A Convenience Worth the Risk
By Scott Tiner
rAVe Columnist  Years ago I attended a conference where the founder of this publication, Gary Kayye, spoke. During the talk he suggested that while technology offers conveniences, it also runs the risk of getting less reliable. He gave the overhead projector as an example: It was probably one of the most reliable forms of technology that existed. Yet, it was not quite as useful as the slide projector, but the slide projector was a little less reliable. Slides got stuck, lamps burnt out quicker, etc. Then the LCD projector, then the computer… you see where this is going: Each generation is a little more likely to malfunction than the previous. The perfect example was the cell phone. Dropped calls and “I can’t hear you, you are breaking up” are expected with cell phones. But they are too convenient for us to stop using them.
I believe that this is what has happened with video conferencing over the past several years. Skype, FaceTime, Google Video Chat and so many others have become absolutely commonplace in the consumer market. You use it; your kids use it — even your parents use it! My wife’s grandparents use it!!!
When my parents are wintering up in Florida, they call my children on Skype every week. It is great because it is free and they can see each other. If my kids earned a trophy, or fell and got a bruise, they can show their adoring grandparents. Sure, sometimes half the call is spent saying “I can’t hear you” or “your video is frozen,” but heck, it is so darn convenient.
About three years ago my department was asked to support our first video conference using Skype. We have professional VC systems, but these were interviews with people at their homes for which equipment was not available and we did not want to pay for them to rent a site. We explained to our customer that Skype was over the Internet, it was free and sometimes you got what you paid for. We also explained that the Webcam was not intended for a room full of people, rather just a single person. We were assured that all of that was understood.
Our first several conferences went reasonably well. Requests for this type of support slowly grew. Any hiccups in the connection were brief and our customers understood that was out of our control. What we did hear were concerns about the Webcam and the microphone. The users did not like the narrow view of the lens and having to manually move the Webcam to pick up the other participants. We were asked to do something about the camera and audio.
So we did. We purchased a Sony Vaddio system and installed it in a room. The cameras are controlled via a touchpanel at the head of the table. We installed hanging microphones from the ceiling and brought them into a ClearOne Interact unit. This provided us with echo cancellation as well as teleconferencing capabilities. The teleconference is important because we make sure all of our customers have a back up phone number for the people they are trying to conference with. We brought the cameras and an output from the ClearOne into a StarTech SVID2USB2. This allows the computer to see both of these devices as USB devices and Skype then uses them as a Webcam and microphone. It has drastically improved the quality of the audio and video. The touchpanel allows a user to hit the camera presets, and zoom and pan as they see fit from there.
The next challenge was more out of our control. Some users began to be frustrated when the call would have latency issues. They pointed out that in a 15-minute video call, five minutes spent messing with the technology or not being able to hear the other side was frustrating.
The easy answer to this is that Skype is subject to forces beyond our control. That answer would be partly true, but there are some forces you can do something about. The only problem is you need to go down the yellow brick road and speak with the Great Oz in order to manage those forces. Your network administrator has tools at his/her disposal to help you manage Skype traffic. For example, at Bates we throttle our Web traffic. In a nutshell, that means if a single computer is asking for more and more bandwidth, it will not get all the bandwidth it is asking for, even if that bandwidth is available. The obvious thing we are trying to prevent is students devouring bandwidth by downloading movies, music, etc. This “throttling” can have a negative impact on the Skype experience though, by doing the same thing — denying necessary bandwidth. In working with our network administrators we have been able to identify certain computers that are not throttled, which means they ask for as much bandwidth as they need.
This does not solve all the problems, of course. The obvious other issue is that even if a machine is not throttled, it is still subject to the total amount of bandwidth coming into a network. So, again, we have tried to address this issue. Our network admins have configured our incoming bandwidth in such a way that a certain percentage is set aside for a certain class of machine. Therefore, no matter how much other traffic is on the network, these machines always have available bandwidth.
The effect is that our configuration is comparable to what you would see with a traditional VC system. While Skype can not understand QoS on a network, we have made adjustments to the network that allow it to leave our campus with all the bandwidth it needs.
Our final challenge, and perhaps the biggest challenge, is educating our clients and setting their expectations. We are very clear with our clients that this new camera and microphones and these network configurations do not guarantee a great connection. The largest force outside of our control is what the other end is using. We have tried connecting with people on cell phones, people outside of coffee shops in foreign countries and people in their offices at places of business. Results have varied and not always in ways that we expect. Often, the businesses are the places with the worst connections, because they are enforcing network restrictions on their users.
We are working with our faculty and staff to better understand their experiences. Typically, we assume that if we did not hear complaints then things must be going well. We are now thinking that perhaps the users know what to expect with online video conferencing and simply deal with it, so we don’t hear about problems. Our staff have developed a quick online survey (30 seconds) that we are using to solicit information from users about their experiences. We believe that creating a narrative based on these responses will help us talk to future customers about what to expect. In the end though, I suspect that we will realize that the convenience factor will override any quality issues (just like the cell phone).
Whether we are technology managers, integrators or designers, we are all being forced to deal with the convenience factor over the reliability and quality factor. I believe it is our job to tackle these challenges head on. Long gone are the days where we can tell people that if they don’t use the VC systems they are on their own. It simply does not make sense. In fact, with a little extra work, as described above, your network can be configured to function as though Skype is using QoS. Integrators should be designing computer based video conferencing rooms and should have network certified staff, who can work with the local network staff to make suggestions on configurations.
What are your solutions and experiences with free video conferencing? This is a topic in which people have a lot of thoughts and opinions. Share them with us. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
Scott is very active in the field, having presented at both regional and national conferences. In 2011, he was appointed as chair of the Technology Managers Council of InfoComm. Scott can be contacted via LinkedIn, on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stiner or via email at stiner08@gmail.com
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NEC Display Intros New 24" IPS Panel  NEC Display Solutions announced today an addition to its high-end IT desktop line, the MultiSync EA Series, with the 24-inch EA244WMi. This monitor is LED-backlit and ideal for corporate environments.
This widescreen model features IPS panel technology with wide viewing angles (178° horizontal/vertical) and ergonomic adjustability. The LED backlighting of the EA244WMi allows for a slimmer profile, lighter weight and increased power savings compared to previous generation models. ControlSync technology allows users to control up to six EA244WMi displays in a multi-monitor configuration. Upon establishing one unit as the master, users are able to control many performance attributes of the multi-monitor setup in unison through the single monitor.
Smart sensing technology automatically detects user work conditions to determine the proper display brightness with ambient light and human sensors.
The MultiSync EA244WMI includes the following features:
- 24-inch, 16:10 IPS panel with LED backlighting
- Wide viewing angles of 178°H/178°V
- 1920 x 1200 full HD resolution
- 25,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (1000:1 typical)
- Ergonomic adjustable stand with 130mm height-adjust, tilt, swivel and pivot
- DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI-D and VGA D-sub inputs
- Integrated four-port USB 2.0 hub (two rear, two side)
- Integrated speakers (1W x 2) and headphone jack
- ControlSync for multi-screen setups
- Smart sensing technology (ambient light and human sensors)
- ECO Mode, carbon footprint meter and cost meter
- ENERGY STAR 6.0 and TCO 6.0 compliant
- EPEAT Gold
The MultiSync EA244WMI and will be available this month at an estimated street price of $379. For more information, click here: http://www.necdisplay.com/p/ea244wmi-bk
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ZeeVee Releases HDbridge 2000 Series Encoders/Modulators  ZeeVee just launched four new HDbridge 2000 Series encoders/modulators that broadcast up to four HD (1080p/i or 720p) channels. Housed in a single 1RU enclosure, the HDb2620 and HDb2640 offer two and four 1080p/i channels, respectively, while the HDb2520 and HDb2540 provide two and four 720p channels. For rapid deployment, all channels can be set at once. Leveraging high-channel density, the new HDbridge 2000 Series encoders/modulators are designed for local broadcasting of HD channels in sports bars, educational and corporate campuses, healthcare facilities, hotels, stadiums and houses of worship. The HDb2620/40 and HDb2520/40 join the previously released HDb2380 8-channel digital SD (480i) modulator/encoder, which is now shipping. For improving picture quality while adding management capabilities, the HDb2380 can upgrade an entire analog headend to digital channels at a low cost, comparable to analog modulation.
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Epson Adopts HDBaseT for All Future ProAV Projectors  Epson has released its new commercial projectors that incorporate the HDBaseT technology. Epson is the latest manufacturer to join the HDBaseT Alliance, a consortium of companies that works to promote and standardize HDBaseT technology (and is the Cat5 distribution system that's being used by companies like Extron, Crestron, AMX, Kramer, etc). Empowered by the Valens Semiconductor HDBaseT chipset, HDBaseT enables whole-home and commercial distribution of uncompressed HD multimedia content over a single CAT5e/6 cable. So far, HDBaseT has been added to two of Epson's ProAV projectors: the EB-G6900WU, a 6,000-lumen, WUXGA (1920×1200) resolution LCD and the EB-G6800, an XGA resolution LCD that claims 7,000 lumens.
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Extron Introduces USB Power Plates to Charge Mobile Devices  Extron has introduced the USB PowerPlate 200 Series, a new line of architectural-mount, two-outlet USB chargers for powering mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Available in Decora-style and Extron AAP and MAAP Architectural Adapter Plate form factors, the USB PowerPlate 200 provides two 5 VDC USB power outlets and 2.1 A / 10.5 watts of total power. Its unique design can deliver full power to either USB outlet when only one device is connected, ideal for use with high current-demand tablets.
All versions of the USB PowerPlate 200 include an energy-efficient, external universal power supply, rated at one million hours MTBF, for worldwide power compatibility.
Here are all the specs: http://www.extron.com/product/product.aspx?id=usbpp200 |
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New AMX Enova DGX 8 Designed for Small Systems  AMX's new Enova DGX 8 Digital Media Switcher (AVS-ENOVADGX8-ENC), like its older Enova siblings (the DGX 16 and DGX 32), includes all of the features and capabilities of the larger switchers, including an integrated NetLinx Controller, redundant power supplies and the ability to be populated with Enova DGX video input and output boards. The Enova DGX 8 is basically a modular media switcher with a built-in controller. It distributes analog and digital audio and video including HDMI/HDCP, control and Ethernet — and is an 8×8 matrix. An integrated NetLinx Controller and embedded Ethernet switch enables management of the entire solution, including source equipment and display devices, all from a single point of control.
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BenQ Launches Classroom iQ Solutions  At the ISE 2013 show in Amsterdam last month, BenQ announced the launch of the BenQ Classroom iQ — a suite of products designed to future-proof classrooms while bringing interactivity to instructors. BenQ told rAVe that its new Classroom iQ solutions group will focus on integrating mobile devices seamlessly into both teaching and learning and each tool will be cheap enough that any K-12 school can afford them. So far the tools include: QDraw3 Interactive Software and App enables teachers to present and annotate directly onto teaching materials such as Microsoft Word files, PowerPoint slides, PDFs and HTML documents. Using the new Presenter Mode, teachers can now teach from anywhere in the room with access and control directly from their tablet. A new Collaboration Mode enables collaborative learning by connecting every device in the classroom, allowing students and teachers to share annotations, view each other's screens and share control of classroom content. QDraw3 works across all platforms and devices, including Windows 8, Mac and Linux. It is available as a free download from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. QPresenter 2.0 Software and App is an alternative for teachers and students to share different types of photos and documents directly from their tablets via iTunes, Dropbox or email. The new version also features simple virtual keypad control from tablets and allows built-in cameras on both smartphones and tablets to project images directly onto the classroom's projection screen. USB Reader and Office Viewer make PC-less presentations possible by allowing teachers and students to use USB drives for seamless plug-and-play simplicity. PointDraw 3.0 offers an even smoother writing experience. Teachers and students can now collaborate simultaneously using the Dual Pen feature that lasts up to 20 hours on a full charge. A charging stand is also included in the optional package. PointWrite comes with an 80fps sensor attached to the projector lens to detect IR beams emitted from the PointWrite pen. Similar to PointDraw 3.0, PointWrite supports auto-calibration and rapid writing response time. It also enables multiwriting of up to four pens, allowing groups of students to write on the screen.
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PMA Announces Top-Selling Projector Models During December  PMA Research has posted its recent results to the “Top Selling Projectors” area of its website.
For more than 15 years now, PMA Research has collected monthly sell-through data from leading North American projector dealers, retailers, web resellers and distributors. Its Tracking Service family of monthly reports offers timely sell-through data and analysis on unit sales, true volume-weighted street prices and inventories of front projectors for these channels.
Each month, Pacific Media Associates posts the Top 5 Projector Lists for the following product categories:
New Era / Pico and Personal (sub-1000 lumens) Projectors – The December results showed that three of the Top 5 selling models, by unit volume, were in the Optoma PK Series of pico projectors. Coming in number one, two and three, respectively, were the Optoma PK-320, the Optoma PK-201 and the Optoma PK-120. Rounding out the Top 5 were AAXA’s M2 Micro pico projector and Vivitek’s Qumi Q2 personal projector. These results are almost a carbon copy of the previous month’s results. This “Top 5″ list is compiled from data collected from PMA’s monthly Retail Projector Tracking Service sample, which is made up of North American retailers and web resellers.
Mainstream (1,000 to 3,999 lumens) Projectors – For the Mainstream category in December, InFocus took top honors, by unit volume, with the best-selling IN112. InFocus also landed the number three spot with the IN114. Epson’s PowerLite 93+ was the second best-selling projector in December, and NEC rounded out the Top 5 list with the NP-M260X and NP-V260X in the fourth and fifth spots. In addition, XGA resolution models were most popular for Mainstream purchasers, with 4 of the Top 5 having 1024×768 resolution. This “Top 5″ list is compiled from data collected from PMA’s monthly Distributor Projector Tracking Service sample, which is made up of North American distributors.
High-End (4000+ lumens) Projectors – The December 2012 results showed Epson with two of the top selling models. The PowerLite 1945W took the top spot and the PowerLite Pro G5750WU came in fourth. Optoma’s TH1060P took the number two spot. NEC also made a strong showing with the NP-PA550W-13ZL in the number three spot and the NP-P420X taking the fifth spot. In addition, 3LCD models were the most popular in the High-End category, with 4 of the Top 5 using this technology. This “Top 5″ list is compiled from data collected from PMA’s monthly Pro A/V Projector Tracking Service sample, which is made up of North American dealers and integrators.
Resellers, distributors, manufacturers, and the press are invited to visit PMA’s site each month at http://www.pacificmediaassociates.com to see the 5 Top Selling projectors for these categories, as well as new product blogs and information on Pacific Media’s projector market research offerings.
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New BenQ Interactive Projectors Bring Handheld Tablet Connectivity  BenQ just announced the latest additions to its PointDraw line of short-throw projectors: the MW821ST and MX822ST. Supporting BenQ's third-generation PointDraw interactive projection technology, the projectors facilitate a more immersive experience in classrooms and boardrooms by enabling integration of iPad and Android tablets and offer greater interaction with new PointDraw Pen 3.0.
BenQ's third-generation PointDraw technology includes the new PointDraw Pen 3.0 to create more engaging presentations. Now with improved pointer accuracy and decreased lag, the optional PointDraw pen enables teachers and presenters to write on any projection surface whenever enhanced interactivity is required. The QDraw3 app is available for download from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store and can be used via wireless connection with iPad and Android devices. The interactive software is also compatible with Mac and Linux operating systems in addition to offering tile-friendly Windows 8 compatibility, and can be downloaded from thebenq.us website. A license key is included in the PointDraw pen package, which is available for purchase separately.
Both the MW821ST and MX822ST projectors are native WXGA (1280×800) and XGA (1024×768), respectively, and claim a contrast ratio of 13,000:1 and a a brightness spec of 3,000 ANSI lumens. The MW821ST is available now and lists at $1,399, while the MX822ST will be available in March and will list for $2,599.
Both are here: http://www.benq.us
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Epson Intros 7K Lumen Projectors with Single Lamp  Epson today announced the new PowerLite Pro G-series projectors that include features such as edge blending, 360-degree installation, six optional lenses and several connectivity options. Ranging from 4,500 to 7,000 lumens of "color brightness" (non-ANSI), the projectors are aimed at both the install market and rental and staging.
There are seven models in the Pro G-Series:
- PowerLite Pro G6050W specified at 5,500 lumens, WXGA resolution at $3,799
- PowerLite Pro G6150 specified at 6,500, XGA resolution at $3,599
- PowerLite Pro G6450WU specified at 4,500, WUXGA resolution at $3,999
- PowerLite Pro G6550WU specified at 5,200, WUXGA resolution at $4,999
- PowerLite Pro G6750WU specified at 6,000, WUXGA resolution at $5,999
- PowerLite Pro G6800 specified at 7,000, XGA resolution at $4,799
- PowerLite Pro G6900WU specified at 6000, WUXGA resolution at $6,499
Inputs include HDBaseT, VGA and HDMI and all the specs are here: http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Landing/pro-g-series.do?ref=van_pro-g-series
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Extron Announces Upgrade to Its H.264 Streaming Media Encoder  Extron announced an upgrade to its SME 100 encoder, enabling the support of additional network and streaming protocols. The SME 100 now supports push streaming in unicast or multicast applications applying native RTP or MPEG-2 Transport Streams. Session Announcement Protocol and Session Description Protocol are applied to manage push streaming sessions. These new network and streaming protocols make the SME 100 compatible with a greater variety of third party decoding devices and streaming configurations. Other new capabilities include HTTP tunneling and closed captioning support for the EIA-608B standard. These new features are included in all SME 100 units that are shipping. It's also available firmware upgrade is available as a free download for current users at http://www.extron.com.
The SME 100 is available in two models, the SME 100 SD, which streams at resolutions from 166×120 up to 720×576, and the SME 100 HD, which streams at resolutions from 166×120 up to HDTV 1080p/30. Both models accept standard definition video and high definition video signals, including 1080p and computer-video signals up to 1920×1200 plus audio. Extron has developed the SME 100 feature set specifically to support the broad source, control, and processing capabilities that AV applications require.
Here are all the details: http://www.extron.com/company/article.aspx?id=sme100ad&s=sl05
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For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe ED [Education] 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 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
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BenQ America's new W1070 and W1080ST projectors both use Texas Instruments' new native 1080p, 3D-capable DLP Dark Chip 3 (DC3). The projectors are also integrated with NVIDIA 3DTV Play, DLP Link and dual HDMI. Specified at a contrast ratio of 10,000:1 (non-ANSI) and with 2,000 lumens brightness (ANSI), both projectors have two HDMI inputs, component video capability and VGA ports.
A pioneer in the development of high-tech lecterns, Tecom has launched the new design for its TecPodium Interactive Lecterns. Now in a nicer, metallic sliver and white finish and a more contemporary design, it interfaces with virtually every type of equipment typically used in a presentation, with all the capabilities integrated into a single lectern.
