Volume 6, Issue 5 — May 6, 2013

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Who’s Helping the Schools?

By Scott Tiner
rAVe Columnist

In 2002, under the direction of then-Governor Angus King (now a U.S. Senator), the state of Maine started a 1:1 laptop initiative with its middle school students. In a nutshell, the MLTI (Maine Learning Technology Initiative) program funded the cost of laptops for all middle school students. An RFP was created and the winning bidder was Apple. For the past ten years Apple laptops have been in 100 percent of middle schools in the state of Maine. Three years ago, this program was expanded to include high schools in the state who chose to be part of the program and pay for the lease of the laptops. Needless to say, Maine’s public school are heavily invested in Apple computing.

Recently, the contract with Apple expired and a new RFP was issued. Our new governor, Paul LePage, and his administration made the choice of an HP ProBook 4440 as the preferred device. Governor LePage indicated this was his choice based on the fact that this was the lowest price solution and the equipment most students will see in the future workplace.

Educators around the state are rallying against this decision. They claim that this choice will require drastic new training of the teachers and the students, and cost more money in the long run. For example, all the IT departments, who have configured their networks (think print servers, etc.) to Apple computers, and have tools for troubleshooting and repairing Macs, now need to change those tools. They argue that the Governor and Department of Education have made a horrible decision that will effect the use of technology in schools.

Now, why am I writing about this in a publication dedicated to the AV Industry? Well, it’s because I think that much of what we see in Maine right now is due to the fact that our technology support in schools is understaffed, and the staff that does exist is intended to only be technicians and help desk support. Often, these staff are former school librarians or teachers.

I believe that these technical support people make decisions not based solely on the best interest of the users (students or teachers). I believe they are made to keep the machines running at an expected level, with an absolute minimum amount of work from the school technology people – i.e., the greatest good for the greatest number. This is why we see laptops with software that “locks” them down, or teachers being required to give back a laptop over the summer. That is not a slap at those people; it is simply because they are enormously under-staffed. Our local school district has about 1,400 students and about 300 employees. They have four technology support personnel (including the director) to take care of all needs across the district. That is about a 1:400 person support model.  

What is drastically lacking in K-12 schools is long-range planning, opportunity to stay up to date with technologies, acceptance of experimentation and lack of monetary support for training of the technical support staff. What does all of this have to do with the MLTI project that I started this article writing about? It is my belief that it should not matter what type of device you give to students and faculty. It could be a Surface Tablet, iPad, MacBook Air or a HP laptop, the schools need to be in a place to easily adjust to these changes. Two years ago they needed to be in a place where they understood that this could happen. Even if the governor had stayed with an Apple product, but gone with the iPad, just as many changes would need to take place.  Frankly, the schools got caught flat-footed.

If I were a consultant today, my mouth would be watering. There is such a huge market in the K-12 education sector for solid, thoughtful consultation. You could be the person who helps schools develop strategic technology plans for the future, with a real understanding that future.  You could be the people who attend InfoComm, and then make a visit to the schools to share with them what you have seen. You could invite them to your shop to show them experiments with technology that you are working on. You could be the person who points them to information sources (like rAVe ED). In Maine today, you would be a hero if the school you had consulted with was ready to make the switch to HP easily.

What about money? Is there any money in consulting with K-12 schools, particularly in a small district in Maine? There can be, but you need to be smart and inclusive. The smart part is not walking into a central office and trying to sell the superintendent of schools. That is only going to make the technology people your enemy. How about you take the technology people out to a lunch and tell them what you can offer? At public school salaries, free lunch is a real treat. You also have to be smart with costs. Give a reasonable offer of service for a reasonable price. That means you cannot sell a school district with 1,400 students a technology plan for $10,000. They won't buy it!

Inclusive means you need to cover the entire range of technology — from servers, to video, to web, to A/V to networking to security. Show them you are a full service option. You could make money by having creative contracts. For example, many school systems are still paying decent money for licenses to Microsoft or Apple for their word processing applications. Why? How about you develop a plan of support for them to move to Google Docs? Your fee, the cost of what they would have spent on licensing that software for two years. Likewise, MANY schools still use local email servers and calendaring apps. Again, switch them over to our friend Google and your fee is simply the money they save over the next two years on servers, software, etc.

I have various experiences in K-12 education over the years, from working in high school, to family members as educators to currently sitting on my local school board. There is no doubt in my mind that this area has ENORMOUS potential. It also has the potential to allow your business to do well, while doing good.  

Have you had experiences in K-12 consulting that have been positive? Do you think this is an area of growth, or simply a black hole of support time? Let me know; I look 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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Vaddio Claims Broadcast Quality Camera with New PowerView

Vaddio’s new PowerVIEW PTZ cameras bring three-chip "broadcast camera performance" to a single-chip camera, according to the company. Based on third-generation Maicovicon MOS imaging sensor technology, the HD-22 and HD-30 improve color and brightness uniformity, ensuring an improved high definition image quality.

The HD-22 comes equipped with a multi-element 22x optical glass auto-focus zoom lens that provides up to a 66-degree field-of-view for a wide range of telephoto or wide-angle shot options. An impressive 128x wide dynamic range covers both light and dark contrasted areas and a Color Capture light system produces vivid color images without color saturation or filtering. The HD-30 has a 30x optical power zoom.

The PowerVIEW HD-22 and HD-30 are the industry’s first robotic PTZ cameras to use the new MOS 1/2.8-Progressive Scan imaging sensor. By suppressing uneven brightness, the HD-22 and HD-30 provide an unmatched low-light performance of 0.4 LUX and a Super Sharp Detail technology for auto-sharpening fuzzy images.

Outputs include native 1080p/60/50 Digital HDMI and analog component video resolutions, ideal for use in the highest demanding HD camera applications requiring a 3-Chip PTZ camera.

Get all the specs at: http://www.vaddio.com

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Panasonic Debuts 12K Lumen Projector

Panasonic today announced the PT-DZ13K series of projectors, the latest addition to its 3-chip DLP projector lineup. Unveiled at the 2013 NAB Show in Las Vegas, the PT-DZ13K series consists of four models that offer a range of resolutions and brightness between 10,600 and 12,000 lumens and from 1366×768 to 1920×1200 resolutions.



For rental and staging applications, the PT-DZ13K Series’ Dual Lamp System enables continuous operation even if one lamp fails and using the Lamp Relay mode allows for 24/7 use, as the two lamps alternate in operation. Using what Panasonic says is a long lamp life of up to 4,000 hours in Eco Mode and an Eco Filter with a replacement cycle of up to 12,000 hours, it significantly reduces the projector's operating expenses and total cost of ownership over previous models.

The line includes various interchangeable lenses, a lens memory function that saves settings, such as zoom, focus and lens shift, built-in geometric adjustment functions and all four models will ship later this month.

You can see them all here: http://www.panasonic.com/business/projectors/

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Extron Introduces New Scalers for 3G-SDI and HDMI Cross Conversion

Extron's new DSC 3G-HD A and the DSC HD-3G A scalers are 3G-SDI and HDMI cross converters. The DSC 3G-HD A converts 3G-SDI, HD-SDI, and SDI video signals to HDMI, while the DSC HD-3G A converts HDMI to 3G-SDI/HD-SDI/SDI. Both products feature Extron video signal processing with 1080i deinterlacing, Deep Color processing, aspect ratio control and additional processing features for optimal format conversion and image quality. Selectable output rates are available from standard definition to HDTV 1080p/60 and 2K, plus 1920×1200 for the DSC 3G-HD A. For both products, audio from the analog stereo input or the digital video input may be embedded onto the video output. The DSC 3G-HD A and DSC HD-3G A are built for professional AV integration with many convenience features, including a user-friendly front panel interface, internal test patterns, memory presets and control via RS-232, USB or on-screen menus.

The DSC 3G-HD A and DSC HD-3G A offer several features that enhance and simplify AV system integration. Both scalers feature input equalization which conditions incoming 3G-SDI or HDMI signals to compensate for signal loss over long input cables. The DSC 3G-HD A includes an SDI input loop-through with reclocking to eliminate high frequency jitter. The DSC HD-3G A features a genlock input with loop-through and two simultaneous 3G-SDI/HD-SDI/SDI outputs.

Enhanced audio capabilities for both products include audio embedding, input gain and attenuation controls, and input audio muting. For the DSC 3G-HD A, analog stereo audio, or up to four pairs of AES3 audio channels from the SDI input can be embedded onto the HDMI output. With the DSC HD-3G A, analog stereo audio or HDMI multi-channel PCM audio can be embedded onto the SDI outputs.

All the specs are here: http://www.extron.com/company/article.aspx?id=dsc3ghdaad

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See Gary Kayye Speak About Support Services and the Future of AV at InfoComm

rAVe founder Gary Kayye will in Orlando in June as part of the organization Business & Management educational track of InfoComm's trade show. His session, "Support Services – The Future of AV" will be held Thurs., June 13th from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

As quality goes up, prices go down — that's the nature of the industry. At the same time, year after year, the needs of the user also continue to increase. Are you concerned about lower profit margins in selling products? In the midst of all this change, rest assured that there is a constant: Design, install and control programming will always be in demand. End users need you to provide these continual services. Garu's course will help you to unlock the answers as to how these industry changes will touch you and your business. Leave with concrete answers about how you can revamp your business model to continue thriving.

To register for free for the InfoComm show, use code MCTRA at http://www.infocommshow.org. Gary's session ID is IS075. You will be able to register for classes during registration.

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Extron Releases GlobalViewer Enterprise 2.0

Extron's GlobalViewer Enterprise 2.0 is a server-based software takes enterprise-wide scheduling, monitoring and help-desk functionality for both AV and IT gear. Microsoft .NET technology allows GlobalViewer Enterprise to integrate with third-party facility scheduling software for viewing room availability and managing meeting schedules. Working in conjunction with GVE, Extron's mobile AV resource management app, iGVE has been updated with several new features as well. This latest version of iGVE is available for download on the Apple App Store.

In addition to the features found in the current version of GlobalViewer Enterprise, version 2.0 offers many enhancements, including the ability to import up to five configurations at once; at-a-glance import status with progress bars and new icons; mouse-over tool tips for system menu, enhanced Event Alert List that is always visible or accessible in Help Desk and Monitor views; and added drag and drop functionality for rooms within Tree Manager. Also, with the addition of Google Chrome, this latest vesion of GlobalViewer Enterprise now supports all four of the most popular browsers.

All the details are here: http://www.extron.com

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Philips Redesigns the EL Series Digital Signage Displays

Redesigned from the inside out, the new Philips EL Series of LED edge-lit LCD panels includes some unique features. One, called Failover, allows the sign to keep playing digital signage content even if the network fails because it's smart enough to automatically kick in when the primary input fails and switch to a different one. Simply select a primary input connection (e.g., primary = DisplayPort) and a Failover input connection (e.g., Failover = HDMI, DVI, VGA) and you're ready.

Another, called SmartControl, allows you to set the video input, modify the color settings, set the display's ID when creating video walls and even diagnose each display's status, giving you all the power you need to manage your displays from one central location. And, one called Advance IR Control, allows for both IR loop-through via RS232 connection and IR pass-through, giving integrators the ability to control an entire installation of displays plus hidden media players via a remote control. This means you don't have to dismantle a signage installation to access hidden media players and mounted displays.

The new EL series comes in 32", 42", 46", 55" and 65" sizes. All are 1920×1080 resolution and range in brightness from 360 nits to 500 nits. They offer VGA, HDMI, DisplayPort and component video inputs as well as have IR, network and RS232 control. In addition, a USB port allows for content to be played on the fly.

Here are all the specs: http://pcommercialsolutions.com/thenewel/

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Dukane Debuts Two New Projectors Aimed at ED Market

Dukane's new 8115 and 8104WB are ultra short throw LCD projectors that include a cloning function, which enables you to copy setting data from one projector to others of the same model via USB memory — speeding up set-up of multiple projectors in a school. The 8115 is an XGA (1024×768) LCD projector that is spec'd at 3,500 ANSI lumens and a 4,000:1 contrast ratio. It also offers a lamp that can be used in either Eco-mode (4,000 hours) or standard mode (2,500 hours). The 8104WB is a WXGA (1280×800) LCD that's spec'd at 2,500 ANSI lumens and a 4,000:1 contrast ratio. It has a 5,000/3,000 hour lamp with Eco-mode. Both can do wireless projection via network content and have VGA and HDMI inputs.
 
List price for the 8115 is $1,595 and the 8104WB is $1,495. All specs are here: http://www.dukane.com/av/products/LCDProjectors.asp

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Extron UTS 100 Series Under Table Shelf System Now Shipping

Extron is now shipping its UTS 100 Series Under Table Shelf System – a self-supporting, half rack width shelf that is specifically designed for use in environments where a traditional equipment rack or cabinet cannot be located beneath a table top or other furniture surface. The compact, 1U modular shelf system mounts directly to the under-surface of the table top, without rack rails, and supports any combination of half, quarter and eighth rack products.

The UTS 100 Series Under Table Shelf System is consistent with the current standardization efforts jointly sponsored with Extron and Middle Atlantic. Extron manufactures a wide range of half, quarter, and eighth rack professional AV integration products that are ideally suited for use in products that meet the proposed half rack width system standard.

For more information on the Extron UTS 100 Series go to: http://www.extron.com/undertableshelf

For more information on the Half Rack Shelf System, go here: http://www.extron.com/halfracksystem

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Avlex Intros New Wireless Transmitters

Avlex has introduced two new MIPRO 7 Series wireless transmitters — the ACT-71Ta bodypack transmitter and the ACT-71Ha handheld transmitter. Designed for field production, presentations, theatrical and live performance, the new 7 Series wireless transmitters incorporate Ultra-Wide bandwidth operation with support for the entire 72 MHz frequency spectrum of the 7 Series receivers.

ACT-71Ta Miniature Wideband UHF Bodypack Transmitter

Drawing upon the experience gleaned from three generations of MIPRO ACT wireless products, the new MIPRO ACT-71Ta bodypack transmitter features a small form factor, making it a good choice for concealing the unit in wardrobe for theatrical, TV or film production and equally ideal for the business presenter or worship leader.

The ACT-71Ta bodypack transmitter provides a silent on/off switch with a separate mute button and provisions for the optional MJ-70 remote mute switch control, enabling the person wearing the transmitter to easily mute/unmute the transmitter — even when it is buried underneath clothing. It offers end user lockout function, programmable RF power and audio gain levels, mini-XLR connectivity with a threaded bayonet attachment, a detachable belt clip and support for MIPRO’s ACT function, which facilitates rapid and precise transmitter frequency setup.

ACT-71Ha Wideband UHF Handheld Microphone Transmitter

Like its sibling, the new MIPRO ACT-71Ha handheld transmitter features a lightweight magnesium alloy housing that is designed to be rugged and comfortable to hold. Avlex says the unit’s true condenser cardioid capsule provides high SPL, wide dynamic range and fast transient response, making this transmitter a good choice for spoken and vocal applications.

Like the ACT-71Ta bodypack transmitter, the new ACT-71Ha handheld transmitter features a silent on/off switch with a separate mute button for precise control over the unit during operation. Additional attributes include a backlit LCD display for keeping track of channel and battery status, an end user lockout function, programmable gain and RF output power, which enable this handheld transmitter to be optimized for its environment, plus MIPRO’s ACT function for rapid and precise transmitter frequency setup.

The ACT-71Ta bodypack transmitter lists for $549.00 and the ACT-71Ha handheld transmitter lists for $579.00. Find more information about both here: http://avlex.com/

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Extron Ships TeamWork

Extron's new TeamWork 400 Digital Collaboration System and the TeamWork VGA Kit is now shipping. The TeamWork 400 package supports groups of four users and is pre-configured for ease of installation with virtually any furniture system, new or currently in use. The simple and intuitive collaboration system also works with most flat panel displays, laptops, and tablets. For added flexibility, TeamWork is scalable and can be easily tailored to meet specific requirements with the addition of mounting hardware, support for legacy analog computer sources using the optional TeamWork VGA Kit, and other optional accessories.

The TeamWork system is designed for simple, intuitive operation with a minimum of training. Users simply connect their laptop or tablet to a TeamWork "Show Me" cable to start the system, then press the "Share" button to show their content on the presentation display. When done, users simply disconnect and walk away, and the TeamWork system automatically turns itself off and is ready for the next collaboration session. The TeamWork collaboration system is HDCP-compliant and supports full resolution, full frame rate digital video up to 1080p/60 and analog computer-video up to 1920×1200. Each TeamWork system package is complete and ready for installation, and includes HDMI "Show Me" cables, a switcher, a system controller, a Cable Cubby enclosure, and other necessary system cables. Mounting hardware is optionally available to facilitate different collaboration table or work surface designs.

To see all the specs, go here: http://www.extron.com/

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March Projector Sales – Top 5 in Each Category

PMA Research has posted its recent Projector Tracking Service 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, PMA Research posts the Top 5 Projector Lists for the following product categories:

Pico and Personal (sub-1000 lumens) Projectors — For Pico and Personal projectors, the March results showed that 3 of the Top 5 selling models, by unit volume, were WXGA resolution projectors. Taking the number one, three and five spots, respectively, were the Optoma ML-500, the Vivitek Qumi Q2 and the 3M MP410. Rounding out the Top 5 were the 480p resolution Optoma PK-320 and the nHD resolution Optoma PK-120 in the number two and number four spots. 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 (1000 to 3999 lumens) Projectors — For the Mainstream category, the March results showed InFocus taking top honors with their SVGA resolution IN112. The remaining “Top 5” models were all XGA resolution projectors, with the number two through number five best selling projectors being the Epson PowerLite 93+, the NEC NP-VE281X, the InFocus IN114 and the Epson PowerLite X12, respectively. 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 March 2013 results showed that four of the best selling high-end models were WXGA resolution. The Top 5 models in March were the WXGA Hitachi CP-WX4021N and WXGA Epson PowerLite 1945W in the number one and two spots, respectively. Mitsubishi took the third and forth spots with their XGA XD700 and the WXGA WD720. NEC rounded out the Top 5 with the WXGA NP-PA550W. This Top 5 list is compiled from data collected from PMA’s monthly ProAV Projector Tracking Service sample, which is made up of North American dealers and integrators.

Here's their website: http://www.pmaresearch.com

Click here to see our infographic based on this report data: http://bit.ly/10CmrYF

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Community Intros New ProAV Design Series of Speakers

Community Professional Loudspeakers have introduced a new line of speakers it is dubbing the Commercial Design Series that includes ceiling, surface mount and pendant loudspeakers. Commercial Design models are offered in a choice of 4.5-inch, 6.5-inch and 8-inch driver sizes and was designed to work with Community’s Distributed Design family of ceiling, surface mount and pendant loudspeakers in a combined installation. Features include real compression drivers and Tru-Phase phase plugs for high output and low distortion and all  models feature Euroblock input connectors — an external loop-through wiring design, weather-treated drivers, and corrosion-resistant, dual-layer, powder-coated grilles.
 
Ceiling model options include low-profile 4.5-inch, standard profile 4.5-inch, 6.5-inch and 8-inch formats. The 6.5-inch full-range C6 is also available in an optional black finish for restaurants, bars, nightclubs, or any installation requiring an off-the-shelf black ceiling mount system.
 
Surface mount options include full-range 4.5-inch, 6.5-inch and 8-inch loudspeakers in elegant black or white finishes. A Vari-Tilt yoke mounting bracket is included, which allows low profile mounting and precise aiming over a broad pan-tilt range. The surface mount CS4, CS6 and CS8 have passed compliance testing for MIL-STD-810G and can be used in outdoor direct exposure applications.
 
Finally, the 6.5-inch full-range CP6 pendant loudspeaker is available for open architecture spaces or any location where a stylish pendant form factor is desired.  Available in black or white and utilizing the same components as the C6 ceiling model and CS6 surface mount model, the CP6 can be used in a wide variety of speech and music applications.
 
The ceiling systems are ETL listed to comply with UL1480, UL2043 and CSA60065, while the pendant loudspeaker conforms to UL1480 as well. All Commercial Design models can be painted to match room décor and are equipped with a built-in autoformer for selectable 8 ohm or 70V/100V operation.

All the specs are here: http://www.communitypro.com/

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Panamax Ships MD2-ZB SmartPlug and BB-ZB1 BlueBOLT Gateway

Today, Panamax started shipping its MD2-ZB SmartPlug and BB-ZB1 BlueBOLT gateway, both of which allow for energy management, surge protection and BlueBOLT functionality to individual outlets. Part of the Panamax "MD" family of direct plug-in devices, the MD2-ZB SmartPlug provides energy monitoring, individual outlet control, scheduled and surge protection in a small form-factor that plugs directly into any standard 120V, 15A outlet. Utilizing ZigBee wireless communications, the MD2-ZB can be monitored, controlled, programmed and remotely accessed via Panamax/Furman's cloud-based BlueBOLT energy management and control platform via the wired BB-ZB1 gateway. For integrators, BlueBOLT allows for service calls through remote control of the MD2-ZB's two discrete AC outlets from any Internet-enabled device. In addition, the platform provides real-time and historical power related data, including energy consumption in kWh and dollars by outlet. At 1.5 inches, the MD2-ZB houses two side-mounted outlets and provides status, network and wiring fault indicators, in addition to push-button "override" power switches to power outlets on/off instantly from the top of the device. To protect electronics, the unit's Protect-or-Disconnect circuitry completely disconnects AC power to connected equipment in the event of a catastrophic surge. To accommodate the look of any room, the MD2-ZB's front cover can easily be removed and painted to match the wall color. Offering the plug-and-play ease of installation that BlueBOLT is known for, the gateway (BB-ZB1) connects to a user's network via an Ethernet cable and creates a wireless mesh network supporting up to fifteen SmartPlugs per gateway. MD2-ZB units will be added to each user's BlueBOLT account along with any hardwired BlueBOLT power conditioner component models, providing a single destination for simple and intuitive remote power and energy management solutions, anywhere in the world, via the cloud. The MD2-ZB and BB-ZB1 list for $119.95 and $99.95, respectively, and specs are here: http://www.panamax.com/

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NAD Launches New Audio Products with AirPlay

NAD Electronics unveiled three affordable products: the D 7050 Direct Digital Network Receiver (MSRP: $999), the D 3020 Digital DAC/Amplifier (MSRP: $499) and the D 1050 USB 24/192 DAC (MSRP: $499). All three models will be July 2013.

The D 7050 Digital Network Receiver is basically an amplifier with Apple’s AirPlay Wi-Fi streaming technology integrated into it (in addition to Apple’s AirPlay, the D 7050 can also stream any UPnP audio content on a home network) – and, if no network is available, it can also stream directly from a smartphone or laptop using the latest Bluetooth. Of course, there's a wired digital audio (no analog input, though) and a USB drive port. Digital is converted to analog (for speaker ports) via a passive two-pole reconstruction filter located right at the speaker outputs. NAD claims it's the worlds’ first successful closed loop digital amplifier. Closed loop means that the output is compared to the input, and then compensated for any differences to achieve a ‘perfect’ output. Output is spec'd at 30-watts.

The D 3020 allows for inputs from a computer (analog) along with other digital and analog sources as well as a USB audio port. Coaxial and optical S/PDIF (digital) inputs allow for connection of anything digital (e.g., CD and DVD disc players, TV set top boxes and Apple TVs). There are also analog inputs for iPods and older non-digital audio components such as FM tuners. NAD also includes a headphone amplifier output. There's no network port though, like the 7050 has, but it does have a Bluetooth port. It, too, is specified at 30 watts of output power.

The NAD D 1050 USB DAC is an adapter that allows you to add computer audio (via 3.5 millimeter) and HD digital audio (S/PDIF, optical and coax) to a traditional component hi-fi system. The digital inputs include S/PDIF inputs support balanced AES/EBU, coaxial and optical connectors. It also supports USB Audio Codec 2.0 allowing 192 kHz signal transmission.

All three products consume less than 0.5 watts of power in stand-by — making them a  GreenAV product.

In the press release, NAD said these products were ground-breaking, however, embedded AirPlay, USB audio inputs and network, as well as Bluetooth audio have been available on many audio products for several years.

Check out all three of them here: http://www.nadelectronics.com

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Extron Now Shipping New Compact HDMI Fiber Optic Extender

Extron is now shipping its HFX 100 HDMI Fiber Optic Extender, a transmitter and receiver set for long distance transmission of HDMI video and embedded audio signals over one fiber optic cable. It extends HDCP-compliant HDMI signals over a multimode fiber at lengths up to 300 meters (984 feet). This compact extender uses all-digital technology to deliver perfect pixel-for-pixel transmission of images up to 1920×1200, including HDTV 1080p/60.

The HFX 100 supports HDMI specification features including data rates up to 6.25 Gbps, 12-bit Deep Color, HD lossless audio formats and CEC. To simplify integration, Extron's HDMI cables are attached to the transmitter and receiver, allowing direct connection with source and destination devices. The HFX 100 transmitter and receiver are housed in compact 1U, one-eighth rack width enclosures.

Here are the details: http://www.extron.com/product/product.aspx?id=hfx100&s=5

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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

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