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Volume 6, Issue 12 — December 18, 2012
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One Teaches, Two Learn
By Joel Rollins
rAVe Columnist Yesterday, I was hunting through quotes by one of my favorite authors, Robert A. Heinlein. I was looking for the exact text of his famous quote about technology sufficiently developed being indistinguishable from magic.
But I came across another quote, attributed to this groundbreaking author of science fiction, although I'm sure it is probably older. And I'm sure of that because it's something I consider a basic truth, one our forefathers would have termed "self-evident."
It was: "When one teaches, two learn."
Let me explain why I believe this to be true.
I came into this industry about 28 years ago; I was a hotel manager recruited by my favorite AV company to take over the sales and marketing of their rental and staging department. My boss was Terry Friesenborg, the rental manager (now vice president of InfoComm). This was the early ‘80s, and video and data projection systems were the hot new technology in AV rental. Terry, widely acknowledged as a leader in adopting these new technologies, as well as more traditional AV technologies, had been asked by ICIA to develop and teach a new Institute course: The Fundamentals of AV Rental Operations.
But Terry was a very busy rental manager, and, while he had a good outline for the course, it was now two weeks out from that Institute, and ICIA was asking for the manual for the course so that it could be reproduced and bound for the class, which was sold out. And I could write, after a fashion. So Terry hadn't just recruited me to take over rental sales, he had recruited me to help him produce that manual.
So we stole the giant IBM Selectric typewriter from the office, and the rental department's first Compaq portable PC (the sewing machine-style one with the 7" CRT built in). And we moved into my living room. For a week.
Now, I had always been an amateur photographer and was an early computer enthusiast, and had spent time building the crystal radios that you have all heard about. I had also worked closely with Terry on staging in my capacity as a facility manager. So I was not without technical background.
So, at the end of that week, I must have been one of the most knowledgeable newbies in the history of the audiovisual industry. Imagine being able to spend a solid week of one-on-one learning with an expert who was also a good teacher. Everything I have managed to do in this industry I can trace back to that week with Terry.
At the end of that week I was so drilled up on procedures, facts and figures that Terry asked me to come to Bloomington to teach the course with him. I have always loved teaching, had done a lot of it both in school and within a hotel organization, and was really looking forward to it.
Then Terry and his wife had a baby — the day we were due to leave for Bloomington.
Suddenly, I was the teacher. I had able help from a couple of our technicians, but the bulk of the classroom presentations would be on me.
The course was a smash success. It went on to be the bestseller among InfoComm courses for several years thereafter. And, at the time, I actually had the least amount of time actually working in the rental industry of anyone in the class.
Some of you will be reading this who did not know this until now.
Another side effect was that those basics, those procedures, those immutable laws of physics were all drilled into my head in ways that simply reading them and memorizing them never could. I came away from that class so confident in what I had learned, that I think I just went back to work and got to start in at a different level than I normally would have.
So the point of my story, and the quote from Robert Heinlein? The very best way to make any set of knowledge your own is to help pass it on to somebody else. Then you own it. Now, I’m not suggesting that any of you jump into a situation like I had. It sounds great now, but I had a number of anxiety attacks at the time. What I am suggesting is that anybody with a desire to stay on top of this technology, anybody who possesses knowledge that could help the rest of their organization, and any of you who just plain have talent for teaching get involved in doing so. Our industry organizations like InfoComm, CEDIA and NSCA all have need of good volunteer teachers. It sounds like a lot to give up a week or two of your time to teach, but trust me, you will walk away from the experience feeling much more confident in the knowledge that you possess.
Oh, and it looks pretty good on your resume, too.
(Note: if any of you have a desire to do this and are unsure of where to best utilize the knowledge that you have, or who just want to ask questions about being in industry trainer, send me an email or respond on our blog. I would be happy to help put you in touch with people that you could work with.)
rAVe Rental [and Staging] contributor Joel R. Rollins, CTS, 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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Share Article Back to Top A Winter Chill in Connecticut
By Joel Rollins
rAVe Columnist Friday morning, the technical crew of my staff was standing outdoors, indulging in a few minutes that we refer to as the USB or “union smoke break.” One of the things that we all remarked on was that winter was setting in, and it was getting cold.
We had no idea at the time how cold it was about to get.
In our company, we deal mostly with financial firms, banks and hedge funds. They are hard-driving businesses, precise in the way they work, and while we enjoy working with the technology that they require, they’re not what we would refer to most of the time as fun people.
And yet, we are a 38-year-old company, and before our town became the capital of the investment industry in the United States, we were the hometown audiovisual company for a lot of Connecticut’s schools. Several of them are still with us as clients, and have been through a number of generations of school personnel. And while they can’t produce the kind of revenue that the trading floors can, there is a special kind of psychic income that we get from them. On the day that we are installing something for one of them, you can usually see it in the attitude in the office. It is fun when we can share the kind of technology that we work with with the school. The thought that perhaps we can help a young child to discover the thrill of learning, or even that we can make them laugh when they watch a movie in their new auditorium, can make the job fun. It’s always great when you’re working on the final programming of a system and you feel a tug at your sleeve and one of these little kids wants to know what it is that you are doing. It makes our day.
For us, one of these places is called Sandy Hook Elementary School. It’s a pleasant little place located out in the rural Connecticut that I love so much. It’s not the kind of place that you think of with drugs, violence, or street gangs. It’s the kind of place that you think of when you think of bake sales and PTA meetings and volunteer fire departments.
This morning, a young man took the lives of 27 people in that school. None of us will ever understand what could make someone make targets of small children, to deny them the future that they were there to learn about, and to resign from humanity in such fashion. Twenty sets of parents will spend the rest of their lives searching for meaning in an act inherently meaningless. And all of us will find ourselves reduced in some way by the fact that one of us could do such a thing.
Today, some of us spent the day sending emails and making phone calls to determine if any of the people we knew were victims. Tomorrow, I’m sure we’ll find out, but will be unable to rejoice for those saved because of the memory of those who were not, and because of the knowledge that in some way today everyone was a victim.
For those of you who pray, I would ask that you pray for the children and parents of Sandy Hook school. For all of you, I would ask that you remember that the work we do for schools is important, and to keep working for all children.
Editor's Note: Joel's company, Everett Hall Associates, is managing a drive to donate art supplies to the Newton schools, since art therapy helps children deal with trauma. If you're interested in donating, email Mike Macri at mmacri@everetthall.com
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Share Article Back to Top InfoComm: Progress in Live Event Safety
By Dan Daley
Special to InfoComm International This column was reprinted with permission from InfoComm International and originally appeared here.
Recent years have seen a rise in the number and severity of life-safety disasters at live events, particularly in the concert-touring sector. In 2011 alone, the industry had to contend with storm-related disasters at the Indianapolis State Fair, where seven concert-goers died; the Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium, where five died; and the Ottawa Blues Fest where one person died when wind knocked down the main stage.
This year, the mayhem has not been as intense. Nonetheless a crew member died at the Radiohead show at Downsview Park in Toronto in June when wind caused some rigging to fail. Meteorological-related dangers have become so ubiquitous and so headline-grabbing that more events now err on the side of caution, such the Black Eyed Peas concert in New York’s Central Park last summer, which was rescheduled due to the threat of violent weather. However, such measures irritate and alienate concert-goers, cutting revenues for promoters, artists and AV systems vendors.
Two initiatives currently underway seek to codify — formally, if not unofficially — the myriad regulations, codes and resources that live event producers and participants must or should reference in the course of doing business.
The Event Safety Alliance (ESA), a U.S.-based group of about 600 industry members, ranging from manufacturers to riggers and touring production managers, is trying to adapt the so-called Purple Guide, which is a collection of best practices and resources (more prosaically titled the Event Safety Guide) issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), a non-departmental public body in the U.K. The group expects the first iteration of an Americanized version of the guide to be available by Feb. 1 2013.
In addition, PLASA, the international membership body for those who supply technologies and services to the event, entertainment and installation industries, is nearly finished with its most recent review of two critical safety standards: one covering temporary ground-supported roof structures for event stages (ANSI E1.21), and the other for the design, manufacture and use of aluminum trusses and towers (ANSI 1.2). Both standards have been put out for public (read: industry) comment. Karl Ruling, technical standards manager at PLASA, says ANSI E1.21 has drawn the most suggestions.
“It was originally intended to address the roof over temporary structures, but it may be extended to include speaker towers, and towers in the audience for sound mixing or follow spots, for instance,” he says. The standard may also extend to include stages that are part of any structure that is also used to support a roof or truss over it. “We’ve had no problems with stages actually being lifted up by high winds, but if the stage is part of the roof, which is more vulnerable to wind, then this would address that.”
The Road Map
Jim Digby wears two hats: He is the production manager for the band Linkin Park and he’s also coordinating the adaptation of the U.S. version of the Purple Guide as ESA’s executive director. The U.S. version has neither a publisher yet nor an official title (they’ve knocked around variations on the color theme of the U.K. guide, which is named for its purple-colored pages). It will contain links to U.S. agencies and organizations, including OSHA, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and stagehands union IATSE, that offer guidance on various aspects of live event safety, making it what Digby calls a “field manual” for an industry that has, until now, been at the mercy of information scattered across thousands of local codes and regulations.
“What this will do is point someone right to the correct agency or appropriate PLASA standard,” he says. “It will collate all of the best practices and other resources in a single place and make them easily findable and readily available for all live-event professionals. The Purple Guide was really kind of a shortcut for us, a road map to lay it out for the U.S.”
What it won’t be able to do it compel anyone to read it or put its recommendations into actual practice. Most of these standards and practices don’t carry the weight of law or professional organizational mandates.
“All of this is voluntary,” says Ruling, who says that these initiatives have to be careful not to give the appearance of being statutes or encouraging of local legislatures to punch up their own regulations.
Says Digby, “This is an industry that has gone unstandardized to a large degree for years. We have to make it clear that we’re not trying to restrict creativity when it comes to tour production designs, but we also want to show that safety standards can come from within, from people who know the industry, rather than from legislation.”
Alternate Routes
While organizations continue to develop and refine safety standards for live events, weather remains the big X factor for event safety. Most of the damage and injuries at live events in the last five years have, at least in part, had meteorological causes, usually in the form of sudden high winds or torrential rainfall. Many weather scientists attribute the increase of instances of violent weather to climate change, and if they’re right, weather will continue to become a bigger problem for live events year after year. That said, references to climate change can incur political overtones. Jim Digby’s apolitical take on recent disasters is, “The weather has taken advantage of a lack of best practices in place.”
The findings of one report on the Indianapolis State Fair stage collapse cited backstage confusion and poor monitoring and interpretation of approaching weather as significant causes of loss of life and damage. Witt & Associates, a public safety and crisis management consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., reviewed the State Fair Commission’s report and found systemic failures in evacuating concertgoers at the first sign of a severe thunderstorm warning.
Some touring artists and event promoters are now using weather services that might give them more accurate hyper-local forecasting that would provide guidance and more time to take appropriate action. Weather Decision Technologies (WDT) sells dynamic, web-based and mobile interactive mapping solutions to media companies, but this year it also took on several high-profile concert-touring clients.
The 2012 Heart Tour, by the classic-rock band of the same name, will receive per-show, event-specific meteorological data under WDT’s event venue safety information service, WeatherOps. According to WDT’s press release, “During this tour, Heart concert venues will be closely monitored for extraordinary weather events, employing the WeatherOps… color-coded system, by which decisions regarding tour events, in relation to weather, will be made. In addition to adverse weather, production crews will receive daily updates regarding the forecast in the next tour stop, up to seven days in advance.”
WDT, whose offices are in Norman, Okla., within the Midwest’s famed and feared “Tornado Alley,” and in Atlanta, home to The Weather Channel, is also a sponsor of the ESA. The company’s senior vice president for enterprise solutions, David VandenHeuval, says the service is an adaptation of its WeatherOps program that WDT has had in place for venues for several years.
For touring artists, production managers supply WDT with an itinerary; the company evaluates the venues based on things such as type of construction, permanent or temporary stage types, roofed or open, and so on. That data is then added to ongoing monitoring of weather conditions in each itinerary location, up to and during the shows, and sent to tour managers’ mobile devices. When so-called trigger events occur, such as winds exceeding 25 miles per hour or lightning strikes within 6 miles of the venue, tour managers will implement predetermined actions that range from minimally interruptive, such as lowering a video screen, to ordering the show stopped and recommending the venue be evacuated. The cost of the service is scaled to the length of the tour.
“This is the first time this has been used by the artists themselves,” says VandenHeuval. Staging company Brown United, another ESA supporter, is also a client and has used Weather Ops on scores of shows over the summer, including the Wakursa and Lalapalooza music festivals.
In a variation on this, Linkin Park’s upcoming World Tour has been deemed “Storm Ready” by the National Weather Service, under that federal agency’s StormReady program, which is designed to enhance awareness, preparedness, response, recovery, emergency public notification, and public education related to hazardous weather events.
Digby says that the future of live-event safety will likely be a combination of industry-based standards, official resources and private-sector innovation. “It all has to come together to improve everyone’s safety,” he says.
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Christie Intros PC-Based Video Wall Processor Christie is introducing an extension to the Christie TVC Series of display wall processors with the new TVC-700, which is a PC-based, simple to install, purpose-built video will processor designed for 24/7 control room environments. It can also be used in rental applications for multi-image IMAG projection.
Using the PCIe bus architecture and state-of-the-art GPU technology, the TVC-700 provides superior graphics and processing power to support multiple applications, inputs and outputs. And, this powerhouse processor supports hardware accelerated 3D applications and ultra-high resolution outputs such as CAD/CAM modeling and data visualization.
Performance features include:
- Enables multi-screen (up to 6) 3D applications
- Ultra-high resolution outputs (DL-DVI to greater than 2560×1600 per screen)
- GPUs with 256MB GDDR RAM per output
- Support for single- and dual-link DVI inputs (up to 10 SL-DVI/RGB/Composite, or 5 DL-DVI inputs)
- Support for large numbers of video inputs (40 total)
Full specs are here: http://www.christiedigital.com/en-us/video-walls/video-wall-solutions/video-wall-controllers/Pages/tvc-700-video-wall-controller.aspx
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Share Article Back to Top Lectrosonics Debuts New Dual-Channel, Camera Slot-Mount Mic Receivers Lectrosonics' new SRB and SRB5P (domestic) and SRB/E01 and SRB5P/E01 (export) two-channel slot-mount Digital Hybrid Wireless diversity receivers have two independent channels and are designed to fit into the standard video camera slots found on slot-equipped professional cameras, such as those from Panasonic and Ikegami (SRB and SRB/E01) and Sony (SRB5P and SR5P/E01), by using the appropriate optional mounting kits. The two audio channels can feed separate inputs or can be mixed internally to feed a single input.
The SRB family of receivers includes a newly-designed receiver front end with a more robust RF amplifier stage and tighter IF (intermediate frequency) filtering. Lectrosonics says the results are significant performance enhancements over previous designs including better immunity to adjacent channel interference and increased sensitivity. In addition, a talkback feature is also included in the new receivers to work in conjunction with the HH handheld microphone transmitter. With the talkback feature engaged, one audio output is used for the standard signal feed. When the talkback button is pressed on the HH transmitter, the audio is routed to the second receiver output, which thus can be sent to an IFB (interruptible fold-back) system, a com desk, or anywhere else the user requires.
Two diversity modes are offered in the SRB family. SmartDiversity reception is employed by combining antenna phase for each independent receiver channel. Alternately, the two channels can be used together as a single receiver in “True Diversity” Ratio mode for enhanced performance in some environments. Graphic spectrum scanning provides quick and easy location of clear operating frequencies for interference-free operation.
The two independent Digital Hybrid Wireless receivers inside the SRB Series units offer 256 frequencies each in a wide variety of available frequency blocks, and operate with any of the Lectrosonics’ 400 Series transmitters without a compandor in the audio path. In addition, compatibility modes also facilitate operation with Lectrosonics’ 100 Series, 200 Series and IFB analog systems, along with analog transmitters from two other manufacturers. Transmitter battery strength is monitored in the new receivers when using compatibility modes for 200 and 400 Series transmitters.
While mounted in a camera slot, the SRB family of receivers are splash resistant — thanks to sealed membrane switches and LCD, along with a special gasket covering the slot opening. Along with slot mounting, the receivers can also be mounted outside cameras using an optional kit, powered from external DC, and providing two locking mini-XLR analog audio outputs. Additionally, an optional battery sled kit is available, offering two balanced outputs along with the ability to dock a “M”- or “L”-style rechargeable battery pack for truly portable use. A variety of hardware mounting accessories are also available.
Here are all the specs: http://www.lectrosonics.com
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Behringer Partners With Klark Teknik to Bring New XENYX QX Series Mixers Behringer announced today a new collaboration with sister-company Klark Teknik in the development of its new XENYX QX Series of USB mixers. The eight new models feature custom-designed FX engines from Klark Teknik with 32 studio-grade presets, dual addressable parameters, Tap function and storable user settings, plus "wireless-ready" integration with Behringer's upcoming ULM Series digital wireless microphones.
With configurations ranging from 10 to 24 inputs, QX Series mixers feature Behringer's XENYX mic preamps, "one-knob" mono channel compressors, built-in USB/audio interfaces, +48 V phantom power and "British" 3-band EQs.
These USB mixers are designed for all live sound, recording and podcasting applications. Behringer is also offering a free recording/editing software download at the company's website. The company says it turns any Mac or PC computer into a high-performance audio workstation. All models are covered by BEHRINGER's 3-year limited warranty program.
The new models, with links directly to the specifications, are as follows:
All of the company's small format mixers can be found : http://www.behringer.com/EN/Category/Mixers.aspx?s=A100
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projectiondesign Launches Panoramic Projector The new F35 Panorama projector from projectiondesign has an exceptionally wide image aspect ratio of 21:9 or 2.37:1. In an office environment with an average ceiling height, this enables images as wide as 4 meters (13 feet) to be created without the need for edge-blending the output of two separate projectors or simultaneous side-by-side projection of images from two separate sources. Users can fill an entire screen from a single source, or, for example, set up a video conference call next to a computer presentation.
Based on projectiondesign’s F35 single-chip DLP platform, the F35 Panorama has a resolution of 2560×1080, which is 35 percent more horizontal pixels than 1080p HD, as well as a brightness spec of 7,000 ANSI lumens and an 8000:1 contrast ratio.
Inputs include two DVI, two HDMI, two VGA and one component video port. It also has RS232 or IP control and an assortment of lenses available, ranging from 0.75:1 to 6.5:1.
Here are all the details: http://www.projectiondesign.com/products/f35-series
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Share Article Back to Top Delta Ships 10-Millimeter Outdoor LED Display Delta Products is now shipping its 10-millimeter SMD LED, specifically designed for outdoor use. The S-10 weighs in at only 22 pounds per tile and claims a "super-rugged" IP66 front and back protection rating. It's spec'd at 6000 nits light output, has 16-bit color processing for the input video and can be mounted to replace a billboard on the side of the road, or used in temporary install applications for live or on-going events. In addition, Delta says the S-10 has been specifically designed for low power consumption (200-240 volts nominal) 50/60 Hz. The operating temperature rating of the S-10 is -20 degrees C to 50 degrees C and the humidity rating is 10 percent to 99 percent. Each module has a 96 pixel by 96 pixel LED density in a R/G/B, three-in-one SMD pixel configuration.
Here are complete stats: http://www.deltadisplays.com/Outdoor-LED-Displays-S-10.html
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Sennheiser Offers Rebate Program for Wireless and Wired Microphones Sennheiser announced that it is offering end-user rebates on Evolution Wireless G3, XS Wireless and select wired microphones for purchases between Nov. 1, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2012. Rebates are being offered on the following Sennheiser wireless systems:
- XS and G3 LE – $25 rebate
- ew 100 (excluding EW 100 ENG) – $50 rebate
- ew 300 and EW 100 ENG – $75 rebate
- ew 500 – $100 rebate
Sennheiser is also offering rebates on the following wired microphones:
- e609, e614 and e835 – $10 rebate
- e906, e914, e935 and MD 421 – $20 rebate
- e965, Neumann KMS 104, Neumann KMS 105 – $30 rebate
All the details are here: http://www.sennheiserusa.com/micrebate
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Share Article Back to Top Haivision Launches New H.264 Encoding Platform With Makito X Series Haivision today announced its "next-generation" H.264 video encoding platform, the Makito X Series. Haivision says the Makito X Series offers a six-fold increase in encoding power that delivers high quality HD video using half of the bandwidth of comparable encoders.
The Makito X2, a dual channel low-latency HD-SDI H.264 encoder, is the first Haivision product to incorporate the company's new X Series technology. It can encode up to 12 HD sources (up to 1080p 60Hz) to H.264 within a 1RU of rack space. Supporting High Profile H.264 video compression, the Makito X2 specs say its gets up to twice the picture quality while maintaining the Makito's 55-millisecond encoding latency — what was the picture quality before? Haivision say the picture quality of the Makito X2 streams are on par with broadcast-quality encoders at higher bitrates, but that remains to be seen.
Makito X2 supports multiple bitrate (MBR) streaming with up to four renditions of each input from 32 Kbps to 25 Mbps at full 1080p 60Hz. Here are all the specs: https://www.haivision.com/products/MakitoX
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Kramer Introduces the VP-790 8−Input Digital Scaler/Switcher With Genlock Kramer's newest scaler is the VP-790 ProScale, a digital scaler/switcher that adds 3G HD-SDI signal processing and genlock capability. The unit takes one of the inputs, scales the video, embeds the audio and outputs the signal to the computer graphics, DVI/HDMI and 3G HD-SDI outputs simultaneously.
With its genlock, the VP-790 is aimed at live events and broadcast video applications — it can accept signals of up to 3Gbps – 3G HD-SDI, offering 3:2 and 2:2 pull down, noise reduction and scaling for both SD and HD sources. In addition, it can output multiple aspect ratio selections of full, overscan, underscan, letterbox and panscan. The built-in ProcAmp includes color, hue, sharpness, noise, contrast and brightness while the unit’s non-volatile memory saves the final settings.
The VP-790 is enclosed in a 1U 19” rack mount enclosure and lists for $5,995. Complete specs are here: http://www.kramerus.com/
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Share Article Back to Top Chief Debuts Extra Large Flat Panel Cart Chief is rolling out a cart designed for extra large displays. Dubbed the FUSION Mobile Solution for Extra Large Screens, the new rolling cart has the capability of making HDTVs and Digital Signage displays from 90 and 105 inches mobile.
The universal bracket design matches multiple display patterns and holds up to 500 pounds (226.8 kilograms). The large rolling casters make for easy positioning and include one locking caster per leg. Integrated cable management provides a clean installation, and leveling feet are available for more permanent installations.
Here are all the specs: http://www.chiefmfg.com/Products/XVM1X1U |
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Share Article Back to Top Better Audio from an iPhone or iPod? It's extremely common now for clients to ask for music to be played from a playlist coming out of his or her own iPod or iPhone. And, playing that on a high-end audio system in most staging events, well, sucks.
Well, now there's a Swedish company called Dirac that claims that if you use the company's iOS App to play the music, you'll get high-quality audio our of an iPhone or iPod. Dirac Research's app for Apple iOS devices, called the Dirac HD Player, claims to optimize the acoustic properties and overall performance of the standard iPhone and iPod touch sound. Interestingly enough, the company is aiming it for people who listen to iPhone audio from cheap earbuds, but the technology's best benefit is for live-audio applications in rental and staging markets where you want better sound for only $3.
The app is only $2.99 and you can read all about it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dirac-hd-player/id547650816?mt=8
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Share Article Back to Top For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe Rental [and Staging] Edition 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 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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