According to news reports, Sharp is in talks with Samsung on concluding a capital and business alliance. The two sides are believed to be in final negotiations, with Sharp likely to receive around 10 billion yen ($107M) in investment from Samsung, in exchange for a 3 percent stake of Sharp. We believe Samsung’s main purpose […]

There are a lot of partnerships and alliances happening in our industry right now. I’m a big fan of partnerships and alliances. Why? Well, listen to this podcast to see. Having trouble listening to the podcast on this page? You can subscribe using RSS, iTunes or the Stitcher mobile App Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

Almo Professional A/V has announced its weekly interactive mini-webinar series “AV Snacks” for March, which will focus on higher education. AV Snacks are designed to provide relevant industry trends, application examples and more to busy AV professionals, presented in a 15-minute webinar format every Friday at 2:00 p.m. E.S.T. The sessions offer a “taste” of […]

Last week’s Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas was the Expo’s 10th anniversary. It amazes me that a segment of our industry has grown to this level in just ten years. I find digital signage to be so interesting, because for what seems to be a fairly straightforward technology, there are so many applications. Digital […]

InfoComm 2013 will introduce the latest advances in technology and solutions for digital signage, bringing together leading manufacturers and service providers with end-users at the annual event taking place June 8-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Digital signage is one of the most rapidly expanding fields in the audiovisual industry, with […]

NEC Display added two super-slim displays to its specialty X Series portfolio in the form of the 46-inch X462S and 55-inch X552S. NEC is calling these “industrial-strength.” Using LED backlighting and a mere 1.8 inches deep, the X462S and X552S are not only super-slim and ultra light, but they also deliver a brightness of 700 […]

I am joined today by Digital Projection’s VP of Business Development, George Walter, who explains their Good, Better, Best approach to the HOW (Houses of Worship) market and what they have to offer as they have three lines of products specifically aimed at HOW installs. Here’s their HOW line: http://www.digitalprojection.com/MainNavModule/HousesofWorshiptab/tabid/173/Default.aspx Having trouble listening to the podcast […]

BenQ’s new entry-level M6 Series MS616ST, MX618ST, MX662 and MW663 models are spec’d at contrast ratios of 13,000:1 and up to 3,500 ANSI lumens of brightness. They also include BenQ’s SmartEco technology to cut energy consumption by up to 70 percent. Designed for corporate, classroom and personal spaces, the MS616ST (SVGA) and MX618ST (XGA) are […]

Polycom’s new SoundStation Connect plugs directly into any laptop or desktop USB port, letting users of soft-phone apps such as Polycom RealPresence Desktop 2.0, Microsoft Lync, Skype or IBM Sametime get HD-quality audio conferencing technology for small-group meetings in the office, at home or when traveling. Benefits of the SoundStation Connect include: Clear conversations: Polycom […]

Improved TV receivers with higher-performance tuners may be on the way, if receiver manufacturers agree with the FCC. The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (often called “the Spectrum Act”) was signed into law a year ago, and authorized the use of “incentive auctions” of broadcast spectrum. Included in the Act […]

Dubbed the DSC 301HD, it’s a cool, small scaler/switcher that’s HDCP compliant — no matter the signal type! Having trouble listening to the podcast on this page? You can subscribe using RSS, iTunes or the Stitcher mobile App Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

There are some categories in AV that become ubiquitous and define the entire channel. DVD and flat panel displays come to mind as easy examples. Then there are products that transform the landscape almost as soon as they arrive, creating an entire new device ecosystem and clobbering its predecessors. The best example of that would […]

NEC announced today the 42-inch V423 LCD display, an addition to its commercial-grade V Series that utilizes LED backlighting for improved power consumption and a slimmer cabinet depth. NEC says the V423 offers a 46 percent decrease in power consumption while maintaining its brightness (450 cd/m² maximum brightness). The edge-lit LED backlight enables a slimmer […]

Extron Electronics is shipping the IN1606, a six-input, HDCP-compliant video scaler that includes four HDMI inputs, two universal analog video inputs and two simultaneous HDMI outputs. The IN1606 accepts a wide variety of video formats including HDMI, HDTV, RGB and standard definition video. Its video scaling engine features 1080i deinterlacing, Deep Color processing and seamless […]

Here are the projector market stats for January 2013.

This week, we talk with Bill Sharer, noted industry consultant, about building a company culture where everybody is involved in marketing and the company image. Having trouble listening to the podcast on this page? You can subscribe using RSS or iTunes. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

At DSE, Planar Systems, Inc. announced its 84-inch Planar UltraResTM display product line, designed for ultra-high resolution commercial applications. The new Planar UltraRes 4K displays provide native ultra–high definition resolution (3840×2160), outstanding image quality and a range of configurations. Planar UltraRes displays are ideal for professionals in a wide variety of commercial industries who require […]

Panasonic told rAVe today that its new SOLID SHINE Series of lamp-free projectors with DIGITAL LINK technology are already shipping. The LED/laser light source in the SOLID SHINE Series of one-chip DLP projectors is specified with a 20,000 hours light-source life span. All models in the series are spec’d to deliver 3,500 lumens of brightness. […]

BenQ’s new SH940 is a native 1920x1080p resolution DLP projector that’s specified at 4,000 lumens and a contrast ratio of 50,000:1. Included with horizontal and vertical lens shift, 2D keystone correction and throw ratios of up to 2.43, the SH940 is aimed at both home theater applications since it includes an HDMI ports and a […]

Extron is now shipping its new DSC 301 HD, a compact HDCP-compliant video scaler. This scaler has an HDMI input, a configurable high resolution analog input, a composite video input and an HDMI output. Featuring an advanced scaling engine with 30-bit processing and 1080i deinterlacing, the DSC 301 HD delivers uncompromised picture quality for output […]

As promised, here are the top-2 things I saw on Day-2 of the Digital Signage Expo. Listen and then watch the videos we shot of each product here: Perch RP Visual Having trouble listening to the podcast on this page? You can or subscribe using RSS, iTunes or the Stitcher mobile App Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

Yesterday during the opening of the Digital Signage Expo here in Las Vegas, we recorded the keynote address delivered by Dr. Bocko of Corning. Corning is entering the ProAV market to help display manufacturers deliver better, stronger displays that was last longer using Gorilla Glass – the same kind of glass used on high-end smartphones. Having trouble listening to the podcast […]

By Chris Chinnock Insight Media had a chance to visit with 2D-to-3D conversion house StereoD (Burbank, Calif.), where President William Sherak gave us a tour, discussed the 3D conversion pipeline, and provided screenings of some recent high profile Hollywood conversions. My conclusion? 3D conversion has come a long way in two years and can now rival, […]

By Ken Werner By my count, LG missed three promised deadlines last year for the commercial introduction of its 55-inch OLED-TV set. Samsung, apparently never happy with the idea of bringing OLED-TVs to market before their time, grudgingly said it, too, would introduce a 55-inch OLED-TV in 2012, but when LG missed its final deadline of […]

By Lee Distad Thanks to the proliferation of jargon and the growth of business-self-help books as a category, expressions like ‘best practices’ get thrown around a lot. Alas, like most jargon, people say things like that and while being well meaning, fail to really apply those expressions to what they do every day. What is a […]

More than 250 systems integration professionals gathered in Phoenix, AZ, last week to discuss strategies to create a profitable business despite a number of transformations affecting their business. NSCA’s 15th Annual Business & Leadership Conference, commonly referred to as “the best ever,” witnessed record-breaking numbers for the fourth year in a row, in addition to […]

Audinate has announced enhancements to its Dante Virtual Soundcard software for Windows. The Dante Virtual Soundcard allows your PC or Mac to connect your preferred audio application directly to a Dante audio network. Dante Virtual Soundcard uses the standard Ethernet port on your computer to communicate with a network of other Dante enabled devices — […]

Extron introduced the EDID 101H, an EDID Emulator for HDMI signal sources. It features EDID Minder, an Extron exclusive technology that automatically manages EDID communication between connected devices. Pre-stored EDID is communicated to the source based on a user-selected resolution and refresh rate. Alternatively, the EDID 101H can be set to capture and store EDID […]

This WAVEcast, we talk with the exective team of the National Systems Contractor’s Association (NSCA) about the 15th annual Business and Leadership Conference help in Phoenix, AZ last week. Chuck Wilson, Executive Director, Ingolf deJong, President of the Board of Directors, and Ron Pusey, Board of Director, share with us from the conference the history, highlights, and what attendees gain for their business […]

On today’s WAVEcast, Jennifer Willard is broadcasting from the middle of the NSCA Business Learning Conference. She get’s honest perspectives about the conference from three women attending the show: Erin Pusey – Communication Specialist, Cory Schaeffer – Co-founder and Vice President of Sales Worldwide of Listen Technologies, and Kirsten Nelson – Editor of System Contractor news. Having trouble listening to the podcast […]

Listen to my podcast from Day One of the Digital Signage Expo here in Las Vegas. In this podcast I let you know the top two products I saw during my first day of the Digital Signage Expo – one is from a company you know well and the other is from a company of […]