Volume 8, Issue 10 — October 21, 2016
|
Tiner’s Take on Digital Signage Editorial Editorial
|
|
|
AV on the Links
By Scott Tiner rAVe Columnist
Up here in Maine, fall has set in and the golf season is quickly fading away. Southern areas of the country have a few more months of play, but our time is just about done. Luckily, I get to play to the very end of the season. A couple of weeks ago that included a golf tournament at Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland, Maine. I play a lot of golf, but most of it is at my home course. So, seeing the technology in place at another course was very interesting, and exciting. For many of the readers, who play golf, what I am about to write about will be no surprise, but I encourage you to think about the business reasons for deploying the technology.
At Val Halla, every golf cart has a built in screen, underneath the roof of the golf cart. This amazing screen has several uses. The first and most obvious use is for GPS of the course. The screen shows you where you are on the course and the various distances (distance to green, distance to hazards, etc.). For the golfer, this is critical information and it is very convenient to have it right in front of you, rather than having to take out some other piece of tech to get this information.
Business value: Provides value to the customer, draws them back to the course.
A second use of the screens is for advertising. On the day that I played, it was a fund raiser for the local Chamber of Commerce. A local company, Jones-Rich-Hutchins were the sponsors for the day. Every third hole or so, the screen would show their logo, website and telephone number. Compare this repeated advertising with the typical sign at most tournaments. Most tournaments have a sign about the size of a political sign, on the first hole that announces their main sponsor. This is clearly a step up in getting people to sponsor such fundraising events.
Business value: Customers are more likely to be willing to sponsor an event. Coordinators of the event will be more willing to use your golf course for this reason.
Reason 2.5 is advertising again, but a bit of a different way. Obviously, every day there is not a tournament. But there are people playing golf every day, and companies that want to advertise to them. An obvious first potential advertiser would be any local golf shops. This could include the local pro shop, online sites or larger corporations that are golf shops. Like any digital signage, the advertisements can be targeted towards certain customers depending on the time of day, or day of week. Is it women’s twilight league night? Then you would advertise specifically to women. A weekday, mid day? You would likely advertise to people who are retired and able to play golf at that time.
Business value: The golf course can recoup some of the expense of installing these monitors, but selling advertisements. Because the screens are touch screens, they can also get metrics on how many people reacted to their advertisement in some way.
A final, but far last, use of the technology is to order food and communicate with the club house. It is very common at golf courses to have traditional signage on the ninth hole, that has information on ordering food for the back nine. These instructions include a small menu and a number to order. The hope is to keep the speed of play going. At Val Halla you can order this food over the screen. A full menu is listed, and you can choose what you want by using the touch interface. Additionally, the GPS in the monitor senses where you are on the course and shows you the menu when you get closer to the clubhouse. Presumably, it could also determine how busy the golf course is, and how busy the restaurant is, and show you the menu earlier or later depending on those factors. Finally, the communication with the club house allows you to request items you may have not thought of. Did you leave without enough tees for the day? Have you had a bad day and are running out of golf balls? Press a button on the touch screen and you can send a message to the clubhouse for them to send it out.
Business value: The clubhouse gets to sell more of its inventory, and the customer gets immediate service when needed.
The point of this month’s column is not just to point out some cool technology on the course. Rather, it is a continuing reminder that if you want to grow your business you need to think about creating value for your customers and for your customer’s customers. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Click above to learn more
|
|
4K, Holography and Why Terminology Matters
By Mark Coxon rAVe Blogger
I admit it.
I’ve been trolled.
Typically when someone trolls you for a response on social media it means it’s time to take a deep breath and just move on. Convincing someone you don’t know to move away from a point of view they already hold rarely if never happens. It’s a futile effort. But in this case, I’m not only responding, I’m writing a whole blog about it. Go figure.
The other day I saw a post on Twitter touting a new “holographic” display the BBC was developing to change the future of television! Of course, I was intrigued and I clicked. I took the bait.
The video showed an inverted mylar mirrored pyramid sitting atop an LCD screen with four images displayed on it, creating a volumetric display with an image composed of four separate reflections. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always liked volumetric displays. They have been around a long time and I think they have some really cool applications for retail or modeling and visualization. They are an extension of the old Pepper’s ghost theater trick, where an angled piece of glass in front of the stage reflects the image of an actor illuminated in the orchestra pit below, magically creating a “ghost” on the stage itself.
However, the future of TV? Probably not. Volumetrics are good at depicting a single subject in a quadriscopic reflected illusion. They are also typically relatively small.
If you wanted to insert those images into a setting you would need another screen at the rear of the volumetric playing the background video while the “holographic” subjects moved in front of it.
So lets take that to it’s logical solution for a TV. Even if you wanted to replicate what is now a small TV in a home, let’s say 40″ we have major problems. Take a look at the diagram below:
As you can see, to create an image equivalent to that on a 40″ TV, you’d need a pyramid that can encompass that screen. Then you’d need a base display about 2.3 times wider than that in the horizontal position below the pyramid to play the content for reflections. If you want background images behind the subject, you’d need a secondary 40″ diagonal display at the back of the unit as well. Then you’d need a cable box or PC outputting two streams, one for the subject in the pyramid, and a second for the 2D background display.
The result is a wholly new high bandwidth source box with dual outputs feeding an 82″x82″ display in the horizontal and a 40″ display in the vertical that takes up about 46 square feet in your living room…
I can say with certainty that this is NOT the future of TV.
Would it be amazing in an innovation center, a corporate lobby, a museum or even a theme park? Absolutely!
Now, despite the feasibility issues listed above, I have a much larger problem with this whole thing. It’s the use of the term “hologram,” as this is not holography in the first place, even is it is “holographish.” For anyone who follows my writing you may remember me taking exception to the use of the term 4K to describe UHD displays, or if you go back even farther, to me ranting about the misuse of the term automation as well. You may even have thought: “Wow! Mark is really crazy about terminology. Isn’t it close enough?”
The answer is no. Terms mean something, and using them improperly can actually devalue the services that we provide. We can’t get lazy and call technologies by names that don’t apply to them just to try to capitalize on them.
A great example of how the AV industry has devalued products and services through the lax use of terminology can be found in an award-winning talk given by Simon Dudley when he was at Lifesize. He correctly asserts that we did ourselves a disservice as an industry by calling everything from a fully equipped $500,000 telepresence room to a Skype call on a Chromebook “videoconferencing.” They are all most certainly that at the core, but the differences in performance are so great, that lumping them all together into one term brings them down to a lowest common denominator and causes consumers to use the lowest price as an anchor for the price they expect to pay. He makes the analogy that it would be like the car industry calling everything from a skateboard, to a go cart, to a car a “four-wheeled personal transportation device.”
The point is that terms matter. They differentiate technologies from one another and maintain the value and integrity of superior products and services. If we call everything from a Pepper’s ghost to a volumetric a “hologram,” then when true laser holography in open air becomes a reality, no one will listen and it will be harder to sell it.
As professionals, we should embrace the terminology that correctly identifies the technology at hand, and not piggyback off of existing buzzwords leveraging them to create more consumer interest. It may be good for short term sales, but it is bad for long term viability, for profitability of technology over its life cycle and for our reputations as technology professionals. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Click above to learn more
|
|
A New Way to Create Projected HDR?
By Chris Chinnock Display Central
With High Dynamic Range (HDR) TVs offering 600 to 1000 cd/m² of peak luminance and various levels of black, many are concerned that the experience in the cinema is starting to lag behind the home experience. IMAX and Dolby offer HDR cinematic experiences, but a solution for mainstream theaters is needed, too. But a new approach may be possible – and Barco is the one that plans to nurture the technology via a recent acquisition of MTT Innovations.
We spoke with MTT Innovations CEO, Anders Ballestad, to get his take on the deal with Barco. “The acquisition was actually initiated by a potential customer we were working with. They believed, and we agreed, that working with a top tier projector maker would be necessary to fully commercialize the technology and would we be willing to talk to Barco about this?”, noted Ballestad. “We had already had some initial discussions with Barco, but agreed that having a customer as part of the conversation would be a more powerful discussion. Talks began last fall and accelerated after the first of the year culminating in a deal by the end of May.”
Ballestad could not reveal the terms of the deal, but Barco essentially acquired 100 percent of the shares of MTT Innovations so the seven employees are now Barco personnel. He also could not say anything more on the customer who helped initiate the deal other than to say they are an organization with some industry influence. That could mean a major exhibitor chain or major Hollywood studio, seems to me. Some studios have seen demos of the technology, so this seems like a better bet to me.
In terms of the technology they are developing, again, not much can be revealed now, but based on some previous interview notes, we can get a sense of where the company is going.
MTT Innovations was cofounded by Gerwin Damberg while pursuing his PhD in the Physical Simulation and Measurement lab at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He had previously worked with the co-founder, including Anders Ballestad, at another UBC affiliated startup called Brightside Technologies. Brightside was sold to Dolby Laboratories in 2007, where Ballestad continued to work until forming MTT Innovations in 2012.
The team believes that luminance levels in the cinema need to increase dramatically to get to parity with what the home HDR TV sets can offer. In the cinema, the black level can be quite good but is often limited by the minimal ambient light in the theater and reflections from people, seats, walls, etc. Getting to higher luminance levels is a big challenge since the peak luminance in conventional cinemas today is around 50 cd/m² with some HDR implementations reaching 108 cd/m² or so. That’s a long ways from the 1000 cd/m² of peak luminance available in the home.
Throwing 10 times more light at the projector is not the answer, thinks MTT Innovation. “That’s very wasteful as most of the light is not projected onto the screen owing to the low average picture level of most movies,” noted Ballestad. “Creating a projector that can display 1000 cd/m² of a full white screen is not needed. What is needed is the ability to create high luminance in a small portion of the image at any time,” explained Ballestad. “The average picture (luminance) level (APL) for DCI movies is about 7 percent and for HDR content it is more like 2 to 3 percent,” said Ballestad. “We want to develop an approach that redistributes the available light to enables more light to be sent into the peak luminance areas of the picture.”
MTT Innovations has revealed nothing about their architecture other than to say the idea comes from the field of computational photography. It is an RGB laser approach that uses primaries at 638, 462 and 530nm with a ‘close to BT 2020’ color gamut. They have also shown a working prototype of a 1000 cd/m² HDR projector at Siggraph in the past using off the shelf hardware and light sources. The graphic below is from a Siggraph 2015 video and reinforces the light redistribution concept.
The Barco acquisition is only months old, but they have already met with the Barco team and been brainstorming ideas for continuing development. It seems likely that a more robust and portable demo will be one short term goal – perhaps being ready by this fall. Other technical and implementation issues will now be explored using the considerable Barco resources. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
|
SurgeX Adds Power Solutions for Digital Signage for Chief Chief is now offering three new SurgeX solutions designed to safeguard digital displays. SurgeX FlatPak and MultiPak solutions are the premier power protection choice to safeguard digital displays and projectors from the dangers associated with electrical transients. Their multi-stage technology is superior to the single-stage MOV circuitry found in conventional surge protectors and is instrumental in reducing downtime.
These digital signage products are an expansion of the current SurgeX offerings available from Chief, including a line of co-developed infrastructure products that combine innovative storage options with premium, non-sacrificial surge protection and noise filtration. One-SKU ordering simplifies specification. Chief also has Revit models for all powered solutions for ceiling and in-wall storage. Find them online at milestone.com and on Autodesk SEEK.
The exclusive line of products was developed by Chief in collaboration with AMETEK Electronic Systems Protection, the owner of SurgeX.
Products now powered with non-sacrificial surge protection:
- Stand-Alone Wall Outlet
- In-Wall Storage Boxes with up to six receptacles
- Plenum Ceiling Storage Boxes
- Suspended Ceiling Kits
- Suspended Ceiling Projector Mount System
Here are the specifics. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Datapath Debuts AV-over-IP iolite Digital Signage and Video Wall ControllersDatapath has launched a new line of video wall controllers called iolite designed specifically for small- to medium-scale walls. The iolite systems are small and designed to fit into retail, corporate reception and boardroom environments and sit behind the monitor or on a mount.
The iolite systems can be combined with up to six of Datapath’s Vision, decode and graphics cards to offer a flexible blend of inputs, outputs and SQX IP streams. It easily fits under a counter or behind a display space, and can be used for capture or local video playback and can decode and feed content to multiple locations simultaneously with SQX technology.
Datapath iolite video display systems are just 176x250x320 millimeters, feature six x8 PCIe Gen2 slots and increased slot spacing for reduced heat and power consumption. Features include on-board Wi-Fi, eight USB ports, an Ethernet port, analog audio ports, an embedded Windows Ultimate OS and then are available in a variety of processor speeds and SSD options.
Here is some specs. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
PixelFLEX Launches TrueFLEX PixelFLEX’s new TrueFLEX LED video tile is designed for non-traditional LED applications as it has the ability to curve in any direction and attach to virtually any surface. Available in 2.5mm, 3.0mm, 4.0mm, 6mm and 10mm indoor pitch options, the fanless design allows for a no-noise solution that can operate in any indoor space, and its slim and lightweight construction provides a low-profile installation that needs very little space for wiring and mounting. With its single module replacement for easy onsite service, TrueFLEX uses magnetic modules and set screw ports to attach to virtually any surface, and the external sending and receiving control, paired with quality connectors, guarantee safe and reliable module connections.
Here are some details on the technology. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Gefen Enters 4K Over IP Market Gefen, from Core Brands, today introduced two new 4K Ultra (3840×2160) HD Video over IP products. The new sender and receiver KVM units (the EXT-UHDV-KA-LANS-TX and EXT-UHDV-KA-LANS-RX) join the existing line of 1080p video over IP products and add 4K and HDR support, a built-in scaler, video-wall controller, Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), and digital/analog audio break-out. These are over a 1 Gig LAN thus, the signal is significantly compressed.
The new Gefen models feature HDMI and VGA inputs and outputs, and can support DVI when using Gefen HDMI-to-DVI cables. They support HDMI input resolutions up to 4K 60Hz 4:2:0 and output resolutions up to 4K 30Hz 4:4:4, HDR support, HDCP 2.2 and 1.4, and 7.1 channels of HBR (High Bit Rate) lossless and LPCM digital audio up to 330 feet (100 meters). The Sender also features a VGA output for local monitoring of the input. The VGA input and output support VESA resolutions up to 1920×1200 at 60Hz (WUXGA). This product also provides RS232 and two-way IR routing between the Sender and the Receiver units, allowing the transfer of IR commands and RS232 communications among all sources and the displays.
With HDMI and VGA selectable inputs, HDMI and VGA outputs, USB/KVM routing ability, 4K with HDR support and an array of new cutting-edge enhancements, the Gefen Video over IP product addresses the needs of systems integrators. Gefen is unique in delivering the enhanced network security made possible by separating the control and AV networks when using the Gefen EXT-CU-LAN Matrix Controller.
PoE (Power over Ethernet) allows the units to be powered through a standard PoE-enabled IP network switch, without the need for external power supplies. Built in scaler and video wall controller provide great flexibility in sizing and manipulating live and signage content in installations such as sports bars and restaurants, or corporate, education, hospitality and retail establishments. Additionally, digital and analog audio break-out allow the audio from the HDMI output to be sent to a separate audio system, enhancing the impact of presentations in large venues.
USB inputs and the four-output USB hub accommodate touch panels, a keyboard and mouse, and a variety of supported USB devices. This feature — along with analog audio inputs and outputs for use with microphones and headphones — makes these products perfect to use in collaborative and interactive installations in signage, hospitality, corporate and educational environments.
The cable run from a Sender to a Receiver can be up to 100 meters (330 feet). A built in Gigabit switch on each receiver allows the connection of additional receivers, providing daisy-chaining functionality. In applications such as digital signage, where there may be a need to replicate content on multiple displays throughout an installation, the ability to cascade receivers essentially removes the requirement for a cable to be connected directly to the main network switch, thereby extending the range of these units far beyond the limits of a point-to-point video distribution system.
The Sender features a 1U tall and half-rack-width enclosure, though it can also be surface mounted or be placed on a shelf. The Receiver can be surface-mounted or placed on a shelf. It is also rack mountable using the rack tray, but features a low profile enclosure that can fit in tight places. The IR Extender module allows this receiver to be hidden away behind a display or in the equipment closet.
Here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Click above to learn more
|
NEC Display Launches New LED LineupNEC Display Solutions launched a new series of LED displays that offer 1.2mm to 6mm pixel pitch for indoor applications and 5.8mm to 12.0mm pixel pitch for outdoor applications, perfect for nearly any viewing distance and maximum flexibility. Featuring 24-bit color processing enabling a greater color gradient for smooth, clear images and an increased lifespan to 100,000 hours for maximum value, the LED displays offer the ultimate viewing experience.
The front facing LED panels are easily upgradeable and designed for easy color calibration to ensure color uniformity, even if a panel is replaced. The LED panels can also be arranged in a curved concave/convex configuration and feature a high refresh rate to prevent flickering, making the direct view LED displays perfect for cutting-edge digital signage applications in retail, broadcast, control centers, transportation and more.
In addition, the enhanced line of LED displays is equipped with controllers that can manage a 16-million pixels per controller. All displays are front- and rear-serviceable to reduce install and service costs, leading to an overall lower cost of ownership over competitors. The new LED displays also include an expanded warranty to three years of protection.
More information is here. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Christie Signals Further Push in to Digital Signage MarketThe Digital Place Based Advertising Association (DPAA) announced today that Allure and its Christie Experiential Network (CEN) have joined its rapidly growing association. A division of Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc., CEN provides leading digital projection and display technologies, including 3D visualization, digital signage, video walls and more. Actively deploying a network of digital signs in cinema lobbies throughout the country, targeting national, regional and local advertisers, CEN’s immersive experiential format is transforming consumer experience and brand engagement.
“Christie is leading the industry with a range of spectacular digital displays that really grab consumers’ attention, making content and messaging even more impactful,” said Barry Frey, president and CEO, DPAA. “We welcome the Christie Experiential Network to our membership ranks and look forward to helping them build lasting relationships.”
Kevin Romano, EVP of Global Media for CEN, said, “Barry and his team at DPAA are doing great work in advancing the profile and status of the digital place-based media industry. We are proud to become part of this association as we advance the industry to new heights together.”
Membership in DPAA encompasses numerous benefits, including admission to quarterly “mini summit” meetings with ad industry and DPB leaders; access to an extensive database of research, best practices and case studies; tools for planning, training and forecasting; social media amplification as well as publication discounts. Additionally, there are opportunities to participate in media partnerships as well as the DPAA-Nielsen Service Bureau and DPAA-Nielsen Digital Diploma Series Training Program; insights on software and hardware solutions; further integration into the advertising ecosystem as part of the video everywhere conversation and marketing campaign, and more.
The DPAA’s annual Video Everywhere Summit will be held October 27 in New York. The Summit will bring together 700 delegates representing brands, agencies, digital place-based networks, ad tech, research firms and others for a full day of presentations, panels, case studies, networking events and experiential exhibits. The Video Everywhere Summit is the only event of its kind, dedicated to multi-screen viewing and the video neutral planning mantra that has taken hold at many clients and agencies.
You can learn all about the Allure/Christie Digital Network here. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Click above to learn more
|
AMX by HARMAN Debuts Low-Bandwidth/Compressed 4K Over IPHARMAN’s AMX just launched the N2300 Series of 4K lower-bandwidth video over IP solutions. With a bandwidth of less than 200 megabits per second, users can distribute 4K video over existing Gigabit Ethernet networks with what AMX says is only a latency of only one frame.
The N2300 Series includes support for HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 and the system handles 3840×2160 at 4:2:0 chroma subsampling rates. Like other AMX Networked AV products, the N2300 Series has Native NetLinx capabilities for integration into HARMAN solutions. Additional features include keyboard/mouse support, RJ-45 and SFP network connections, support for balanced and unbalanced analog audio and RS232 and IR ports for device control.
The NMX-DEC-N2322 decoder is available as a standalone unit perfect for mounting behind a display. The NMX-ENC-N2312 encoder is available both in standalone and card-based configurations, providing options for installation near a source or in a rack, using the AMX N9206 2RU Rack Mount Cage. The AMX N9206 holds up to six cards for a clean rack mount installation and optional consolidated power supply.
The AMX N2300 Series is expected to be available in November 2016. Here are all the specs for the encoder and the specs for the decoder. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Sharp Debuts New Displays Sharp today announces its next generation of professional-grade LCD monitors for its PN-R series. Available in 42″ Class (41.9″ diagonal), 49″ Class (48.5″ diagonal) and 55″ Class (54.6″ diagonal) models, they are all commercial-grade displays for digital signage and ProAV.
The new PN-R556/R496/R426 professional LCD monitors offer a slimmer, sleeker, design with a bezel of only 7.8 millimeters on all four sides. This is 50 percent slimmer than its predecessor and the thinnest Sharp has introduced in this size format.
The PN-R series are the first to incorporate the new Mini Open Pluggable Specification (Mini OPS) design, which Sharp brings to market in collaboration with Intel. This enables simplified digital signage development and deployment, low power, reliability and a validated compact, fan-less design.
In addition, the PN-R series accommodates an optional HDBaseT 2.0-compliant receiver board that supports various types of media and control signals. Installing an HDBaseT Receiver Board (PN-ZB03H) allows the monitor to receive HDMI video, audio signals, and control signals sent up to 328 feet via a single LAN cable. This brings convenient connectivity with fewer cables, reducing both the time and cost of installation.
To allow for even greater amounts of flexibility and collaboration, an optional wireless board (PN-ZB03W) allows up to 10 devices — including Mac or Windows computers and users can display the content of one device on the whole screen, or from up to four devices in a 2×2 split screen.
The PN-R496 display will be available to ship in October 2016. The PN-R556 display is scheduled to ship in November and the PN-R426 display in January 2017.
Here are all the details. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Extron Expands Line of DSC HD-HD 4K Scalers With New Economical 4K/30 Model Extron is now shipping the DSC HD‑HD 4K A, an HDCP 2.2-compliant HDMI to HDMI scaler. It accepts signals from 480i to 4096×2160, and produces a scaled output from 640×480 to 4096×2160. It features 4:4:4 processing for signals up to 4096×2160 @ 30 fps. It incorporates the Extron-exclusive Vector 4K scaling engine that includes integrator-friendly features such as on-screen display, stereo audio embedding and de-embedding, internal test patterns and the ability to display custom images and logos for on-screen corporate branding and messaging.
The DSC HD‑HD 4K A is the latest addition to the DSC HD‑HD 4K Series. There are three models in the series: the DSC HD‑HD 4K A, DSC HD‑HD 4K PLUS A, and the DSC HD‑HD 4K PLUS A xi. The DSC HD‑HD 4K PLUS A supports 4:4:4 signal processing for signals up to 4K/60. The DSC HD‑HD 4K PLUS A xi features a pair of HDMI inputs and outputs, allowing one or two connections for input and output signals up to 4K/60 with 4:4:4 signal processing.
For more information on the DSC HD-HD 4K Series, go here. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
NanoLumens Debuts Front-Installable, Front-Serviceable 1.25MM Pixel Pitch LED Display NanoLumens today announced the market introduction of the world’s first 100-percent front-installable and front serviceable 1.25MM Pixel Pitch LED display, featuring new “touch-free” technology that was developed specifically for a United States military command and control center.
Designed to be easily installed in any display environment without requiring changes to an existing location or infrastructure, the new NanoLumens 1.25MM pixel pitch display features precise alignment technology and an updated system layout that supports an exact 1920 RBG pixel wide by 1080 RGB pixel tall, final display of any resolution in 384×360 increments. The display allows for “direct to wall mounting” at a depth of less than 4 inches and comes with a decorative back for optional hanging applications.
Easily front serviceable thanks to NanoLumens’ magnetic Nixel attachment methods and perpendicular removal, the display also incorporates NanoLumens’ new NanoZ technology that assures exact alignment in the Z axis for all Nixels.
In addition, the display boasts the industry’s highest advertised brightness of 950 cd/m2 and features power supplies that are 100% embedded from the line input, meaning there are no external power supplies, no added conversion loss and no additional fans. The new 1.25MM display is available now.
Here are the details. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
NEC Display Solutions Announces Collaboration with Raspberry Pi NEC Display Solutions Europe today announced that it will be sharing an open platform modular approach with Raspberry Pi, enabling a seamless integration of Raspberry Pi’s devices with NEC’s displays.
Originally developed to promote the teaching of basic computer science in schools and developing countries, the original Raspberry Pi delivered good performance at a very low cost. However, the latest Raspberry Pi 3 compute module boasts significant performance and networking capabilities, making it the perfect for NEC’s display.
With a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, the board is no longer just a basic computer for coding but a reliable intelligent device with unlimited possibilities. In addition to the standard Raspberry Pi 3 compute module, NEC will also offer a customized model to meet the specific performance demands of the display industry.
Being an incremental part of NEC’s Open Modular Intelligence (OMI) platform, the Raspberry Pi 3 embeds with NEC’s new range of P and V Series large format displays. The new displays allow easy access to embedded intelligence smartly connected to Internet of Things (IoT) for digital signage as well as presentation use.
NEC’s new series of intelligent large format displays with Raspberry Pi connectivity will be launched from January 2017 onwards. Here are the details. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Crestron Partners With Microsoft New Skype for Business Meeting Room Solution Crestron today announced it has partnered with Microsoft to create Crestron’s Skype Room System, which brings an HD audio video experience to small and midsize meeting rooms and spaces, as well as conference rooms. Work like you’re in one place; quickly and easily join meetings, make phone calls, instantly share content in room and remotely.
Designed to simplify meetings
Engineered from the ground up to easily integrate with a broad range of meeting rooms, the Crestron Skype Room System features:
- A touch controller that manages the Skype Meeting
- HDMI and Crestron DigitalMedia inputs and outputs
- Six USB ports to connect audio devices, a camera, and other accessories
- Cresnet port to add an occupancy sensor for automation and room usage reporting
Here are the details. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
Extron Room Scheduling Now Integrates with Microsoft Office 365 Extron just announced the their Room Agent version 1.2 software turns TouchLink Pro touchpanels into full-featured booking appliances that conveniently display a room’s meeting information and availability. With Room Agent, the touchpanels require no programming, as they simply become a client of Microsoft Exchange. In addition to supporting Microsoft Exchange, the latest version of Room Agent software enables integration with Office 365 for additional scheduling convenience. With Room Agent, booking a room from the touchpanel is as easy as tapping the “Reserve” button. The customizable touchpanel interface also provides at-a-glance room availability and a timeline view of the room’s status for the rest of the day. In addition to the customizable touchpanel interface, bright LEDs within the bezel provide at-a-glance room availability status even from down the hall.
Room Agent makes setting up TouchLink Pro touchpanels a snap. Simply connect the touchpanel to your computer, open the software, fill in the required fields that compose the user interface, and you’re done. Customization options allow fields to be shown or hidden, depending on user preference. Multiple mounting options are available, including on-wall, in-wall, as well as secure mounting to almost any flat surface, including glass or granite.
Here are all the technical details. Leave a Comment
Share Article
Back to Top |
|
For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe DS [Digital Signage] 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 |
Copyright 2016 – rAVe [Publications] – All rights reserved – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact rAVe [Publications], 210 Old Barn Ln. – Chapel Hill, NC 27517 – (919) 969-7501. Email: Sara@rAVePubs.com
rAVe contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors. |
|
|
|