMX to an even higher level of performance and success.”
“HARMAN is the leader in smart connectivity. Our vision is to extend our reach beyond the car into the enterprise, where we already have a substantial audio presence,” said Dinesh C. Paliwal, Chairman, President and CEO of HARMAN. “AMX is the global technology leader in enterprise control and automation as well as audio and video switching and distribution. With the addition of AMX, HARMAN will be uniquely positioned to provide complete audio, video, lighting and automation solutions to our customers globally.”
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Richardson, Texas, AMX’s hardware and proprietary software solutions simplify the way people interact with technology and are implemented worldwide throughout a variety of enterprises and venues such as conference rooms, hotels, classrooms, network operation / command centers, entertainment venues and broadcast facilities. AMX employs more than 600 people across its operations in 19 locations worldwide.
“Starting with the acquisition of Martin lighting last year, HARMAN has set forth a clear strategy to add visual solutions to our legacy of audio offerings” said Blake Augsburger, President, HARMAN Professional division. “AMX’s strong portfolio of video distribution hardware and software is a significant step into the video domain, reinforcing HARMAN’s commitment to expand our professional portfolio with industry-leading technologies and brands in adjacent and complementary markets.”
“HARMAN is a world-class company, and this transaction will provide additional opportunities to grow the AMX business,” said Robert L. Fealy, President and Chief Operating Officer, the Duchossois Group, and Chairman of AMX. “The sale to HARMAN fulfills one of our fundamental objectives, which was to position this business with a leading entity that will take AMX to an even higher level of performance and success.”
AMX will be integrated into HARMAN’s Professional division, a leading professional audio and lighting business, featuring legendary brands like AKG® Acoustics, BSS Audio®, Crown® amplifiers, dbx®, JBL ® Professional, Lexicon®, Soundcraft®, Studer® and Martin ® lighting. HARMAN’s Professional division designs, manufactures and markets leading professional audio and lighting products for recording and broadcast, musicians, cinema, touring sound, commercial applications like airports, stadiums, hotels and concert halls. HARMAN systems are installed in world renowned entertainment and hospitality complexes, transportation centers, and cultural and academic institutions around the globe.
Update:
The following message was sent out to AMX employees and dealers from AMX President and CEO Rashid Skaf:
AMX Partners,
I have some very exciting news that I want to share with you and your team. Earlier this morning, Harman International signed an agreement with The Duchossois Group, Inc. to acquire AMX. While the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, I want to let you know about the announcement and what it means for AMX. As you know, AMX is the global technology leader in enterprise control and automation as well as audio and video switching and distribution. HARMAN is known for smart connectivity in the car, as well as superior acoustics in the studio, on the stage, at home and in the car. With the addition of AMX to the HARMAN portfolio, we can now provide audio, video, lighting and automation solutions to our combined customers. I realize you may have a few questions for me about potential changes, the timing of those changes and other logistical issues. For now, it’s business as usual. We have a few weeks until we close the deal and there are many details to discuss with the team from HARMAN. I can tell you that AMX will be integrated into HARMAN’s Professional Division, where we will join other legendary brands like AKG Acoustics, BSS Audio, Crown amplifiers, dbx, JBL Professional, Lexicon, Soundcraft, Studer and Martin lighting. In addition, I will be joining HARMAN, working for Blake Augsburger, who heads up HARMAN’s Professional Division. In the meantime, I want to thank you as always for your partnership and support of AMX and look forward to working with you during the transition and beyond as AMX finds a new home within HARMAN. Best Regards, Rashid Skaf President & CEO AMX Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Click above to learn more
|
ElektraLite Intros Three New Professional LED ProductsElektraLite has launched three new LED light products for live events: the 1018-AI, the eyeBall Outdoor and LightStream.
The new 1018-AI is an improved version of ElektraLite’s 1018 QUAD LED stage light that adds two colors — amber and indigo. Featuring 18 12-watt, six-in-one LEDs (RGBAWI), the new color additions and optics allow the 1018-AI to provide extensive toning, so-called true-to-life blending and pastel range output.
The eyeBall family of fixtures now has a waterproof option in the eyeBall Outdoor that has blending capabilities of the RGBW eyeBall into a IP65 waterproof form factor. This eyeBall has the same optics and color blending and includes a wide variety of IP68 power and data cables for any outdoor lighting system.
LightStream is a special event fixture with a multi-plane moving head spot system featuring six 12-watt, quad (RGBW) LEDs. With each LED having a tight three-degree beam spread, the fixture features split-yoke rotators offering high-speed independent pan (540 degrees) and tilt (270 degrees) control for beam effects and movement profiles. LightStream also features individual control of each beam’s profile including color, intensity, strobe and effects.
List prices for each are: 1018-AI, $899; eyeBall Outdoor, $499; LightStream, $1499. More information is here. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
AJA Video Systems Intros Io 4K for Thunderbolt 2Io 4K from AJA Video Systems is capture and output hardware that offers professional video and audio connectivity with support for the latest 4K and UltraHD devices and High Frame Rate workflows.
The power of Thunderbolt 2 enables Io 4K to handle a wide range of formats from SD to HD, UHD and full 4K over both SDI and HDMI and support 4K frame rates up to 50p/60p.
With more affordable high-resolution cameras available, many productions are opting to shoot at a higher resolution even if final delivery is still in SD or HD. This offers the flexibility to re-master at higher resolutions in the future.
When working at 4K resolutions, Io 4K outputs a high-quality HD-SDI down-converted signal on a dedicated BNC connector. This HD signal can be used to output 4K projects directly to HD recorders for broadcast and for easy viewing of 4K images on HD monitors during post-production.
Thunderbolt 2 technology provides an incredible amount of bandwidth on a single Thunderbolt cable. Io 4K capitalizes on this increased capacity to allow up to 4K signals to be captured and output.
With dual Thunderbolt 2 ports, Io 4K can daisy chain additional devices together such as high-resolution displays and high-capacity storage for a complete, portable solution that’s powerful enough to meet the demands of professional production.
Embedded 16-channel SDI and 8-channel HDMI audio are supported as well as analog audio outputs via a standard DB-25 connection. Stereo monitoring is also possible with 2x RCA outputs and a front panel mini-TRS headphone jack.
Io 4K features full 10-bit, broadcast-quality, motion adaptive SD to HD up-conversion, HD to HD cross-conversion, HD to SD down-conversion, and automatic HD/SD 12-bit component analog output. Since all conversion functionality is hardware-based, it’s available on ingest or playback.
More information is available here.
This article originally appeared in rAVe Europe. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Click above to learn more
|
Adamson To Debut E219 Subwoofer At Infocomm Adamson will debut the new E219 subwoofer at InfoComm as part of the Energia family, which includes the E15, E12 and E218.
The E219 is loaded with two lightweight, long excursion 19” SD19 Kevlar Neodymium drivers utilizing Adamson’s so-called Advanced Cone Architecture. The drivers use dual 5″ voice coils for power handling, and are mounted in a front-loaded enclosure, designed to reproduce clean, musical low frequency information.
The lightweight E219 — weighing in at 249 pounds — lends itself to rigging situations that benefit from flying subwoofers. The sub is designed to be used as a standalone low frequency component in the Energia system, but can also be combined with the E218 cabinet for larger events.
The E219 subwoofer is specified for use and packaged with the Lab.gruppen PLM 20000Q amplifier. Four E219 cabinets can be run from a single amp. The end result is clean LF reproduction at high SPL levels with low power compression.
Integrated rigging permits a 0° or a 3° angle which allows for compatibility with the full-range line array modules in the Energia system. The E219 can be transported using a 3-up dolly, or a single dolly system. When truck-loaded, multiple sets of E219s fit comfortably in European trailers of 93″ width as well as American trucks of 96″ or 102″.
The cabinet – measuring 23.5 in x 56 in x 35 in – is constructed of marine grade birch plywood as well as aircraft grade steel and aluminum. It is equipped with three Speakon NL8 connectors, two parallel in/out plugs and one dedicated output connection point for efficient use of speaker cabling.
Details are not on the company’s website yet, but when they are, they will be here. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Delta Displays Intros New Cost-Effective LED Displays Delta Products Corp. has announced a new line of budget-friendly LED products. The new X Series consists of 13 indoor models and nine outdoor models including 4mm, 6mm, 8mm and 10mm indoor SMD LED displays and 6mm, 8mm, 10mm and 16mm outdoor SMD LED displays.
Delta says the indoor X Series LED displays deliver excellent image quality at an affordable price. Designed for a variety of indoor environments such as retail, houses of worship, museums, corporate lobbies, arenas and casinos, the IBX-4 and IBX-6 are equipped with black-face SMD LEDs to offer enhanced contrast for crisper images in areas with high ambient light.
The company also says the X Series outdoor tiles are rugged, IP65-rated and designed for 24/7 operation. The SX-6 6mm and SX-8 8mm SMD displays match finer pixel pitches with higher brightness for challenging outdoor display requirements.
More information is here. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Click above to learn more
|
NUGEN Audio’s Visualizer Adds New Interface, AAX 64 Bit and VST3 Support NUGEN Audio just released a significant update of its Visualizer audio analysis suite designed for high-end music production. The update adds support for the Avid AAX 64-bit format for both PC and Mac, as well as the VST3 standard for digital audio plug-ins.
Visualizer provides audio analysis for recording, mixing, and mastering in a single plug-in, offering a standardized reference set of professional tools designed to help audio engineers work faster, avoid mistakes, repeat past successes, and understand the success of others. With the latest upgrade, NUGEN claims that Visualizer is now among the first in the industry to be compatible with Avid Pro Tools 11.
With Visualizer, engineers are able to access many different views within a single window system, which lets them select the view combinations they need. Visualizer automatically resizes and aligns windows to maximize legibility and referencing information across screens. For recording, Visualizer offers tools for calibration, setting levels, signal path checking, noise minimization, and many other audio tasks. At the mixing desk, engineers can use Visualizer for tasks such as low-end control, masking, hidden frequencies, and stereo placement, among many others. For mastering, Visualizer supports a wide range of views such as stereo spread, phase relationships and EQ distribution.
The complete details are here. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Mackie Thump Series Now ShippingMackie is now shipping its Thump Series Powered Loudspeakers spec’d at 1000 watts of power. The Thump12 and Thump15 improve upon the low end original Thump loved by DJs and musicians, while the new Thump18S subwoofer is for for improving low end in a PA system.
Thump features include crossovers, transducer time alignment and a unique 3-band EQ with a sweepable mid. With flexible mounting options, combo mic/line inputs and a great wedge angle, Thump full-range loudspeakers provide the application flexibility as they are lightweight and portable.
The Thump12 lists for $389.99, the Thump15 is $469.99 and the Thump18S is $879.99 and all of them are here. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Analog Way Adds 4K to LiveCore Series of AV Switchers Analog Way is adding 4K resolution to its LiveCore series of AV switchers and will debut at InfoComm next month the Ascender 48-4K. Analog Way will add to the LiveCore series two new connectors: HDMI 1.4b and DVI 4K. Three HDMI 4K inputs and two DVI 4K outputs will be available on the SmartMatriX Ultra, Ascender 32 and Ascender 48. The NeXtage 16 will come with two HDMI 4K inputs and a DVI 4K output.
Several frame rates are available as 4K/30P 4:4:4, 4K/60P 4:2:0 or 4K/60P 4:4:4 according to the reference. The LiveCore series supports 3840×2160 (UHD) and 4096×2160 resolutions (native resolution for DCI-compliant 4K). The option will be available for systems already in the field.
Analog Way says the LiveCore series offers the ability to perfectly switch a 4K native background or 4K layers. When one output is disabled, its layers can be added to another output, resulting in up to 12 true seamless layers per output in 2K, or 6 layers in 4K.
The Ascender 48-4K isn’t on Analog Way’s website yet, but will be here when it is. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
AFlex5D Launches 40-Series Processors with Edge Blending and 3D Aflex5D is introducing the 40-Series of stacking processors with edge blending and 3D capabilities. This allows integrators to combine high-brightness projectors in order to create a video wall or seamless “side-by-side” imagine.
The AF5D-40 and AF5D-41 processors stacks and blends projectors using the company’s Q-Stack technology, which Aflex5D says eliminates the need for cameras or other hardware. Offering geometric correction, the processors can be used, for example, for digital signage applications in various formats, with irregular shapes or curved or domed screens. The Airflex5D-40 and 41 series supports both Circular and Linear Polarized Passive 3D Stereoscopic imaging.
Projector stacking applications such as this one allow integrators to save clients money by combining multiple, less-expensive projectors to create a high brightness application without the expense of a single, high-brightness projector — for example, using four 3,000-lumen projectors rather than a single 12,000-lumen projector.
The AF5D-40 sells for $2,899, while the AF5D-41, which adds video wall capabilities, sells for $3,999. More information is here. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Harbinger Introduces New VâRi Series Powered LoudspeakersHarbinger Pro Audio has debuted the VâRi Series of portable powered loudspeakers that includes two models to meet a wide range of users and applications, from bands and musical performance to DJs, karaoke and presentations. The V2115 is a 15-inch, two-way loudspeaker system that packs 600 watts of power with Class-D amplification. The V2112 offers the same feature set in a 12-inch configuration.
Both units feature a host of new features, including an integrated 3-channel mixer with auxiliary inputs and XLR balanced line outputs for integrating into larger setups, as well as a built-in limiter and 2-band EQ for control. Integrated handles and 1-3/8″ stand mounts are standard on all VâRi systems, making them ideal for both main PA and monitor applications.
The new Harbinger VâRi Series is already shipping and the VâRi V2115 lists for $249.99, with the V2112’s list at $229.99 — both are here. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
GLP’s Scenex Lighting Now Has iPad-based Wireless DMX SystemGLP US’s Scenex Lighting brand has announced the launch of AirDMX wireless DMX application that runs via an Apple iPad.
The hardware for AirDMX consists of a single compact wireless DMX receiver that is mounted by the receiving fixtures. The iPad can then connect over a standard Wi-Fi connection to the wireless receiver for full fixture control.
The AirDMX software is fully featured and comes complete with a wide range of existing fixture libraries — although you can build your own too, if needed. AirDMX can control moving lights, LED effects, dimmers and any other DMX controlled product.
GLP says the AirDMX system is easy to program and operate and includes settings like full cue timing control, a color picker, up to 120 programmable cues, manual override of individual channels and master control for on the fly changes.
Here are all the details. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Revolabs Ships Executive Elite Wireless Microphone Systems Revolabs is now shipping its Executive Elite four- and eight-channel wireless microphone systems that use a new distributed architecture. Featuring AES-256 encryption with dynamic key updates every three minutes, Revolabs’ Executive Elite includes all connections types: AVB, analog and USB. And the system’s distributed architecture allows the remote antenna receiver and base units to connect via a standard Cat6 cable with power over Ethernet (PoE) support — allowing the remote antenna receiver to be placed in the same room as wireless microphones to improve wireless connectivity and simplify setups.
And, new for Revolabs, the Executive Elite adds a gooseneck mic to the omnidirectional and directional tabletop series, wearable microphones, and XLR/mini-XLR adapters and the microphones are spec’d to allow up to 20 hours of talk time and 72 standby hours, even with receivers up to 300 feet away.
For larger applications than the system’s standard four or eight microphone channels, multiple Executive Elite receivers can be linked to utilize up to 44 (Americas) or 76 (rest-of-world) microphones in a single room. Administrators can monitor and control all microphones via USB, RS232 or Ethernet interfaces locally, or use a new cloud-based management environment for remote command and control capabilities including third-party managed installations.
Here are all the detailed specs. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
HARMAN’s Crown Intros DCi Network Display Amplifiers With Front Panel Display and AVB HARMAN’s Crown Audio is expanding its DriveCore Install (DCi) Series amplifier range with the introduction of its DCi Network Display 8|600ND and 4|1250ND power amplifiers. These amplifiers feature front-panel status displays and AVB (Audio Video Bridging) connectivity. The new eight- and four-channel DCi Network Display amplifiers will actually be the first professional audio amplifier to be certified by the AVnu Alliance.
Both DCi Network Display amplifiers feature a front-panel display and LEDs and a large multifunction knob and push buttons enable instant access to control functions. The amplifiers are compatible with HARMAN’s HiQnet Audio Architect system setup and control software and utilize TCP/IP-based protocol in HiQnet for network monitoring and control.
The eight-channel DCi 8|600ND is spec’d at 600 watts into 8 ohms (300, 600 and 300W into 16, 4 and 2 ohms) and the four-channel DCi 4|1250ND provides 1250W into 8, 4 or 2 ohms (625W into 16 ohms). Both amplifiers offer direct drive “constant voltage” capabilities for 70Vrms and 100Vrms amplification without the need for a step-up transformer, yielding higher audio quality in distributed audio applications with power outputs of 1250W and 600W respectively.
Like all Crown DCi Series amplifiers, the DCi 8|600ND and DCi 4|1250ND utilize HARMAN’s proprietary DriveCore (Class D) amplifier IC chip for efficient operation from a compact form factor measuring just 2 RU high. The DriveCore chip combines the amplifier driver stage into the power output stage along with additional audio-signal functions, yet is about the size of a postage stamp.
Both amplifiers provide a host of networking and control features including continuous load monitoring, error reporting, pilot tone monitoring and programmable general purpose input/output (GPIO) ports. The DCi 8|600ND and DCi 4|1250ND offer extensive DSP capabilities such as LevelMAX limiters for the inputs and outputs, with thermal limiting, input and output delay, input and output EQ, built-in crossovers and a built-in signal generator.
Here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Free PreSonus SL Room Control is Designed for StudioLive AI-series LoudspeakersPreSonus’ free SL Room Control is system-control and performance-monitoring software for StudioLive AI Active Integration loudspeakers. The software runs under Mac OS X 10.7 and later, Windows 7 or 8, and iOS 7 and will later run on Apple iPad 2 or later.
Tightly integrated with StudioLive AI-series speakers, PreSonus says that its SL Room Control gives you the equivalent control of a rack-mount loudspeaker-management system and more and it works wirelessly or over a wired (Ethernet) local area network. SL Room Control provides access to a suite of advanced editing controls for customizing each StudioLive AI-series speaker on the network to compensate for room anomalies, create delay systems, eliminate feedback, and more. These features include a 500 ms alignment delay (in 0.1 ms increments); 8-band parametric EQ; 8 notch filters (0.72 of 1 half-step) for surgical frequency removal; input-level control to limit the maximum output of the speaker; mute; and solo.
The software also lets you remotely select any of four DSP contours that customize the loudspeaker for normal operation, playing low-bitrate MP3s, floor-monitor operation, or extended low-frequency boost for the StudioLive 18sAI subwoofer. This lets you to optimize each speaker for its application without needing access to the back panel. You can also remote control the 100 Hz highpass filter on each full-range model and the polarity reverse on the 18sAI subwoofer.
With SL Room Control, you can edit, save, recall and share speaker-setup parameters, as well as set custom labels and comments for each speaker. You can also group speakers in order to manage specific parts of the system, then save all settings for the entire system in a single preset. Create settings for each individual speaker, for groups of speakers and for the entire system in your venue.
The software enables you to remotely monitor key performance indicators in real time for each StudioLive AI speaker on the network, including spotting thermal problems, driver over-excursion and signal levels that are too hot for the converters so you can correct them before disaster strikes.
StudioLive AI loudspeakers are ready to network out of the box, so you need only add a Mac, PC or iPad (or a combination of those), a wireless router and SL Room Control. A Network Wizard makes setting up SL Room Control easy.
SL Room Control for Mac OS X and Windows is free to registered StudioLive AI-series loudspeaker owners and can be downloaded from the customer’s online My PreSonus account. SL Room Control for iPad is a free download from the Apple App Store.
Go here for all the details. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
|
For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe HOW 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 GHGav [Green, Healthcare & Government AV] 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 2013 – 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. |
|
|
|