AV Intelligence

Tech Tips

  • Q & A: Surround Sound Auditorium

    We're designing a multipurpose auditorium that will also be used for film presentations. Our client wants to have surround sound from a DVD player at the stage and in the control booth 100 feet away, but the budget will only allow for one digital processor.

     

5-Minute Interview

  • 5-Minute Interview: Howard Lichtman

    Telepresence is a visual collaboration solution that addresses human factors to better improve end-user acceptance over and above what can be achieved with traditional videoconferencing.

     

Community Views

Parallax View

Consultant's Connection

  • The Resolution Revolution

    Larger video display pixel counts mean smaller text on the screen. This trend could make our old design rules obsolete — and put more responsibility on the end-user.

     

Sound Insight

Viewpoint

  • A $1.5 Million Lesson In Acoustics

    In September, a school board in Fairview Heights, IL, voted to sue the architectural firm that designed the school's new $1.5 million multipurpose concrete dome building, which houses a gymnasium and band room.

     

Features

Install Solutions

Education Install

  • AV Helps Lab Stay Connected

    Sprawling new bio-science center integrates modestly budgeted AV system to communicate its not-so-modest ambitions.

     

Rental and Staging

ProAV's Guide to Doing Business

Other Articles

  • 2006 Guide to Doing Business in Houses of Worship AV

    PRO AV's essential industry guide, with crucial tips for positioning your company to leverage: market trends, AV spending patterns, and economic factors that affect the market.

     
  • Guide to Doing Business in House of Worship AV

    PRO AV's essential industry guide, with crucial tips for positioning your company to leverage: trends in house of worship market, purchasing practices of house of worship AV buyers, AV spending patterns in hosue of worship market.

     

Tools & Tech

Peer Review

  • Peer Review- Crestron ISYS I/O TPMC-15-CH

    The Crestron Isys i/O TPMC-15-CH includes a Microsoft XP embedded operating system, which offers an array of embedded XP applications such as Windows Media Player, NetMeeting, Remote Desktop, and viewers for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat.

     
  • Peer Review- Listen LT-82 Stationary IR Transmitter

    The Listen Technologies LT-82 stationary IR transmitter system was surprisingly easy to install, and is very flexible, allowing line and mic level inputs.

     

What's Next

  • Herding Light

    By manipulating light waves, photonic crystals improve the efficiency of AV technologies such as LEDs.

     

New Products

Audio

  • Multipurpose Mixers

    Soundcraft's MPM12/2 and MPM20/2 multipurpose mixers are designed for live sound, recording, multi-speaker installation, and house of worship applications.

     
  • Passive Loudspeaker

    The ATC passive SCM20SL loudspeaker from Las Vegas Pro Audio includes a 25 mm high-frequency driver and a hybrid low-frequency driver.

     
  • Power Amplifiers

    Lab.gruppen has introduced its FP+ Series of power amplifiers, which are targeted for use in live performance and touring applications.

     
  • Audio/Data Distribution System

    Media Numerics' RockNet real-time audio/data distribution network system is configured via front-panel push buttons to connect up to 99 devices to a single network of 160 audio channels.

     
  • Audio Production Console

    Solid State Logic's Duality large-format audio production console is designed to integrate with any digital audio workstation.

     
  • Amplifiers

    The CA-500 and CA-1000 miniature amplifiers from Calypso Control Systems are designed for small room applications.

     
  • Audio Console Platform

    Studer has introduced the SCore Live DSP platform, which is designed for use with the company's Vista line of consoles.

     

Video

  • Outdoor Flat-Panel Display Enclosures

    Peerless Industries has introduced its Outdoor Flat Panel Environmental Enclosures, which are designed to protect flat-panel displays from temperature extremes, rain, snow, and dust in theme park, outdoor mall, and stadium applications.

     
  • Personal Videoconferencing Solution

    Tandberg's Movi PC videoconferencing solution is a server-based video application.

     
  • Projector Mounts

    The Polaris Universal Projector Mount from Premier Mounts is designed for projectors that weigh less than 10 pounds.

     
  • Projectors

    ViewSonic has released the small-venue PJ558D DLP projector and the large-venue PJ1158 LCD projector.

     
  • Small-Venue Projector

    Boxlight's BumbleBee small-venue projector is targeted for use in mobile presentation applications.

     
  • 3LCD Projector

    The CPX1 3LCD projector from Hitachi features 2,000 ANSI lumens of brightness and a 500:1 contrast ratio.

     

Signal Management

  • Cabling System

    The MMB8D cabling system from Wireworks is designed to interface DB25 analog and digital connections to XLR connectors.

     
  • AV Cables

    Ultralink/XLO Products has released the Ultralink CS1 Series and Challenger-2 Series cables.

     

Other Articles

  • Color CCTV Camera

    Targeted for use in surveillance applications, the Niles Audio Corp. CAM-PB miniature color CCTV camera features 480 lines of resolution, a 1/3-inch CCD element, and a 48 dB signal-to-noise ratio.

     
  • Integrated Camera Dome System

    The Spectra IV integrated camera dome system from Pelco is designed for security and surveillance applications.

     
  • LCD HDTV

    Westinghouse Digital Electronics has released the 46-inch LTV-46w1 HD 720p LCD TV, which includes an integrated HDTV tuner and the company's DayBright screen technology for daytime viewing.

     
  • LCD HDTVs

    Syntax-Brillian Corp. has released the 42-inch 742i and 47-inch 747i (pictured here) 7 Series LCD HDTVs and the 65-inch 565H 5 Series LCoS HDTV.

     
  • LCD HDTVs

    Toshiba America Consumer Products' 42-inch 42LZ196 and 47-inch 47LZ196 Cinema Pro REGZA high-definition LCD TVs display 1080p picture quality and include the company's PixelPure Hi-Bit 12-bit digital video processing.

     
  • LCD Monitor

    Samsung Electronics' SyncMaster 305T 30-inch TFT-LCD monitor is targeted for use in medical, control room, engineering, and graphics and design applications.

     
  • LCD TVs

    Norcent's 32-inch LT-3225 (pictured here) and 37-inch LT 3725 LCD TVs feature 16.7 million colors and nearly side-to-side viewing angles.

     
  • Line Array

    The W8L Longbow line array from Martin Audio incorporates a 15-inch, horn-loaded low-frequency driver, dual 8-inch mid-frequency drivers, and four 1-inch high-frequency drivers.

     
  • Media Controller

    Extron Electronics has released the MLC 104 IP Plus MediaLink Controller, which is designed for use in classroom presentation systems.

     
  • Mixer/Amplifier

    Atlas Sound has introduced the AA120M mixer and amplifier, which offers three-zone matrixing, including main 120 W output, 1 W output, and line level output.

     
  • Moving Head Spot Fixture

    Elation Professional's Power Spot 700 moving head lighting fixture outputs 1,200 W from a 700 W unit.

     
  • Installation Loudspeakers

    The VERIS line of installation loudspeakers from Community Professional Loudspeakers is designed for array construction in house of worship, conference room, restaurant, and nightclub applications.

     
  • Home Theater Projector

    Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America's HC5000BL 1080p LCD home theater projector incorporates the Reon-VZ HQV video processor from Silicon Optix.

     
  • Headend Cables

    Designed for use in education and government applications, Belden's Headend Cables are available in Satellite, RF, SDI, VoIP, digital audio, DS-3, DS-4, and optical fiber cables.

     
  • HDTV Display Surface Cleaner

    InnoTide International's HDTV cleaning system includes an integrated fluid reservoir handle with spray nozzle with a micro fiber foam pad for cleaning HDTV display surfaces.

     
  • HDMI Cable Extender and Equalizer

    The EX-HDMI-2A digital signal extender and equalizer from Hall Research Technologies features a switchable boosted video output that drives HDMI copper cables up to 130 feet at 1080p or 1920x1200 resolutions.

     
  • Remote Power Source Solutions

    The PSD14 splitter and POE20U midspan from Phihong are designed to provide a remote power source for IP security cameras, including those that are not Power-over-Ethernet enabled.

     
  • Ribbon Microphone

    The R-122V Vacuum tube monaural, bidirectional ribbon microphone from Royer Labs can handle maximum SPL in excess of 135 dB.

     
  • SDI and HD-SDI module

    The SFP Digital Video SDI and HD-SDI Module from MultiDyne is designed to transmit digital video component signals over fiber using standard optical transceivers.

     
  • Show Control Software

    Medialon's Manager 4 show control software is designed to control and synchronize digital audio and video, lighting dimmers and desks, matrix switchers, image processors, videowalls, and special effects over a single network.

     
  • Sound System Measurement and Analysis Software

    EAW has released the Smaart Version 6 sound system measurement and analysis software, which is compatible with Macintosh OSX and Windows XP.

     
  • Sub Bass System

    WorxAudio Technologies has introduced the TL.218SS sub bass system, which is targeted for use in houses of worship, theme parks, nightclubs, and theaters.

     
  • Subwoofer

    L'Acoustics' SB15P self-powered compact subwoofer features a front-loaded 15-inch transducer.

     
  • Surround Sound Microphone

    Holophone's H3-D Surround Microphone is designed for professional applications in house of worship, education, and studio markets.

     
  • Telepresence Solutions

    Teliris has debuted its fourth-generation VirtuaLive customizable, full-room telepresence solutions, which are designed for collaborative communications applications.

     
  • Touchscreen Kiosk

    The Wide-Touch Kiosk from Comark Corp. features an 18-inch widescreen with 1440x900 resolution and a 500:1 contrast ratio.

     
  • Video Scalers

    The VP-414 and V-416 video scalers from Kramer Electronics are designed to accept composite or S-video signals and scale them to a computer graphics HDTV video output resolution.

     
  • Video Scaling Processor

    The DVDO iScan VP50 video scaling processor from Anchor Bay Technologies features the company's Precision Video Scaling II 10-bit scaling feature and VRS HD Precision Deinterlacing technologies.

     
  • Whiteboard and Wireless Annotation Device

    Dukane Corp. has introduced the LeaderBoard interactive whiteboard and AirSlate wireless annotation and mouse control pad, which are targeted for use in education applications.

     
  • Wireless Communication System

    The SIR Buddy wireless communication system from AmpliVox includes a solid state stereo amplifier with a built-in receiver and loudspeaker, an infrared transmitter, and a lapel microphone.

     
  • Wireless HD Media Extender

    Designed for wireless and wired AV applications, the Emerge MPX1000 wireless high-definition media extender from Avocent Corp. includes a transmitter and receiver, and supports computer graphics resolutions up to 1280x768.

     
  • Wireless Portable PA System

    Avlex Corp. has introduced the Mipro MA-101a wireless portable PA system, which incorporates the company's Automatic Channel Targeting technology.

     
  • Wireless XGA Receiver

    Designed for digital signage applications, Teq Gear's WID101 wireless XGA receiver supports VGA, SVGA, XGA, and WXGA resolutions with 802.11 g/a/b wireless capability.

     
  • HD Videoconferencing Solutions

    Polycom's HDX 9000 high-definition (HD) videoconferencing platform features HD voice, 1080p HD video, and HD content sharing.

     
  • Full-Resolution DVI Cable

    Analog Way has released full-resolution DVI copper cables, which are designed to drive high-definition display devices with resolutions up to 1600x1200 or 1080p @ 60 Hz as far as 230 feet.

     
  • Floating Mounting Bracket

    Da-Lite Screen Company has released a floating mounting bracket for its Model C and Model C with Controlled Screen Return products.

     
  • Flat-Panel Mounts

    Chief Manufacturing has released the CYNERGY, FUSION, and REACTION flat-panel mounts, which are designed for use with displays measuring 27 to 40 inches diagonal.

     
  • Flat-Panel Mount

    The UA400 Cantilever Swing-Arm Plasma/LCD Mount from UpRight Mounts Inc. accommodates plasma or LCD displays that measure 32 to 50 inches and weigh up to 150 pounds.

     
  • Electroacoustic Architecture System

    Meyer Sound's Constellation electroacoustic architecture equipment and services package is centered on the company's variable room acoustic system (VRAS) processor, and works in combination with the company's Stella loudspeakers and Constellation microphones.

     
  • DVI/HD-SDI Scalers

    Gefen has introduced the HD-SDI-to-DVI scaler and the DVI-to-HD-SDI scaler (pictured here) for up-/downscaling of standard- and high-definition resolutions.

     
  • Dual-Channel Intercom Amplifier

    The IC-52-ENH dual-channel audio amplifier from Tech Works is designed for use with intercom systems in security, monitoring, and commercial applications.

     
  • Dual-Channel Equalizer

    The Neve 8803 dual-channel equalizer and filter from AMS Neve features a USB port that connects the unit to a PC or Mac, and a utility program designed to store and recall settings.

     
  • Dual Equalizer: API 5500

    The API 5500 dual equalizer from API Audio is designed for recording, mixing, and mastering applications.

     
  • Display Wall Controllers

    The Total VIEW TVC-1100 and TVC-1200 display wall controllers from Christie Digital incorporate the company's MASTERSuite 4.1 display wall management software.

     
  • Dimmer Modules

    Targeted for use in custom installation applications, the Radia Eclipse Series of lighting products from AMX includes the RE-DM4 and RE-DM6 dimmer modules.

     
  • Design Software

    The LecNet 2 Designer's Kit CD from Lectrosonics contains information, files, diagrams, and product data to aid in designing and installing audio systems.

     
  • Custom Flat-Panel Display Mounts

    The rppm rp customizable flat-panel display mounts from rp Visual Solutions can be configured as push-pull mounts or swing-wide mounts for any sized LCD or plasma display.

     
  • Current Regulator

    The AR-20 II 20-amp regulator from Furman Sound delivers 120 V of AC power to protect equipment from AC line voltage irregularities.

     
  • Console System

    Winsted's Matrix Custom Console System can be designed to house multiple CPUs and accommodate rack electronics, wire management, and storage requirements.

     
  • Conferencing Software

    Bosch has added synoptic microphone and voting software features to its Digital Congress Network (DCN) Next Generation software.

     
  • Conference Microphone Station

    The Revoluto Microphone Station from beyerdynamic is designed for use with the company's MCS-D 200 conferencing system.

     
  • Component Video Hub

    Designed for commercial AV and digital signage applications, the MuxLab Component Video Hub distributes high-resolution component video and digital audio to eight or 16 displays via Cat5 twisted pair cable.

     
  • Communications Platform

    The Mediasite 4.0 communications platform from Sonic Foundry features the Mediasite Management Portal, a point-of-entry security solution designed to restrict access to content.

     
  • AV Recording Software

    Focus Enhancements has released version 3.0 firmware for its FS-100 Portable Direct To Edit recorder.

     
  • LCD Displays

    Planar Systems has released the 37-inch PD370, 42-inch PD420 and 47-inch PD470 1080p LCD flat-panel displays, which are designed for custom installation applications.

     

Cheat Sheet

  • Troubleshooting Network Cabling

    With so many AV devices on the network, troubleshooting is becoming a critical skill for AV integrators. Here are some tips for solving the most common network cabling problems.

     

Other Articles

  • AV Creates Immersive Experience

    The 260-degree video projection screens in Decision Theater at Arizona State University enable visualization, collaboration, and simulation.