Volume 6, Issue 9 — September 26, 2017

The average AV salesperson expects churches to be dollar-focused, not stewardship focused. This is a huge sales mistake.

Spend some time with church leaders and you’ll hear what they’re actually talking about when it comes to spending money: stewardship. Churches receive their income from the donations and sacrifice of congregants. As such, the church leaders are not the owners of the money but are instead the stewards who want to spend it responsibly. Like all of us, being wise with finite dollars is always a consideration, but it’s not the point of discussion that a manufacturer or systems integrator should focus on with this vertical market.

Money Well Spent

Church leaders want to know – because they’re accountable for their decisions — that money spent is good stewardship, money well spent.

How churches allocate finances for AV is directly proportional to how the technology is applied in correlation with the vision and objectives of the church when it comes to how they want to utilize audio, video and lighting technologies.

The audio, video and lighting market needs to address church buyers from this point of view if sales are not only going to be possible once but repeatedly to a growth market that is currently expanding venues, In fact, about a third of all new church venues exclusively use video of the sermon from another campus location!

This also means the opportunity is ripe for upgrading video technology from high operational cost projectors to the far more efficient options available today. In both cases, stewardship is the perspective of the church, whether it’s upgrading to be more efficient (and with far greater picture quality) or expanding to a new venue. The same can be said for new audio and lighting systems in these video venues where the sermon may be streamed on a screen, but the congregational singing is very much live and in the room.

Sell the Value Proposition

The keys of success when selling audio, video and lighting to churches come less from the bullet list of technology improvements at the manufacturer level and are instead aligned with the overall operational value that the church buyer can easily associate with their pain points. Chief among priorities in all local churches is the keen focus on operational cost-per-service. The most advanced technologies won’t matter much to the typical church buyer unless and until the scope of the technology is explained as an investment in consistent operation. Sunday comes every seven days, so consistency to a church is a very big deal indeed. Breaking down the cost-of-ownership across a number of services per weekend/month/year is an attractive way to deal with sticker shock and contextualize the return on investment value of big-ticket installations.

A good way to start the conversation is for manufacturers and systems integrators alike to offer technology efficiency assessments of existing church venues. In doing so, not only is it easy to point out older, inefficient technologies that require greater maintenance and more frequent consumable/replaceable parts, but it also helps the church begin to think of the technology as a dynamic system that is only as strong as the weakest links. It’s easy to absorb the cost of these assessments into the cost of the upgraded system, especially when there is a buy-back program for viable technology that may be outdated for their venue, but a good fit for another.

The church market’s need for high availability, consistent operation and reduced ongoing cost of ownership are ways that make it easier than ever to position your products and services in contrast to their existing system pain points. In a very real sense, this is less about an ‘upgrade’ and more about streamlining operations and reducing ongoing costs. All churches understand these needs, but may not have ever considered it when it comes to their tech arts department. As with all new ways of thinking, it is important to first identify what isn’t working well so that a better solution can be implemented. For many churches, AV tech spending is simply a black hole for money (as is all technology to some extent) and the thinking of “it’s always been this way” is prevalent and 100% addressable by the savvy companies serving this huge vertical market.

Any manufacturer or systems integrator not leading with a strong value proposition (what’s in it for the church) and a perspective of good stewardship is missing the very point of view from which churches make their purchasing decisions. This is entirely avoidable. Make the most of your existing church prospects as well as your existing client database by shifting away from the features and benefits of your latest whiz-bang technology to the value proposition that addresses the personas within this high-growth vertical market.

What are ways your company can engage churches with a focus on stewardship instead of price? Comment below!

There are stories of heroism and sacrifice, bravery and suffering and the rediscovering of the word ‘neighbor’ in the wake of what may be the worst flooding disaster in the history of the United States. Beyond the dramatic news coverage of dramatic aerial shots of Houston’s unprecedented floods are the social media feeds of cell phones capturing the sheer will of humanity to overcome and risk safety to help others in need. This is the best of humanity, where the equality of all people is never clearer against the unrelenting forces of nature. We’re also seeing it now in Florida and the Keys where Irma made landfall.

The worst of humanity may be scattered among our industry, like vultures waiting to get their fill on the impending insurance checks and re-building campaigns to a hurting and shocked populace. This article is not about them. Instead, this article focuses on the good we can and should do to put people above profits and to give back in tangible, heartfelt ways that underscore an industry that has the resources and manpower to make more than a small dent.

Amidst the chaos are the heroes of the ‘Cajun Navy,’ mere mortal men and women with fishing boats, kayaks and rafts heading into countless neighborhoods to find those trapped in flooded homes. As I write this, my Facebook feed is full of videos showing ordinary citizens towing literally dozens of boats along the interstate towards the flooded areas. A friend’s brother has live-streamed his iPhone’s footage from his boat, headed out to a nearby senior adult retirement community that has easily four feet of standing water on the first floor and no power to the complex. A text from a friend in southwest Houston tells me that he’s being rescued from his home by firefighters in boats going up his street. The surreal moment when he turns to look back at his house while wading through water to get into the rescue boat is a moment few of us from afar can fully appreciate.

On the Church Sound & Media Techs group on Facebook, a volunteer church AV tech shares pictures of his church building partially submerged and his efforts to move gear to higher ground so that the rising flood waters do not submerge it all. A pastor friend of mine in Houston has organized with two relief organizations to stage in the church parking lot since his location is higher than most. A businessman who helps staff churches links to a group of pastors from another church that are coordinating relief efforts to house families from various communities left without a home. Faith-based relief organization Convoy of Hope sent a fleet of supplies to a litany of communities in need of food, clothes and supplies for young children.

A Texas-based grocery store, H-E-B, sent a convoy of meal trucks and big rigs loaded with bottled water and food along with their disaster relief team even while the rains continue to pour. Academy Sports and Outdoors’ corporate offices have been opened as a relief shelter, with air mattresses and sleeping bags lined around walls and surrounding cubicles, in addition to personal hygiene products for each person.

This is the goodness of people, the sacrificial love and commitment to not only weather this storm, but to provide weeks or even months of shelter, relief and hope to families, business owners and individuals who have found themselves suddenly without home or transportation or even a job to go back to. Yes, relief organizations and the local, state and federal government will help some, but beyond shelters and lines for bottled water is an undercurrent of hope that is happening one person at a time. It is my prayer that local churches in the affected areas have the continued financial and tangible resource support from other churches since the problems will not recede with the waters.

Giving financially is one of the easiest steps. For example, a text-to-give $10 (applied to your mobile phone bill) to relief organization Convoy of Hope is applied immediately to providing resources in the midst of disaster zones (text CONVOY to 50555). But there are other ways that companies in the AV industry can apply a larger donation that translate into immediate supplies for rescue, relief and rebuilding.

Your company can donate in addition to financial gifts, consider:

• Samaritan’s Purse – they partner with churches in affected communities, where the churches become a home base by housing volunteers, storing equipment, and sharing information and insight about the community with Samaritan’s Purse staff. They also stay long-term to help with rebuilding.
• Global Giving Foundation – Specifically focused on bringing the resources of companies to affected areas through their corporate program.
• Texas Diaper Bank – they change the lives of babies, toddlers, senior adults and the disabled. Diapers are always in critically short supply in flooded areas.
• PortLight – they focus on the disabled community and replace lost durable medical equipment and ramping and assist residents in purchasing and installing accessibility equipment during the rebuilding phase.
• Heart to Heart – Has corporate support programs that allow your employees to contribute in multiple ways. They also have an ‘immediate needs’ product drive that your company can support.

The companies giving back that I’ve highlighted above are doing so in very public ways. Though donating and serving in a public way isn’t done for the sake of good PR, it doesn’t hurt that good PR is certainly a differentiator for churches looking at their next vendor, consulting firm or systems integrator. What can your firm and the AV industry do? More importantly, will you do it?

What say you? Share your opinions and experiences in the comments below.

A Little Physics

At the normal sea level atmospheric pressure of 14.7 pounds-per-square-inch, 59 degrees F, dry air (< 50 percent relative humidity), sound travels one mile every five seconds in round numbers — so in 2.5 seconds, sound will cover a distance of half a mile.

In NFL football, that’s just enough time to kick the winning field goal, in basketball it’s time for one or maybe two Hail Mary shots before the buzzer. A Mach 2 fighter jet will travel just over a mile, (the legendary SR71 Blackbird would travel 2.5 miles at its Mach 3 official speed). A 50 caliber bullet would travel 1.325 miles. (By official definition, Mach 1 is equal to the speed of sound or 1,116.5 feet per second — 340 meters per second, which is measured using the International Standard Atmosphere, parameters of dry air at mean sea level, standard temperature of 15 °C/59 °F.)

But 2.5 seconds is also an important number for another reason. It’s the suggested mid-point happy spot in reverberation time for an empty HOW space, balancing speech intelligibility with a time decay which works for organ, choir, and other musical sources, allowing them to bloom and blend appropriately. Many musicians and the choir master would like something closer to 3 seconds for optimal overall sound, especially if a pipe organ is involved (more on that later).

If music was the only source being considered going out to something closer to three to four seconds would make most performers feel acoustically happy and sonically satisfied, but try and put intelligible speech into that long a reverberation time and you will have problems.

Reality

So, the real question for any HOW space ultimately becomes: “How do you balance the needs of the spoken word, music, choir, pipe organ and congregational comfort?”

To get a better understanding of what actually happens with various amount of reverberation, and the effects of true echoes, go here.

On that acoustical design firm’s site under audio examples you will find a series of audio files that you can freely download and listen to in multiple audio file formats. The examples are:

• Reverberation time and speech 
(“the room sounds kind of echoey”)
• Reverberation time and music 
(“the music sounds awful”)
• Late Reflections, or Slap Echoes 
(“it really does sound echoey”)
• Inadequate Loudspeaker Coverage 
(“it’s loud but I can’t understand anything”)

Each example demonstrates what you would hear with various amounts of reveberative decay, or echoes and will prove highly enlightening, especially when trying to understand what happens to speech when a room is optimized for non-speech sources. There is no signup, sales pitch involved and no logging of your email — it’s 100 percent free and clean.

Please spend a few minutes listening to the sound files — it will be well worth the time and give you a far better understating of the issues we are going to discuss next.

What Do You Have and What Do You Want?

There is a point in any HOW project, regardless of any other issues where the acoustics discussion splits into two distinct paths.

These paths are determined by one simple fact. Does the building already exist or are you starting from an empty plot of land?

What needs to be done, the discussions that need to take place, the various professionals and experts you need to involve will differ specifically based on your answer to that one single question.

This article will also split into two parts to avoid becoming too lengthy. This first part will discuss the issues, solutions and processes you should consider IF the building already exists. Part two next month will discuss new construction, or building from the ground up. Some issues occur in both scenarios and therefore will be discussed in both parts.

There Is an Existing Building

If your HOW space already physically exists, you need to determine a number of project-critical things at the outset. Based on the acoustical problem examples recommended above, and just your ears, how many of the listed difficulties exist in the space in question? Listen, then listen again, to the unoccupied space — what can you hear?

A simple way to check for echoes, for example, is to stand in the middle of the space and pop a good sized (at least 10”-12″ diameter) balloon — do you hear distinct time differentiated sounds returning to your ears? That same test can give you a ballpark generalized reverberation time using nothing more than a stopwatch or the old one-one thousand, two-one thousand, counting method. How long does it take until you no longer hear the sound from the balloon pop? Do this simple test at least twice to check and verify the results.

It would be best to have several people present (both male and female since they hear things differently) so that more than one set of ears is involved, and can provide a cross-check on the results. Obviously you want people with normal hearing, that is people who are not using any hearing aids and do not have known hearing issues.

If either of these issues is present, echoes or a reverberation time longer than four seconds, you will need at least advice from an acoustics expert, an acoustical materials supplier or — more than likely — both. You really cannot move onto any other issues until you determine the sources of these problems and decide on how and with what you are going to address them.

Better yet, now would be the proper time to invite an acoustician familiar with houses of worship (HOW) spaces who also understands the client’s worship style, goals and budget, into the process. It need not be enormously expensive, but if the right professional is chosen, it will be worth every penny down the road.

Talk with other HOWs in your area and within your faith group or denomination nationally to look for experts who understand your needs.

Remember, somebody else has without a doubt had the same issues and if that person successfully solved them, the professionals they worked with can probably help you as well or at least recommend somebody local to your HOW to help.

Asking Questions, Finding Answers

If any of the problems the audio problem sound files demonstrate exist in your space, the most important thing you can do is to build a decision tree on how to tackle the problem(s).

To do this you need to ask and answer the following questions:

1. What is your worship style and liturgical content?

By this we mean is your service primarily spoken word or a mix of pre-recorded music and spoken word, or does it contain any kind of live music content. Each of these styles will require a different acoustical end-result for the best results.

As a guideline only (actual numbers matter less than the perceived acoustical result heard by actual listeners):

• For speech only you want to target a reflection/echo free space with a reverberation time of around one to one and a half seconds.
• For speech and recording music closer to two seconds to allow the music to bloom a little.
• For live music of any type (except Pipe Organ — see below) you want to be around two to two and a half seconds to a max of three seconds.

But don’t forget you should be testing and measuring for the results in an unoccupied space for consistency. Once people (who are fine middle frequencies, i.e., the speech frequencies absorbers) are added, the actual measured time will drop by as much as a half-second, depending on congregational size, the interior furnishings and finishes used.

2. What is your budget for this part of the project and what kind of finished look will best serve the space and your worship style?

You need this answer because it will help guide you and any acoustical professionals, interior designers and architects involved to the right mix of materials, finish options and locations for acoustical treatments that best match your space and your desired outcome.

3. What limitations exist on what can be done to the space and where potential acoustical treatment and modification devices and materials can be located? What local fire, safety and environmental codes must be met, and how do you and your system integrators, contractors, DIY volunteers, etc., intend to install the chosen solutions?

For example — is your space a landmark building with specific limitations on what can be done to the interior? What can be used? Or, can your roof support a sub-structure (false ceiling) type design to allow absorptive materials to be safely placed above the congregants?

There are dozens of variations on these basic questions, and it is crucial to discuss and resolve the answers to any and all of them BEFORE doing anything.

Diffuse, Absorb, Modify

Once you are comfortable that you have both a good overview of your situation and sufficiently detailed data, it’s time to look at options and solutions. Every space will be different — it’s just the immutable laws of physics at work — but in general, there are three kinds of solutions available.

You can:

• Absorb energy to reduce reflections and echoes
• Absorb more energy to lower reverberation time (much harder to execute)
• Diffuse reflections and energy to smooth out decay times and counteract discrete echoes and bounces

Let’s look at five different HOW facilities and what they did to deal with these issues.

This space had serious cross-bounce problems along with the high vault and related reverberation time issues. The solution was to install and blend in a wide band of absorption (the blue arrow), which can been seen all along the walls above the air-conditioning vents (the light tan colored material). This corrected the problem and made the space work while not being visually intrusive.

In this contemporary style sanctuary building, there were substantial reflections from the hard ceiling and subsequent bounce off the floor. The use of visually neutral fabric covered panels on the ceiling helped to control this and make the space useable and permit articulate speech and a viable music environment.

At Journey Christian Church, a modern praise and worship style service, with live singers and music, was hampered by bad reflections from the stage and nearby walls. Again the use of absorptive panels controlled this problem and permitted the church to worship in the style they wanted.

At St. Ann’s, a neo-classically styled worship space was crippled by the acoustic energy bouncing off the hard walls and making both speech and music a mush of unintelligible sound. The strategic placement of absorption and some diffusive panels in the same shape and size dramatically improved the acoustics and created a stunning worship space with comfortable sound for every congregant.

One of the newest options for acoustic panels is the ability to ink-jet print stunning graphics directly onto the surfaces making the panels visually disappear. Almost any image can be used — however, this process takes time so the lead necessary to allow fabrication must be factored into any construction/installation schedule. There are a number of suppliers, so you should investigate what is available in your area.

Another new option in the market is micro-perforated wood or wood-look panels and diffusive surfaces. Again almost any desired style can be fabricated allowing sufficient time. This is a proprietary process and the example shown is courtesy of Acoustical Surfaces, Inc. There are other suppliers, so you should investigate what is available in your area.

The King of Instruments

And finally for this part of our series, consider the pipe organ. If your HOW has or is going to have a pipe organ, special consideration must be given to the acoustics and the building itself to accommodate these magnificent instruments.

The APOBA (Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America) provides a range of informational resources on pipe organs, their design, installation, and configuration as well as acoustical considerations. It is a highly recommended resource for any house of worship considering or refurbishing a pipe organ. In summary they point out the following information worthy of consideration:

A pipe organ can generate basic foundation frequencies ranging from 10 Hz to above 10 kHz not counting overtones or articulation gradation.

The very low bass frequencies possible with a pipe organ also generate a large amount of energy that requires surfaces of dense mass for good reflection. Thus surfaces such as polished smooth-finish stone or masonry walls provide a good substructure for the reflective surface for bass frequencies. Drywall or gypsum board can suffer the same problems of reflection unless applied directly to masonry walls or unless extra support is provided.

Treble frequencies are directional by nature and easily reflected by hard surfaces. Any surface with a hard smooth or polished finish will usually support good treble reflection.

When evaluating the room, the optimal space will have a smooth reverberation time across the spectrum of bass to treble frequencies. As music has a complex series of overtones, the sustained overtones assist in weaving the fabric of the music the listener hears.

The benefits of a good acoustical environment enhance the ability of the listener to hear the music equally in any place in the room. This also equates to a less forced sound for singers, instrumentalists and the pipe organ.
The support from a public address system can then focus on intelligibility of the spoken word more than volume amplification. An organ builder should be involved with the design of a new space when possible or should be provided complete information on an existing space when considering the design of a new pipe organ. Good acoustical architecture design will address structure and surfaces as different but inter-related components.

And finally, in part two of this series, we will look at the issues related to new construction and summarize the best approaches to various problems.

DPI claims the E-Vision LASER 5K is designed for applications requiring a bright SSD solution while also meeting prudent budgetary requirements. Digital Projection’s laser-illumination systems are virtually failure proof, so system operation will never be interrupted. This technology also supports DP’s MultiAxis capability which enables the E-Vision LASER 5K to be oriented in nearly any position for installation flexibility and application creativity.

The E-Vision LASER 5K includes a standard zoom lens and a multitude of connectivity options. Other features include:

• 5,000 laser lumens (ISO)
• WUXGA resolution (1920×1200)
• 1.15 – 1.90 :1 zoom lens
• 1-Chip DLP technology
• HDMI 1.4a + MHL Mobile High-Definition Link (device mirroring)
• USB Type A, VGA, RCA and HDBaseT inputs
• DICOM Simulation Mode

All the specs are here.

In the past year, we’ve heard — well, the organization formerly known as InfoComm International talk a lot about the technology experience, or integrated experience, which we’ve heard at shows and in marketing materials. It turns out this was laying the groundwork for a complete rebrand of the organization.

The rebrand evolved out of the strategic plan that the InfoComm board and executive team has been working on for the past two years. At a press event today, David Labuskes, executive and CEO of InfoComm International/AVIXA, said the team did not come to the decision to rebrand lightly. He said, “You shouldn’t change your name. If you can do anything else, you shouldn’t change your name… But [after much thought and discussion], none of the other options worked or were authentic.” He also said, “It’s about the survival of our current members. We evolve or we die.”

AVIXA also said it decided to announce the change now, rather than at the InfoComm show in June, because they didn’t want the announcement to overshadow or in any way take away from the announcements the exhibitors were themselves making.

There will be much more information to come on this big change in the days and weeks to come. Please leave your thoughts in the comments — we want to know what you think. The full statement from AVIXA is below.

InfoComm International has changed its name to the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA). The change reflects AVIXA’s broadening mission to be an industry hub, while also acting as a catalyst for market growth beyond what has been considered traditionally as professional AV.

AVIXA’s trade shows worldwide, including the North America show, June 2-8 in Las Vegas, will continue to operate under the InfoComm name.

“This is an exciting time for our industry and for the advancement of audiovisual solutions across a wide range of customer experiences,” said David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, Executive Director and CEO of AVIXA. “Thanks to the innovative, creative efforts of so many members, partners, and their customers, we have collectively grown far beyond what InfoComm International could do to promote AV around the world. AV experiences have become so ubiquitous, and they’ve come to include so many more technologies, and touch so many more personal and professional lives, that we felt compelled to embrace a new identity that more accurately reflects this industry’s excitement and welcomes a far more diverse community of professionals.”

In recent years, AVIXA’s members have evolved to offer much more than audiovisual products and systems. Their innovation and attention to customer requirements has led to an industry of solution providers that use audiovisual technology to create outcomes. AVIXA membership has grown to include experiential designers, content creators, IT companies, and users of AV solutions across a growing cross section of markets. AVIXA’s 2017 InfoComm show in Orlando last June attracted a greater share of AV customers than in any other year.

By adopting the name AVIXA, the industry association, which operates as a trade organization representing companies and a professional society representing individuals, aims to reflect both what its members do (AV) and what they create for customers, which are integrated experiences (IX).

“The AVIXA Board of Directors has set out an ambitious plan to grow the association, increase awareness of AV experiences, and reinvent our brand in order to propel this industry into the future,” said Gary Hall, CTS-D, CTS-I, President of the AVIXA Board, and Federal Strategy, Planning and Operations Leader at Cisco Systems. “With new and different people and technologies coming into this space, we are thrilled that AVIXA will be home to all of them.”

AVIXA was founded in 1939 as the National Association of Visual Education Dealers. In 1949, NAVED merged with the Allied Non-Theatrical Film Association to form the National Audio-Visual Association. NAVA changed its name to the International Communications Industries Association in 1983, which became InfoComm International in 2005.

“Organizations evolve,” said Labuskes. “AVIXA’s core programs remains the same—training, certification, standards, community, market intelligence, tradeshows—but the industry has changed in exciting ways, and the opportunity to grow the market for audiovisual experience is so vast, it was important that the AV industry’s leading association change with it.”

AVIXA is here.

All EVID-S models offer Electro-Voice-engineered components for sound quality, low-profile looks and reliability for a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications. These include retail environments, hospitality settings such as bars, lounges, patios, pool areas and restaurants, conference and meeting rooms, fitness clubs, performing arts and sports venues and houses of worship. The series offers true weatherproof construction for outdoor spaces, confirmed by extensive and rigorous testing above and beyond industry norms. All models are paintable and IP54 certified for weather resistance. An IP65 weatherproof version is available for the 5.25-inch loudspeaker cabinet and the 10-inch subwoofer models.

The products include:

• EVID-S4.2 (4” two-way cabinet)
• EVID-S5.2 (5” two-way cabinet)
• EVID-S8.2 (8” two-way cabinet)
• EVID-S10.2 (dual 10” subwoofer)
• EVID-S12.2 (single 12” subwoofer

Selectable versions:

• B, W – black, white color
• T – output transformer
• X – waterproof IP65 rating (5.25-inch versions only)

All the specs are here.

The Maevex 6150 dramatically increases the potential encoding density for a stand-alone appliance, delivering quad 4K input capture and encode, supporting a total of four concurrent 4K streams and recordings. This makes Maevex 6150 ideal for simultaneously streaming on premises, streaming to the cloud or recording for distribution later.

The 6150 quad 4K enterprise encoder appliance that claims to provide system independence and eliminates the need for additional equipment. Integrating seamlessly with standard 1 Gigabit Ethernet networks, Maevex 6150 includes a zero-latency pass-through for real-time output of audio/video content on all four 4K inputs (4K@60Hz 10-bit).

Built on the open-standard H.264 codec, Maevex 6150 is compatible with all computers, devices, and networks, including the full range of Maevex Series products as well as third-party technologies. Multi-Chroma sub-sampling delivers 4:4:4, 4:2:2, 4:2:0 and 4:0:0 options to best balance quality and bandwidth demands of different encoding environments and markets.

In terms of management, the Maevex PowerStream Plus AV-over-IP management application provides control over the entire Maevex network—including Maevex 6150 appliances and the Maevex 6100 PCIe quad 4K encoder cards, as well as Maevex 5100 Series Full HD encoders and decoders. For those looking for customized control, the PowerStream Plus API grants integrators and developers command-level access to build their own Maevex control application or to integrate Maevex functionality in third-party applications.

The Maevex 6150 quad 4K encoder appliance delivers an unlimited number of streams through third-party technologies like streaming media servers, and content delivery networks (CDNs).

Here are the details.

Chief is now shipping new storage solutions including the PAC527 Extra-Large In-Wall Storage Box, the CSPR Component Storage Panel, and the CSPH Under-Table Component Storage Panel.

A multi-level, multi-sectioned backplane with universal mounting slots makes it easier to arrange components and maximize the space available in all three dimensions. This helps installers be more flexible with difficult port locations on AV equipment. As with Chief’s other in-wall boxes, the PAC527 features break away edges that make it compatible with both standard 3.5” studs and 2.5” studs so installers can easily accommodate any stud depth on site. Knockouts for single gang outlets and 1.25, 1 and 0.5” conduit are built in.

Bundles are available with box, flange and cover combinations. The PAC527 can be ordered with isolated ground four or six receptacle outlets featuring multi-stage filtration and surge protection to improve reliability and functionality of connected equipment.

• Enclosure UL 2416 Listed
• Backplane ships in two sections and can be broken down into a total of four smaller sections
• Printable backplane template for planning purposes
• Provides a larger, easy-to-organize space to accommodate AV equipment – 22″ (559 millimeters) tall
• Pre- and post-construction installation options

• 1/3 and 2/3 breakaways in case less space is required
• Brackets available separately to use extra breakaway space elsewhere
• Shipped with template to ensure accurate mounting of brackets
• Security locking screws
• Handle for ease of transport, install and maneuvering of panel

• Installs behind or along any wall mount or display
• Removable for component service without moving the display
• Security locking mechanism

Here are all the details.

The all new Ultimatte 12 is a real-time compositing processor designed for the next generation of broadcast graphics. Ultimatte 12 features entirely new algorithms and color science, incredible edge handling, greater color separation, amazing color fidelity and better spill suppression than ever before.

The advanced 12G-SDI design gives Ultimatte 12 customers the ability to work in HD today and switch to Ultra HD when they are ready. Customers get sub pixel processing for amazing image quality and textures in both HD and Ultra HD. Plus it’s compatible with virtually all SD, HD and Ultra HD equipment, so customers can use it with the cameras they already have.

Ultimatte 12 claims to create life like composites and place talent into any scene, working with both fixed cameras and static backgrounds, or automated virtual set systems. Imagine presenting the weather, sports, news and entertainment in a cinematic quality environment, all composited in real time. Ultimatte 12 is also perfect for on set pre visualization in television and film production because it lets actors and directors see the virtual sets they’re interacting with while shooting against a green screen.

Ultimatte 12 is designed to be affordable, so customers can use it on even more cameras to increase production quality. For example, when working on live shoots with multiple cameras shooting from different angles, it’s common for the green or blue screen to suffer from variations. The keyers built into live production switchers use the same keying parameters for all cameras, which complicates keying and image quality because each camera sees the green screen a little differently. Ultimatte 12 eliminates this problem with incredible new technology at an affordable price so it’s now possible to add keyers to every camera for the highest possible quality keys.

Augmented reality is becoming more and more popular. On air talent now interacts with glass like computer generated charts, graphs, displays and other objects with colored translucency on virtually every broadcast television show. Adding tinted translucent objects is virtually impossible with a traditional keyer and the results customers see on television don’t look realistic. That’s because when blue or green is subtracted out of a semi-transparent tinted object, it changes the object’s original color. Now, with Ultimatte 12, customers get a revolutionary new “realistic” layer compositing mode that can add tinted objects on top of the foreground image and key them correctly. This means that the object properly transmits the colors seen through it. Talent can even walk behind it and the tinted colors are accurately preserved, making the shot look completely realistic.

Ultimatte 12 also features one touch keying technology that analyzes a scene and automatically sets over a 100 parameters so pulling great keys is easy without having to do a lot of extra work. Of course, customers still have to ensure the scene is well lit and the cameras are properly white balanced. One touch keying is dramatically faster and helps accurately pull a key with minimum effort, leaving operators free to focus on the program with less distractions, while Ultimatte 12 takes care of the rest.

Ultimatte 12 is controlled via Ultimatte Smart Remote 4, which is a touch screen remote that connects via Ethernet. Up to eight Ultimatte 12 units can be daisy chained together and connected to the same Smart Remote, so customers don’t have worry about adding a video router or hub. Smart Remote 4 features physical buttons for switching and controlling any attached Ultimatte 12. There are also buttons for quickly loading and saving presets, along with a touch screen that provides total control over every parameter. Customers can also create their own custom control solutions because Ultimatte 12 uses a simple, open text based protocol.

Here are all the tech specs.

The 250-watt SW925 PA can project spoken presentations from wireless or wired-in microphones, or amplify music from the unit’s built-in Media Player for Bluetooth streaming or MP3 play with USB or SD card inputs. Convenient switches for Voice Priority, Voice Enhancement, and Volume Control allow for easy customization of presentations. A built-in 16 channel UHF receiver ensures clear sound with no frequency interference.

AmpliVox designed its SW925 to be portable and extremely durable, for use in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor settings. The entire unit is housed in a specially tooled and molded plastic enclosure that travels easily with a luggage-style handle and heavy duty industrial casters. The unit can be mounted on an optional tripod, providing clear increased sound coverage. Its rechargeable battery runs for up to ten hours.

The details are here.