Up in the air at InfoComm, Visual Solutions Distributing displayed the Skyview, an inflatable sphere that houses a projector (or multiple projectors) and allows for static graphic messages on the rest of the surface. The company says Skyview is being used all over the North America, Asia and Europe at various conventions, concerts, malls, special […]

The Dayton Daily News in Ohio reported that Ira H. Stanley, former CFO of MCSi, pleaded guilty to three felony counts for his alleged involvement in a scheme to boost the company stock price. According to the report, the charges were “conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud, one count of mail […]

Hitachi directly addressed the ProAV market at InfoComm with a variety of new products, including 3LCD projectors and VisionCube displays. The projectors, targeting classrooms, lecture halls, boardrooms and training centers are the CP-X200 projector with a focus on security functions and customization, and the CP-X200, with a brighter 2200 ANSI lumens. Then the CP-X300 3LCD […]

At InfoComm, projectiondesign gave a sneak peek of the company’s new 3-chip DLP 1080p projector, the model F80. The other new projector debuting at the show was the M25 and it comes in both ProAV and HomeAV versions. Plans for the M25 include a very small form factor – as small as a sheet of […]

The National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) has named Gary Kayye as the NSCA University College of Business Instructor of the Year. Kayye was selected based on student evaluations of his course, “Crossing the Chasm,” which he presented at the 2007 NSCA Expo. “NSCA is honored to present this award to Gary,” said NSCA Executive Director […]

By Chris Chinnock, President, Insight Media While there is concern about consumer rear-projection TVs, the professional side of the projection business is quite healthy. That was the consensus of analysts from Techno Systems Research, iSuppli and Pacific Media Associates, who all gave presentations at the sixth annual Projection Summit conference, held just prior to InfoComm. But perhaps […]

By Chuck Wilson, NSCA Executive Director The dot-com bubble produced a number of, at the time, innovative approaches to creating a productive work culture. Valued high-tech workers were provided with practically anything an employee could dream up: gym memberships, dog walkers, babysitters, company-sponsored vacations, company cars, pool tables, rooms to nap in and hackey-sack matches […]

Kramer introduced the TP-210 distribution amplifier for computer graphics video signals over twisted pair outputs. The TP-210 will accept computer graphics video signals with resolutions ranging from VGA through UXGA and higher. It takes one input and provides 10 identical RJ-45 twisted pair outputs, as well as 2 computer graphics video outputs on 15-pin HD […]

Peerless Industries showed its new Precision Gear Projector mount at InfoComm. This is designed to simplify image alignment by using knobs for adjusting tilt and roll. The knobs can be turned either with a Phillips screw driver, or installers can use the tool-less option by extending the knobs to adjust by hand. The projector stays […]

Sharp announced the company is expanding its recently upgraded line of professional LCD monitors with the introduction of two enhanced 65-inch models – the PN-G655U for landscape mode applications and the PN-G655RU for portrait. Sharp also introduced a 52-inch screen size to fill in any gaps in the sizes the company offers. The 52-inch can […]

Last year, Panasonic introduced the Series 9 product line of plasmas. So it makes sense that this year we get the Series 10. Series 10 includes three 1080p models, the TH-50PF9UK, TH-65PF9UK and the TH-103PF9UK, and four panels with 1366 x 768 resolution. Among the system solutions offered by the 2007 line is the ability […]

Crestron brought a new WiFi touchpanel to InfoComm that features an embedded Windows XP Operating System, 802.11a/b/g wireless, onboard NetMeeting and Skype, built-in Bluetooth for keyboard and mouse and a built-in biometric fingerprint scanner. The fixed-tilt design of the TPMC-8T features a 37-degree angle, so it’s designed for lectern, table or counter surface installation. It […]

I knew it was coming, but this was faster than I thought. Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, is increasingly being used in all sorts of manufacturing and retail facilities – anywhere a lot of products reside, and now it’s available for ProAV. We keep looking for the next killer app to shake up our market. […]

There was an impressive demo at the DLP booth and at some projector manufacturers’ booths at InfoComm, with projected images comparing a front projector using the new DLP BrilliantColor technology and an LCD projector. The side-by-side showed the DLP model displaying quite a few more colors than the LCD and it was particularly noticeable in […]

The new PowerLite S5 from Epson is specified at SVGA resolution, 2000 ANSI lumens and 1.3 digital zoom. Priced at a sweet $649, this projector weighs just 5.8 pounds and features Instant On/Instant Off. It also has an AV mute slide for when the presenter wants to speak without any distraction on the screen. It […]

NEC continues its focus on education with the introduction of the VT700. This new projector, shown at InfoComm, is specified at 3000 lumens and XGA resolution and has wall color correction so that users can project on whiteboards, blackboards and other colored walls. It also has automatic vertical keystone correction, DVI-I input and five watt […]

Planar Systems’ new PR5022 DLP projector is specified at 3500 lumens and XGA resolution, and it has built-in five-watt TrueMedia SPL speakers. It has DVI input, RS-232 control, and top-loading lamp replacement. Pricing is $1,699 MSRP. For more information, visit here.

SANYO had quite a showing at InfoComm and introduced several new products to the ProAV community. The first is an amazingly short throw distance model. The company says their new PLC-XL50 can project an 80-inch image from just three inches away. Yes, you read that right. Three inches. It also uses a proprietary that allows […]

Sharp’s new XG-P610X is a 3-chip DLP projector specified at 6000 lumens, XGA resolution and 2000:1 contrast ratio. It uses the BrilliantColor chip from DLP. Sharp offers six lens options and redundancy through the dual-lamp design. It has built-in RJ-45 LAN. Two other BrilliantColor projectors from Sharp, the PG-F320W and XG-F315X, add a built-in network […]

During InfoComm, Toshiba showed its latest lineup of projectors, including ultra-small Pico portables, extreme short projection technology, projectors with WXGA resolution, and projectors that are Windows Vista certified for wireless. The ultra-small Pico portable projectors allow presenters to go “PC-free” using USB. These small footprint projectors are being marketed for both presentation and home environments. […]

You read it here first, when I predicted that Blu-ray would, hands down, beat HD DVD in the new HD format war. Apparently, Blockbuster agrees. The movie rental giant announced the company has chosen Blu-ray as the official HD format for its stores and all 1,700 of its corporate-owned stores will stock Blu-ray titles by mid-July. It’s […]

At what appeared to be the grandest of InfoComms yet, attendance was up an impressive 18.4 percent over last year’s conference. More than 31,300 ProAV people from more than 80 companies prowled the 465,000 square feet of exhibits and special events. InfoComm also announced the release of the 2007 Market Definition and Strategy Study, which […]

By Blake Brubaker, Da-Lite Screen Company We have all heard the recent news of projector manufacturers boasting about their new 1080p capable projectors. With this newly created resolution is there an impact on some of the rules we have been using for screen selection?  Perhaps we should reexamine such decisions as are we… Too Close […]

In the “what looked amazing department” at InfoComm, Barco’s LED displays were by far the smoothest LEDs we saw. Their newest is the NX-4, a 4mm indoor LED using  black LED for deeper black levels. This true black LED is a new design that impacts everything from the interior resin to the exterior shaders. When […]

Kramer Electronics announced two new products in its twisted pair line of long distance audio/video products. The TP-45 transmitter and TP-46 receiver are compact products that allow routing of either computer graphics video or component video, along with either unbalanced analog stereo audio or S/PDIF digital audio signals over UTP CAT-5. This transmitter and receiver […]

Extron introduced a far more attractive way to route cables, data connectors, and power cords with the new AVTrac, a low-profile, floor-mounted cable raceway system with a modular AAP – Architectural Adapter Plate enclosure. It is designed for use in any environment where A/V devices require connectivity but are not positioned near a wall or […]

Roland Systems Group announced at InfoComm that the company is shipping the EDIROL VC-200HD and VC-300HD multi-format video converters. The video converters have the ability to scale any input to multiple standard and high definition resolutions, including 1080p as well as HDV input and output. The VC-200HD and VC-300HD offer bi-directional conversion and scaling between […]

Arrive Corp. introduced at InfoComm Arrive Easy Conference and Arrive Campus Manager. Arrive Easy Conference lets you manage global conference rooms within multi-location business and government organizations. The new Arrive Campus Manager allows educational institutions to manage the scheduling and associated AV equipment within lecture halls and conference rooms spread across campuses and schools. Both […]

Polycom showed at InfoComm a new product called SoundStructure. This is an installed audio solution for voice and video conferencing applications that the company says delivers truly immersive sound quality. SoundStructure series are flexible and scalable and the company says it delivers several breakthroughs for communicating at a distance but making it sound like you’re […]

Element Labs released a line of flexible LED video screens called Helix at InfoComm. Helix products can bend, wrap, drape, and fold. The company says that both of the debuting Helix products, Helix G75 and Helix H75, offer a pixel pitch of 75 millimeters and carry significant IP ratings. Helix G75’s ultra-thin grid construction provides […]

NEC announced new commercial large-screen LCDs in 40- and 46-inch sizes as part of the new 20 Series. The 40-inch MultiSync LCD4020 and 46-inch LCD4620 use new chevron-shaped pixels for twice the contrast of traditional PVA panels. NEC says this technology also increases brightness and viewing angles. These are specified at 1366 x 768 resolution, […]

Syntax-Brillian introduced a 65-inch 1080p LCD HDTV, the Olevia 665i, aimed at the ProAV and home theater markets. It uses the Silicon Optix Realta HQV video processor, the largest to date to use that processor. This display has two HDMI, two component, composite and VGA inputs as well as RS-232. Firmware is upgradeable using USB, […]