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Volume 5, Issue 9 — September 20, 2011
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The Seven Deadly Sins
By Joel Rollins, CTS Last month, (before the tragedy in Indianapolis took us off an another important direction of discussion for the industry) we were discussing the arrogance that can lead large manufacturers to “drink their own Kool-Aid” and blind themselves to the realities of the market.
During the intervening month, I received quite a lot of email from readers who told their own stories, both from manufacturer and dealer/stager personnel. While a few argued the point, most agreed — and a few actually asked, “You didn’t mean US, did you?” But there WAS general agreement that the phenomenon DOES take place — that a manufacturer in a dominant market position can believe that they dictate to the market. And that, more often than not, it can be their undoing with their customer base.
But one, thoughtfully, reminded me that arrogance was one of the “Seven Deadly Sins.” For those of you who, like me, haven’t done a lot of theological study, the Seven Deadly Sins are the sins thought by religious theologians to lead to a downfall, and they are usually given as wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. And while this column has no religious connotations, it does seem to me that, while arrogance (pride) is usually chief among the sins committed by our suppliers, there are others that also apply.
Wrath: This one is one of the most visible, especially when a manufacturer, or their field rep, cuts off support or information to a dealership that for one reason or another has chosen to support a competitive product for a particular application. Another good phrase that describes this kind of action is “cutting off your nose to spite your face.”
Greed: In business, we all have to make a profit to stay in the marketplace, and this alone does not define “greed” in a supplier. However, “greed” rears its ugly head when a supplier attempts to use their leading products as a hammer to force the sale of their lesser-known or lesser-quality products. This occurs when a manufacturer’s sales manager realizes they have a real winner in the product line, and creates sales requirements for other products as a way of leveraging it, rather than selling all their products on their own merits.
Sloth: This one practically needs no definition — it occurs whenever a supplier decides that its sales position is SO dominant that it no longer needs to try. One of my first bosses told me, “The death of a sales force is having a product that sells itself.” Manufacturers do go through these periods, when they introduce a product that breaks ground in some way and its all the sales force can do to answer the phone and fill the orders. Often, when one of these periods comes to an end, it is because while they weren’t looking, a competitor introduced a superior product in the market, and the sales force has to essentially begin to break ground in their own dealer base all over again.
Pride (or arrogance): We’ve already talked about the effects of this one, but the symptoms are plain to see. It’s when field reps (or even headquarters personnel) begin to simply dismiss the competition. Nothing offends a dealership or staging company quite as much as to have a manufacturer’s rep sit in our offices, coffee in hand, and talk about what a joke the competitor’s product is. Products with NO merits at all rarely make it all the way to market, and each has their place. A truly great, and truly confident, rep or manufacturer is capable of giving credit where credit is due, and talk about the merits of their own product line rather than the deficiencies of others. We grow to respect these people’s opinions in the field. I’d draw your attention back to “Miracle on 34th St.,” where Gimbels and Macy’s decide to be honest about the merits of each other’s products, and the giant wave of consumer goodwill they generate.
Well, OK, maybe that one is a little extreme, but you get the picture — a rep should be seen as a knowledgeable market expert, who, while he has is own product to sell, is in the know about others. It makes his/her own arguments that much stronger.
Anyway, you see the parallels — and the meaning. In tough economic times, the last thing any of us can do is to rest on our proverbial laurels. And I know each of you could go on to further define lust, envy and gluttony among our suppliers. I’m not going to.
Call it “sloth.” rAVe Rental [and Staging] contributor Joel R. Rollins, CTS-R, is General Manager of Everett Hall Associates, Inc. and is well known throughout the professional AV industry for his contributions to industry training and his extensive background in AV rental, staging and installation. Joel can be reached at joelrollins@mac.com
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L-ACOUSTICS Launches ARCS II Constant Curvature WST Line Source More than a decade and a half after the debut of its ARCS, L-ACOUSTICS has now officially unveiled the new ARCS II constant curvature line source at SSE Audio Group's PLASA booth last week in London. ARCS II benefits from a design exploiting L-ACOUSTICS' Wavefront Sculpture Technology (WST) in a constant curvature line source solution.
Intended for medium-to-large rental productions, the bi-amplified ARCS II enclosure is based on a two-way active design and offers a number of improvements over the previous generation, primarily L-ACOUSTICS' K1 grade transducers for increased SPL (140 dB) and lower weight (110 pounds/50 kg). It also features a new front grille for enhanced durability and appearance, and is driven by a single factory preset to efficiently accommodate any application.
An ARCS II line source can be deployed either horizontally or vertically, with a coverage angle proportional to the number of enclosures in the array (N x 22.5 degrees). On the other plane — vertical or horizontal, respectively — the ARCS II line source provides an asymmetrical coverage angle of 60 degrees (20/40). The orientation of the ARCS II enclosures within the array determines asymmetric distribution, allowing the use of a horizontal ARCS II line source either for upward or downward coverage. Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Smart-AVI Intros New KVM For $3,000, Smart-AVI claims that its QuadKVM allows you to view up to four different analog and digital video sources simultaneously on one projector or monitor, in addition to supporting USB keyboard and mouse functionality. Using all DVI-I connectors, viewing options include dual-mode, quad-mode, full-screen mode and PIP (picture in picture) mode. It supports resolutions up to 1900×1200 (DVI) and 1600×1200 (VGA) and the Quad-mode splits the screen to show four computers on one screen, while the Dual-mode splits the screen to show two computers on one screen. The PiP-mode displays one computer in full screen with three thumbnail views.
Here are all the specs: http://www.smartavi.com/categories/kvm-solutions/kvm-switches/quadkvm.htm Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Epson Launches $399 SVGA Projector and $499 XGA Projector This week, Epson rocked the projector market with the introduction of three new VS-series LCD projectors. All three models are spec'd to deliver 2,600 lumens – the VS210 ($399) offers SVGA resolution, the VS310 ($499) delivers XGA resolution, and the VS315W ($599) provides WXGA (1280×800) resolution. All weigh in at 5.1 lbs., include USB Plug ‘n Play for instantly projecting video and audio from a PC or Mac computer via a USB connection, plus automatic vertical keystone correction for easy image alignment and fast setup. In addition, the new VS models feature Direct Power On and Off for wall switch power control and Instant On/Off which instantly powers the projector on and off with no cool down time.
The Epson VS210, VS310 and VS315W will be available in Sept. 2011 and you can see all the specs here: http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Projectors/Home.do?BV_UseBVCookie=yes Leave a Comment
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Click here for more information Community Shows New Networked Loudspeaker Processor Yesterday, Community Loudspeakers announced what it is claiming as a "ground-breaking loudspeaker processor" in the dSPEC226. Community says it has an all-new approach to configuring, controlling and commissioning sound system installations using a custom high-speed SHARC DSP and a Xilinx Spartan FPGA, but the information on the product doesn't specifically say what the differentiation really is in this product over the plethora of DSP-based audio processors on the market today. All dSPEC models feature a 4 Input x 6 Output fixed-chain DSP architecture that includes 2 x 6 native analog I/Os. Various expansion cards are available to provide two additional analog inputs, two AES3 dual-channel digital inputs, or eight CobraNet Inputs and Outputs. Community also tells rAVe that additional expansion cards will become available as new digital audio networking protocols gain market acceptance.
Complete specs are here: http://www.communitypro.com/index.php/product-list/366-dspec Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Renkus-Heinz Ships New Modular Point Source Array for Installs or Staging Apps The new CF101-LA Modular Point Source Array from Renkus-Heinz is designed for small and mid-sized venues, including auditoriums, night clubs, theaters and houses of worship. The self-powered CF101-LA delivers the performance and pattern control of a line array in a compact and what they call an "affordable design" that's for use both on the road or in a permanent installation. With the flexibility to be flown, ground-stacked or pole-mounted, up to four CF101-LA cabinets can be arrayed to provide a 90×60 degree coverage pattern, delivering up to 9dB more output and tighter vertical pattern control than a conventional single cabinet. A non-powered version, CFX101-LA, is also available.
Get more specs here: http://www.renkus-heinz.com/loudspeakers/iclive/index.html Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Christie Intros LHD700 and LX1200 LCD Projectors at IBC in Europe Christie has added the 12,000 lumen Christie LX1200 and the HD 1080p Christie LHD700 projector to its LCD line-up. The successor to the popular Christie LX1000, the Christie LX1200 is designed for rental/staging applications, boardrooms, higher ed auditoriums and houses of worship. With a native XGA (1024×768) resolution, the Christie LX1200 fills the market need for a high brightness, low-cost projector. Brighter and packed with more features than its predecessor, the Christie LX1200 utilizes the 4DColor technology that incorporates a fourth (yellow) LCD panel. The LX1200 also features a mechanical light shutter to block light, inorganic LCD panels and top loading lamps for easy replacement. With optional input slots, the Christie LX1200 also supports additional video signals including HD-SDI, or a network input card for control and asset management.
The new Christie LHD700 is a 7000-lumen, 1080p LCD projector using a single lamp and 4DColor technology. It's also aimed at auditoriums, corporate boardrooms, government, higher education, houses of worship and fixed and rental staging requiring native HD content. Its AutoFilter cartridge system monitors airflow for up to 10,000 hours while its extended lamp life and with optional input slots. It also supports additional video signals including HD-SDI, or a network input card for control and asset management.
Both the Christie LX1200 and Christie LHD700 come with a three-year warranty, ship in Q4 2011 and can be found here: http://www.christiedigital.com/en-us/news-room/press-releases/pages/christie-introduces-lhd700-and-lx1200-lcd-projectors-at-ibc.aspx Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Riedel Intros AVB-Based Real-Time IP Line Riedel Communications debuted a suite of AVB products for the Artist digital matrix intercom platform last week at the IBC Show in Amsterdam. As you may already know, the AVB platform allows for transporting AES3/EBU audio in real-time with guaranteed bandwidth and quality of service (QoS) via IP-based Local Area Networks (LAN). It's what Harman uses, for example, for its HiQnet system.
Thus far, connecting intercom panels over an IP-based LAN environment has been only a dream since issues inherent to IP such as latency, reliability and missing synchronization prevented them from doing so. Well, according to Riedel, their AVB product line overcomes these issues and provides a real-time communication solution fulfilling the demands of professional intercom users. Based on official IEEE next generation Ethernet standards like 802.1Qav, P802.1Qat and P802.1AS, AVB allows risk-free utilization of AVB compliant facility or enterprise LAN infrastructure for intercom applications. This allows for new approaches in system and facility design providing significant savings in infrastructure investments.
Intercom applications for Riedel’s AVB products feature matrix-to-control panel connections via LAN, audio distribution via LAN, matrix-to-matrix trunking connections via LAN and distribution of digital partylines via LAN. The Riedel suite of AVB products includes the AVB-108 G2 Client Card as well as the Connect AVB and Connect AVBx8 panel interfaces. The AVB-108 G2 card is a regular Artist client card to be used inside the Artist mainframe. It converts eight Artist matrix ports into AVB and vice versa. The AVB-108 G2 client card communicates either with other AVB-108 G2 client cards in another Artist systems, e.g. for trunking, or with Riedel’s Connect AVB and Connect AVBx8 panel interfaces.
For all the specs, go here: http://www.riedel.net/IntercomSolutions/ArtistDigitalMatrix/Platform/tabid/62/language/en-US/Default.aspx Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top RGB Lights Shows New Touring LED Truss RGB Lights today announced a new FlexiFlex Touring Truss specifically created to simplify and speed up large format video installations using FlexiFlex – a flexible, modular LED video system. An integrated cable and power management system allows stagehands and technicians to set up faster and with fewer connections. The 24" x 12" box truss is designed to house power supply, power distribution and networking components. FlexiFlex Touring Truss can support 50-100 millimeter FlexiFlex panels up to 60 feet high.
The HUD/GT-compatible system is available in 4-, 8-, and 10-foot standard lengths and utilizes pin/spigot connections. It’s stackable for easy load-in and load-out and the cart system is designed for 1/3 truck pack to simplify transport. All components are designed to be easily serviced in the field by the users’ own onsite technicians.
To learn more, go here: http://rgblights.com/new/flexiflex.php Leave a Comment
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For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe Rental [and Staging] 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% opinionated. We not only report the news and new product stories of the rental and staging industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions — in this case, it’s industry-veteran Joel Rollins' 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
rAVe [Publications] has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter, rAVe ProAV Edition. rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA, launched in February, 2004. rAVe Rental [and Staging] launched in November 2007. rAVe Ed [Education] launched in May 2008. rAVe DS [Digital Signage] was launched in January of 2009.
To read more about my background, our team, and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com Back to Top Copyright 2011 – 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 Rental [and Staging] contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors. |
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