|
Volume 8, Issue 17 — September 2, 2010
|
Share
this issue
of rAVe! | | | | | | |
|
| | |
| | |
|
Click above for more information |
Welcome to another rAVe ProAV Edition! Today, Steve Thorburn discusses Rule 468, which you can use to figure out how big a screen should ideally be in commercial applications. I also talk about working with Generation Y, and what it will be like to work with Generation Z, the kids in high school now. They'll be in the workforce before we know it – yikes! Also, NSCA Executive Director Chuck Wilson goes over P.O.s and service agreements, and what you can do to protect yourself between the time when you pay for the gear, and your customer pays you. Finally, if you're not going to CEDIA (or if you are), don't forget to follow us along with our CEDIA OnDemand Powered by rAVe NOW service. This year we're officially partnering with CEDIA to do live social media updates of the show, including videos, Tweets, and blogs. Check out our website here: https://www.ravepubs.com/cediaexpo Enjoy the issue! –Gary Kayye, CTS Back to Top |
Click above for more information |
PO'ed About P.O.s?
By Chuck Wilson
Executive Director, NSCA I continue to question the legal and binding nature of working from a customer-issued purchase order. Just this month, another member called about a cancelled purchasing order (P.O.) for a very large system. Since the company first placed the order, new technology caught their eye. So, they canceled the order and refused to pay the restocking fees.
This has probably happened to all of us at one time or another. What are our rights in this case? Can we fight this in court? Will the relationship with the owner ever recover if we do? There is no clear or good answer, but I do have some advice.
The first thing is to have a policy that only projects of a certain size are done via a customer-issued P.O. Acknowledge that you received the P.O., but not that it is a contract between you and the customer. Instead, send them a sales and installation agreement that has your terms and conditions attached. These forms are available on NSCA’s Essentials of Systems Integration Online. Obviously, the terms and conditions would then address payments, delays, cancellations, etc.
If you are stuck with a canceled order and restocking charges, evaluate the relationship between you and the customer. If it is long term, do what you can to satisfy the request and keep yourself in the transaction. Absorbing a restocking charge may be worth it in the end. But, if there is no future business to salvage, then contact your attorney for a legal opinion.
The last resort is to leverage the relationship between you and your vendor. It would be unfair unless they have a new technology upgrade policy in place. Forcing a manufacturer to take back products when it has a policy in place will usually harm that relationship. It’s seldom worth it.
In almost every scenario, work from a contract that incorporates your business terms and conditions. It’s easier said than done, I know. But, especially in this economy, projects can fall apart at any time. In order of importance, I would always include deposits, payment terms, sales tax, removal and disposal of existing/unused materials, storage and progress billings, treatment of non-scope work, schedule delays and unexpected overtime, cancelation and restocking. But, when would that stuff ever appear on a purchase order?
Chuck Wilson is the executive director of the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA), a not-for-profit association representing the commercial electronic systems industry. At the helm of NSCA, much of Wilson’s time is spent assisting contractors with the challenges of today’s business environment. He often gives lectures and presentations at key industry events, and has been published in numerous leading trade journals. Back to Top |
Click above for more information |
Visual Presentation Spaces, Part I: Understanding the 468 Rule
By Steven J. Thorburn, PE, CTS-D, CTS-I Designing presentation facilities can be challenging, but the basic principles are not difficult. Each project and venue comes with its own set of variables and limitations that require some analysis to determine how to create the most optimal conditions.
The key visual element in a presentation facility is the screen. The size of the screen is tied to the size of the room, and changes to one can affect the other. In order to understand how the two are related, it’s important to understand some of the standard ratios involved in the creation of a facility.
The 468 Rule is the basic concept in determining image size in a presentation space. It sets the image size based on the furthest viewer from the image. The image height in a room should be at least 1/4, 1/6, or 1/8 the distance to the furthest viewer, depending on the type of content being viewed: - 1/8 is for general viewing (i.e., video content with few symbols or text)
- 1/6 is for detailed viewing (i.e., PowerPoint with many symbols and text)
- 1/4 is for inspection viewing (i.e., medical images, maps, artwork, etc.)
For example, in a facility where the furthest row of seats is set at 72 feet from the presentation or front wall, a screen being used primarily for general video content should be 1/8 that distance, or 9 feet tall. Detailed viewing requires 1/6 the distance, or 12 feet. Inspection viewing needs 1/4 the distance — in this case, a screen that is 18 feet tall.
Once the image height is determined, the width is set by the aspect ratio of the image content. 4:3 (1.33) is a traditional computer display, but it is becoming more common for content to be provided in a widescreen format such as 16:9 (1.78) or 16:10 (1.6). By taking these fixed ratios of the projected content and multiplying by the image height the image width is determined. In the example of a 9-foot tall screen, a standard ratio (4:3) would suggest a 12-foot wide screen (4×9 = 36, 36/3 = 12). A widescreen ratio of 16:9 would suggest a 16-foot wide screen.
Of course the first compromises often start here. Usually the theoretical image size won’t fit a “standard” screen size from one of the projection screen manufacturers so there has to be an adjustment. Manufacturers do make custom size screens but it costs more and takes longer for delivery, so a “standard” size is often preferable if it does not seriously compromise a project.
Now that the properly sized screen has been found, it’s time to focus on where to position the screen in relation to the seats. In my next column, we will explore the angles and standards used in creating optimal presentation facility viewing.
Steve enjoys helping others understand the principals of acoustics and audiovisual technology almost as much as he enjoys sipping a good single malt scotch. He’s been InfoComm’s Educator of the Year, is a two-time InfoComm Facility Design Award Winner, author, teacher and has AV design experience on more than 2000 projects including Universal Studios Toon Lagoon, Hershey Park and Six Flags Great America. Find his company Thorburn Associates online at http://www.TA-Inc.com Back to Top |
Click above for more information |
Generation Y (And Z)
By Gary Kayye, CTS If you think it was tough getting old people in your company to adopt new technology, wait until you see how tough it will be for YOU to employ new talent.
Generation Y is entering the workforce and they grew up not just playing video games, but mastering them on the first try. They never knew a day without cell phones (and they are OK with the quality issues — they don't complain nearly as much about it as you do) and they would rather communicate via email than in person.
You, on the other hand, think that personal contact is the best way to make and cultivate relationships, you would rather call and leave a voicemail than send an email. You feel that mentoring someone has to be in person. Right?
Generation Y thinks you dress terribly and that you must be uncomfortable in those clothes, they wonder why it takes so long for you to make a decision and they can't understand why you stock so much wire when the world's going wireless.
You think they're spending too much time on their computer Googling stuff, think that the Facebooking they're doing all the time is a giant black hole of time-wasting and you're actually pondering blocking YouTube on your network — a sort of "punish the masses for the sins of a few" philosophy that must still work.
They think you're old and irrelevant, except for the fact that you gave them a job.
But, wait til you see the next generation: Generation Z
Generation Z has now entered college and they seldom use email (just ask your kids – they're TEXTING) as it's too slow, they don't write with pencils or pens, they don't watch TV (they stream it when they want it) and they would never buy something that wasn't totally wireless.
But, have no fear, you've got a few more years before you have to deal with them.
Let's focus on Generation Y and how you CAN leverage their talents:
1. Relationship Sales: They DO, in fact, believe in the value of relationship sales – but they think your way of doing it is, well, stodgy. And, truly, it is. In fact, their way of building relationships is quite amazing. Using the "friend of a friend" philosophy, they leverage their Facebook Friends and their IM buddies to get whatever information they want or need. And, they do it quickly! Keep an open mind as, truth be told, we took way, way too long to build most of the relationships we have. And, we certainly don't leverage them as well as we could.
2. Personal Technology Tools: Generation Y doesn't know a day where a laptop wasn't around. They expect to be connected to the Internet all the time and they have mastered the ability to find software tools quickly — without the days or research we've typically put in to find some software app. that will make us more efficient, ironically. As stated above, they use their friends and their friends of friends to find out what's out there, what's working (and what doesn't) and they're right 90 percent of the time. And when they're wrong, they don't dwell upon it — they move along to something else that works.
3. Social Media: Generation Y does this better than anyone. They know and understand social media way, way better than anyone else in your company — especially your marketing department who, by the way, is just out to get more money. Why would they recommend social media marketing tools when they're free? Don't assign your social media marketing strategy to some 35-year-old marketing person, assign it to those that not only use it, but have lived with it for years.
4. Bouncing: Look, Generation Y will be honest and tell you that, although 3D is cool, it's a fad that will never catch on in every home in America. Sure you might not want to hear what they have to say all the time, but they'll explain that, logically, the hassle of the glasses, the lack of comfort and the inability to create the environment (in most homes) that makes 3D truly immersive will keep it from being mainstream. Sure, they'll sell it for you, but don't expect them to endorse it. Use Generation Y to bounce new technologies off of. Streaming vs. CableTV/SatelliteTV, place shifting vs. living room watching, whole house audio vs. personal audio players, etc. They've got a pulse on what's likely to fly. What's cool to us aging AV geeks may just be hackneyed to those living in technology, and not just talking about technology.
Look, what I'm trying to say is simple: leverage your new talent. You may not realize it, but you're hiring people that know A LOT more than you do and, in the end, they'll make you look better — remember, you're the boss. But, you've got to be open-minded that you, in fact, may not know what's best for your company or your clients in this new day and age.
And, that phone screen, to them, is way bigger than they ever thought they would need… Still squinting??? Back to Top |
Click above for more information |
Pacific Media Predicts 5 Million 3D Projectors to be Sold in 2014 Dominated by DLP technology, the future of the projector market is 3D, according to Pacific Media Associates (PMA), the premiere info-gathering firm for worldwide front projector market information.
According to PMA, the worldwide front projector market for 3D-enabled models will grow from about 1.0 million during 2010 to nearly 5.4 million in 2010.
“PMA forecasts that the lion’s share of annual shipments will be those models incorporating TI’s DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology because it takes very little additional effort or cost to make those models 3D-ready,” said Dr. William Coggshall, President of Pacific Media Associates.
“In the immediate future it appears to us at PMA that consumer-oriented markets for gaming, TV (especially sports), and movies will get more attention than education. The demand for 3D digital cinema currently outstrips supply, so if projector makers can leverage that to boost sales of home theater models the projector business will benefit. And the high price of 3D-enabled flat panel TVs compared with front projectors means that ardent gamers could choose projectors,” concludes Coggshall.
To read all about PMA’s 3D projections, go to: http://www.pacificmediaassociates.com/ Back to Top SMART Launches Ecosystem Taking a page directly from the Apple playbook, SMART debuted the SMART Ecosystem Network (SEN), a so-called “global community” designed specifically to support companies and individuals by providing technical resources, accreditation programs and marketing support to its members.
The SMART Ecosystem Network accredits whole organizations, products and developers under one of three specialized accreditation programs. The CAP offers formal accreditation to organizations engaged in a strategic relationship with SMART. The SCAP accredits content and software products that are compatible with SMART products. Finally, the DAP grants accreditation to individuals who have proven technical proficiency with one or more SMART products.
According to SMART, receiving accreditation from the SEN ensures that approved software and content are of a high quality and are compatible with the SMART Board interactive whiteboard and other SMART products. For more information on the SMART Ecosystem Network and accreditation programs, or to apply for membership, go to www.smarttech.com/ecosystem. Back to Top Can't Attend CEDIA? rAVe to Cover it LIVE! For the second year in a row, we’re Expo’s official LIVE show CEDIA OnDemand press company. Last year, we Tweeted (@ravepubs) and shot more than 300 videos of all sorts of new products launched at CEDIA Expo and posted them all during the show — so if you can’t come to CEDIA, it’ll be almost as good as being there (sans the parties and education, of course). Obviously, NOTHING can substitute for Expo in person, but our rAVe CEDIA OnDemand coverage will be as close as you can get as we’ll have our entire team of columnists out on the show floor Tweeting about every new product they see as well as shooting hundreds of one-minute videos allowing every manufacturer to show you haven’t seen. Interested in following us on Twitter so you can get all our live, on the show floor Tweets? Go to http://twitter.com/ravepubs and click on FOLLOW right now. Want to watch all the CEDIA 2010 videos we shoot as we post them? Bookmark here: https://www.ravepubs.com/cediaexpo Back to Top BARIX Ships Voice over IP Intercom Adapter The Barix Annuncicom 155 is a universal IP audio device, developed to operate within challenging environmental conditions, whether outside or in rolling stock.
With an amplified output suitable to drive 5 watts into an overhead paging or panel speaker, a microphone input, contact closure inputs and a control output port (RS485), the Annuncicom 155 is aimed at the paging, intercom, “help point” and monitoring application markets – although could be used in live staging events, too.
If you’re interested in learning more, go to: http://www.barix.com/Annuncicom_155/1611/ Back to Top OmniMount Shows In-Wall HDTV Mount OmniMount’s LED Series is a family of three mounts that’s being marketed as designed for thin LED HDTVs. It’s offered as an “in-wall” mount (it’s about 90 percent in the wall) that can be mounted on the wall with a thin face-plate, inside the wall (and then protrude out from the wall to swivel), or suspended via a cable on the wall. The three mounts will be shown at this month’s CEDIA show, but you can see details here: http://www.pitchengine.com/pitch/83404/ Back to Top Kramer Intros Series of Computer Graphics Video and Audio Twisted Pair Transmitters Last week Kramer introduced the TP-121/123/125EDID twisted pair transmitters. They are HDTV compatible and support resolutions up to WUXGA or 1080p, and Kramer says has a range of up to 300 feet.
All three models are computer graphics video and audio line transmitters, but the TP-123EDID also transmits unidirectional RS-232 commands over twisted pair, and the TP-125EDID transmits and processes bidirectional RS-232 control command signals between the source and display.
For more information, go to http://www.kramermatrix.com Back to Top dnp Relaunches 80" Pull-Up, Portable Screen Due to ship this month, dnp redesigned its 80” Supernova mobile screen in what they say is an all-new version that’s better and cheaper.
How does it work? Supernova screens use an active optical system that’s seven layers thick and are designed to reflect projected light while absorbing and filtering out ambient light from the room. Hmm, literally reads like every screen spec sheet ever, huh? dnp says they add a neutral black tint to the screen material that results in deeper blacks, which again, sounds very familiar.
Anyway, if you want to read more about it, go to: http://www.dnp-screens.com/DNP08/Products/Front-projection/Portable-screens/dnp-Supernova-Mobile.aspx
Of course, Da-Lite has this type of screen too: http://www.da-lite.com/products/product.php?cID=19&pID=92
And, Draper: http://www.draperinc.com/ProjectionScreens/portable_pullup.asp Back to Top WolfVision Shows Two New Visualizers For more than two decades, WolfVision's Professional Visualizers have been regarded as the ultimate high-end units on the market. The first Visualizer VZ-10, launched at the Photokina in 1988, already contained WolfVision's patented recording system through two mirrors and synchronized light/image lenses.
Now in the 22nd year of its existence, the latest models VZ-P18 and VZ-P38 have a completely redesigned housing. They’re also packed with all-new features including a touch screen remote control, an integrated live image preview monitor and a "digital pointer" that can be adapted in size and color.
In addition to the remote control, a second LCD monitor can be found on the top mirror of the VZ-P18 and VZ-P38. This monitor is designed as a preview monitor for live image display, however, in case the remote control is unavailable, it can also be used as a touch screen monitor for controlling VZ-P18 and VZ-P38. For simplicity sake, Wolf made the functionality of this monitor identical to the touch screen monitor of the remote control.
Both new Visualizers offer native SXGA, WXGA and 720p resolution with 30 frames per second and sRGB color precision. The VZ-P18 achieves perfect picture quality with a 1-CCD camera, while the VZ-P38 is equipped with a 3-CCD camera. The advantages of the 3-CCD camera are even more lifelike colors and higher resolution with very detailed colored objects. You can see all the specs here: http://www.wolfvision.com/wolf/products-vzp18-38.html Back to Top NEC Upgrades Ultra-Thin Bezel LCDs Last month, NEC Display upgraded their ultra-thin bezel LCDs with a better one in the form of the X462UN. The new X462UN offers several improvements from the X461UN, which NEC announced worldwide in early 2009. Adding DisplayPort, better display uniformity through what NEC is calling EdgeComp, and multiple brightness settings for different environments are three of the improvements over the X461UN. The 1366×768 native resolution X462UN display is 3000:1 contrast ratio, 500cd/m2, uses 2 watts of power in standby (making it a GreenAV display product) and includes HDMI, VGA and DVI connectivity, in addition to the DisplayPort. For complete specs, go to: http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/Product/?product=b50d4ad8-39ff-43f6-a81b-618bc437db40 Back to Top Sanyo's New 3800-Lumen WXGA Projector If you’re not integrating wide-screen LCDs in classrooms by now, you’re about to start. There’s a new generation of WXGA (1280×800) resolution projectors hitting the market that are bright and cheaper than 4:3 projection. Sanyo’s ED market leader is their new 3LCD, WXGA resolution PLC-WXU700 — already shipping — with built in 802.11n wireless projection (the first on the market to do so). It’s 3800 lumens, is spec’d to have 85 percent uniformity and is only 31dBA. And, at 7 pounds, it’s perfect for portable or install applications. To see all the specs, go to: http://us.sanyo.com:80/Projectors-by-Market-Education-Classroom/PLC-WXU700A Back to Top EPSON Debuts Two "Affordable" Meeting Room Projectors Sold only through distribution, Epson launched two new (what they are calling affordable) projectors for the meeting room market in the form of the PowerLite 1220 ($649) for XGA resolution applications and the PowerLite 1260 ($749) for widescreen WXGA resolution (16:10 aspect ratio) applications.
Both projectors are 3LCD, feature Epson’s E-TORL lamp technology, 2600 lumens (not ANSI), HDMI, VGA and video ports as well as 1.2:1 zoom lens.
To learn more, you can go to: http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&sku=V11H367420&prevOID=63088453 Back to Top Sharp First with 100GB Blu-ray: BDXL Sharp is the first optical disc maker to launch a new Blu-ray format (BDXL) that offers 100GB to 128GB of storage. This is pretty interesting since Sony invented Blu-ray! While the existing dual-layer Blu-ray format offers approximately 50GB per disc, the new BDXL format (by increasing the allowed layers on a disc from two to four) gathers up to 128GB for write-once and 100GB for re-writeable type discs. Dubbed the VR-100BR1, the first Sharp BDXL Blu-ray disc player will first be available in Japan in a month or so and then here in the US Sharp will also releasing two new players next month that handle the new BDXL format. Want details? Go to: http://sharp-world.com/corporate/news/100716_2.html
Back to Top News from Applied Visual Communications, Kramer, Aphex Aphex has appointed Jim Bailey as a product manager. He will oversee the development of their core line of pro audio and broadcast products, along with expansion into other markets… ClearOne has named Stephen R. DiEugenio as vice president of unified communications for the Americas… Applied Visual Communications is holding a golf tournament in Virginia in memory of Steve Johnson to help raise money for the education of the thirteen-year-old daughter Steve left behind when he passed away last year from complications of Swine Flu. To donate prizes or participate, contact Leigh Ann Miller at (703) 344-6668 or lmiller@avc-inc.net… The AmpliVox Sound Comparison Guide has now been translated for customers into Spanish, German, French, and Italian… Sierra Video has hired Steven Rich as its regional sales manager of sales and business development… Altinex has launched a new website, which you can see at www.altinex.com… Kramer Electronics has promoted Mike Lewis from national account manager to vice president of national accounts. Back to Top For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe ProAV 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% 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 blow away ANY other Publication in the high-end home AV 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. 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 2010 – 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. |
|
|
|