Sound and Communications - July 2008 Issue

Vol. 54 No. 7July 21, 2008Beauty ofTECHNOLOGYELIZABETH ARDEN FLAGSHIPBOUTIQUE GETS AV FACELIFT.FROM PITCHTO PROJECTHOW SYSTEMS INTEGRATORSMAKE THE SALE.SIGNS OFPROGRESSDEPLOYING DIGITAL SIGNAGESOLUTIONS IN RETAIL.2008Twenty-Third AnnualCommercial SystemsIntegration Survey“Have you seen it?”INSIDE:23 rd COMMERCIALSYSTEMSINTEGRATIONSURVEYLog ontowww.soundandcommunications.com/viewpoint.This month’s program,Green: The Color of Money?

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Volume 54 Number 7 July 21, 200820 26F e a t u r e s5450D e p a r t m e n t s23 rd COMMERCIAL SYSTEMS INTEGRATION SURVEY AFTERPAGE 34.34 ‘Beauty’ Of TechnologyElizabeth Arden flagship boutique gets AV ‘facelift.’By Jim Stokes42 ‘Signs’ Of ProgressDeploying digital signage solutions in retail.By Sanjay Castelino50 From Pitch To ProjectHow systems integrators make the sale.By Chuck Wilson54 INDUSTRY PIONEER:DR. JOHN K. HILLIARD (1901-1989), ConclusionThe second of two parts of the 18 th installment in ourpopular series documenting our industry’s history.By R. David Read62 MARKET BRIEFRetail Environments: Finding the sizzle to go with the steak.By Dan Ferrisi9 NEWSLETTER20 HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGYTight Timeline, Amazing AV: SeventhDay Adventist Church creates immersiveexperience.By Dawn Allcot8424 HOUSE OF WORSHIP: BUSINESSInterfacing With Worship Leaders, Part 2: Sharingmy secrets and strategies.By David Lee Jr., PhD26 IN FOCUSA Prosperous Progression: Maland Presentationshas grown far beyond its rental roots.By Dan Ferrisi30 INTEGRATOR’S POVPredator Under The Surface: Making sure the‘piranhas’ don’t devour your business.By Robin Parker64 NEWS66 FEEDBACKC o l u m n s6 WAVELENGTHBy David A. Silverman12 SIGHT LINESBy Gary Kayye, CTS14 SOUND ADVICEBy Peter Mapp, FAES, FASA18 DOWN TO BUSINESSBy David McNutt69 CALENDAR69 PEOPLE70 PRODUCTS75 LITERATURE & MEDIA76 CENTERSTAGE77 MARKETPLACE82 DATA SCANBy Dan FerrisiSound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

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Standing in front of an exhibit, staringat the booth display, the systemsintegrator had a quizzical look on hisface. When asked why, he said, “I’mjust trying to figure out what theydo.” With a reported 34,600 attendeesfrom 93 countries trying to find whatproducts and services they need fromamong 988 exhibitors covering morethan 500,000 net square feet of exhibitspace, this is the challenge at a showlike the InfoComm Expo that justpassed. How do you, as an exhibitor,differentiate yourself from everyoneelse—and how do you, as an attendee,find everything you need within thethree-day time period?We have no answers here, otherthan to challenge InfoComm International:You have created the largestand most successful event in ourindustry’s history, for which you deservea lot of credit. Now, you have tohelp people on both sides figure outtheir part. No, you’re not expectedto do companies’ marketing or boothdesigns, nor can you teach attendeeshow to maximize their time. But, youdon’t want anyone intimidated by thesheer volume of information offered.Interestingly, our CommercialSystems Integration Survey (currentone included with this issue)asks people what the industry associationscould do to help them.Invariably, past comments included,“InfoComm/NSCA: Combine yourshows!” This year, even before thefirst combined show (the questionnairewent out in late April!), onecomment was, “InfoComm/NSCA:Better layout of categories of industryproduct. Joining together hasmade this too big to get through inthe days it is held.”Word to the wise for next year:Exhibitors should be sure to designtheir booths/displays so viewersunderstand whatis being offered.Attendeesmust reallocateresources andchange the waythey attend thisshow. And, ofcourse, Info-Comm and NSCA should continueto create new pavilions and otherspecialty areas to make it easier tofind specific offerings.Nonetheless, we have to say, Greatjob, InfoComm! (Our detailed showcoverage, including New ProductWrap Up, begins next month.)While we’re recognizing industrymembers, we must also mentionNSCA and its staff. They did a greatjob working with InfoComm andaccommodating their members atthis show. This is especially tellingbecause of the situation: Right beforeInfoComm began, NSCA’s CedarRapids IA headquarters building andthe Mississippi Valley were inundatedby severe floods. Our best wishes goout to Chuck Wilson, the NSCA staff,their families, and those integratorsand manufacturers who may havebeen affected. I’m sure the industrywill reach out in any way possible tohelp you in these trying times.A quick note: Our industry continuesto mature, losing some of the“mom and pop” feeling. We saw thecombined AVI-SPL for the first time atInfoComm, and The Whitlock Groupin the US, and Impact, Europe’s largestintegrator, announced the industry’sfirst global alliance for the AVmarket (see NEWSLETTER, page 9).I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot moreabout this in months to come. nEditorDavid A. Silvermandsilverman@testa.comAssociate EditorDan Ferrisidferrisi@testa.comAssistant EditorMichelle Loebmloeb@testa.comContributing EditorsR. David ReadJim StokesContributorsDawn Allcot; Sanjay Castelino;Gary Kayye, CTS; David Lee Jr., PhD;Peter Mapp, FAES, FASA; David McNutt;Robin Parker; R. David Read;Jim Stokes; Chuck WilsonTechnical CouncilGary Kayye, CTS, Kayye Consulting, Inc.David Lee Jr., PhD, Lee Communication Inc.Joel Lewitz, PE, Lewitz and Associates, Inc.David E. Marsh, FASA,Pelton Marsh Kinsella, LLCDavid McNutt, ConsultantThomas C. Rauscher, Archi-TechnologyTony Warner, CTS-D, CSI CDT, RTKLGraphic Designer/ArtistJanice PupelisWeb DesignerPhillip TaylorProduction ManagerSteve ThorakosSales Assistant/Ad TrafficSam Mitranismitrani@testa.comAdvertising ManagerBob Beuclerbbeucler@testa.comClassified SalesLinda Inglimalinglima@testa.comCirculationLinda Emanuelecirculation@testa.comOperations ManagerRobin Hazanrhazan@testa.comAssociate PublisherJohn Carrjcarr@testa.comPresident/PublisherVincent P. TestaEditorial and Sales OfficeSound & Communications25 Willowdale AvenuePort Washington, New York 11050-3779(516) 767-2500FAX: (516) 767-9335soundcom@testa.comSound & Communications (ISSN 0038-1845) (USPS 943-140) is published monthly plus a special thirteenth issue(Blue Book), for $25 (US), $35 (Canada & Mexico), and $65 (all other countries), by Sound & Communications Publications,Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050-3779. Periodicals postage paid at Port Washington, NY, andadditional mailing offices.Copyright © 2008 SOUND & COMMUNICATIONS PUBLISHING, INC. Reprint of any part of contents without permissionforbidden. Titles Registered in the U.S. Patent Office.POSTMASTER: Send U.S. address changes to Sound & Communications, PO Box 1767, Lowell, MA 01853-1767.Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.Sound & Communications • DJ TimesSound & Communications Blue BookThe Music & Sound Retailer • International DJ ExpoClubWorld • IT/AV ReportSound & Communications’ VIEWpointThe Retailer’s VnewsletterConvention TV @ NAMM • InfoCommTV News • VTTV StudiosSound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

NAI48-ES can connect to as many as 6 AD8HR’sWith Auvitran’s AVRed-ES, add a redundancyoption with either standard Cat-5 or multi-modeoptical fiber cabling.With the growing popularity of digital snake solutions, Ethersound networking is becoming higherin demand. Among the available options is a simple answer from a name you know and trust.With Yamaha’s NAI48-ES Network Audio Interface, conveniently distribute up to 48 channels of24-bit 48 kHz audio bi-directionally, while remotely controlling signals from the compatibleAD8HR remote head amplifier. A single Cat-5 cable does the job with less mess and no fuss.Yamaha’s Audio Networking Solution. We Make It Easy.Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. • P. O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90620-6600©2008 Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc.July 2008

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NEWSLETTERRATIONAL ACOUSTICS ENTERS PROFESSIONAL AUDIO INDUSTRYRational Acoustics LLC (Putnam CT; www.rationalacoustics.com), founded by industry veterans JamieAnderson, Karen Anderson, Calvert Dayton and Adam Black, has entered the professional audio industry,focusing on providing training classes and product sales in the field of acoustic test and measurement andsystem alignment. The company is also developing a system alignment software and hardware products.Classes offered by Rational Acoustics address both general system alignment theory/practice and specificproduct training, currently Smaart-specific, because “that is where the majority of us have recentlycome from,” noted Jamie Anderson. “But as we continue to grow, we’ll include other measurementplatforms. We’re not promoting a single product or solution; rather, we’re here to provide the bestrange of technologies, techniques, tools and practices to help people get their jobs done.”TOA ELECTRONICS DELVES INTO DIGITAL SIGNAGETOA Electronics, Inc. (South San Francisco CA; www.toaelectronics.com), has added digital signage solutionsto its product line. In partnership with Orion Images Corp. (Cypress CA; www.orionimages.com),TOA offers kiosks, multi-panel displays and public view monitors to the United States AV market. Orionis a global manufacturer of LCD video monitors, and now TOA’s dealer channel has access to Orion’slineup of LCD-based digital signage products.CLEARONE GRANTED TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDEROn June 26, the United States District Court entered an order granting a request from ClearOne (SaltLake City UT; www.clearone.com) for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against any sale or transferof ownership of certain assets of WideBand Solutions, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation, to WideBandSolutions, Inc., a Georgia corporation. It is related to ClearOne’s lawsuit (ClearOne Communications,Inc. v. Andrew Chiang, et. al. Civil No. 2:07-co-37 TC), in which ClearOne alleges, among other things,theft of intellectual property and copyright infringement.The TRO provides that “ClearOne has met the elements necessary for issuance of a TRO to preserve thestatus quo,” and imposes certain prohibitions against any sale or transfer of ownership of certain of thedefendants’ assets, consisting of certain computer code and algorithms. The TRO also states that none ofthe defendants’ profits from the Disputed Code may be transferred or conveyed to the Georgia entity.BARCO ACQUIRES HIGH END SYSTEMS, FORTIFYING EVENTS MARKET PRESENCEBarco (Kortrijk, Belgium; www.barco.com) has acquired High End Systems, Inc. (HES, Austin TX; www.highend.com), a global technology provider of automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controlsthat employs 156 people and is profitable, with $44 million in sales (2007). The total value of the transactionis $55 million. About 80% of HES’ sales are in rental and staging/events, complementary for Barco,which is heavily involved with LED video displays, large venue projectors, creative LED products and imageprocessing products. HES will be fully integrated into Barco’s Media and Entertainment division.The acquisition provides Barco with an additional patent portfolio in digital lighting, along with increaseddistribution channels and product offerings worldwide.CADAC ELECTRONICS GOES INTO ADMINISTRATIONAfter 40 years of operation, the directors of Cadac Electronics plc (Bedfordshire UK; www.cadac-sound.com)have placed the company into administration following a sudden, unexpected falloff in anticipated sales of thecompany’s analog products. Having recovered from its financial difficulties of the last three years, Cadac wasclose to putting its new digital console into production to fulfill an anticipated order book of about $3.9 million.According to managing director Bob Thomas, “It is heartbreaking to see this great company go under….Althoughadditional bank financing had been put in place to complete the S-Digital developmentand to get its production underway, the sudden slump in forecast analog sales...meant that Cadacwould be unable to maintain the underlying cash flow necessary for its survival.”COMPILED BY DAN FERRISI AND DAVID A. SILVERMAN10Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

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Should Design Consultants Be Doing Programming?Expanding the services you sell as intellectual property.By Gary Kayye, CTSBack in 2004, Waveguide founderand principal Scott Walker told me,while sharing a cab after an Info-Comm function, that he was going toadd a new service to his repertoire:control system programming.I can’t say that I was surprised.Scott’s always been an innovatorwhen it comes to adding services tohis Atlanta-based design consultingfirm, and I think he saw it simply asan extension of his arsenal of services.So, why not?Now, four years later, I am sure theservice has served him well and he’smade a lot of money doing it becauseWaveguide is an incredibly well respecteddesign consulting firm witha reputation better than ever and itstime is not only demanded by clientsbut also by most major manufacturersthat have figured out the value ofdesign consultants in the commercialAV industry.But, is it the right thing for themarket? And, is it a potential conflictof interest?Clearly, we are primarily talkingabout Crestron and AMX programmingwhen we speak about controlsystem programming. Sure, thereis a handful of other manufacturersout there that require sophisticated,educated, brilliant programmers toWe’re talking about...aservice...that can simplify theoperation of a huge AV system[and] create a user-interfaceexperience that is sort of awalk-up-and-use experience.configure their systems, but we allknow that more than 90% of that super-high-endcontrol system marketis controlled by AMX and Crestron.And, to be clear, we’re not talkingabout Extron, SP Controls, etc., becausethey have simpler systems thatdon’t require weeks of programmingclasses to master.In the case of AMX and Crestron,we’re talking about selling a servicethat includes not only the capabilityto design control systems that can,in fact, simplify the operation of ahuge AV system, but also creating auser-interface experience that is sortof a walk-up-and-use experience. Thisrequired technical expertise as wellas user-interface design (i.e., graphicaldesign) expertise.What Scott experienced was that,in many cases, although AV integratorscould actually design sophisticatedcontrol systems, they couldn’tmake them easy to figure out how touse. So, using a room, once it was installed,still required a training classfor every individual who would everinterface with it. He saw an opportunityto program a system that had auser interface that was easy enoughto figure out just by looking at thetouchscreen or keypad itself. And,instead of giving away that knowledgeto the winning bidder of thesystem, why not sell it as part of theservices you sell as your intellectualproperty?Well, I’m not actually going to takesides on this issue; I honestly don’tcare one way or another because Iam not an integrator or a design consultant.However, I am going to tellyou integrators out there that youbetter step up to the plate and fixthis hole quickly before this model isemulated.There is no reason at all that youcan’t employ that expertise. Admittedly,few programmers I have evermet have a clue about graphicsdesign and aesthetics, but there’sno reason that can’t be either taughtto them or augmented with a graphicsdesign engineer working alongwith a programmer to simplify andstreamline these programs. Sometouchscreen layouts are so poorlydesigned that customers beg themanufacturers to fix them, but eventhey give up and ask the dealer tostart over.Go ahead, hire a graphics designerand take a chance. Sure, there’s acost to adding this service to yourrepertoire, but take a look at Scott’scompany’s growth, respect levelfrom his peers and clients, as wellas Waveguide’s profitability, and seewhere the money’s at; go ahead, askhim what car he’s driving now! nGary Kayye, a member of Sound & Communications’ Technical Council, is principal of KayyeConsulting. He was InfoComm International’s 2003 Educator of the Year, and NSCA namedhim 2007 Instructor of the Year. Send comments to him at gkayye@testa.com.12 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

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Music, Music EverywhereIs there a cunning plot to subliminally brainwash us and make us cumulatively deaf?By Peter Mapp, FAES, FASAIf I didn’t know better (and I amseriously beginning to wonder if Ido!), I would think that the world’samplifier and loudspeaker manufacturerswere in league with hearing-aidmanufacturers and psychoanalysts/psychiatrists.I have beenpondering this thought for awhile,but this week has brought near certainlyto my thesis.I am on holiday in a large resorthotel. (I know, I know, if I frequentthese places, then what can I expect?But if I say that I am the fatherof teenagers...well, enough said!)However, while sitting by the pool, Idon’t see why I should be subjectedto music played at disco levels allmorning and afternoon. Retiring toour room didn’t help: Every lyric andannouncement was not only clearlyaudible, but also completely intelligibleeven inside the room withthe windows and doors shut. Havingfound the source of the offendingnoise, I could see why: The roomwas right opposite, and in direct lineof fire from, the dual stereo speakers(i.e., two per channel, both aimingstraight out), plus wall/groundstacked 18-inch subs.Not only that, but the mid/highcabinets were aimed slightly up,making our balcony bang on axis.Now, a very effective (well, loud)system it was, too.But it didn’t seem to occur toanyone that maybe not everyone(anyone?) using the pool wantedto be bombarded with sound. Furthermore,music of a known idiomis almost impossible to ignore. Yourbrain locks on and works out what iscoming next, and actively listens forit and, of course, if you vaguely knowthe number, then most of us simplycan’t switch off.Trying to read or think is all butimpossible. I gave up and wentdown to the adjacent beach (by thistime, most of the sun loungers andumbrellas had gone), so I endedup rather nearer to the bar than Iwould normally have (no commentsplease), but no music.Great! Wrong. The music startedup 10 minutes after I got there and,again, at a ridiculously high level. Notdisco certainly, but way over normalbackground music levels; i.e., it wasreasonably high octane foreground.I was about to ask the barman if hewould turn the level down, when Irealized that there was something interestingabout the sound and qualityof the music (apart from its annoyingquality, that is). Then it dawned onme that there was no reverberationmuddying it up. Clearly, this was agood system and, without normalroom reverberation and reflections,it did actually sound very good.The detail was good and the bassarticulation was excellent. Now, Ihave designed literally hundreds ofsystems, but these mainly reside intheaters, concert halls, churches andstadiums, where reverberation timesmay vary upward from 0.8 to 4 secondsplus. Even though my currenttest/listening room has an RT ofonly 0.4 seconds, significant reflectionsstill occur quickly. Listening atfairly close quarters outdoors withno reverb and virtually no reflectionswas quite an interesting (but still annoying)experience.Apart from the clarity and reverbissues, the experience also got methinking about annoyance fromsound systems. Over the years, Ihave been involved with severalproblem cases, but have never reallyquantified the situation (i.e., I justresolved it). I suspect that music andspeech may be slightly different, particularlyif a heavy bass music beat isinvolved. But speech, like music, isremarkably invasive.We are genetically programmed tolisten to it and, of course, the moreintelligible it is, the more distractingand annoying it becomes. So, howcan we begin to quantify the problem?Well, primarily, it is a matter ofsignal to noise ratio. The better theSNR, the better the intelligibility andthe more annoying the PA systempotentially becomes.At 0dB SNR, for example, speechis remarkably intelligible; in fact,this is equivalent to 0.5 STI (~10%Alcons), the standard required foremergency sound systems! Even at-5dB SNR, speech can still be partiallyintelligible, being equivalent toabout 0.35 STI (26% Alcons for thetroglodytes among you), but a lot ofuseful masking also occurs. Dependingon the circumstances, it is prob-United Kingdom-based Peter Mapp, FAES, FASA, is principal of Peter Mapp Associates. Achartered engineer and physicist, he also is a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America andFellow of the Audio Engineering Society. Send comments to him at pmapp@testa.com.14 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

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ably unlikely to be annoying, but itwill still be very audible.At 0dB SNR, I suspect that speechwould be annoying if heard on acontinuous/semi-continuous/regularbasis. At 5dB SNR, I believe thatalmost everyone would find it annoying...andat +10dBA SNR, the speechwould be perfectly intelligible, withvirtually no loss of information (100%sentence intelligibility) and thereforehighly annoying.If we exclude the bass beat aspectfrom music, then I suspect that asimilar scale would also apply here.However, as in all things acousticand audio, it depends on many otherfactors, such as time of day or night,weekday or weekend, do you ownthe property, what activity are youtrying to undertake (e.g., studying,relaxing, trying to get to sleep, etc.).In addition, is it a temporary orpermanent situation? It also dependsto a certain extent as to whether youare inside or outside. Apart fromassessing the bass beat of music,simple dBA rules of thumb can beused, though for a full assessment,octave band measurements of thesignal and background noise have tobe made and compared.Now, back on the beach, I didnot have the SLM/RTA with me(for once), but in many legal noisenuisance cases (certainly here in theUK, at least), a subjective opinionrather than objective measures oftenis used and I know ‘annoying!’ However,in the resort instances I justdescribed, we are talking 40dBA-plusover background...now that’s annoyingon anyone’s scale. But the questionthat really concerns me is, why?Why did the bar and pool operatorsfeel that they had to play the musicat such relatively high levels?It’s almost as if they were on anarcotic music fix and would sufferwithdrawal symptoms without therequired stimulus. Therefore, I ambecoming of the firm opinion thatmusic played in any public building,or space that the public hasaccess to, should be designated as a“controlled substance” and only beallowed to be radiated with a license!So, is this all part of some evilplot being perpetrated by the soundindustry, whereby at music shows andconventions busloads of unsuspectingsound operators and DJs are cartedoff and brainwashed into thinkingthat they need bigger and louder PAsystems? Or are we being subliminallyattacked by the hearing-aid manufacturersas we progressively and cumulativelylose our hearing sensitivity andfaculties due to the constant barrageof music and amplified sound that wehear, even at relatively low levels?Or, then again, is it a plot to drumup more work by the psychiatristsand psychoanalysts as we all slowlygo mad while we undergo theseaural attacks? I don’t know. I am noteven sure that I want to. And thistime, I can’t even blame the architectsbecause, although they generallyare one of the primary causesof all things noxious when it comesto sound, this stuff was outdoors...though I bet an architect was thecause of the poor sound insulation toour hotel room window!n16 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

We’re in it for the long haul. For years now, Yamaha’sInstallation Series loudspeakers have remained strongand steady among the comers and goers of commercialinstalled sound reinforcement. Still built in the U.S.A.,the Installation Series includes 3-way, 2-way, high power,mid power, large and small format speakers. With uniformphase response throughout the series, finding the perfectcombination is easier than ever. Tools such as Yamaha’sown YS-3 design software and SP2060 speaker processoradd greater reason for the consistency of this infallible line.When you need help, time zones shouldn’t matter. Yamaha provides coast to coast 24/7 technical support.With dedicated staff and regional service centers, assistance is around the corner. If we can’t fix it over thephone, we’ll put a part or a person on the next plane out. It’s that simple.Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. • P. O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90620-6600©2008 Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc.July 2008 17

Tight Timeline, Amazing AVSeventh Day Adventist Church creates immersive experience.By Dawn AllcotMany Christian churches todayput technology at center stage, neverovershadowing the minister or themessage, but not hiding or disguisingthe 21 st century tools requiredto create an immersive audiovisualexperience, either.Gettysburg Seventh Day AdventistChurch (SDAC) in Gettysburg PAhas a traditional approach to worshipand, in that vein, sought subtle, yetadvanced, sound and video systemsto help the pastor deliver his message,keeping the technology firmlyin the background. The church evenrequested a flesh-colored wirelessmicrophone for the pastor so theheadset would appear nearly invisibleto worshippers. “The pastor wanteda discrete microphone,” said JameyLerew, owner/partner of BiglersvillePA-based integrator A/V Solutions,LLC. “He didn’t want to look likeGarth Brooks up there on stage.”Like many Seventh Day AdventistChurches, Gettysburg beginsits Saturday worship services withSabbath School, using the 225-seatsanctuary as a classroom or, moreaccurately, two separate classroomareas. Several church members inone class are hearing-impaired, andneeded an assistive-listening system.The church also needed distributedsound in seven smaller classrooms,and infrastructure to accommodateadditional classrooms and a fellowshiphall in the future.Gettysburg SDAC leaders and thechurch’s Gary Bled, audiovisual director,called on A/V Solutions, LLC, to designand install AV systems that wouldmeet the church’s current needs, blendin with the church’s architecture andallow room for future growth.The speaker array in Gettysburg Seventh Day Adventist Church’s sanctuaryblends into the ceiling, and the video screen rolls up out of view.The contractor specified a smallbut powerful JBL AE system with a24-channel Soundcraft mixing board,a Williams Sound assistive-listeningsystem, distributed sound by meansof a Rane processor, and an Eikiprojector with a short-throw lens.The projector displays lyrics, showsDVDs and broadcasts a satellite feedfrom a religious television network.During Sabbath classes, the projectorcan be hooked up to a laptop forPowerPoint presentations, as well.The church recently moved from arented space, where the audio componentsconsisted of two speakers onthe stage, tasked with covering theentire auditorium. “There was a lot ofopportunity for improvement, movingon from that system,” Lerew said.The first order of business for A/VSolutions was specifying a speakerarray for the hexagonal room. Thechurch uses mobile chairs to configurethe room in different ways. HardDawn Allcot is a freelance writer specializing in the audiovisual and health and fitness industries.walls with no acoustical treatmentsand 20-foot ceilings created a reverberantspace, but cloth on the chairsand carpeting on the floors helpeddampen the room.“If you saw the room, you mightthink it would be very live. But it’snot as active as you’d think,” Lerewsaid. “Because the room is not a big,square box with 90-degree angles,we had to be creative in making surewe had the right dispersion pattern.”The integrator selected the JBLAE series, hanging two AM4200/95medium-power, mid-high frequencyspeakers and one high-powerASB6118 18-inch sub directly abovethe center of the stage. The systemis able to handle the high frequenciesof spoken word and the lowerfrequencies required for organ musicwith ease. The speakers offer awell-controlled 90-degree by 50-degreecoverage pattern and are hungvertically, close to the ceiling. The20 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

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Mounted behind the speakers, theprojector, with short-throw lens, isunobtrusive.An AV booth at the back of the sanctuary houses the mixing board.white DuraFlex finish blends in withthe ceiling. “Aesthetically, as youwalk into the church, the speakersdon’t stick out,” Lerew said. “It waschallenging to keep our coverageand our dispersion pattern but, at thesame time, maintain a clean look.”A 12-inch JRX112M stage monitorwas also provided. The speakers arepowered by Crown XTi 2000 and XTi4000 amps.A Soundcraft LX7ii24 24-channelmixing board resides in an AV boothat the back of the sanctuary. Thisboard is similar to the LX7i usedin the previous facility. Bled calledthe console “very easy to run, withplenty of flexibility, dependability andexpandability.”The pastors use a 915B Astaticgooseneck mic at the podium, or anAKG WMS400 wireless bodypack systemwith a C44L headset microphone.The audio component also includesthe Williams Sound PPA375. A RaneRPM 26Z programmable microprocessorfeatures a special switch thatallows the teachers on one side of theroom to turn off input to the main PAand use a lapel mic to address thehearing-impaired students withoutinterrupting the rest of the room.The Rane processor, which wasprogrammed by the integrator and“locked down” so church staff cannotchange the settings, handles EQ,limiting and speaker crossovers forthe main PA. It also handles distributedaudio to seven classrooms andthe church’s hallways. Each roomhas volume control by means of anAtlas at10d attenuator and one or twoAtlas ceiling speakers, powered by aCrown amp.The processing equipment and amplificationsystem provide the churchwith room to grow. “The church istalking about expanding for moreclassrooms and possibly a fellowshiphall,” said A/V Solutions owner/partnerBobby Dengler. “Additional outputson the processor and plenty ofroom for expansion in the amplificationsystem will make it easy for thechurch to expand. When we designa church, that’s one of the questionswe ask: ‘What are your plans for thefuture?’ Now is the time to do thatdesign for the future.”The church originally requesteda projector mounted in the back ofthe room to display hymn lyrics,videos and a satellite feed onto a7'x9' Da-Lite Cosmopolitan Screenmounted on the wall behind the pastor.However, certain church membersfelt that a projector hangingfrom the back wall of the sanctuarywould detract from the aesthetics ofthe space. Additionally, the projectorwould have required an expensivelong-throw lens.Instead, A/V Solutions used anEiki LC-XG300 LCD projector, whichthe installer located behind thespeakers. “Eiki makes a short-throwlens that allowed us to fill the screenwhile tucking the projector in tightlybehind the speakers. When you walkin the room, you see nothing of aprojector,” Dengler said.An FSR switcher/scaler locatedin the AV booth provides inputs fora DVD player, laptop computer anda live satellite feed for televisionprogramming. An additional input islocated on the stage for guests andteachers who wish to control Power-Point presentations from the podium.A/V Solutions came in to the projectlate in the game, when the churchchanged AV integrators more thanhalfway through the construction process.“A/V Solutions was better ableto meet our needs within our pricerange,” Bled said. “We wanted goodquality, something that would last forawhile, but was reasonably priced.”Lerew added, “We knew thechurch had a tight budget, and wehad to abide by that. Our companydoesn’t use smoke and mirrors. Welay the details on the line, but wedon’t add fancy features unless thecustomer is looking for it. We careabout the customer’s necessities,while also providing for future expansionand technology.”To help Gettysburg SDAC cutcosts, A/V Solutions provided thedesigns and cable for wire runs, andthe client ran the wire.Coming in so late in the processgave the installer only 2½ weeks todesign and install the AV systems,and it created some unique challengesas the A/V Solutions team workedside-by-side with the other trades.“Typically, in a new construction, we22 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

do our rigging above the ceiling,”Dengler explained. “But the ceilingswere already finished, so we had tocrawl through ceiling structures andsmall areas to finish the rigging. Oneday, they were blowing insulation,and we had to work around that.”Other challenges faced during theproject were more typical to houseof worship design and installations.The founders of A/V Solutions havebeen serving audiovisual customersfor more than 20 years, and havecompleted design and installationprojects in restaurants, entertainmentcomplexes, government facilities,educational venues and more.The company’s projects have beenfeatured in Sound & Communicationsseveral times, most recently for theDover Area High School’s stadiumsound system (November 2007).The house of worship market,according to Dengler, reveals challengesnot commonly faced withother clients. “When we do a nightclubor school,” he said, “one personThe pastoror guestspeaker usesa gooseneckmic andcan controlPowerPointpresentationsfrom thepodium.typically outlines the AV needs. Witha church, there’s a whole body ofpeople who are part of the AV team,and everybody has his own wishesand needs. The challenge is to keepall those people happy, while stayingwithin a sometimes-tight budget.”He added, “Churches are not allbuilt the same. We can’t go in therewith a template. Every project isunique in the structure’s size andshape, the type of services they hold,and the type of materials on thewalls, ceiling and floor.”A key factor in working with houseof worship clients is listening to theirunique needs and also providing educationabout advances in audiovisualtechnology—specifically, how newequipment may help the church accomplishits goals. “We were prettysuccessful in doing that, on a verytight timeframe, at Gettysburg SeventhDay Adventist Church,” Lerewsaid. “I think we have a customer forlife because of that.”nThe Next Generation ofTwisted Pair Integration Level and peaking compensation on each inputensure consistent image quality with long andshort cable runs Dynamic skew compensation maintains RGBcolor alignment regardless of input and outputcable length combinations Local video and audio I/Os accommodate rackmountedsources and destinations, eliminating theneed for additional transmitters and receivers Local bidirectional RS-232 insertion portsenable a 3rd-party control system to controlremote display devicesMTPX Plus Matrix SwitchersSix Models in sizes from 8x16 to 32x32800.633.9876 www.extron.com/mtpxplus28Twisted Pair Transmitters & Receivers Twisted Pair Switchers Twisted Pair Matrix Switchers Twisted Pair Distribution July 2008 Amplifiers 23scm_hlfpg_ads_08.indd 76/16/08 9:43:29 AM

Interfacing With Worship Leaders Part 2Sharing my secrets and strategies.By David Lee Jr., PhDA vital role that systems integratorsplay in the House of Worshipmarket is to help leaders understandhow to use media effectively toenhance the worship experience. Iam frequently hired to help worshipleaders determine the true state oftheir media use during their servicesand in their office facilities. In Part1 (June 2008), I presented a processthat I typically follow to understandand evaluate the communicationneeds and effectiveness of media usein a house of worship.Presented here again, this five-partprocess includes: (a) scheduling ameeting with the entire, or relevant,house of worship staff to provide anoverview of media use in a house ofworship facility that can enhance theworship experience; (b) observinghow the staff is using media duringworship services; (c) observinghow media technologies are used tomanage data and information in theoffice setting; (d) preparing a writtenreport of my findings and recommendations;and (e) presenting an oralreport of the findings to the staff.Last time, I emphasized the philosophicaland practical discussionthat I present to leadership and staffregarding the use of audio technologiesduring a worship service. Here,I will expand this discussion to includethe use of visual technologies.Effective humancommunication in tandemwith appropriate mediause will significantlyenhance worship.Then, a small bit about creating andpresenting the final report.You know well that we live inan image-driven world. There is asignificant increase in the use ofvisual technologies in house of worshipsettings. However, the grade Iwould give to summarize the “effectiveuse” of visual technologies inmost churches would be a C+ to B-.I don’t mean that to sound critical.This means that you and I have theopportunity to help them understandhow to use visual technologies moreeffectively.We are accustomed to consumingattractive visual information inshopping malls, airports and sportscomplexes that attract us and enhanceour shopping, flying or sportingexperience. If the display grabsour attention, the chance that wewill retain the information improvessignificantly. Thus, I help the leadershipand team members to understandthat the effective use of imagemagnification (IMAG) is a measurementof credibility that people use toqualify their worship experience. UseIMAG poorly, people are distracted;use IMAG well, people connect withthe images, worship is enhancedand they realize a positive worshipexperience.On the scheduled Sunday, Iobserve the leadership and staff asthey use media during the worshipservice. On numerous occasions,I take my small video camera andrecord a wide shot of the auditorium.I want to see the video screens andhear the live audio. I try to takemy notes discretely. For example, Itry not to look at the front-of-houseperson or video director, and thenwrite a note. Looking at people andthen writing notes usually makesthem even more insecure than theyalready feel while I am on their turf.My goal is to gather and re-createinformation that creates a picture ofthe actions taken by the audiovisualteam. I note the quality of the audiomix (blending, volume, etc.), howoften they look at the stage versusdown at the mixing board and reactionsto problems that occur. I alsouse the video recorder, or smalldigital camera, to capture the actualtechnologies (mixer, reverb, delay,compression) and models they areusing. In general terms, I also employthis procedure while I observethe visual team in operation.The aspect that I observe mostkeenly is the overall quality of communicationthat occurs betweenthe worship leaders and the mediateam. Then, I look closely at thecommunication between members ofthe media team, as well. I focus onthese aspects because I have foundthat the majority of the problems(continued on page 63)David Lee Jr., PhD, CEO of Lee Communication Inc., Orlando FL, is a licensed ministerand has more than 25 years of experience as a systems integrator. He is a member of Sound& Communications’ Technical Council. Send comments to dlee@testa.com.24 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

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A Prosperous ProgressionMaland Presentations has grown far beyond its rental roots.By Dan FerrisiAs a business grows and develops,and as market conditions change,it is important that a company besufficiently nimble to evolve; in a dynamicfield, stagnation can be death.Maland Presentations, based in a4400-square-foot Seattle WA facilityand with a 1200-square-foot office inPortland OR, is a prime example ofa company whose ability to diversifyhas led to enviable success in thecommercial AV market.Maland, which limits its activitiesto the Pacific Northwest, wasestablished in 1993 as a traditionalaudiovisual rental company, primarilyserving the Hilton Seattle. Naturally,a business of this type had toset up equipment, but Maland hadno “integration business” proper. Asthe company’s breadth of offeringsexpanded to include box sales, it becameapparent that integration wasthe missing piece of the puzzle.Our contacts at Maland are DanSharron, integrated systems manager,and Michael Maland, owner.(Other critical team members areMark Hines, rental manager, and EdSeifert, branch manager in Portland.)Sharron revealed that he wasone of the driving forces for theexpansion into integration, and he,himself, was inspired by a trip to anInfoComm show.“That really motivated me to pushthe integration as its own thing,” saidSharron. “So, a few years ago, we actuallyseparated the integration sidefrom the sales side of the company,and built upon that. We completeda lot of smaller installs: hang andbangs. Now, they’ve grown in sizeand complexity, involving more ofthe design and build process, as opposedto just setting equipment up.”Michael Maland remarked that,at present, the company’s businessbreakdown is concentrated aroundintegration, followed by rental andthen box sales. “It’s probably 50%,35% and 15%, respectively,” he noted.The 12-employee company earns $2to $3 million per year and, despiteless-than-propitious economic indicators,enjoys steady growth. Malandemphasized that, market conditionsbeing as they are, it is difficult tosurvive on box sales alone. “You canrent something for $100 and youmake $100. You can install somethingfor $100 and make $30. If yousell something for $100…you makeeight bucks,” he chuckled.Simultaneous to its integrationOne officein thePrimeAdvisorsbuildingoutfittedby Maland.expansion, the company, havingcome from largely video roots, hasfortified its audio expertise. Accordingto Sharron, apprehendingvideo’s more abstruse cousin confersa competitive advantage. “Whetheryou’re selling, renting or integrating,understanding audio systemsseparates you from the guys whoreally don’t know that much. Almostanybody can work his way around avideo system, because you can seeit; audio is harder, so it separatescompanies.”Maland Presentations has an extensivelist of system integration clients,prominent among them BenaroyaResearch Institute, Pierce CountyTransit, Harborview Medical Center,University of Washington and TrubionPharmaceuticals. Michael Malandsummed it well, saying, “We’ve donechurches, government installs, corporatelobbies, digital signage, videodistribution systems for bars….We’vedone one of everything and a lot ofa few other things.” Sharron added,“Right now, we’re doing a project forPuget Sound Regional Council, whichDan Ferrisi is Sound & Communications’ Associate Editor.26 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

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is a quasi-government agency.”Bearing in mind the aforequotedreference to the InfoComm show asthe systems integration expansion’simpetus, Maland Presentations’ continuedinvolvement with InfoCommInternational and its initiatives is nosurprise. (In fact, somebody fromthe company has attended everyInfoComm exposition since 1995.)On October 23, 2007, the companymarked AV Week, an InfoComminitiative, with a half-day trade showThis Macy’s digitalsignage display inSeattle WA was atemporary windowdisplay systeminvolving twoprojectors and arear-projectionscreen, showingadvertisingcontent.at the Hilton Seattle. Seattle PresentationsShow 2007, which was free ofcharge, showcased the latest technologicaldevelopments, from audioto video and beyond. Plans call for asimilar event this year.Maland’s evolution from 100% rentalto 50% systems integration and 35%rental (with other areas rounding outthe percentage) might be somewhatatypical, but the progression hasbeen successful and several benefitsflow naturally therefrom. Foremostamong these is the company’s familiaritywith all manner of product:Maland knows what works, whatlasts, what can withstand misuse oroutright abuse and what requires thefewest repairs.Michael Maland noted, “We specsomething because we know it’sgoing to be reliable.” The projectorswith which the company works includeCanon, Eiki and Sanyo. On theaudio side, Bosch CommunicationsSystems/Telex is a favorite. Forconnectivity, the company prefersExtron Electronics. And those arejust some of the brands that haveshifted from the rental fleet to theinstallation spec.Asked how his company maintainsits success even during trying economictimes, and when facing stiffcompetition, Michael Maland citessomething entirely non-technical: customerservice. “We answer the phone,”he said. “Just saying ‘service’ is almosttoo broad, but it really comes down tothat. There have been so many phone28 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

calls where the customer says, ‘Thisother person never calls me back’or ‘These guys wouldn’t answer myquestion’ or ‘I could never get a holdof anybody over there.’ The classicWoody Allen line is that 80% of successis just showing up. And a lot of oursuccess has just been that.” Of course,it always helps when one’s physicalpresence is complemented by years ofhoned technical skill.Whenever a company makes thechoice to enter the systems integrationfray, it takes time to perfectthe required skills. But, although itmight seem like the equivalent ofscaling an imposing mountain, thereis a well-worn path on the other side:a smooth gradient to the summit.Maland found this slope. It beginswith simple equipment setup, familiarto a rental organization. Then,more complete installation, perhapswith elementary integration, comesalong. As larger jobs are secured,a company can pull in experiencedintegrators to act as the “lead.” Andthen, with that body of experience onwhich to draw, design and integration—ofprojects small and large—can be accomplished.Integrators elsewhere need haveno fear; Maland intends to keep itsbusiness in the Pacific Northwest.“I established a hard rule that Iwouldn’t go anywhere that I couldn’tAV amenities in thePuget Sound RegionalCouncil Boardroom inSeattle WA includeaudio conferencing,presentation andweb streaming, withmultiple microphonesaround council tables,PTZ cameras and aprojector.fly to on Alaska Airlines,” saidMichael Maland with a laugh. “Although,now, they go to Boston andNew York….” And so, Maland Presentationsis a model for peer integrators:keeping its breadth of offeringswide, dedicating itself to customerservice, keeping up with technology…andgetting the job done. nJuly 2008 29

Predator Under The SurfaceMaking sure the ‘piranhas’ don’t devour your business.By Robin ParkerPiranha, as defined by Webster: asmall, extremely voracious, SouthAmerican fish, schools of which areknown to attack and devour peopleand large animals.Piranha, as defined by AV integrators:any of an infinite number of situations,conditions and problems, none ofwhich were planned for, that will attackand devour commissions, profits and,in extreme cases, entire companies.The “waters” in which AV integratorsswim are frighteningly full ofthese “little fishes” that have beenknown to cause severe pain and, insome cases, death. Yet, for reasonsunknown, many in our ranks chooseto ignore these project labor andcost-consuming beasts completelyuntil it’s too late. As a professionalintegrator of audio and visual systemsfor many years, you could saythat I’ve peddled my bike around theblock a few times. (A few???) I havepersonally experienced “attacks” byevery one of the following piranhas,some many—some too many—times.I know they exist. I know they willcause serious harm to my bottomline. I know that, if they attack inforce, they will cause fatal wounds.The “piranhas” of which I speakare the situations that affect thelabor and material costing aspects ofa project that typically receive littleto no attention until they occur. Thewounds inflicted come in the painfulform of additional equipment andlabor cost. The only sources of revenueto cover these “piranhas” arecommissions, then profits.If I added up all of the precioushours of my life that were wastedjust waiting for somebody with a keyto let us in someplace, we’d all beamazed. This factor alone can addhours (that’s plural, more than one,sometimes a lot more than one) toeven the smallest project.I have spoken to several others inthe industry to get their “take” on piranhas.Understandably, there is a vastdifference in the perspective of theseissues, depending on your point ofview, or position within your company.For example, if a sales representativeactually were to factor in a laborand material cost to cover the (mostcertainly unwanted) piranha, it may besafe to assume that you would neverland a project. Yet, the field installer isall too aware of their existence.Ideally, the customer should beresponsible for covering the cost ofa project: Duh. However, the costto feed the piranhas (and they arehungry) comes directly from thecontractor’s pocket. Only by facingthe piranhas head on, by proper planning,can these concerns, and thehundreds of potential other problems,be averted, allowing your companyto keep the intended profits andto hold labor costs within budget.In the estimating or bid process,sales representatives will factor in apercentage of “Misc.” (an understandableand accepted procedure at thisphase) to cover the cost of items suchas nuts, bolts, screws, wire-ties—items that are universally requiredon every project but don’t warrantthe time to calculate cost specifically.Unfortunately, a missing bag of4-40 nuts, which only costs a coupleof bucks, will bring a project to ascreeching halt, potentially force aseveral-day delay and yet another tripto a remote jobsite. Have you boughtgas lately? Did someone forget toorder the $12 rack kit for the mixer?Do the math. Before the dust settles,those few-dollar items will—notmight, will—cost hundreds of dollarsor more. What is your cost to send acrew to a project three hours away?Or, worse, I’ve seen “Misc.” of lessthan $20 that was intended to coverthe entire cost to rig a large numberof 80lb. speakers requiring full boreflying hardware. Guess what wasn’tproperly estimated and took a hugechunk of bucks to buy? Whoops.One of the best methods to holdpiranhas at bay is to ensure that, oncethe POs are issued, “Misc.” is converted(quickly) into real and tangibleitems. It’s a pain when you need sixXLR connectors and only have fouron the truck. “Well, we could havefinished today, but that’s alright; we’lljust come back tomorrow. The jobsite is only two hours out of town.”Unless your installation teamworks for free (a footnote here: Mostdon’t), their salary meters keeprunning. Working, riding, smokebreak, going back to the shop to getthe drill they forgot, or the partspurchasing had to rush in becauseRobin Parker, owner of Suffolk Audio Services, has more than 30 years of experience in theprofessional audio/video industry. He has been involved with the design and installation ofhundreds of systems in the Mid-Atlantic region and worldwide.30 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

CTS and CTS-I are now accredited under theISO/IEC 17024 international standard bythe American National Standards Institute (ANSI) the InternationalOrganization for Standardization’s (ISO’s) U.S. representative.More than 9,500 AV professionals have earned their CTS, the only AV certificationaccredited by ANSI. AV professionals holding the CTS and the CTS-I credentials havea specialized level of audiovisual technology proficiency, proven through a validatedcertification process.Don’t take our word for it – candidates and employers alike can be assured that ANSIhas independently verified that these certifications meet the highest professionalstandards of examination development and administration. This decision was basedon rigorous criteria that have the consensus approval of more than 150 nations. ®Setting the Standard for AV ExcellenceFor more information, visit www.infocomm.org/certification.July 2008 31

Full Discount Wholesaleis the premier supplier ofProfessional Audio, Video,A/V and Lighting equipmentto resellers and contractors.FDW Offers:Extensive InventoryLow Cost ShippingNo Minimum OrderHundreds of the Top BrandsFriendly, Experienced Sales ProsExceptional Customer ServiceBlind Drop Ship Capabilitythey weren’t on the work orders,and all the other factors (listed later,and more), they are getting paid. Thequestion is this: Is your companyowner keeping the profits your salesdepartment promised?The basic point of this rant is simple:When the piranhas attack, someone hasto, and will, pay for the extra materialsand the manpower required; thequestion becomes, who? If their “attack”was anticipated, there is a fair chanceof survival. If not, there is a betterchance that even the slightest “nip”will cause uncontrollable losses.So, who is responsible here? Whoare the people best suited to ensurethat the piranha won’t bite? Everyonewho has anything to do with a projecthas a role here. As a general rule, thelarger the company, and more departments(sales, design, engineering,management purchasing, warehousing,shipping, field management),the greater the risk to be savagelydevoured. I’ve seen it happen. Thissituation permits every departmentto point at every other department asthe source of failure. Funny but, atthe end of the day, everybody did hisjob perfectly, yet the company loseshundreds to thousands.Company owners should have asit-down session with all productionpersonnel (yes, even the installers),give everyone a copy of this to readand then open the floor for discussion.Some of these issues raisecomplex questions with even morecomplex answers, but that does notmake the issues or their consequencesgo away. Some are simple questionswith even more devastating consequencesif they remain unanswered,and your subcontractors or, worse,your own installers, get to a job anddon’t have the proper tools, materials,information or knowledge tocomplete the project. At some point,you do have to talk about the tutuwearingpink elephant sitting overin the corner doing shots. Someone,at some point, has to ask these questions…andhave answers.Ultimately, those answers are foundby providing a strict level of accountabilityand a detail of exactly who isresponsible for what. A precise “whoshall do what” list certainly will varyfrom contractor to contractor, but onething is for certain: The field installersaren’t being productive when theyhave to go to Home Depot twice aday, and spend two to three hours onthe phone with the purchasing agentarguing over the wrong-sized rackdoors. Obtaining accurate and usefuljobsite information is helpful but,when possible, have the actual installersscout the location and providetheir insight as to what situations willhave to be addressed.Although this outline covers many,but certainly not all, of the piranhafactors that must be considered,reviewed and evaluated prior to aninstallation taking place, it is imperativethat Mr. Murphy, his minionsand the havoc they impart be considered,as well. For example, just today,I visited a church where we willbe installing a projector and screen.The customer ordered the projectorand a “universal” mount from adiscount catalog. Guess what? Theuniversal mount—isn’t. It will requiredrilling and other modifications.Oh, and by the way, there wereno screws to mount the “universalmount” to the projector—and theyare metric—and I have to go findthem tomorrow. So? The physicalaction of simply removing a projectorand mount from the packaging andassembling the basic parts—somethingthat should have taken only 10to 15 minutes—in reality will takebetween three to fours hours to complete.And I forgot to mention…theprojector was defective, too.Let’s say the salesman priced a projectcompetitively—very. He assumedthat your award-winning, lightningfast(close-to-minimum-wage-paid),MIT-trained installers with jet hoverpacks would install the job. But, in reality,Bubba and his untrained traineewho was hired yesterday (he sayshe saw a microphone once, but can’tspell it yet…or probably ever) wasscheduled to do the job. This factoralone can destroy any hope of bringinga job in under budget. nto be continued....

• Master Classes• Training Sessions• Tutorials• Live Sound Seminars• Broadcast Events• Exhibits• Platinum Panels• Special Events• Historical Events• Tours• Exhibitor Seminars• Technical Papers• Educational Events• Workshops125 th www.AESshow.comAES ConvEntionMake the right ConneCtionsConference: October 2-5, 2008Exhibits: October 3-5, 2008Moscone CenterSan Francisco, CAPHOTO PHiLLiP AngErT

‘Beauty’ Of TechnologyElizabeth Arden flagship boutique gets AV ‘facelift.’By Jim StokesElizabeth Arden, a retail beauty productsindustry leader, has completed themakeover of its New York City-basedFifth Avenue Red Door flagship store,after four months of renovation. Theopening event featured a ribbon cuttingby Academy Award-winning actressCatherine Zeta-Jones. We’ll speak withthe architecture firm and AV companyinvolved in the project, as well.If you’ve ever strolled down Fifth Avenue,especially those blocks nearestCentral Park, the buildings’ architectureand store windows are competingfor your attention. Because one of theobvious cardinal principles of advertisingis to attract attention, a lot of creativitycan go into a window display.Red Metal RibbonMost recently, even the most casualpassersby can’t help but notice a14-foot gleaming, unfurled red metalribbon coming at them, headed by alarge viewing screen showing a videoof the company’s wares. For this is adifferent kind of display window at 54 thand Fifth, which tends to draw you intothe entire store. It’s incorporated intoElizabeth Arden’s new look.And for a client’s perspective to introducethat new look and our story,here’s Mary Beth Mazzotta, vice presidentof sales and marketing servicesfor the world-famous Red Door at 691Fifth Avenue: “We reopened it to be aunique beauty shopping experience.In terms of retail...‘location, location,location’...it’s in the most prime retailSound & Communications Contributing Editor Jim Stokes has been involved in the AV industry for more than 30 yearsas an AV technician and writer.34 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

The iconic Red Doorintroduces consumersto an AV experiencewithin ElizabethArden’s flagship NewYork City boutique.estate [area] from 54 th to 59 th Street.So, having the running video availablefor customers to see from the outsidegives us another opportunity to tell ourstory. Our goal is to project this powerfulpresence through the design of ournewly renovated flagship store.”Mazzotta continued: “When we discussedthe new floor plan, we wantedto do something curvaceous that createdmovement throughout the storethat really enticed the customer toshop,” she said, adding, “Before therenovation, it was like a bowling alley:just walls on either side. And you justwalked straight back. So it was verychallenging to work with the metaland be able to incorporate the videoin front.“We wanted to make sure we couldproject it from the back, from sucha short space. [The video assembly]was built as part of the wall. Anyonecould have put a plasma on the wall.[Integrator] McCann Systems reallybrainstormed with us. And they did agreat job.”She also noted that the sound wasan important element, along with thechoice of music. The concealed ceilingspeakers aren’t obtrusive and don’t takeaway from the beauty of the store. TheMcCann Systems’custom-designeddual-curved “S”-shaped videoscreen uses a rearprojectionsled andoutboard geometrycorrection foran ideal viewingexperience.sound is “heaven-like when you’re shopping,”and the lighting “adds a bit offemininity” with the stretched fabric.AV IntegratedIn ArchitectureThe makeover design challenge wasimplemented by New York City-basedHighland Associates. The attention-gettinggigantic “S”-curved red lacqueredplate steel ribbon wall that runs downthe center of the store, which wasdesigned by architect Glenn Leitch,principal and design director of HighlandAssociates, is at the heart of theJuly 2008 35

Beauty Business Pioneer Elizabeth ArdenElizabeth Arden, whose birth name was Florence NightingaleGraham, was born in Canada in 1878. Early on, Florence wasa visionary. Like her famed namesake, she was also a nurse.However, Florence Graham foresaw burn creams and skinsalves not just as medicine, but also with the potential to bebeauty creams and lotions. She began to take over her kitchenat home as a laboratory, relentless in her search for the perfectbeauty cream.Like many famous pioneers, Florence faced many initialfailures. But she always kept her dream in sight: her businessplan of building a cosmetics corporation. In the process, shechanged her name to the glamorous-sounding Elizabeth Arden.At age 30, she decided to go to New York, where she devouredthe culture, sights and energy of the city. She befriendeda chemist and began her research into the future of “beautycream,” which was an unknown concept until then. And at thesame time, she worked at a beauty parlor and mastered the artof the facial massage. With this bit of history, we see the earlystart of Elizabeth Arden beauty products. Information has beenbased on “Profile of a Pioneer” at www.elizabetharden.com.Omnivex_S&CJul08_Ad.eps 6/11/2008 11:49:48 AMRed Door’s new look (see “Curvaceous” sidebarfor details).Leitch and his team of designers welcomed thedesign challenge. The project team included EricScott, project architect, and Deborah Lorenzo,NCIDQ, project interior designer. Leitch explainedthat all the engineering within the store is integratedin an architectural fashion. In contrast, he notedthat some other installs have technology “all overthe place.” “We’re an architectural firm, so we lookto solutions like this, where everything ‘disappears.’If you look at the ceiling, you won’t see any diffusers.All the air conditioning is hidden and integratedinto little slots.“And you have this great sound system that noone sees. The AV [front screen] wall has backlitprojection, which blends into the red wall, also. It’sall seamlessly interjected within the architecture.”We’ll journey through other high quality elementsin the store later.Specifically regarding McCann Systems’ AV equipmentinstall, he said, “It’s really a team effort. So,when I involve Frank McCann in projects, it’s withthe same approach. We’re trying to integrate all thedifferent technology and architecture into one, soit makes some sense.36 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

A Curvaceous InspirationAccording to Highland Associates architect Glenn Leitch, his inspirationfor the Elizabeth Arden store’s S-curve ribbon came from a websiteshowing an image of a ribbon following a package. He did a hand sketchbased on the motif and had his other architect do a 3D rendering on thecomputer of the wiggly ribbon wall. “The metaphor was that the wholestore is a package opening up on Fifth Avenue. It was one of those ‘lightbulb’ moments that happened probably a couple hours after I left thefirst interview with the client.”Furthermore, Leitch imagined that the folds of the curve could haveinserted product display units. And, in fact, they have a practical use asbeauty niches: “The red ribbon really helped the store because, beforethe renovation, complaints werethat people just went straightto the back of the store. Whatthe ribbon did was move peoplearound and create differentzones. So, everything grew fromthat and we started to develop it.I’ve always done my architecturethat way. I just get a good vibeand go with it. This red wall becamea fascinating thing to build.We ended up building it out of¼-inch steel, which came in4'x14' panels that were assembledon the site after everythingelse was finished.”The wall was fabricated by DanGutfreund of Industry Outfitters,Inc., Toronto, Ontario. The ribboncontinues to unfurl at the rearof the space, where the red wallturns into a perfect curve, whichorients the customer back to thefront of the store via the otherside of the wall.However, at the front of thestore, the gigantic 14-foot-highribbon “threw a curve” at theviewing screen construction, soto speak. “It was an amazingcoordination effort to get thescreen opening perfect becauseit curves in both directions,” saidLeitch. “It starts to be concaveon the right. Then, on the left, itgoes convex, which made it difficultfrom an AV standpoint. AndI remember [McCann Systems]trying to push me to do it justconcave. I said, ‘no,’ becausethe whole idea would be that[the screen] starts to flow withthe curve. And [McCann] endedup miraculously pulling this off.They fixed the image so it lookslike a flat image, even though it’sa double curve.”“When I work with them and havethem make things happen, I let themgo. I never get involved with that. Iknow what I want it to look like. In thiscase, I wanted the equipment to ‘goaway’ and be more seamless.” Leitchnoted an interesting AV challenge tothe wall’s AV screen, concerning a lotof outside light, which would otherwiseinterfere with Large Screen Displays’screen illumination. However,good, even screen brightness wasmaintained via the choice of a Panasonicprojector.July 2008 37

Another view of thecustom video elementsthroughout the store.McCann Systems’ InstallMcCann Systems, LLC, Edison NJ, is credited with theAV integration. Taking a wide view of the AV install, KenNewbury, CTS, project manager, observed, “It wasn’t a hugescope work, but it was a fun project. However, the real challengewas in the design, and the assembly and alignment ofthe rear projection sled. We had to fit the assembly into asmall cavity; we couldn’t ask for more space. That’s wherethe engineering miracles came into place.“For the design, I worked intensely with Large ScreenDisplays (LSD), the vendor that provided the mirror andsled assembly. We’ve had good success using Large ScreenDisplays in the past. LSD has really good engineers whoare willing to work with us. The designing of the sled hadme sweating. We were going back and forth with LSD witha lot of designs that would work, wouldn’t work and back tothe drawing board.”Newbury explained that the projection install literally justfit the cavity, where it was necessary to notch out the sheetrockwall for a required extra half inch of space. Even withoutthe S-curved wall in place, the projector assembly space wasquite narrow. Because the store itself is less than 20 feet wideand about 85 feet long, the ribbon-like wall running down themiddle of the store created a center of attention.Custom DVD content plays through the DLP projector.The show scales through various Elizabeth Arden products,world’s finestinputYou know Sennheiser as the world’s premiere maker of wired and wirelessmicrophones for the entire audio industry. Preferred where performance andquality are the critical factors, Sennheiser has application-specific solutions thatwill enhance all your installations.www.sennheiserusa.com/installed soundSenn_KnHadSandC.indd 2-338 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

EquipmentKen NewburyRear-Projection1 Large Screen Displays custom RMS-78X-DS-UNF-6 AXIS mirror sled, mirror, screen1 Panasonic PT-D5600U DLP projector w/1.3-1.8:1 lens1 Silicon Optix IA-100_EX Image AnyPlace geometry correction deviceVideo Playback1 Denon Pro DN-V310 pro DVD playerControl1 Crestron CP2E dual bus control system1 Crestron TPS-2000L rackmounted color touchpanel1 Crestron ST-COM Crestnet duo RS232 communications moduleAudio4 Atlas HT327 70V transformers1 Belkin F8Z065 iPod docking station1 Crown 1160MA 70V power amp1 Extron MLS 100A 4-input stereo audio MediaLink switcher1 Marantz Pro PMD371 5-disc CD changer w/RS232C4 Sonance SA2 PBB4 backboxes (for Sound Advance SA2s)4 Sound Advance SA2C ceiling speakersLightingBarrisol Stretch Fabric for subdued cove lightingColor KineticsMisc.Liberty Wire & Cable cabling1 Middle Atlantic WRK-37-27 44-space equipment rack w/accessories1 SurgeX SX1120 RT power conditioner, surge protectorList is edited from information supplied by McCann Systems.world’s finestoutputKlein + Hummel, known the world over for the finest, most accurate studio monitors, bring theirsuperior technology to the installed sound world. With performance loudspeaker systems,surface/ceiling speakers, amplification, digital routing, and portable sound,Klein + Hummel has a solution for all your installations.www.sennheiserusa.com/installed soundJuly 2008 395/14/08 3:24:32 PM

Highland AssociatesHighland Associates, New York City, is a multi-disciplined firm specializingin architecture, engineering and interior design. What makes Highlandspecial is the firm’s proven experience in multiple market segments. Thefirm believes that every project is unique and should be examined withan open mind. The diversity of experience allows its professional staff tochallenge the standard and engage in a creative dialogue aimed at findingthe most appropriate solution.In addition to the Elizabeth Arden flagship store, other projects includerenovating the corporate headquarters of Playboy Enterprises and landmarkrenovations for retailers Elie Tahari and Bloomingdale’s in SoHo.SoundComm For Isl more hlf information, 6-07 5/15/07 go to www.highlandassociates.com.9:39 AM Page 1NEWQ-CS Power1Powered LoudspeakerDirect connection to projectors and computerswith no additional equipment requiredQ-CS Power1 AmplifierSMThe best sound around10 Research Dr., Stratford, CT 06615• 15W built in amplifier• 2 stereo inputs withgain controls• 2 way 8" coaxial driver• 180˚ x 360˚ dispersion• Fewer speakers neededfor better coverage• Single speaker coverslarge areaSoundsphere LoudspeakerConventional LoudspeakerSoundsphere Loudspeakersare Made in the USA.(203) 386-9200 • www.soundsphere.comThe custom-designed space featuresinnovative audio and video elements.including fragrances, perfumes and lotions.However, in order to view theprogram correctly, McCann put in a 4:3projector mounted sideways to createa properly viewed 3:4 rotated image;otherwise, it would have been viewedsideways. And not many window passersbywould cock their heads to viewsuch a skewed presentation. “Theheight and positioning of the 50"x50"screen was thought out pretty well between[Highland’s] Glenn Leitch andme,” said Newbury.Curved Image“Now, we had to take into considerationthat we were taking an image intendedto be projected on a flat surface.But we were putting it on a curve.” Tostraighten the image, they integrated ageometry correction box between thevideo signal and the projector. Thiswas done via a Silicon Optix imagingdevice, which allows the image to befluid across a curved screen (see “Curvaceous”sidebar for details).A Crestron touchpanel made thevideo control user-friendly for storeemployees, allowing them to controlprogram content and turn the projectoron and off for store openings andclosings.There was an iPod connection, aswell, for in-store Muzak audio. A Muzakplayer was installed in the rack.40 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

McCann SystemsMcCann Systems, LLC, Edison NJ, is an innovative design/build audiovisualfirm. The recent integration by McCann for Elizabeth Arden isanother example of how luxury retailers see the need for AV specialiststo improve a shopper’s experience. McCann Systems is experiencing aspike in interest by retailers to introduce innovative AV design into theirretail environments. McCann has recently integrated AV for a number ofluxury retailers, including Elie Tahari (East Hampton NY), NHL Poweredby Reebok (New York City) and Nintendo World (New York City).For more information, go to www.mccannsystems.com.In addition, there’s a Denon five-discCD changer so they can play additionalCDs.And that brings us to the speakers.“The architects wanted the ceiling tobe clean,” said Newbury. “They didn’twant customers to see speaker grillesor speaker mounts. But they stillwanted an audio experience withinthe store. We used Sound Advancespeakers, an older technology that’sbeen around for a while. Essentially,they’re ‘invisible’ speakers. When thesheetrock ceiling gets constructed, thespeakers themselves get installed intothe framework of the ceiling.“Then, using special spackle, you literallytape the spackle right over theface of the speaker, therefore making itessentially ‘disappear,’ and it becomespart of the ceiling. Then the ceiling ispainted. As far as the eye can see, it’sjust a nice, clean, white sheetrock ceiling.But we have four speakers hiddenup there for audio playback. The storesounds really good.”Other Quality ElementsNow that we’ve covered the AV, let’slook at the other aspects that made upthe store’s renovation. Customers aregreeted dramatically by the oversizedElizabeth Arden Red Door. Flankedby crystal clear Starfire Glass, thestreamlined storefront invites visitorsto explore what lies inside. There’s notonly the aforementioned red ribbonwall; the venue’s constantly changinggallery wall forms a backdrop for focuseson products, fashion and beauty,tributes to the Elizabeth Arden legacy,celebrity spokespeople and celebrationsof humanitarian and educationalcauses.The store’s Mary Beth Mazzotta furtherexplained: “The gallery wall is avery special creative element for us.We want to represent the culture ofthe fashion and beauty industry today:educated, confident and giving.”Turning again to supportive technicalaspects, architect Leitch pointed(continued on page 63)July 2008 41

‘Signs’ Of ProgressDeploying digital signage solutions in retail.By Sanjay CastelinoDigital Signage has moved beyond the niche it once occupied in the corporateworld to become a business-critical communications vehicle, drivinginvestments in infrastructure across multiple industries and business sizes.Although the past has seen some uncertainty about signage ROI—high costof deployment, unproven effectiveness, lack of proven technology—virtuallynone of these issues is a concern today.In fact, the growth in signage can be viewed indirectly through increasedadvertising dollars spent across multiple channels. According to a recent Deloitte& Touche report, in-store advertising has grown at a rate of 21% vs. 15%for online advertising, making in-store advertising one of the fastest-grow-Sanjay Castelino is vice president of marketing and business development forAustin TX-based NetStreams LLC.42Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

ing sectors for dollars spent. As moreand more companies devote additionalresources to audio/video solutionswithin traditional IT and data managementbudgets, we now see businessesembracing digital signage as a way toreach not only new and existing customers,but as an effective communicationstool, as well.There are a number of steps in developingthe best digital signage solutionfor your customer’s needs. However,before we discuss the technical nuances,it’s important to consider how thetechnology is to be used. How often willthe signage content have to change? Isthe signage part of an employee communicationseffort or is it for a largeretail store? Is it intended to be interactive?Understanding the business usewill drive the technical implementationof the solution, as the costs and effortfor implementations of those solutionscan vary dramatically.tion, and then distributed throughoutthe chain. Certain content might beoverridden by individual stores; whatchannel is played on what displaymight be completely controlled locally,as well (Figure 2 shows the baselinetopology of a small-scale digital signagesolution.)Now that we’ve covered video andhigh-end signage, let’s focus on thehigh-end, large-scale signage solutionsbecause those have the most complexrequirements, and smaller-scale solutions.An example of a small-scale applicationwould be a business, such asa boutique clothing shop, that is creatinga single signage channel that is tobe distributed within a single location,with content updated regularly by internalstaff.At the other end, we have large-scaleimplementation, such as those foundat chain stores with multiple locations.Here, each location has multiple signagechannels and multiple displays,and content is created at a central loca-Content NeedsHow often content changes is importantto know when determiningwhich solution—video-based signageor high-end signage—best fits yourneeds. A video-based signage solutionis characterized by video content thatis produced ahead of time and thenscheduled and distributed as needed.Applications for this type of job tend tobe more permanent looped display sequencesthat don’t have to be changedfrequently (see Figure 1).Because the complexities in videobasedsignage are in the video productionprocess rather than the content distributionarena, it tends not to fulfill theoriginal requirement for which digitalsignage was really envisioned: dynamicallychanging content. Instead, it providesa static looped video that is onlymarginally better than a static sign.In contrast, high-end signage solutionsare based on content that is richin graphics, text and multiple videosources. This type of signage solutioninvolves content that can be changedon the fly, where templates and contentare rendered in real-time by eachsignage player, usually a high-end PC.Within this signage approach, you canhave large- or small-scale implementa-July 2008 43

tions will involve a subset of the largesystems’ needs.Within the high-end signage solution,there are three major elements:video content (often shown within awindow on the screen), graphics andtext, and signage control. Althougheach element requires careful consideration,our focus here is on the videocontent and control aspect, becausethe graphics and text are primarily acreative function, and not typically addressedby the integrator.Source SelectionIn any system, each player has oneto four video inputs, so any video elementsthat are to be part of the signagesolution can be input into theplayer. Because the player does therendering, each player must be ableto accept signals from video sources,such as set-top boxes, DVD players orPCs with stored content.Of course, as the scale of this type ofdeployment grows, it is evident that, inaddition to the players, you also needto implement a video switching anddistribution system. This allows youFigure 1. Video-based signage solution.Figure 2. High-end digital signage.( )44Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

to locate the video sourcessomewhere within the facility,but avoids having to duplicatethe video source at each player.Of course, once the videosources have been placed,they will have to be controlled.Each will have to be accessibleso the content can be switchedbased on the signage channelthat is being played.However, the content likelywill be formatted in differentresolutions and connected tothe video distribution systemin different ways. For example,the DVD players might be connectedvia component cabling,whereas the PCs are connectedvia a VGA cable. This adds theadditional complexity of transcodingor scaling the contentso it is input into the signageplayers appropriately. We callthis The Video Source SelectionChallenge. One solution toCManaged SwitchFigure 3. Solving the Source Selection Challenge.DisplaysJuly 2008 45

Figure 4. Complete implementation of high-end digital signage.DecoderEncoderEncoderDecoderEncoder17 UCentrally located signageplayers with Decoders todistribute video sources,Use Encoders to distributerendered contentDisplaysThe Video Source Selection Challenge,as shown in Figure 3, is to use an IPbasedmultimedia encoder and decoderto handle switching of sources,controlling the sources and displays,and outputting content appropriatelybetween VGA and component.Video DistributionOnce you’ve addressed The VideoSource Selection Challenge, we nextlook at how to distribute the final renderedvideo content. There are twotypical models here, with the scopeand scale of the job dictating whichmodel is best. The first model is whereeach player is placed next to, or mountedbehind, the displays. This model isused when each display has its ownunique content, for example, interactivesignage displays.The second model is where a limitednumber of signage channels isdistributed to multiple displays. Forinstance, you might have five digitalsignage channels distributed to 50 dis-46 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

plays. Putting signage players, whichtend to be high-end PCs, behind eachdisplay might not be practical. Additionally,if the players are the primaryvideo source for the display, you losethe ability to use the displays for otherpurposes without additional video distributioninfrastructure.To illustrate, we can take a look ata recent corporate customer that notonly needed a signage solution foremployee communication, but alsoused the same displays for satellite TVdistribution throughout its facility. Ifthe corporate customer had only usedplayers as sources, it would have acompletely separate video distributionand satellite TV control solution foreach display. Either that, or it wouldhave required multiple boxes behindeach display...a messy and troublepronesolution.Instead, the corporate customeropted for a single solution that coulddistribute and control the satellite TVwhile, at the same time, distributingany signage when needed. This is theIP-based multimedia distribution solutionshown in Figure 3. This solutionalso ensures that both the audio andvideo at each display, as well as acrossall displays, are synchronized to below1ms. This means that, in a largescaleimplementation, you don’t haveto worry about content playing out ofsync from one zone to the next.1 gigabit per second of network traffic.Some lesser-based IP solutions willcompress the video to approximately 8megabits per second using MPEG2, 4or H.264 video codecs. That is a 125:1compression ratio, resulting in a lot oflost detail.Is 1 gigabit per second practical?The short answer is, yes. Networkswitching technology allows us totake full advantage of the Cat5 orCat5e cable that runs to the displayand delivers the highest quality videoto that display. This can be done overWUXGAat 2000’/610m*over CatX–clearer, farther –you get the picture!a managed switch so no other networktraffic is impacted. In some cases, qualitymight not matter but, in almost allscenarios that we have seen, givenprice/performance tradeoff betweenvarious IP-based solutions, end userswill almost always select the high performance/qualitysolution with a pricepoint similar to that of the compressedvideo solutions.For many, there is the question ofwhether a compromise is possible onbandwidth. This is of particular concernwhere there might be a sharedIP-Based VideoThe next step is to address the qualityof video that you want in your solution.Although there are many ways todistribute video around a facility, thenewest and most efficient are TCP/IP-based solutions. The benefits of IPare many: You can scale the solutionas large as you want, you can controlthe solution from any point on the network,you get to leverage the client’sexisting network infrastructure investmentand you can combine controlwith the video signal distribution.However, it must be noted that notall IP-based solutions are createdequal: Some significantly compressthe video to fit within the network.For example, a high-definition videosignal (1080i) uncompressed is aboutBlowing the doorsoff the competition!Magenta’s new MultiView XR-2000 extends the rangeand resolution of video-over-CatX to an unprecedented1920x1200 AT (not “UP TO”) 2,000 feet (610 meters)!Unlike other video-over-Cat5 products, the MultiViewSeries is fully compatible with 1080p and today’s highestresolution projectors. skew correction allows the use of many standard CatX cables optionfor bi-directional display communication minimizing transmitter costDon’t need 2,000 feet? Going multipoint tomultipoint? Magenta offers the widest rangeof CatX receivers, transmitters, switches anddistribution methods. One product line...hundreds of adaptations for digital signage.*One continuous cable run, no repeaters!Magenta ResearchPhone: 860-210-0546sales@magenta-research.comwww.magenta-research.comCONNECT WITHCONFIDENCE SM10 Years of Excellence.12102_ multiviewfinal_ sound&com.indd 1 1/18/08 12:06:23 PMJuly 2008 47

fiber link between buildings. In this case, look for a solutionthat can handle a 50Mbps stream. This stream canrun over shared fiber links and also run within a premiseon lower-cost 10/100 switches.IP-Based ControlThe last step in creating a high-end digital signagesolution is control. Ideally, you want a solution where theclient can control not only what content is rendered onwhat players and when, but also to which displays thatcontent is finally sent. Again, this is where an IP-basedsolution really shines.A traditional matrix switch at each facility would requirea separate control system to direct it to distributecontent to each display. This would involve programmingfor each location’s switch. In cases where there are facilitiesof varying size, you might have different size matrixswitches, each of which would require its own separateprogramming efforts.With the IP-based solution, it’s possible to have theplayers send network-based commands to the videodistribution network when it starts to play a piece ofscheduled content. For example, when a store opens inthe morning, the players may be scheduled to play thewelcome message; as they start to process this content,they can send a single message that selects all displays,powers on each display and tells the displays to playcontent from signage player one (the player with thewelcome message). An hour after opening, the other playersin the store can start their content and take over apre-selected set of displays.In the IP-based model, this is simple; in a matrix switchmodel, this is a significant programming effort. Figure 4shows the solution once the pieces of video source selection,distribution, quality and control are addressed. Thiscreates a solution that is easily maintainable, flexible foruse with multiple source types and cost effective.ConclusionThe professional digital signage solution has moved farbeyond the days of a single LED or CRT display. Nowthat businesses understand the benefits of implementingdigital signage solutions, the demands on the systemhave gone up commensurately.IP-based video solutions are unique in their abilitiesto meet the demands of high-end signage requirements,such as being fully networkable, fully scalable as large asthe network capacity allows, provide source and displaycontrol, enable source selection and rendered contentdistribution, transcode content from source to displayor player, and full control by any player or applicationon the network.Although there are many other solutions on the market,if you’re building a high-end signage system to fulfillthe requirements of the most demanding environments,this integrated solution is unique in its ability to deliverwhat the market needs.n48 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

this month onThe industry’s first and onlystreaming video webcast.green: the color of money?The importance of responsible environmental stewardship, with particularfocus on improving building efficiency, maximizing systems performance andreducing wasteful energy expenditure.Featuring: Will Parry, CTS, VP of sales, AVI-SPL and Monti Carr, director ofintegration, SKC Communication Products, Inc.miss these pAst progrAms?WATCH THEM NOW ONhttp://youtube.com/soundcommit/AV: cooperAtion…or collision?Featuring: Mike White, CTS,president/CEO, Multi-MediaSolutions, Inc.Jay W. Armand, CTS, president,Advanced AV Systems IntegrationstAndArds:Best prActicesFeaturing:Mario J. Maltese CTS-D, CTS-I,CEO of Audio Visual Resources, Inc.John Lopinto, Pres./CEO/Co-founderof Communications Specialties, Inc.Working Withthe enemyFeaturing:Todd Hutchins, CTS-D,of Verrex Corp.T. Lee Trimble, AIA,of Mancini•DuffyWhite spAcesFeaturing:Mark E. Fritz, C-EST,systems engineer with ESCOCommunications, Inc.Microphone Industry Coalition spokesmanhouse of WorshipAV ApplicAtionsFeaturing:David Lee Jr., PhD, a systemsintegrator and licensed ministerPastor Robb Hawks, a tech-savvyA neW progrAmis deliVered eVerymonth ViA emAilSign up atwww.soundandcommunications.com/viewpointChristopher P. Lyons, of Shure Inc.worship leaderJuly 2008 49124 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

From Pitch To ProjectHow systems integrators make the sale.By Chuck WilsonMost industry insiders aren’t likely to tell youtheir latest sales goals or how they close deals.It’s a competitive market out there and protectingyour own company is critical. That’s why NSCAresearch is so important. Members can anonymouslyreport their company’s information and,in turn, learn from others who have reportedtheir own techniques and data.As part of our quarterly Market IntelligenceBriefings (MIB) research to help keep membersahead of the competition, NSCA recently releasedan in-depth look at industry sales trends. “SalesManagement Trends in the Commercial ElectronicSystems Industry” examines how salesare managed from plan to implementation. Thereport outlines just what executive decisions arenecessary for sales planning, and explains theindustry patterns for sales cycles.Industr y professionals self-reported theirapproaches to four key methods: sales forceoperations, forecasting/planning, sales forceperformance and sales processes. The resultsaddress two audiences within the electronic systemschannel: systems contracting/integrationfirms and independent technical/design consultingfirms.Chuck Wilson is the executive director of NSCA.50 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

ParticipationParticipants from a wide geographicarea took part in the survey. In fact,companies from seven countries participated,although most responses wereUS-based. Three markets emerged asthe most popular: corporate, industrialand K-12. As might be expected, audiovisualwork was the most commontechnology application cited.From small to larger pockets, a diversityof companies participated in thesurvey. The average systems contractorcompany reported gross revenueof $6.5 million for 2007; the average independenttechnical/design consultantCommunityAd-SnC-0508A-SecSchool:Layout 1 4/30/2008 4:42 PM Page 1reported revenue of $1 million or lessfor the same period. Of course, whenit comes to averages, many businessesweigh in higher or lower than the average,including the more than 7% of sys-CommunicatewithConfidenceIN AN EMERGENCY, a Community R-seriesloudspeaker system can be your most effective toolfor crowd control and evacuation. Indoors or out,R-series are recognized world-wide for high intelligibility,musical sound quality and long-term dependability.22 Models for long-throw, short-throw or distributed applications indoors or out.Attractive, paintable enclosures and stainless steel hardware.Backed by a 5-year product warranty and 15-year enclosure warranty.Visit our website communitypro.com/rseries to download our All-Weather/All-Purpose brochure.Tel: (610) 876-3400 · (800) 523-493 · Fax: (610) 874-0190Robertson High School, Las Vegas, New MexicoJuly 2008 51

tems contractors who said they made$25 million or more! Exhibit 3 detailshow the numbers stack up.Sales Force OperationsKnowing the difference betweentoo many staff and just enough employeesis a bottom-dollar calculation.In this MIB, companies reported thenumber of full-time equivalent (FTE)and part-time equivalent (PTE) salesstaff they employ as well as how manyadministrative employees support thesales staff. As might be expected, thenumber of sales staff varies with thesize of the company. An “average”systems contractor/integrator firmemploys 3.5 FTE sales staff. Independenttechnical/design consultants,however, report an average of just oneFTE salesperson. NSCA members canread the report for more details aboutthis difference.Having the right people in place isjust one part of the puzzle; properlyallocating workload is critical to success.Many systems contractor/integratorcompanies assign work basedon application specialty. For example,one company might have a fire alarmspecialist and a different go-to personfor VoIP. Mid-sized firms, however, reportfarming out sales work based ona combination of factors, including applicationspecialty, geographic region,venue market and workload.Part of running a successful businessis knowing how much your employeescan give to the company andhow much they can achieve. For salespeople,quotas are standard measuringtools. They are important to systemsintegrator firms; nearly 50% of the surveyedcompanies said they had salesquotas in place. However, just 4.8% ofindependent technical/design consultantsrequire sales quotas. One patternis clear for the systems contractor/integratorside: the larger the firm, thegreater the chance they require quotas,as seen in Exhibit 14.Forecasting/PlanningIn addition to requiring quotas,systems contractors/integrators aremore likely than independent technical/designconsultants are to prepareregular and formal revenue forecasts.Typically, upper management plansupcoming sales goals.Yet, 12.2% of systems contractors/integrators report their CFOs and accountantshave no hand in sales forecasting.A closer examination of companysize shows an interesting trend:As firms grow, systems contractor/in-Infrared Wireless Sound Field SystemHandheldMicrophoneThe VoiceLink II is a Two Channel Infrared Wireless Microphone System(also available in a four channel model VoiceLink IV) that can be used withany amplifier or sound system. Infrared wireless communication offers qualityinterference-free transmission. It is the ideal wireless communication systemwhere absolute security or confinement within the given environment is required.Infrared transmission will not transmit through walls, ceilings, or floors.What’s Said in the Room – Stays in the Room.BatteryChargerThe system is comprised of a dome sensor which collects the infrared signaltransmitted by the microphone and sends the signal to the receiver. Then thebalanced low impedance audio output of the receiver is fed to the input of theexisting amplifier. The system is available with a variety of transmitters andmicrophones. More informationcan be found on our website:Phone: 800 . 588 . 0018www.TeachLogic.comFax: 760 . 631 . 1283www.TeachLogic.com52 Sound & CommunicationsBackwww.soundandcommunications.comPendantMic

tegrator CFOs become less involved insales decisions.The MIB goes on to outline statisticsand data for marketing plans and howthose plans relate to sales strategies,goals and company size. Further, theQ2 report delves into how industry insidersuse sales/project procurementplans to succeed in the marketplace.Sales Force PerformanceWhen it comes to the people whosell, it’s generally a thumbs-up response.Most respondents are happywith their sales force staff. In particular,management is pleased with salesperformance in these three areas:• developing relationships with keycustomers• sales planning, proposals and bidpackages• closing the sale.Lowest satisfaction scores regardingsales staff tasks include:• paperwork• sales forecasting.In most cases, as Exhibit 22 shows,fewer than 50% of salespeople actuallyhave “significant involvement” regardingsales forecasting. Therefore, thequestion arises: If salespeople are notincluded in the forecasting process,then how can management be dissatisfiedwith their performance in thearea? Answers and data are availablewithin the pages of the MIB report.Whatever the area, the smaller thecompany, the more critical the stafftends to be about its sales force.Sales CyclesDelivering sales drives the bottom line.From initial lead to final closure, systemscontractors/integrators report that a typicalcycle runs about 3.7 months; independenttechnical/design consultants reporta longer cycle at slightly more than fivemonths. Exhibit 33 breaks down thetimes by company size.The project life cycle, from signing thecontract to signing off on the final job,can vary from one month to more thantwo years. Once the process passes thefive-month mark, it appears that companieswith larger coffers can afford towait longer for the deal to close.No matter how long the sale takes,first you need some prospects. Theaverage systems contractor/integratorcompany generates an average of 16proposals each month. The numbersvary depending on a variety of factors,as outlined in the report.Positive word of mouth is free andit works. The MIB affirms what we alreadyknow: One of the critical ways toensure continued business is throughrepeat customer sales and referrals.The full import of this revenue stream,as well as closing success rates, reasonsfor lost sales, and relationshipswith manufacturers and representatives,are fully examined in the MIB.In the commercial electronic systemsindustry, sales are crucial to the entirechannel and directly fund and drive thedesign and installation of every project.As in all things, although knowledge ispower, it’s not worth much if you don’tact on it. The Q2 MIB supplies usefultips, techniques and trends, as well aspractical real-life research that can beimplemented immediately.For more information about NSCA, visitwww.nsca.org or call (800) 446-6722. nJuly 2008 53

Dr. John K. Hilliard(1901-1989)This is the 18 th installment in our series documentingIndustry Pioneers.By R. David ReadDr. John K. Hilliard (1901-1989).Editor’s Note: This is the conclusion ofour two-part look at the life of John Hilliard.Part 1 appeared in June 2008.In late 1941 or early 1942, Dr.Blackburn convinced Hilliard that heshould join the wartime research thatBlackburn was heading up at MIT.Hilliard headed for Cambridge. [Hilliardmaintained a meticulous recordof his technical papers. However, thecollection is almost completely devoidof any personal correspondence. Consequently,there are scant records ofhis activities during this time. Eitherhe elected not to retain his personalpapers or they were not made a part ofhis collection. If such personal paperswere maintained separately, it appearsthey have been lost to the ages.]One of major projects at MIT wasThe Hilliard Collection; courtesy, Todd W. WhiteConclusionthe development of the MAD (MagneticAnomaly Detection) equipmentused by the allied navies to hunt outenemy submarines. This involved asubstantial amount of research in electro-magnetismand the employment ofpermanent magnet materials suitablefor the project.Prime ContractorWhen Altec Lansing was subsequentlychosen as the prime contractorfor this equipment, Hilliard wastransferred back to the West Coast,where he was named chief engineerwith Altec Lansing, and assumed responsibilityfor overseeing the productionof equipment for the project.At the time, some 97% of Altec Lansing’sengineering and plant capacitywas devoted to military contractapparatus. Inasmuch as cinema filmproduction was considered to be avital morale booster (and a valuablepropaganda distribution activity), theproduction of apparatus for the cinemaindustry was allowed, albeit in a limitedfashion, to continue.Based on what had been developedby MIT and through additional in-houseresearch, it became apparent that thefindings in electro-magnetism couldmaterially improve the quality and performanceof loudspeaker driver assemblies.With an eye to the resumption ofpeacetime production, development ofpermanent-magnetic drivers utilizingAlnico V material was to continue.First SpeakerThe first permanent magnet loudspeakerto roll out of production atAltec Lansing was the Duplex model604. Initially conceived as an electromagnet-equippeddevice (Model 60115-inch Duplex), it quickly evolved intothe 604. Some evidence would indicatethat a few of the early 604s were builtusing the frame assemblies from theby-then-scrapped 601 project. Onlysome 50 to 150 Model 601 units wereproduced. The salvaged frames ofthese rather rare units show evidenceof, and were marked with, a logo thatclearly traced their beginnings as acomponent of the 601.Altec was to confuse the issue furtherwhen, around 1952, the companyintroduced a 12-inch Model 601 thathad no foundation in the earlier 15-inch 601. A paper authored by AlexBadmaieff for the AES Journal (Vol.36, No. 9, September 1952) describesthe 601 in detail.The 604 was introduced in 1943 in apaper presented to the SMPE by JamesLansing. Further development of thispermanent-magnet technology cameswiftly.Contributing Editor R. David Read is an avid historian.54 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

Voice Of The TheatreAlthough incremental improvements had been introduced, therewas no major new technology in cinema loudspeaker systems sincethe introduction of the Shearer Horn in 1936. This changed in 1945,when the Voice of the Theatre series of loudspeakers (jointly developedby Hilliard and Lansing) was introduced. 16Hilliard and Lansing’s breakthrough with new Alnico V, perma-Sound&Comm JulyAd-4.75 x 7" 6/19/08 10:03 AM Page 1nent-magnet HF and LF loudspeakersA vintage 601.improved HF diaphragm productiontechnology. Field-replaceable, selfaligningdiaphragm assemblies, newcrossover technology and improvedlow-frequency bass-loaded horn designsswept the market and ensuredthe company a dominant position inthe cinema loudspeaker market for thenext 40 years.Lesser entities were swept away, andeven industrial giant RCA saw its marketshare dwindle to a mere 10% or 15% inthe cinema market. Competitors essentiallywere no longer serious candidatesfor consideration in the face of Altec Lansing’sdominance of the cinema industry.Voice of the Theatre products becamethe de facto standard for cinema installations;all others were simply advised toplease apply at the back door.The A-7, introduced in 1955, wasproduced in a variety of configurationsand became a familiar sight in cinema,sound reinforcement, recording studioBoth models feature vertical & horizontal lens shift and a mechanicaland musical instrument (MI) markets,shutter, plus a full slate of easily-changed optional lenses.and formed the basis for many earlyversions of consumer hi-fi models. Indeed,the A-7 loudspeaker probably is aswell recognized as the Shure Model 55when one identifies with vintage sound 3-Chip LCDsystems. In its various configurationsImaging Technologyduring the lifetime of its production, The new EIKI LC-W5the A-7 and its components took on the delivers 6,000 ANSI Lumensof High Definition imagingform of at least 75 different Altec Lansing-producedloudspeaker systems.contrast(1366 x 800) at a 2000:1ratio.Non-Compete ExpiredAs a result of the acquisition ofLMCo in 1941, James B. Lansing hadbeen appointed as VP of Engineeringfor Altec Lansing, a position he helduntil his non-compete contract expiredin 1946. At that time, he resigned toGoing Widescreen?You've got choices!EIP-WX5000LC-W5To learn more about the EIP-WX5000,LC-W5 or the complete line of EIKIProAV Projectors, call 1-800-932-8703or visit www.eiki.com3-Chip DLP ®Imaging TechnologyThe new EIKI EIP-WX5000delivers 5,200 ANSI Lumensof High Definition imaging(1280 x 800) at an 1800:1contrast ratio.2345Projectors... and more!Stephen Schell, Lansing HeritageJuly 2008 55

”A-Series” Voice of theTheatre loudspeakerassemblies, circa 1945.once again form his own company. 17During his five-year tenure with AltecLansing, James Lansing was often atloggerheads with George Carrington,president, and John Hilliard, then VPof Product Research & Development.Despite their earlier friendship, Lansingand Hilliard became very muchadversaries and there are numerousreports of intense verbal acrimoniousencounters between the two men. AfterLansing left in 1946, Hilliard assumedthe position as VP of Engineering, aposition he held until 1959, when hebecame director of research at Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). (Altec Lansinghad been acquired by LTV in 1958; theLansing part of the name was droppedand the entity became Altec Corporation,a division of LTV Industries.)In his new position, as VP of Engineeringat Altec Lansing, Hilliard hadalso assumed the mantle as the primaryspokesman for the company. It wasa role for which he was well suited.Between 1946 and 1949, he authoredwhat seemed to be an article and/ora paper a month on such subjects astesting for inter-modulation distortion;triode vs. beam-power tube characteristics;the impact of the new FM broadcastrequirements for increased audiobandwidth and less distortion characteristics;and descriptions of furtherdevelopment in dual-cone loudspeakerconstruction. (Over the course of hiscareer (1931-1987), Hilliard authored86 published papers/articles and innumerableunpublished technicalnotes for the Academy and SMPE.)Undoubtedly, and understandably, hissubjects were frequently fostered byAltec’s development of new productsand procedures.However, his papers were well foundedand based on meticulously documentedfindings. One could hardly accuseHilliard of generating advertising“hype” when he delved into the needfor ample negative feedback with attendantlow impedance characteristics forthe stabilization of beam-power outputtubes for high-power audio amplifiers.Microphone TechnologyAltec Lansing had inherited a numberof WE microphone products byvirtue of the company having assumedresponsibility for manufacturing previouslyproduced WE products. Theseincluded such venerable standardsas the 632, 633 and 639—all dynamic,moving coil-type units—and, in thecase of the 639, a combination moving-coil/velocitydevice that allowedadjustment to create varying pickuppatterns. In the case of the 639A, theunit closely paralleled Harry Olson’sRCA models 55DX and 77DX units.In 1949, Western Electric abandonedthe remnants of its production of microphonesound production equipmentand passed what remained of that agingproduct line to Altec Lansing. Themicrophones noted earlier were fully20 years old, and new developments bymanufacturers such as Shure Brothers,Turner, American and UniversitySound had eclipsed these olderdesigns. (Remarkably, units such asthe 632, 633 and 639 would continueto remain in production well into thelate 1960s 18 .)A pursuit that would thrust Altecinto the microphone market and Hilliardinto the limelight was the developmentof a subminiature condensermicrophone that caught the leading56 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

Recording Publications Labs in CamdenNJ depicts typical recording studioapparatus of the time.A7-500 loudspeakersused as primarymonitors at RecordingPublications Labs.manufacturers of microphones quiteby surprise. Electrostatic (condenser)microphones, in various forms, hadbeen in existence since E.C. Wentehad first developed the technologyin 1917. However, prior units werelarge, cumbersome devices that hadseen limited use in motion pictureand some recording applications.In 1949, the field (at least in the UnitedStates) was dominated by dynamic,moving coil units and a smattering ofribbon (velocity-type) devices. In itsinitial venture into microphone development,Altec chose to champion theelectrostatic position. The result wasthe revolutionary Model 21 capsule.(In Europe (notably in Germany) developmentof large format, condensermicrophones had pressed onward andsubsequently found widespread applicationin the European recording andbroadcast fields; see “Georg Neumann,Microphone Pioneer,” Sound & Communications,September 2003.)Commercial SuccessAlmost instantly, the Model 21 wasa commercial success. Altec, sensingfurther applications, was quick to startdeveloping additional adaptations fortelephone, medical and military uses.A host of products built around the 21capsule was quickly brought to the market,some more successfully than others.Hilliard’s wife, Jessamine, was a medicalJuly 2008 57

The 639B incorporated threeadditional switched patterns tothe original WE 639A.doctor on staff at UCLA Medical Center and specialized in thecardiovascular field. Undoubtedly, his wife’s influence led Dr.Hilliard 19 to embark on a program that saw the new 21 capsuleemployed in several versions intended to facilitate the medicaldiagnosis of heart conditions.One of the prime developers of the Model 21 capsuleand the subsequent Model 11B microphone was Dr. PaulMake Acoustics Part of Your ScopeBecome an authorized RPG contractorDiffusion, Absorption, Optimized Canopies & TowersRPG Diffusor Systems, Inc.www.rpginc.com 301-249-0044S. Veneklasen who, at the time, was a staff physicist atAltec Lansing. It has been reported widely in some circlesthat Veneklasen was forever miffed that he was not givenadequate credit for his work, a contention that still isadvanced by some Veneklasen supporters; alas, somerumors die hard. (A more likely reason for Veneklasen’sattitude was fostered by his perception that he had beendenied due credit for his work in the development oftransducer polar patterns.)The bottle-shaped Model 11B quickly found favor withentertainers, who appreciated its improved sonic characteristicsand its unobtrusive slim profile. The ¾-inchbase housed a miniature vacuum tube and the requiredconnector to provide operating voltages from an externalpower supply and the delivery of the produced audio toan external preamplifier. The device spawned the developmentof what was to become a growing trend in themanufacture of electrostatic devices.Further improvements in the miniaturization of vacuumtubes allowed Hilliard to model a newer version that heconstructed using one of his wife’s empty lipstick tubes.This would become famous as the “Lipstik” microphone.In various versions, this mic would remain in productionuntil the 1970s.Developments In ElectronicsPrior to 1950, Altec Lansing was first and foremost an acousticaltransducer (loudspeaker and microphone) developerand manufacturer. There had been some early work on thedesign of power amplifiers, but those efforts were secondaryto the company’s main thrust. As Alvis Ward assumed thepresidency of the company and Hilliard gained a strongerfoothold, more and more attention was given to the designand production of complementary electronic products.The application for audio mixing consoles was confinedlargely to broadcast and recording studios. Rarely weresuch units found in sound-reinforcement applications.This changed radically with the introduction of the Model250A and 230B mixer assemblies. Differing only in thenumber of input channels, both the 12 (eight mic/fourline)-in to two-output 250A and the eight-in/two-out 230Bemployed plug-in preamplifier, line driver modules and afield replaceable power supply.The units’ operational characteristics and gain structurewere described in a paper authored by Hilliard in September1952 21 . The units were grabbed up by the broadcastand recording industries and quickly found increasingapplication in sound-reinforcement situations.58 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

The 21 capsule was aboutthe same size as thediaphragm of thehuman ear.Pioneering work done in the 1940s by Hilliard on the advantages ofusing beam-power tubes with suitable negative feedback, as opposedto convention triodes, led to the development of power amplifiers withincreasingly greater output capabilities. Advancements in cinema technology,including Cinerama and Todd-O-Vision stereo playback systems, necessitatedthe introduction of multiplechannel(including surround-sound)loudspeaker arrays.This, in turn, required developmentof multiple-channel power amplifiers.A paper describing systems of thisPROnature then being used in many prestigecinemas was published in theSMPTE Journal in 1953 22 .Changing AttitudeAfter 1958, Hilliard’s papers tookon a different direction. The previous(perhaps overly manufacturer-specificdocuments) became more devoted tobasic research principles and muchmore mathematical in content. Ratherthan describing product developments,subsequent papers were moretheoretical in nature and leaned moretoward test instrumentation with emphasison noise/control subjects.For example, in a paper presentedto the ASA (Acoustical Society ofAmerica), Hilliard explored the subjectof test instrumentation necessaryfor the measuring of environmentalnoise produced by jet aircraft andmissile devices. 23 This was followedwith additional papers devoted to theconstruction and commissioning ofenvironmental test chambers.Other work during this era wasdevoted to miniature transducer systemsfor high-temperature and spacevehicle measurement applications,military listening systems, technologyfor sonic-boom and ballistic weaponsilencing, improvements in long-linetelephone communications. Clearly,Hilliard had essentially turned hisback on the practical application ofcommercial sound equipment in favorof advanced research. ProRack-Monitor (M1016)ProRack-House (H1020)Detailed Product Info Available atwww.apb-dynasonics.comAPB_SandC_HalfIsl.indd 14/4/08 8:34:31 PMJuly 2008 59

Hilliard is demonstrating the use of a versionof the M21 for recording heart murmurs at amedical conference at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotelin New York City (circa 1950).Paul Veneklasen (left) demonstrates the newModel 11B microphone, which was first used foron-the-air broadcasting at WOR (Mutual Radio), onLyle Van’s news on Tuesday, March 8, 1949 20 .A young Frank Sinatra and veteran JimmyDurante are shown using a Model 11Bmicrophone (undated, probably circa mid-1950s,and it might be surmised that the shot was takenat Capitol Records in Hollywood).Enduring Interest In Hi-FiAs the 1960s progressed, the American public becameincreasingly smitten with the lure of consumer-grade componentaudio systems, and stereo reproduction equipmentof increasing complexity drove manufacturing efforts tomeet market demand. LTV’s management became enamoredwith the possible potential profits to be madein what appeared to be a burgeoning market. It was yetto be foreseen that a rapid growth in import products,particularly from Japan, would send American electronicaudio manufacturers into a spiraling demise.It is not clear what, if any, direct role Hilliard playedin this scenario; however, he did take a personal interestin the pursuit of home audio systems. A rather elaboratesystem that he installed in his own residence was featuredin several audiophile magazines of the time, and in thepopular press. The system, as installed in the Hilliardhome, graced the cover of Audio (March 1960 24 ).Electronic EqualizationAudio equalization had long been employed in cinemaproduction; indeed, much of the initial effort in this regardwas accomplished by Olson and Volkmann in theearly 1930s, activities that could not have escaped thewatchful eye of Hilliard. However, the technique had neverbeen applied to sound-reinforcement systems prior toC.P. Boner’s pioneering efforts in the early 1960s (see“Dr. C.P. Boner, Father of Audio Equalization,” Sound &Communications, April 2004).Don Davis, in his eulogy of Hilliard 25 , wrote, “Between1965-1973, Hilliard and I [along with other contributors]worked closely in evaluating the proper application of1/3-octave analyzers and equalization in the real world. Itwas Hilliard’s letter to the president of Altec that rapidlybrought the 1/3-octave equalizer to the marketplace. Hisanalysis of the insolvable problems of systems at the timeand his view of the virtues of the new approach lent supportto my efforts that were never forgotten.”The results of these efforts were, of course, the implementationof the Altec Acousti-Voicing procedures thatrevolutionized the state of affairs in the field of architectural-acoustics.Life Beyond LTVLTV corporate policy dictated that employees had toretire upon reaching the age of 70. In Hilliard’s mind,this was an unnecessary and misguided state of affairs.He abided by the policy, but soon resumed his activitiesas an engineering consultant to the company. Most menmight have been content to rest on their laurels, reflecton their achievements and enjoy a state of retirement.However, Hilliard, in addition to his consulting for LTV,chose to open his own architectural consulting firm. Hequickly had a sizeable roster of eager architects clamoringfor his services.Increasingly, Hilliard’s work gravitated more towardacoustical noise control studies, and he was sought out to60Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

lend his expertise in the fields of transportation noise mitigation.His wife, Jessamine, preceded him in death—a situation thatprompted the establishment of the John K. and Jessamine HilliardFoundation for cancer research at the UCLA Medical Center.RecognitionOver the duration of his distinguished career, Hilliard was bestowedwith several prestigious honors. He was a Fellow of the ASA,the AES, the IEEE and the SMPTE.Today, we still reap the rewards of his inquiries and practical solutionsto conditions that shaped the progress of the audio industry. Accordingto his second wife’s accounts, John was assisting his stepsonin the repair of an automobile when he rose up from under the hood,suffered a massive coronary and died almost instantly outside hishome in Santa Ana CA on March 21, 1989.nReferences1.Richland County registrar’s records indicate that the earliest record of his parents havingacquired property in Wydemere is dated 1899.2.Hilliard, John K., Federal Government Form DD48; Personnel Security Questionnaire:Personal History Statement (exact date obliterated); The Hilliard Collection.3.Undated newspaper clipping, The Saint Paul Pioneer Press (circa 1926).4.Hilliard, John K., “Movie Sound Reproduction,” Audio Magazine, March 1977.5.Recording Sound for Motion Pictures, edited by Lester Cowan; McGraw-Hill BookCompany Ltd., New York NY 1931.6.Uzzle, Ted, Making Movies Talk, self-published: Oklahoma City OK, 1990.7., 8.Hilliard, John K., “Movie Sound Reproduction,” Audio Magazine, March 1977.9.Hilliard, John K., Motion Picture Sound Engineering, D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc.,New York NY, 1938.10.Hilliard, John K., Unpublished Committee Reports. Questionnaires, Abstracts and OtherMaterials; Research Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, 1934-1938, Hollywood CA.11.www.widescreenmuseum.com/sound/bellpage7.htm12.Hilliard, John K., “Basic Sound Recording and Reproducing Practices” between 1927and 1940, SMPTE Journal, February 1983.13.Hilliard John K., A Study of Theatre Loud Speakers and the Resultant Developmentof the Shearer Two-way Horn System, Academy Research Council, March 3, 1936; AESJournal reprint November 1978, Vol. 26, No. 11; Davis, Don, Editor.14.Hilliard John K. and Kimball H.R., Dividing Networks for Loud Speaker Systems,Academy Research Council, March 3, 1936; AES Journal reprint November 1978 Vol.26, No. 11; Davis, Don, Editor.15.Read, R. David, “Industry Pioneer: James B. Lansing, (1902-1949)” Sound & Communications,October 2007.16.Lansing, J,B. and Hilliard, J.K., “An Improved Loudspeaker System for Theaters,” presentedMay 14, 1945, at the SMPE Technical Conference in Hollywood CA; subsequentlypublished in the Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, Vol. 45, November1945, pp. 339-349.17.Read, R. David, ibid.18.Author’s interview with Bill Hayes, who served as chief engineer in the acoustics labat Altec from 1958 through 1985.19.Hilliard received an Honorary Dr. Sc. from Hollywood University in 1950.20.Audio Engineering, April 1949.21.Reprint from Tele-Tech, September 1952.The M21 “Lipstik” microphone wasused extensively in recording andsound-reinforcement applications.It was later supplemented with thetransistorized and battery poweredM51 and M52.Ad for the Simplex stereophonicmotion picture projector, circa1954. Altec teamed up withseveral projector manufacturersand produced, on an OEM basis,many of the sound components forthese systems. Altec Service Corp.still maintained a sizable field staffof theater maintenance/servicepersonnel that, under contract withindividual theater owners, servicedall the equipment in the projectionbooths.22.Hilliard, John K., “Loudspeakers and Amplifiers for Use with Stereophonic Reproduction in Theatres,” SMPTE Journal, Vol. 61, September1953, pp. 380-389.23.Hilliard John K., and Fiala, Walter T., “Methods of Generating High-Intensity Sound with Loudspeakers for Environmental Testing of ElectronicComponents Subjected to Jet and Missile Engine Noise,” JAZA, Vol. 30, No. 6, June 1958, pp. 533-538.24.Audio Magazine, March 1960.25.Davis, Don, ”In Memoriam,” Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, Vol. 37, No. 6, June 1989.July 2008 61

Retail EnvironmentsFinding the sizzle to go with the steak.By Dan FerrisiIn the quest to sell goods and services,retailers employ multifarious strategies,such as placing products near the cashregister to tempt people into last-minute,impulsive purchases. And, of course, everybodyis aware of the power of advertising:the ability to create a need wherenone might previously have existed. Amore sophisticated technique is to grabshoppers’ eyes with digital signage, orperhaps command their attention withcrystal-clear audio. When your shoppingcenter is tech-centric, it becomes a stimulatingand fun place to be. Examine thefollowing survey of construction activity,and see where AV finds its home.In Horsham Township PA, a new shoppingcenter is in the offing. In May, finalapproval was granted to Horsham GateShopping Center, which will encompass123,000 square feet. Plans call for theproject to include eight or nine shopsand a high-end grocery store, as well asa bank. At the time of writing, no specificswere available about the tenants.The township has been involved with thisproject for almost two years.sion and renovation project. Comprising778,000 square feet and featuring 175outlet stores, Prime Outlets InternationalOrlando is the largest outlet shoppingcenter in the southern United States andsecond largest in the country. It boastsa mix of designers and brand names, includingBetsey Johnson Outlet, HUGOBOSS Factory Store, Kenneth Cole, SaksFifth Avenue OFF 5TH, Victoria’s Secretand the only Neiman Marcus Last Calllocation in central Florida.In the Chicago suburbs, a shopping center,The Arboretum of South Barrington,will open in September. No corners arebeing cut on landscaping: A total of 2700trees and 30,000 shrubs, perennials andgrasses will adorn the 86-acre center,which will cost about $200 million. Theinitial phase of the outdoor mall, knownas a lifestyle center, is roughly 80% occupied.By year’s end, some 40 stores andrestaurants will be open for business.The newest retailers to ink leases includeAnna Shea Chocolates, Francesca’s Collectionsand Sur La Table.A new mall, The Avenue Forsyth, hasopened its doors in Cumming GA, but itis only the first of three planned retail centerstargeting the wealthy communities inthe vicinity. The Avenue Forsyth has about50 stores, anchored by Barnes & Noble,DSW and an AMC Theatre. Two luxurymalls are also in the works: Prospect Parkin Alpharetta and Taubman Centers Inc.’sproposed mall in Cumming. Prospect Parkis a 540,000-square-foot retail center; aWhole Foods and 16-screen AMC Theatrecomplex could open there in 2009. Theproject is approximately 60% leased, withletters of intent for another quarter.The proposed Taubman mall is less defined,with no retailers announced. Taubmanhas proposed a $1 billion luxury mall,Largest, Most ElaborateA pair of empty car lots could becomethe largest, most elaborate shopping centerin Gig Harbor WA come next year.Dubbed Olympic Towne Center, the developmentwill expand on a current centerwhere a Key Bank and Dairy Queen nowsit. Anticipation is building: Around 60%of Olympic Towne Center’s unbuilt buildingshave been pre-leased by national andregional businesses. The center will boasta 64,000-square-foot building to house adepartment store, a new restaurant and,potentially, a 50-room boutique hotel. Theshopping center has been in the planningstages since 2006.Prime Retail, an outlet shopping centerdeveloper, has unveiled Prime Outlets InternationalOrlando, a $300 million expanhotel,class “A” office and residential unitsto open late in 2011. The Avenue Forsythis targeting a lower price point, featuringChico’s and Coldwater Creek, andrestaurants such as Jim & Nick’s BBQand Chick-fil-A. There is also Ann Taylorfor women and Jos. A Bank for men. Themovie theater will have 12 screens.Proud HeritageIn Columbus OH, the first tenants ofa planned shopping center, costing $4.1million, are open, months ahead of theproject’s second phase development.Heritage Square Marketplace is anchoredby a 16,000-square-foot Save-A-Lot grocerystore and discounter Simply FashionStores Ltd. With Heritage Square’sfirst 19,000-square-foot phase finished,this Fall, ground will be broken on anadditional 12,000 square feet of commercialspace. A vacant eight-unit apartmentbuilding was torn down to accommodatethe expansion. The project is part of alarger effort to draw retail to underservedneighborhoods near downtown.Courtland Commons, situated besideFood Lion in Courtland VA, has modifiedits expected completion date from Springof this year to early 2009. The shoppingcenter, on a nearly 8500-square-foot site,will accommodate seven 1200-square-footsuites, but only one of the suites has beenleased. China House is on board for theshopping center, and Hardees, whichshould be open before the actual shoppingcenter, is planning to reside on thecorner of the property. Construction onthe seven suites will not commence until50% of the leases have been inked. Service-typebusinesses, including sandwichshops and a cleaner, are being sought.Courtland Commons is modeled on asimilar shopping center in Moyock NC62 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

dubbed the Shoppes at Moyock, whichincludes shops such as The Java Deli.Jolly GiantBy the year 2010, Adamstown PA arearesidents will have access to a 57-acreshopping center, called Cocalico Commons.A 76,000-square-foot Giant FoodStore and a 117,000-square-foot Lowe’shome improvement center are tentativelyscheduled to open there. Negotiations foran as-yet-unnamed 124,000-square-footanchor store are continuing. Plans entail2000 parking spaces and five commercialparcels for restaurants and banks.In Gainesville VA, construction is nearingcompletion at The Shops at Stonewallshopping center, which will be anchoredby Wegmans supermarket. The developerclosed on the acquisition of roughly 37acres of land in May 2007 with plans for a317,076-square-foot community shoppingcenter that includes a 140,000-square-footWegmans. When finished, the center willfeature 27 stores, restaurants, banks andshops. The center also will include suchmerchants as Staples, Michaels, Ross,Dress for Less and Bed, Bath & Beyond.In Irvine CA, an Asian-themed shoppingcenter will feature multicultural cuisine,including the Korean BCD Tofu House,the Beverly Hills-based Tokyo Table restaurantand Beard Papa’s. The 25,000-square-foot H Mart, the first in OrangeCounty, will anchor the two-story DiamondJamboree Shopping Center. At thiswriting, the supermarket was planned foran early July opening, but other stores, includingthe Guppy Tea House Café, wereexpected to have been open already. Thecenter should be fully in business, with42 tenants, in mid-September. The centeris about 70% leased, with the remainingspots for a bank, restaurant, retailer, dentaloffice and law office.When customers enjoy shopping at yourclient’s mall or retail center, they are moreapt to return. Most every shopping meccaoffers a range of products and services. Assuch, immersive AV just might be the criticaldistinguishing factor.n‘Beauty’ of Technology(Continued from 41)out that Color Kinetics lighting,the ceiling material, avintage chandelier and terrazzofloors were other elementsthat served to maintaina consistently high qualitythroughout the space. “Afterwe designed the ribbon, we designedthe cove ceiling.” Barrisolinstalled its own brandedStretch Fabric ceiling material.“This membrane hides the fixturesand creates a glow. Butwe didn’t want light to hit thered wall because it would haverefracted red light all over thestore.Graze The Wall“The light had to comestraight down, graze the walland not flood the wall. In fact,the client was most concernedabout people looking red in abeauty store. And that neverhappened because the lightingworked perfectly.” Thelarge display case on the leftwall has all backlit glass withColor Kinetics lighting. Thus,lighting is a key component inthe store’s makeover.On your journey throughthe store, you’ll be walkingon a custom terrazzo floorcomprised of marble chipswithin a matrix. And as youstroll, you’re sure to notice anantique, six-foot-high, ornatechandelier comprised of about100 19-inch cylinders. “Wefound it in an antique storein Montreal,” related Leitch.“It reflects the connection betweenthe old original buildingfaçade and the newly remodeledstore. It’s kind of an apexof the journey through thespace. It ties the old and thenew together.” Specifically, thisspace has been the home ofElizabeth Arden’s famed RedDoor since 1930. It’s housedin the Aeolian Building at 54 thStreet and Fifth Avenue.Historic BuildingInformation from New YorkCity’s Department of Records(www.nyc.gov.shtml) aboutthe historic building bringsus further into Arden’s historybecause the building wasconstructed in the mid 1920sand derives its name fromthe Aeolian Company, whichmanufactured roll-operatedinstruments. Sound familiar?Recall, then, the Aeolian musicboxes and player pianos,among other instruments.Thus, the chandelier is rightat home, housed in a buildingthat harkens back to thenostalgic, ornate commercialbuildings of the ’20s, with theAeolian’s fanciful rounded corner,curves and angles—a farcry from today’s sleek glassand clean-lined office towers.How: Business(Continued from 24)associated with effectivemedia use is associated withhuman communication. Thesecond problem area is skilllevel, followed by inadequatetechnology.After I gather the informationfrom my observation,and from a few interviews,I put together a report thatcontains the findings andrecommendations that Ibelieve will improve theeffectiveness of their mediause. My softly worded, 50- to100-page, but to-the-pointreport provides a holisticrendering that enables theleadership, and the mediateam, to understand howthey are currently usingmedia and how they couldIn addition to the interviewsand sources mentioned here,we also want to acknowledgetwo very helpful people behindthe scenes: ElizabethDePace, marketing coordinator,Highland Associates,and Lynn Stefanelli, publicrelations manager, McCannSystems.neffectively use media to addressa wide assortment oftheir communication needs.This is a very small sliceof the approach I typicallyemploy to help a house ofworship to understand mediause. There is much more tosay regarding this importanttopic.In Part 3, we will lookmore in-depth at the type ofinformation I provide in thereport to worship leaders. Ibelieve that effective humancommunication in tandemwith appropriate media usewill significantly enhance theworship experience. But Iwould like to know what youbelieve. Send your thoughtsto dlee@testa.com. nJuly 2008 63

COMPILED BY DAN FERRISI90 th birthday, it is clearly a very good time to endorse Dinesh’s leadershipand his outstanding team. I am confident that they will honor thecompany’s rich history and work effectively to build its future.”In his role as founder and chairman emeritus, Dr. Harman will contribute$2.5 million to endow a new Sidney Harman Scholarship Fund tobenefit continuing education by children and grandchildren of long-termcompany employees. The company will consider future participation inthis fund. The company is planning a variety of worldwide activities torecognize Dr. Harman’s contributions and to celebrate his more than50 years of service.Intava Projection Signage Creates Floating PhonesA five-foot rotating translucent Cellular South phone is among the IntavaCorp. digital displays showcased at the grand opening of the CellularSouth.com concept store in Ridgeland MS. Intava provided CellularSouth with creative visual displays throughout the store, including thelarger-than-life phone image, projected onto holographic film with fullmotionvideo elements, and 40 dynamic product information screens,or “Digital Fact Tags.” The seven-inch high-resolution Digital Fact Tagscreens show up-to-date information on each Cellular South handset,including photos, features, pricing and the latest promotions.The Intava technology solution provides deep product information onevery Cellular South handset, as well as a flexible, scalable platform thatallows for remote system management. Intava’s system managementplatform allows the telecommunications leader to update its screenswith new product data, images, video and messages in minutes fromany remote location.According to Troy Carroll, Intava CEO, “The giant translucent phonedisplay grabs customers’ attention as they enter, while the Digital FactTags satisfy their need for…product information. Our Sphira technologyplatform gives Cellular South a foundation for evolving and enhancing itsretail displays, such as adding interactive experiences, tracking customerusage and managing ever-increasing system scale.”Paliwal To Succeed Dr. Harman As Harman ChairmanHarman International Industries’ founder and chairman, Dr. Sidney Harman,intends to retire from the Board of Directors when his current termexpires concurrent with the company’s annual shareholders meetingscheduled for December 3, 2008. He recommended, and the boardelected, Dinesh C. Paliwal to assume the post of chairman and CEOas the company’s new fiscal year began on July 1. Paliwal has servedas president, CEO and vice chairman since joining the company inJuly 2007.“I recruited Dinesh Paliwal to become our CEO with high expectations,and he has validated my confidence by bringing remarkable energyand expertise to the company,” said Dr. Harman. “As I approach myDigital Signage Expo East Sets LineupDigital Signage Expo (DSE) has announced the conference lineup forits Digital Signage Expo East, which will debut September 16 to 18 inPhiladelphia PA. Chris Gibbs, executive VP of ExpoNation, LLC, producerof Digital Signage Expo and DSE East, said, “Because our big show[Digital Signage Expo] covers all components across the entire industry,Digital Signage Expo East is designed to address attendee requestsfor a forum that is focused in-depth on a specific industry challenge.Because ‘content’ has been the single most requested attendee topic,DSE East will focus almost exclusively on issues related to contentplanning, development and management.”A full day of sessions is scheduled for September 16: Creating and Interpretinga Digital Signage Brief; Managing the Content Mayhem; Howto Keep Content Fresh on a Budget; Managing the Content Process:Inception to Delivery; The Changing Landscape of Content Development:A Hollywood Perspective; Transcoding: Multi-Channel Content Requirements.The show will feature three “Super Sessions” and, in addition to16 Conference workshops, introduce a “Lunch & Learn” program thatwill be somewhat more “hands-on,” allowing additional interaction.For information, call (770) 649-0300 or visit www.digitalsignageexpo.net.Martin Pro Acquires R&D InternationalMartin Professional continues its expansion into the LED and videotechnology fields through the acquisition of R&D International of Belgium,a company involved in the research and development of hardwareand software for the lighting industry. R&D International has been alongtime partner of Martin, having developed the company’s Maxxyzlighting consoles and Maxedia media servers.According to Martin president/CEO Christian Engsted, “R&D International’ssubstantial competencies in the areas of media servers, lightingcontrol and system integration, as well as communication standards,provide a technology platform that will enable us to redefine how tocontrol and communicate with lighting fixtures and other facility infrastructure,while maintaining focus on the human interface.” He added,“With light and video continuing to merge, and the digitization of lightingand light sources such as LED moving forward, the synergies broughtabout by this acquisition will allow us to expand into the video industrymore quickly and on a wider scale.”Through the acquisition, Martin gains the ability to manage optimally thedevelopment of content media servers, lighting desks and LED control.Engsted concluded, “The acquisition…opens the door to new marketsthat require easy control of communication, among them the advertisingindustry, corporate branding and media entertainment.”64 Sound & CommunicationsFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.net www.soundandcommunications.com

July 2008 65

All specifications supplied by manufacturers and/or distributors.Polycom Recalls Conference Phone Battery PacksPolycom, Inc., is working in cooperation with The US Consumer ProductSafety Commission and similar agencies worldwide regarding a voluntaryrecall of the battery packs for SoundStation2W wireless conferencephones, due to faulty Lithium Ion battery packs supplied by Gold PeakIndustries Ltd., located in China. The recall affects about 8300 conferencephones worldwide that were produced between December 1, 2007,and May 2, 2008, as well as replacement battery packs sold separatelyduring the same period.These battery packs can overheat, which could pose a fire or burnhazard. To date, Polycom has received one report of a battery packoverheating and causing minor property damage. No injuries have beenreported.The battery pack should be removed from the SoundStation2W unitimmediately. The conference phone can still be used by keeping thecharger plugged into the unit. Battery packs other than those suppliedby Polycom should not be used.For information about receiving a free replacement battery pack, callPolycom at (925) 924-6000.Clear-Com Equips Crossings Community ChurchOn any given Sunday, Crossings Community Church of Oklahoma CityOK serves its 4000-plus-member congregation in three services ledby senior pastor Marty Grubbs with music provided by a 120-piecechorus and a full orchestra, all of which are networked via Clear-Com.For nearly two years, Clear-Com’s CellCom10 digital wireless systemhas provided the church staff with unlimited access to roam around thelarge, 290,000-square-foot facility while staying closely connected. Priorto its release of the CellCom10 Version 1.5.7, the church beta-tested itand was pleased with the performanceand experience.“For services as well as special productions,Clear-Com is [effective],” remarkedChuck Timmons, director of media ministries,which handles all programming,including audio, video, lighting, mixingand media programming for regularand special services. “For a productionlike ours, you must have reliable communicationsamong the technical staff.Clear-Com’s CellCom10 Version 1.5.7is equipped with all the features we’vebeen looking for, particularly its new callalert option.”For an average service, Crossings CommunityChurch uses up to seven wired and three wireless beltpacks.For special productions, it can use up to 12 or 13 wired in conjunctionwith the three wireless units.D&M Holdings Announces Tender Offer AgreementD&M Holdings Inc. and Bain Capital Partners LLC have entered into anagreement, under which an acquisition corporation owned by investmentfunds advised by Bain Capital Partners LLC will launch a tenderoffer for all the shares of D&M Holdings at a price of 510 yen per shareof common stock. Following the completion of the process, the sharesof D&M Holdings would be delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.“...We have determined that this offer from Bain Capital represents the bestoverall value for our shareholders. The next few years should be an excitingRe “Sight Lines,” January, by Gary Kayye:“It’s Time for Standards,” in the January 2008 issue of Sound &Communications, was a pleasure to read. Also, very timely in regardsto my focus and core objectives for the upcoming year.I am the technical director for the systems integration side of our businessat PlayNetwork, based in Redmond WA. We are a national systems integratorwith focus on enterprise retail, restaurant and hospitality clients.We regularly utilize approximately 75 systems sub-contractors across thecountry to install an average of 150 sites per month, ranging from yourtypical mall slot stores/restaurants to large flagship retail stores and healthclubs….You can imagine the need for standards when we use 75 differentcontractors to install the same number of identical sound systems.We are constantly reaching out to the contractor/installer and vendor/manufacturer communities in an effort to progress overall quality ofworkmanship, level of education and sense of accountability in the field.We’ve found that our efforts have been very well received across allcommunities and are seen as a huge value by our clients. I would bevery interested in playing any part possible to aid in assembling any sortof documented practices and standards across this industry.Brad Chappell, Technical Director, Systems Integration ServicesPlayNetwork, Inc.Redmond WAEditor’s Note: Gary Kayye passed Brad’s communication on to RandalA. Lemke, PhD, executive director of InfoComm, who responded:Brad—InfoComm is pursuing a standards initiative and we would welcomeyour participation. The InfoComm Board started our StandardsProgram in December of 2006, and it is well on its way to publishingits first standards. (Gary Kayye was not aware of the timing of the 2006Board action when he originally wrote his article; he is now a great supporterof our effort.) Our very first standard on Sound Coverage maybe of immediate interest and use for your company.I am copying this to Joe Bocchiaro, who is InfoComm’s director ofperformance standards. Joe has some working groups already activeand he will have a need for more people to review and comment as thestandard is written. Joe can also tell you about a Best Practice documentwe have on Sound Coverage that talks about what it is and howyou measure a system when it is commissioned.Both of these activities are member- and industry-driven, with the knowledgebehind the standards coming from people in the field. We hopeyou join the effort.Brad Chappell’s response was: Sign me up! PlayNetwork would definitelybe interested in being able to participate with this effort. As I’msure you can imagine, coverage is typically the starting point of ourneeds assessments and educational efforts with our clients.66 Sound & CommunicationsFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.net www.soundandcommunications.com

time for D&M, as we enter another phase in our development,” said chairman/CEOEric C. Evans. “If Bain Capital acquires D&M...we believe wewill be better positioned as a privately held company to be more flexible inthe fast-paced changing markets in which we compete. We will also havewider latitude to invest for medium- and long-term growth.”D&M Holdings’ Board of Directors, which has agreed that the BainCapital tender offer is in the best interest of the company, will formallyconsider a resolution to recommend the tender offer to shareholders atthe time the offer is launched, following the signing of the tender offeragreement. Bain Capital intends to purchase 100% of the shares ofD&M Holdings. Any remaining outstanding shares would be obtainedthrough subsequent stages of the acquisition process. The entire processis subject to sundry legal conditions and clearances.Leviton Regains Unilateral Control Of Family-Owned BusinessLeviton Manufacturing Co., Inc., has purchased a 29.1% minority interestin its stock that has been held by Thomas & Betts Corp. since 1994, for acash tender of approximately $300 million. Leviton’s purchase of Thomas &Betts’ minority interest in its stock secures its long-term strategic objectiveof the restoration of total ownership of the company to the Leviton familyand continuation of its policy to remain privately held and operated.Wharfedale Pro Joins American Music & SoundWharfedale Pro, based in Huntingdon, United Kingdom, joined the AmericanMusic & Sound family of brands, effective May 1. Marking 75 years,Wharfedale Pro’s products include powered, passive and install loudspeakersas well as amplifiers, mixers and studio speakers. Calling WharfedalePro a strong addition to its live sound and sound reinforcementoffering, Lynn Martin, AM&S president, stated, “They bring an historicbrand legacy and couple that with [modern] manufacturing techniques,makes Wharfedale Pro a [valuable] opportunity for dealers, sound companies,consultants and installers in the US.” AM&S’ Scott Messler hasbeen appointed national sales manager for Wharfedale Pro.Pro Co, Corevalus Enter Strategic AlliancePro Co Sound and Corevalus Systems have entered into a strategic alliance,integrating Pro Co Sound’s Momentum Personal Monitor Mixingsystem with Corevalus Systems’ touchscreen control SamePage System.Corevalus Systems VP of sales and marketing Daniel Maggart stated,“Our vision, from the inception of SamePage, has been to provide a trulyintegrated worship team system, and now that vision is a reality. Thisrelationship with Pro Co takes our vision to its ultimate realization byproviding a worship team with an integrated music management systemthat now controls their In-Ear Monitor mix. And, to round things out,our partnership and software link with Media Shout offers simultaneoussynchronization of music lists and music added on-the-fly between theworship and tech teams.”Sencore, Lumagen Form Strategic PartnershipSencore and Lumagen have forged a strategic partnership, providingvideo to the commercial AV and home theater markets, pairingLumagen’s Radiance series video processors and Sencore’s calibrationtools to enable integrators to implement video systems completelyand correct many built-in problems in video displays. The RadianceXDis a video processor and switcher that supports 18 video inputs: six1080p60-capable HDMI with HDCP, four SD/HD component, four S-videoand four composite. Teaming it with the Sencore VideoPro generatorand ColorPro color analyzer allows 11-step parametric grayscale andgamma calibration and full-color space correction, independently at allprimary and secondary points.Re “Sight Lines,” January, by Gary Kayye:I agree 100% with your article in Sound & Communications [“It’s Timefor Standards]. Although I am still relatively young in the AV industry(I’ve been in the industry in various positions since 1994), I recognizethe need for the AV industry to follow standards.Opponents to standards may cringe at the idea of changing their already-in-placein-house standards (if those exist), thinking it might slowthem down. However, having common AV standards in place (includinginstallation, drawings and other documentation standards) would actuallyspeed up the workflow, because there will not be any wasted time spenton wondering the best way to complete a project, or there will not beany wasted time trying to figure out how a job was originally installedto upgrade/update the existing system.There are many advantages for all players in the AV industry if standardsare created and followed, and now is the time to create andimplement them.Brandon Gramse, CTS-D, AV Systems Designer,General CommunicationsSalt Lake City UTRe “Market Brief,” April, by Dan Ferrisi:I read page 105 of the April issue with great interest and would suggesta few thoughts to keep in mind for future articles.Jewish congregations today, especially new congregations, are unlikelyto call themselves “temples,” but “congregations” or “synagogues.” “JewishWorship Center” doesn’t exist in Jewish thought. Churches oftendescribe themselves as “worship centers,” but synagogues do not. It’snot a Jewish concept.If a congregation is a member of the United Synagogue of ConservativeJudaism, as my synagogue is, it is Conservative, not conservative.Congregation Eitz Chaim in Monroe, New York, is Conservative.Sidney L. Lissner, PresidentAvitecture, Inc.Sterling VADavid Silverman responds:Thanks for reading Sound & Communications so closely! We understandyour point, and appreciate what you are saying; however, rather than havingto deal with differentiating between “congregations” or “synagogues”in our review, we chose the general subhead, “Jewish Worship Center,”to differentiate non-Christian-based installations from the ones coveredelsewhere in that feature. As far as “conservative” vs. “Conservative,” thatwas an “oops!” on my part.nFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.netJuly 2008 67

Washington DC’s Newseum Makes AV NewsVista Systems’ Spyder and Christie projectors were selected for theRobert H. and Clarice Smith Big Screen Theater in the newly openedNewseum. A seven-level, high-tech interactive museum, the Newseumtraces the history of news reporting from the 15 th century to the present.Originally located in Arlington VA, the 250,000-square-foot Newseumis now at the Capitol end of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC.The main funder of its operations is the nonpartisan Freedom Forum.Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI), a broadcast and multimediasystems integrator based in Newington VA, designed and installed theNewseum’s broadcast and audiovisual systems.The Big Screen Theater is located on the fifth level, where it displayshistorical and breaking news. It features a 90'x11' screen whose imagesare provided by five edge-blended Christie DW3K DLP projectors usingChristieTWIST image warping and blending functionality.The Newseum will produce new major presentations every two or threemonths. The theater can switch between live PIPs and major productionson an hourly rotation. The Spyder’s task is to feed video to the projectors,which blend the ultra-wide image. It has 28 total inputs, 20 coming fromthe facility router. It controls the router and routes any source throughoutputs. The Spyder, in turn, is controlled by a Medialon system.Jaco Electronics, DT Research, IBI TeamJaco Electronics, Inc., and DT Research have forged a partnershipwith Image Base International (IBI), a digital signage integrator andinteractive media company. All three companies have secured the digitalsignage contract for Portland’s International Airport, including kiosks.Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Jaco’s chairman and CEOJoel Girsky stated, “We are very excited about partnering with two digitalsignage leaders on the Portland Airport contract, and look forward toforging a long and mutually beneficial relationship in one of the mostdynamic areas of FPD deployment. The digital signage sector is anarea of focus, growth and importance for Jaco because we are uniquelypositioned in the industry as a supplier, designer and integrator.”Commenting on the Portland Airport agreement, Image Base International(IBI) president/co-founder Catherine Oaks added, “When Alliance AirportAdvertising approached us about creating large flat panel screens fortheir main concourse, and interactive, informational kiosks to enhancethe baggage claim area, we were pleased to have the opportunity to bringin Jaco to manage the sales procurement and logistics process and DTResearch for its hardware and software implementation expertise.”Hoppmann Equips MedImmune HQ With Analog WayMedimmune, a wholly owned subsidiary of pharmaceutical companyAstra Zeneca, focuses on infectious diseases, cancer and inflammatorydiseases. Based in Maryland, it has facilities in Pennsylvania, California,Kentucky, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. When it needed toequip its headquarters with a complete audiovisual system, it entrustedthe job to Hoppmann AV, a worldwide provider of audiovisual and videoconferencingsolutions.Medimmune required coverage of an auditorium, a divisible multi-purposeroom, a training room, an IT training room and 10 conference rooms. Theauditorium is used for the company and shareholders’ meetings, so thenew system had to integrate the use of several sources, including laptops,computers, broadcast-quality cameras and DVD/VCRs.Hoppmann installed two Analog Way Di-VentiX computer and videomixer/seamless switchers. In addition to Mixer Seamless Switcher andScaled Matrix modes, Di-VentiX also features an embedded soft-edgeblending mode that is used in this installation. The two Di-VentiX aredaisy chained, taking the canvas created in one and feeding it to theother (configured in edge-blended mode). The flexibility enabled theintegrator to create the PIPs the way the customer wanted.Harris Corp. Intros Channel Partner ProgramHarris Corp. has launched a Channel Partner Program for its expandedportfolio of Harris Digital Signage solutions, which provide an interoperablesystem for managing a digital signage content delivery workflow.The Channel Partner Program went into effect July 1.Developed separately from other existing Harris Broadcast channel partnerprograms, the new program provides competitive benefits specificallyfor those channel partners committed to distributing the company’sdigital signage solution set. Benefits include special pricing, terms andpromotions. In addition, channel partners in this new program are grantedthe opportunity to design solutions for end users by choosing individualproducts, managed services offerings, or a combination of point productsand managed services that comprise an end-to-end solution.LG, Destination Media Announce Joint PlansDestination Media, the parent of Gas Station TV, and LG Electronicshave formalized plans for a long-term strategic technology and marketingalliance. For advertisers, the collaboration will leverage LG’s screentechnology and Destination Media’s non-traditional marketing strategies.Offering media networks a wide selection of flat-panel displays and relateddistribution technology, LG Electronics will be the exclusive screenprovider for a number of Destination Media’s extensive out-of-homemarketing networks. LG also plans to advertise on various DestinationMedia digital out-of-home TV networks.Destination Media provides advertisers with direct access to consumerswhere they live and work through a comprehensive mix of lifestyledestinations in the digital out-of-home space, including Gas Station TV’s68 Sound & CommunicationsFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.net www.soundandcommunications.com

COMPILED BY DAN FERRISIGas and Convenience Store Networks.Observed David Leider, CEO of Destination Media, “Digital out-of-homeadvertising is anticipated to grow to a multi-billion-dollar industry by theend of the year. LG’s decision to join forces with Destination Media bothas a screen provider and as an advertiser on our networks recognizesthe need to enhance the medium and to provide advertisers the ultimatechannel to reach consumers at the many destinations in their lives.” nThe commercial systems integration industry’s first and onlystreaming video webcast.This month: “Green: The Color of Money,” featuring guests WillParry, CTS, VP of sales, AVI-SPL (Columbia MD), and MontiCarr, director of integration, SKC Communication Products, Inc.(Shawnee Mission KS), addresses the importance of responsibleenvironmental stewardship, with particular focus on improvingbuilding efficiency, maximizing systems performance and reducingwasteful energy expenditure.Next month: Show subject to be announced. Please monitor www.soundandcommunications.com for details.To view these broadcasts, visit www.soundandcommunications.com and click on the VIEWpoint link. New shows are uploadedtwice monthly.C a l e n d a rAugustInternational DJ ExpoAug. 11-14Atlantic City NJTesta Communications/DJ Times(516) 767-2500www.djtimes.com/djexpo/2008SeptemberCEDIA Expo 2008Sept. 3-7Denver COCustom Electronic Design& Installation Association(317) 328-4336www.cedia.net/expoPLASA08Sept. 7-10London, EnglandPLASA Events+44 (0)20 7370 8665www.plasashow.comDigital Signage Expo-EastSept. 17-18Philadelphia PAExpoNation, LLC(770) 649-0300www.digitalsignageexpo.netSound & Communications’2008 BICSI Fall ConferenceSept. 29-Oct. 2Las Vegas NVBICSI(813) 979-1991www.bicsi.orgOctober125 th AES ConventionOct. 2-5San Francisco CAAudio Engineering Society(212) 661-8528www.aes.orgNSCA TechWeekOct. 20-24Dallas TXSponsored by InfoComm International(319) 366-6722; (703) 273-7200www.nsca.org; www.infocomm.orgLDI 2008Oct. 20-26Las Vegas NVPenton Media Inc.(212) 204-4200www.ldishow.comD. JohnsonA. BergP. ChanC. SteuryA. TaylorT. ShuttleworthK. TreanorM. SmithA. LambertiC. ForemanD. NixM. ShimizuD. PhelpsK. McLaughlinJ. RemenyOliver M. Cooper III has been namedpresident/CEO of Simtrol. He is alsoexpected to be appointed to the SimtrolBoard of Directors…Telanetix has promotedDoug Johnson to CEO. FounderTom Szabo will continue as chairmanof the Board, and Paul Quinn has beenhired as CFO…HaiVision Systems hasappointed Rick Snow as VP of operations…TOAElectronics has promotedAllan R. Lamberti to VP and generalmanager…Sennheiser Electronic Corp.has added Aaron Berg to its professionalproducts sales team. Berg serves as thesales representative for the Rocky Mountainterritory…Community ProfessionalLoudspeakers has appointed ChrisForeman to VP/COO…Lighthouse Technologieshas appointed Peter Chan asgeneral manager…Bosch CommunicationSystems has appointed Daniel Nixas VP of sales-Americas for the Pro AudioGroup…Vicon Industries has appointedCraig Steury as territory manager for thestates of Louisiana and Texas, excludingEl Paso…Ross Video has appointedMarcel Fontaine as regional sales managerfor the Southwest US…ThorburnAssociates has promoted Derek Mearesto associate principal in the company’sRaleigh-Durham NC office…SoundTubeEntertainment has added Ben Hansento its Park City UT staff and has expandedthe corporate marketing role of RobinFish, based in the Overland Park KSparent corporate office…Philips LightingControls Div. has added AngeliaPinaga as marketing communicationsmanager…Michelle Shimizu has joinedListen Technologies Corp. as regionalsales manager, handling the company’ssix western independent representativesand dealers in the AVSC sales channel…Anthony Taylor has been appointed MartinAudio joint managing director…DanPhelps has joined Lightronics as insidesalesman…Renkus-Heinz has namedTim Shuttleworth as engineering manager…Digidesignhas appointed KevinMcLaughlin to VP of engineering…Aviomhas promoted Kim Treanor to marketing& corporate communications specialist…JimRemeny has been named seniorVP of sales for the southern and easternregions for DMX…Matthew Smithhas joined Verrex as senior corporaterecruiter…Winsted has named Bob PepMidwest sales manager and Brent Leimermarketing manager….nFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.netJuly 2008 69

COMPILED BY DAN FERRISIAll specifications supplied by manufacturers and/or distributors.Nady Systems’ HM-20U ElectretCondenser Headset MicRadia Pro’sPro-32 High-PerformanceSpeakerLeviton’s Velcro Brand FastenersMartin Audio’s W8VDQ Compact, 3-Way SystemKlein+Hummel’sSlim SpeakersKlein+Hummel’s CLS-FX seriesslim speaker for use with flatpanel displays offers a built-instereo amp with integrated processingfor speaker tuning anda virtual bass effect, making thespeaker sound larger than it is.Available in 2" and 3" driver sizes,the CLS produces a low apparentfrequency response. Because thisspeaker has a line array configuration,the sound can either becontained in front of the displaywith the speaker in a horizontalposition or it can be spread out toa wide area with the speaker in avertical position. The virtual bassillusion is contained within thecoverage pattern of the speaker,providing low frequency controlwhen used in noise-sensitive areassuch as retail shops or hotelsuites.Klein+Hummelc/o Sennheiser Electronic Corp.(860) 434-9190www.sennheiserusa.comHitachi SoftwareEngineering’s SoftwareHitachi Software EngineeringAmerica’s StarBoard Viewer softwarefor interactive whiteboardsand panels allows users to openany file formatted with StarBoardsoftware and to make edits andsave work, even when disconnectedfrom StarBoard presentationproducts. Changes can besaved for later use on interactivewhiteboard panels and tablets.StarBoard Viewer allows users toview, modify and save StarBoardSoftware files on any computerand present the material using anybrand of interactive whiteboard.The software is an open licenseapplication with features similarto Hitachi’s StarBoard 3.0 LightEdition. It offers core interactivewhiteboard tools, including virtualwhiteboard space, digital inks, theability to manipulate objects andthe StarBoard toolbar.Hitachi Software EngineeringAmerica(650) 615-7600www.hitachi-soft.comLeviton’s Velcro FastenersLeviton Network Solutions offersan expanded line of Velcro BrandFasteners for cable management,including Bulk Rolls, CompressionStraps, Soft-Cinch Rolls and Bulk-Packaged Wraps. They secure andorganize copper and fiber cables,and are usable for all low-voltagemultimedia systems. The reusablesolution safely secures cableswithout kinking or crimping andfacilitates quick moves, adds andchanges. All are available in black,blue, orange and yellow. VelcroWraps in bulk rolls and Tie Wrapsin 3 standard lengths are availablewith plenum rating indicated by thecolor maroon.Leviton Network Solutions(800) 824.3005www.leviton.comNady Systems’ Headset MicNady Systems’ HM-20U miniatureuni-directional electret condenserheadset mic boasts small sizeand lightweight design, making itsuitable for singing and speakingapplications even in noisy environments.Offers a warm, full-rangeresponse and maximum feedbackrejection. A full frequency mic, theHM-20U has a durable, thin metalframe that can be molded to anyuser. Its ergonomic design andcomfortable fit allow it to be usedwith or without glasses, hats orheadphones. Features: a 5x8mmcapsule for lightweight comfort; 2sizes of foam windscreen; extendablefully adjustable boom 100° foroptimum mic capsule placement.Available with mini-XLR, 3.5mmphono plug (fits most standardwireless bodypack transmitters) orwith standard XLR adapter for allwired and wireless applications.Nady Systems(510) 652-2411www.nady.comMartin Audio’s 3-Way SystemMartin Audio’s W8VDQ compact,3-way system combines line arrayand differential dispersiontechnologies to provide a solutionfor even coverage over wideangles and throw distances. Thesystem provides a short-throwhorizontal dispersion of 120°,narrowing to 100° as the throwincreases. The vertical differentialdirectivity (VDQ) creates progressivelymore HF output as throwdistance increases. The resultingdispersion pattern is suited tocovering audiences located on flator gradually sloping surfaces. Forpassive or bi-amp operation, andcombining a Hybrid quad 8in LFand MF configuration with quad1in HF—all horn-loaded—thesystem achieves a maximum SPLof 131dB (continuous) and 137dB(peak). The W8VDQ is compatiblewith WMX, WS18X and WS218Xsubwoofers.70 Sound & CommunicationsFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.net www.soundandcommunications.com

Intelix’s Audisey Remote Control KitsAmpetronic’s CLS2 InductionLoop DriverArchitectural Acoustics’ PHR Series Ceiling SpeakersRapcoHorizon’s LTI-1 Stereo InterfaceMartin Audio(519) 747-5853www.martin-audio.comRadia Pro’s SpeakerRadia Pro’s Pro-32 high-performancespeaker, using the company’splanar-ribbon technologyfor hi-res and controlled directivity,suits venues where sounddispersion has to be focused ona targeted area with no unwantedreflections. The Pro-32 concept,based on a woofer line array, featuresfront-mounted drivers on adurable extruded aluminum enclosurewith a coaxially positionedribbon tweeter array. The LF sectionconsists of 6"x5¼" drivers,while the tweeter array consists of9"x3" planar-ribbon drivers. Handcrafted from high-grade steel andaircraft-grade aluminum, the precisionenclosure reduces wall resonance.Available in black or whiteenclosures.Radia Pro(215) 682-0130www.bgcorp.com/radia.phpIntelix’s Remote Control KitsIntelix’s Audisey Series REM-PACKremote control kits are compatiblewith the Audisey Athena matrixmixer/amp and AVM audio/videomatrix switcher. REM-PACKs, preprogrammedremote control systemsproviding quick setup and operation,provide audio/video sourceselection, digital signal processingtriggering and volume control for upto 16 zones. Remote Control Packsare available in packages of 3, 4,5, 6, 8, 12 and 16 remote controls,each including all wiring accessories,IR to serial control modulesand pushbutton remote controlsrequired for controlling audio andvideo in 2 to 16 independent zones.Each remote control mounts into astandard single-gang wallbox andfeatures visual and auditory feedback,multiple label options andpassword protection.Intelix, Inc.(608) 831-0880www.intelix.comArchitectural Acoustics’Ceiling SpeakersArchitectural Acoustics by Peavey’sPHR Series speakers are for compact,in-ceiling operation in permanentinstallations. The ceilingmountenclosures are suitable forhigh-intelligibility voice, programmusic and versatile signal reproductionin commercial, industrialand institutional applications. Atap selector switch allows for systemtuning and configuration for70V or 100V distributed systems,and a full selection of taps up to60W (model dependent) and an 8ohm transformer bypass settingare included for system versatility.The UL-compliant enclosure isconstructed of high-impact, injection-moldedplastic and includesa press-fitted grille design thatblends with contemporary architecture.PHR Series enclosuresare housed in steel backing cansand include 2 color-coded, screwlockedflying leads in a wiringchamber.Architectural Acoustics byPeavey(601) 483-5376aa.peavey.comAmpetronic’sInduction Loop DriverAmpetronic’s ultra-compact CLS2induction loop driver is the first in aseries. Its 200mmx200mmx44mmsize is suitable for discreet installation.Although quick and simple toinstall, it features 3 independentlycontrolled feeds, with 2 priorityalarm overrides, and can drive aninduction loop covering an area ofmore than 400m 2 . Between them,the 3 audio feeds can accommodatebalanced or unbalanced lineinputs, mics and 100V line sources,with the priority alarm inputssuitable for connection to emergencyalert systems, doorbells ortelephones. All connections, inputsand controls are secured behind atamper-proof cover; 3 LEDs providean immediate visual indicationof operational status.Ampetronicc/o AssistiveAudio(800) 224-9295www.assistiveaudio.comRapcoHorizon’sStereo InterfaceThe RapcoHorizon Company’s LTI-1 stereo interface is suitable forconnecting laptops, MP3 playersor any other stereo 3.5mm audiooutput to a professional audiomixer. It is equipped with built-inground lift switches and a -20dBpad. It features left and right XLRoutputs.The RapcoHorizon Co.(800) 467-2726www.rapcohorizon.comPanasonic’sMulti-Purpose CameraPanasonic’s compact 2/3" 2.2-megapixel 3-CCD AK-HC1800NHD multi-purpose camera’s nativeFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.netJuly 2008 71

EAW SB1002 Large-FormatDual-18"-Loaded SubwooferOne Systems’ Model 208CIM Vertical ArrayWiremold’s High-Capacity Poke-Thru DeviceMagenta Research’s MultiView UTP Receiver1920x1080 resolution is reinforcedby a single-channel transfer systemand spatial offset processingfeatures that reduce aliasing andprovide enhanced resolution. Capableof large-venue image magnificationfor concerts, it also suitshouses of worship. The cameraoffers low light sensitivity (F10 at2000 lx), a smear level of -130dBand a modulation factor of morethan 45%, so images are crisp,accurate and noise-free. It offersprecise image adjustments andcontrol functions for creative flexibility,including Panasonic’s DSPtechnology with a 12-axis colormatrix that allows for fine adjustmentsof hue and saturation. Forremote or tower applications, userscan activate the camera’s “intelligent”function, which automaticallyadjusts image level and colortemperature settings.Panasonic Broadcast(877) 438-7881www.panasonic.com/broadcastWiremold’s Poke-Thru DevicesWiremold/Legrand offers high-capacity,fully recessed poke-thrudevices, including the highestcapacity poke-thru available. EvolutionSeries poke-thru devicesoffer a flush, all-metal cover assemblythat allows easy deviceaccess with spring-loaded slidecable egress doors. These UL fireclassified products maintain thefire rating of the floor slab for upto 2 hours and feature TopGuardprotection to meet scrub water exclusionstandards. Whereas somepoke-thru devices are installed in3" or 4" diameter core-drilled holes,the Evolution Series uses 6" and8" holes, which afford more spacefor receptacles and activations,and allow the entire device to berecessed below the finished floorlevel for protection and longevity.Wiremold/Legrand(860) 617-1768www.wiremold.comEAW’s Large-FormatSubwooferThe EAW SB1002 large-formatdual-18"-loaded subwoofer canbe groundstacked or flown viaan integral rigging system. It offersa direct radiating design, withdriver mounting that maximizescone area and minimizes frontalarea, resulting in acoustical performanceand physical configurationwell suited for creating largesubwoofer arrays. The 2 18" driversoffer 4½" voice coils as well asneodymium magnet structures thatreduce weight. Operating rangeis 27Hz-161Hz (+/-3dB), whereasmaximum sound pressure levelsare 129dB (average) and 135dB(peak). Its 2-point rigging systemaccommodates flown arrays of upto 12 SB1002 units.EAW(508) 234-6158www.eaw.comOne Systems’ Vertical ArrayOne Systems’ Model 208CIM ultracompact2-element vertical arrayhas separate LF and mid-bass drivers.The high-output speaker systemproduces high SPL vocal range contentwith high intelligibility. The dual8" system uses a single coaxiallymounted, large-format compressiondriver and HF horn on the top driverto reproduce higher frequency vocalinformation. A design feature allowsboth extended-range directionalcontrol through the vocal fundamentalrange and twice the acousticoutput compared to conventional 8"2-way designs. Available with a 75W3-tap line matching transformer, anda selection of array and flying/suspensionhardware. Optimized foroutdoor applications, such as footballstadiums, baseball stadiums,race tracks and other sports venueswhere permanent installation isrequired as well as direct-weatherexposure.One Systems(615) 823-1655www.onesystems.comMagenta Research’sUTP ReceiversMagenta Research offers its nextgenerationMultiView UTP receivers.MultiView receivers are presentedin high performance 600',1200' and 2000' stages, along witha 500' category. Magenta’s XR-2000 offers 1920x1200 (1080p)resolution at 2000', with no repeatersor splitters required. Audio orsimplex serial options are standard.AK600DP and AK1200DPreceivers are rated for 1920x1200(1080p) resolution video at theirmaximum respective distances.Audio or simplex serial optionsare standard in these 2 receivertiers. MV500A and MV500S receiversserve up 1366x768 (720p)video resolution at 500' along withsummed L/R audio and simplex/duplex serial, respectively. Whencombined with an STx transmitter,MV500 Series receivers offera lower cost-per-distance ratio.Magenta Research(860) 210-0546www.magenta-research.com72 Sound & CommunicationsFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.net www.soundandcommunications.com

Sony’s VPL-EX50 ProjectorHitachi’s CP-X206 3LCD ProjectorExtron’s SW8VGA andSW12 VGASwitchersLightronics’AR1202RTCArchitecturalDimmerLightronics’Architectural DimmerLightronics’ AR1202RTC ArchitecturalDimmer, now wireless, features16 universes of 512 DMXchannels, real-time FHSS TDMAcommunication and 83 channelhopping 2.45GHz band. TheWireless DMX has a considerablerange: 1400' inside and 4000'outside. The outside range can gothrough structures. The dimmerfeatures a programmable calendar/clockthat enables the userto attach scenes to date and timecommands. A common applicationwould include the retail environment;this would automate particularevents in the retail space,giving the customer more controlover the display environment. Theprogramming features an interfacedisplaying the functions as calendarevents. Full integration viaRS232/485 is another feature.Lightronics(800) 472-8541www.lightronics.comHitachi’s 3LCD ProjectorsThe CP-X206 and CP-X306 3LCDprojectors, from Hitachi America’sUbiquitous Platform Systems Division,offer remote control andmaintenance via a LAN connection,and My Image technologyallows administrators to send stillimages to every projector on thenetwork. The projectors featurePJMan software, allowing users tocontrol and monitor multiple projectorsvia a web browser withouthaving to download and installapplication software. This allowsadministrators to monitor functionssuch as lamp life on everyprojector on the network from asingle, remote location. The timingof switching the projector’s poweron and off can be scheduled froma computer automatically.Hitachi America Ltd.(800) 225-1741www.hitachi.usSony’s LCD Front ProjectorsSony has expanded its family ofentry-level LCD front projectorswith 4 models, including its firstcompact widescreen version. Eachis for commercial applications,and appropriate for classroomsand conference rooms. They arethe latest generation of the VPL-Eseries: the VPL-EX50 model (2500lumens), VPL-EW5 widescreen,VPL-EX5 and VPL-ES5 (all 2000lumens). The VPL-EX50 and VPL-EX5 offer native XGA 1024x768resolution, and the VPL-ES5 featuresSVGA 800x600 resolution.For widescreen projection, theVPL-EW5 has WXGA 1280x800resolution. Each model’s bodyshape broadens toward the front,and automatically projects imagesupward on the screen, requiringminimal tilt adjustment. Each projectorcomes with a short focallengthlens, allowing large-screenprojection from a short distance.Sony Electronics(212) 833-6800pro.sony.comPLUS Vision’sCompact CopyboardPLUS Vision Corp. of America’sCR-5 compact copyboard fits in asmall office or cubicle. It gives employeesworking in small groupsthe same features as PLUS’ largercopyboards, including the abilityto save color drawings and noteswritten on the copyboard surfaceand print or store them to a computer.The CR-5, half the size of aregular copyboard and thin, can bemounted on a wall or in a cubicleusing the optional cubicle mountkit. An optional floor stand is availablefor freestanding use in eitherhorizontal or vertical positions. Itincludes 2 writing surfaces andallows pushbutton operation tosave the written content to a USBmemory stick, or prints directlyfrom the board with an attachedoptional printer.PLUS Vision Corp. of America(503) 748-8700www.plus-america.comExtron Electronics’ SwitchersExtron Electronics’ 8- and 12-inputVGA and stereo audio switchers,the SW8 VGA and SW12 VGA, arecompatible with computer-videoresolutions up to QXGA and featuredual-buffered outputs, inputsignal sensing, auto-input switchingand multiple modes of control.All are compatible with hi-res RG-BHV computer-video signals, aswell as HDTV component analogsignals with tri-level sync. The SWVGA Series is available in sizesfrom 2 inputs to 12 inputs. In additionto auto-input switching, whichautomatically switches to the highest-numberedinput with an activesync signal, all SW VGA Seriesswitchers can be controlled viatheir front panel, RS232 and contactclosure remote control.Extron Electronics(714) 491-1500www.extron.comFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.netJuly 2008 73

Avlex’s PRA52Hanging MicD.A.S. Audio’s PS-2400PowerPro Series AmplifierBlack DiamondVideo’s CXPSProcessorAvlex’s Hanging MicAvlex’s Superlux PRA52 HangingMic, in black or white, is a professionalsound reinforcement solutionfor theatrical stages, orchestra pits,meeting rooms, audience responseand more. Features a back electretcardioid condenser element, widedynamic range, a low noise balancedinline preamplifier and XLRconnectivity. Featuring a frequencyrange of 40Hz-18kHz and a dynamicrange of 108dB, the PRA52captures the full spectrum of sound.Offers good quality sound in a lowprofile, lightweight form factor.Avlex(816) 581-9103www.avlex.comBlack DiamondVideo’s ProcessorBlack Diamond Video’s CXPS Processorcombines single-link anddual-link DVI switching, smoothscaling, windowing and videowallprocessing in a single, compactdevice. Applications include airtraffic control systems, commandand-controlcenters, medical imaging,broadcast post-productionediting and digital cinema. It has aconfigurable I/O with up to 36x36single-link or 20x20 dual-link DVImatrix switching in a 6RU rackmountableunit. The device supportsmixed single-link and duallinkapplications with any I/O configuredin multiples of 4. Optionsinclude quad-output dual/singlelinkscaler cards, quad-windowingcards with daisy-chain support formultiple windows and USB matrixswitching cards. The CXPS inputsupports 60 meters of copper DVIcable without external conditioningas well as Black Diamond Video’scurrent line of phantom-poweredsignal converters for any non-DVIinput source.Black Diamond Video(510) 769-2959www.blackdiamondvideo.comChristie’s ControlRoom SolutionsThe Christie DLV1400-DL andDLV1920-DL dual lamp 3-chip DLPhigh performance rear-screen projectorsfeature SXGA+ and nativeHD resolution, respectively. Featuring2 200W high-pressure lamps at3000 hours operation (eco mode),the projectors run on a single lampand automatically switch to thespare lamp upon detection of degenerationof brightness or failure.The company has expanded the1-chip DLP series of RPMX andRPMSP rear-screen projectors toinclude brighter 132W versions:the RPMX-D132U and RPMSP-D132U. Alongside these, Christielaunches shallow depth 50" and67" cubes and pedestals, displayscreens including cross-prismtechnology, DVI and HD expansionoptions for the TVC-1210 displaywall controller, and an expandedset of lenses, including an ultralowdistortion 1.2:1 tiling lens.Christie Digital(714) 236-8610www.christiedigital.comD.A.S. Audio’s AmpD.A.S. Audio’s PS-2400 amp completesthe PowerPro series, whichconsists of 4 other units: PS-200,PS-400, PS-800 and PS-1400. It isa high power (1200 + 1200W@4Ω)stereo amp that incorporates arugged 2-unit steel chassis, ensuringstructural rigidity and protectingcomponents. The low-noisefans offer quiet and cool operation,while the high-energy toroidaltransformer provides a power supplycapable of handling substantialtransient demands. The ampincorporates rear-located switchesthat permit ground lift, operationalmode selection (bridge, stereo orparallel) and input sensitivity selection.Protections include shortcircuitprotection on each channel,overload and thermal protection.It uses XLR and ¼ TSR input andoutput Speakon NL-4 connectorsand binding posts.D.A.S. Audio(305) 436-0521www.dasaudio.comAMX’s Fixed Matrix SwitchersAMX has expanded its AutoPatchMatrix Switcher family with Octaire,a line of 72 fixed matrixswitchers. With configurationsranging from 32 to 64 inputs andoutputs, Octaire is appropriate fororganizations wanting to distributeanalog video throughout large facilities.The Octaire line eventuallywill replace the current AutoPatch8Y series. The switching platformis built with BNC connectivity forcomposite, S-video (Y/c), componentand RGBHV signal styles in4RU enclosure combinations. It issuitable for retail environments,network operations/commandand control centers, entertainment/sportingvenues, correctionalfacilities and other environmentspreferring BNC-based analogswitching. Features Detection, Assignmentand Configuration (DAC)firmware, which automatically recognizesand configures each en-74 Sound & CommunicationsFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.net www.soundandcommunications.com

closure, sequences them and thengenerates a united, single matrixswitcher solution.AMX(469) 624-8000www.amx.comToshiba’s Mobile ProjectorsToshiba’s TDP-XP1U filter-freeDLP mobile projector offers 2200lumens, 1024x768 XGA nativeresolution and a 2000:1 contrastratio. It features DLP BrilliantColortechnology, which uses up to 6separate colors for more vibrantand accurate images, and offerslamp life of up to 4000 hours ineconomy mode. Quick power shutdown allows users to turn off anddisconnect the projector from thepower outlet quickly, without wait-Radian’s Apex Series Compact Stage Monitorsing for the projector to cool. TheTDP-XP2U filter-free DLP mobileprojector, also with DLP Brilliant-Color technology, offers 2500lumens, 1024x768 XGA resolutionand a 2000:1contrast ratio.Suitable for mobile professionals,teachers, corporate customers,small-to-medium sized businessesand digital home entertainment. Itweighs 4.8lb.Toshiba Display Systems(661) 257-7901www.toshibadisplays.comRadian’s CompactStage MonitorsRadian Audio Engineering’s ApexSeries compact stage monitorscomprise the 1200 and the 1500.The ultra-compact, low profile, 2-way floor monitors are for live performanceand installed sound. TheApex 1200 features a 12" coaxialspeaker; power handling is 500WRMS with a frequency response of55Hz to 17kHz and a sensitivity of99dB. It measures 12.5"x14.5"x21.5"and weighs 56lb. The Apex 1500houses a 15" coaxial speaker inan enclosure that is almost half thesize of conventional stage monitors.It offers a power handling of 500WRMS, a frequency response of 45Hzto 18kHz and a sensitivity of 102dB.Both incorporate a 2" compressiondriver and generate a 90° conicaldispersion.Radian Audio Engineering(714) 288-8900www.radianaudio.com nCOMPILED BY DAN FERRISIMilesTek’s Master CatalogMilesTek’s 240-page, full-colorMaster Catalog (and CD-ROMversion) is the company’s first newMaster Catalog since 2004. It hasbeen updated and enhanced, providinga large selection of wires,cables, installation components,tools and specialty products in 12categories, including racks and enclosures,networking, surveillance,power protection and structuredChief’s RSS FeedsIntelix’sProductCatalogwiring. The detailed product informationis presented in an accessible,easy-to-use, index-assistedformat.MilesTek(940) 484-9400www.milestek.comIntelix’s Product CatalogIntelix’s 2008 Product Catalogprovides descriptions, systemdiagrams and hardware drawingsfor audio/video over twisted pairextenders, HD distribution amps,HD switchers, mic/line mixers,audio matrix mixer/amps, roomcombine systems and audio pagingsystems. A free copy can berequested online or by calling. APDF version is accessible at www.intelix.com/tech_library/marketing_lit.aspx.Intelix LLC(608) 831-0880www.intelix.comChief’s RSS FeedsChief’s website offers RSS feeds,allowing users to subscribe toregular product updates. RSSmakes information timelier andmore valuable, plus users willspend less time browsing theweb because new content will bedelivered directly to them. RSS(Really Simple Syndication) is anXML-based format for distributingnews headlines. Users can click onthe RSS icon on the Press Releasespage of the Chief website, andwhenever new releases are addedto the site, they will be deliveredautomatically via a web portal ornewsreader. There are more than2000 different feed reading applications,many of which are availablefor free.Chief Manufacturing(952) 894-6280www.chiefmfg.comLiberty Wire & Cable’sProduct GuideLiberty Wire & Cable’s 128-page,spiral-bound 2008-2009 ProductGuide for Plates, Panels & Assembliesprovides a broad selectionof custom and molded assemblies,single- and double-gang wallplates, active plates, floor box insertsand rack plates. The pocketsizeProduct Guide features morethan 2500 products.Liberty Wire & Cable(719) 260-0061www.libertycable.com nFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.netJuly 2008 75

AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO SOUND & COMMUNICATIONSMeyer SoundMM-4XP Self-Powered Miniature LoudspeakerThe MM-4XP miniature loudspeaker is a self-powered loudspeaker designed forhigh-quality distributed systems. Housed in a compact aluminum enclosure, the MM-4XP is especially suitable for installations involving space limitations and visibilityconcerns, such as fill and spot coverage, and hidden locations like chancel steps ina house of worship. Its flexible and easy-to-configure mounting options, as wellas its ability to effortlessly reproduce both speech and music, make it an excellentchoice for fixed applications, theatrical presentations and small portable systemsfor corporate AV solutions. The MM-4XP's proprietary 4-inch cone transducerdelivers an impressive maximum peak SPL of 113 dB, and has a wide operatingfrequency range of 120 Hz to 18 kHz with very low distortion. The MM-4XPexhibits the same high intelligibility and flat frequency and phase responses forwhich Meyer Sound loudspeakers are known.WEB ADDRESS: www.meyersound.comYamaha Commercial AudioAFC2 Active Field ControlYamaha AFC2 is used to improve architectural acoustic characteristics of a spacesuch as a performing arts venue or theater with additional applications that focuson optimized reverberation time. AFC (Active Field Control) is a proprietary systemused to increase the energy density of diffused sound so that reverberationtime and sound energy density can be controlled with auditory naturalness whilepreserving the room’s characteristics. A complete Yamaha turnkey system with theAFC2 core processor based on a DME64n, system components include an AD8HRconverter, DME Satellite Series processor, DA824 D/A converter, Yamaha XM andPC Series amplifiers, and proprietary AFC speakers. A network control interface isrequired regardless of the control system used; i.e. ICP1, GPI, or AMX/Crestron. TheAFC2 unit includes built-in 31-band parametric EQ, open architecture DSP, 48KHzstandard processing, 16 input channels, up to 112 output channels, 100 presets, andadjustable live control settings.WEB ADDRESS: www.yamahaca.comYamaha Commercial AudioYamaha-Compatible AuviTran ProductsThe AuviTran AVM500-ES EtherSound network matrix can link and route of upfive EtherSound networks together, including Yamaha digital products and otherEtherSound compatible digital products. Contained in a 19” 1U rack, the unit canmatrix up to 320 channels of audio and further enhance standard EtherSounddaisy-chain connection of bi-directional ES devices or networks. The AVRed-ES100is an EtherSound redundant link management device that secures EtherSoundconnection with two redundant links and can also work in tandem with anotherAVDRed-ES100 unit or as a single unit placed remotely to provide network statuswith its I/O read/write function. The AVY16-ES100 card provides 16 inputs and 16outputs of EtherSound compatibility for Yamaha digital mixers, DSP processors,and TXn amplifiers using a ‘mini-YGDAI’ interface.WEB ADDRESS: www.yamahaca.comExtron ElectronicsOver 20 New DVI and HDMI ProductsExtron has released over 20 new DVI and HDMI products including four newDVI DAs with up to eight outputs, and the SMX DVI Pro Series and SMX HDMISeries HDCP compliant matrix switcher boards for the SMX System MultiMatrix.New dual link DVI products include the DVI DL 101, a dual link DVI equalizerthat attaches to the end of a long DVI cable run of up to 200 feet and the DVIDL 201, a transmitter and receiver set for sending dual link DVI signals 100 feetor more over three CAT 5-type cables. For long-haul transmission, the FOXBOX4G DVI fiber optic transmitter and receiver set sends DVI, audio, and RS-232signals over a single fiber up to 30 km (18.75 miles). Finally, the RGB-DVI 300and RGB-HDMI 300 are scalers that convert incoming analog component videoor RGB signals to DVI or HDMI.WEB ADDRESS: www.extron.com76Sound & Communications

FURNITURE, ROLLTOP DESKS AND RACKSSUPPLIERSJuly 2008 77S&C-June-08-077-081.indd 778/18/2008 3:02:29 PM

SUPPLIERSSTEEL ROLLTOP CABINETSOffers Beautiful AND Secure Storage for allof your Audio, Video, and Lighting Equipment.Beautiful Laminates to meet any decor requirements.Perfect for Gymnasiums, Auditoriums,Multi-Purpose Rooms, Theaters, Live MusicVenues and Houses of WorshipTel: 614-873-0480Fax: 614-873-2450www.securecabinet.comCommercial AudioFor Installersand Contractors78 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.comS&C-June-08-077-081.indd 788/18/2008 3:02:54 PM

SUPPLIERSFor the largest selection ofPro A/V Premium Balunswww.etslan.com 1-800-752-8208NetworkableHeadphoneAmps!New MiniPodsuse quick cat5installation!Full info atwww.henryeng.comWe BuildSolutions626-355-3656EmPLOYmENTH E N R YENGINEERINGEmploymEnt opportunityEngineering Harmonics is aworld leader in the design ofaudio and video systems.Our 20 year old firm isgrowing both at homeand abroad and we areseeking specializedpeople to join our team. We currently need seniordesigners in Toronto and Mumbai and a projectmanager in Toronto. The successful candidateswill have at least 10 years of experience, be aproven professional and have an excellent trackrecord delivering sophisticated sound and AVtechnology systems. The individual must befamiliar with construction industry practices andhave a solid understanding of the technologysystems we design. We are based in TorontoCanada, with offices in Ottawa and Vancouver.If your desire is to work with an industry leaderon the move, email your resume to us atadmin@engineeringharmonics.com.For more details please visit our web site atwww.engineeringharmonics.comEmPLOYmENTJoin one of the nation’s top commercial A/V contractors! In business since 1973, our clients includeworld-class entertainment, casino, corporate, educational, airport, sporting, houses of worship, andgovernment facilities. As we continue to grow, we are seeking top-notch A/V professionals for ourorganization., FAV is best known for the quality of people that serve our customers.Opportunities are currently available for:Division Manager ~ DenverProgress ProgrammerProject EngineersControl Systems ProgrammersCommercial Sales/ Account ManagersChurch Sales/ Account ManagersJob SuperintendentsProject ManagersWith offices in Las Vegas, Houston, Denver, Austin, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Dallas, FAV offerscompetitive salary and benefits. We are seeking those committed to long-term employment. Email: hr@fordav.com; Fax: 405/ 946-9991; visit: www.fordav.com; Phone: 800/ 654-6744; EOE/AA/M/F/D/VHelping People Communicate!Skill. Drive. Determination.Do you have what it takes to make the best move of your career?AVI-SPL, the established leader in the audio video industry, isseeking top-notch professionals to join our award-winning team!With our global network of 40 offices and an increasing clientbase, we have immediate openings in the following areas:Design and EngineeringAV Product and AV System SalesProject and Construction ManagementRental and StagingTo learn more about our exciting opportunities,simply visit www.avispl.com, and click onABOUT AVI-SPL - Careers at AVI-SPL.Benefits include competitive compensation, health insurance, 401k and tuition reimbursement. DFWP/EOEJuly 2008 79S&C-June-08-077-081.indd 798/18/2008 3:03:02 PM

AD INDEXSUPPLIERSCompany Page #AES 33Alcorn McBride 56APB-DynaSonics 59Astatic 15Atlas SoundC-IIIAudio-Technica 8Australian Monitor/Starin 48Chief Manufacturing 57ClearOne Communications 53Communications Specialties 19Community 51Da-Lite Screen Company 28/29Digital Projection 25EIKI International 55Elite Screens 27Epson 5Extron Electronics 23Extron ElectronicsC-IVFull Compass Systems 32Galaxy Audio 16Gepco International 45Grass Valley 3Holosonic Research Labs 41InfoComm 31International Audio Visual 37Jupiter Systems 43LG Electronics 13Magenta Research 47Omnivex 36Peavey Electronics 11RPG Diffusor Systems 58Sennheiser Electronics 37/38Soundsphere 40Speco TechnologiesC-IISuntronic/i-Tech 48SurgeX 46TeachLogic 52Yamaha Commercial Audio 7Yamaha Commercial Audio 1780 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.comS&C-June-08-077-081.indd 808/18/2008 3:03:04 PM

SUPPLIERSWritghts Reprints877-652-5295MarketplaceAdsWORKCall Linda Inglima516-767-2500 x510Thermal ControlSOUND CONTROLstage pocketsJuly 2008 81S&C-June-08-077-081.indd 818/18/2008 3:03:10 PM

Retail EnvironmentsBy Dan Ferrisi“Data Scan” is our monthly analysis of information provided by respondents to our annual Commercial Systems Integration Survey(the 23 rd edition, published with this issue) and the Worship Center Survey (the 11 th edition, published with the March 2008 issue).Each month, we examine cross-referenced data culled from responses to specific questions from the surveys. This informationis meant to supplement the published reports, not duplicate those efforts.To tie in with this month’s retail theme, we are analyzinginformation provided by respondents to the 23 rd annual75%Commercial Systems Integration Survey who indicatedin Question #18 (asking about venues and percentages ofeach company’s business) that a substantial percentage oftheir business relates to retail integration projects.Question #4 relates to business trends, specifically totaldollar sales for one year compared to the previous year.Given the dramatic changes that have occurred over thepast four years of asking this question, we feel a bar graphbest conveys the information. From 2004 to 2007, we seea clear increase in the number of respondents reporting abusiness increase of 5% or more, going from 41% to fullythree-quarters. As for those indicating a business increaseof less than 5%, although the response has barely changedover the years, 2007 still represents the highest percentageso far. Remained the same and decreased 5% or moreboth showed a decline. Meanwhile, as in 2006, none of therespondents indicated a business decrease of less than 5%.Question #7 asks about average dollar size of projects.Because the question was tweaked for the 2007 survey,we supply only a two-year trend. Steadiness is the general rulehere, except for a major shift from average project sizes in the$25,000 to $100,000 range over to the $5000 to $25,000 range.The most probable culprit for this shift is the fact that, in our2007 survey, we replaced some of our traditional systems integrationmanagement respondents with managers from the consultantcommunity. Because consultants tend to work on largerprojects, their inclusion seems to have skewed the results. Thelarger conclusion, though, harkens back to our Question #4data: Despite a shift toward smaller projects, integrators in thismarket still are doing well in terms of revenue.Question #10 relates to the number of projects completed inthe previous six-month period. Due to the relative steadiness ofthis data, we present a pie chart. Given the low percentage ofrespondents answering 21 to 50 and 51 to 100, and the moderatepercentage reporting more than 100, it seems those in the retailmarket, although tending to work on comparatively smallerprojects, do not necessarily undertake them by the dozens.Still, though, less than five was the lowest response-getter ofall, whereas the most popular answer was 11 to 20, which helpsexplain why, despite modest average dollar sizes for projects,revenue remains high. Perhaps this propitious data helps tocounterbalance the uncertain economy we face in 2008.Based o n responses to the 23 rd Annual Commercial Systems IntegrationSurvey, published in this issue, which polled 2800 Sound & Communicationsreaders across the US. This survey report is sent to subscribers aspart of their subscription to Sound & Communications. Additional copiesof the survey are available for $2.95. To request Commercial SystemsIntegration Surveys, subscribe to the magazine and read select articles,visit www.soundandcommunications.com.59%57%Increased 5% ormoren17%14%Increased lessthan 5%Remained thesameDecreased lessthan 5%Decreased 5% ormore82 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com41%13%11%51 to 1007%51 to 1007%21 to 507%21 to 507%10%57%14%20%10014%>10014%22%19%17%60%39%11 to 2039%7% 7%$100,000 to$500,0000% 0%Average dollar size of jobs200720064%Number of projects completed in last six months11 to 2012%$500,000 to$1,000,000Number of projects completed in last six months

ComplexProblemsI need an easy way to add localamplification to a projector system.The solution must be theft resistantand easy to install.Reliability is key—I do not want tomake post installation service calls.AtlasSolutionsNEWPA702 Pole MountAmplifier SystemAvailable in blackor white finish©2008 Atlas Sound LP. Atlas Sound is a trademark of Atlas Sound. All rights reserved. ATS002727 RevD 6/08NEW POLE MOUNT AMPLIFIER SYSTEM• The Patent Pending PA702 pole-mount amplifier systemprovides an innovative and elegant sound reinforcementsolution for display and projector systems.• This unique installation method utilizes a sealed holeincorporated into the chassis and an innovative pole clampsystem.• The “through chassis” mounting system also provides all of thenecessary security to deter theft.• Proven BASH amplifier technology provides 70 Watts x 2 @ 8.• Other innovative features include accessory outlet with ACcurrent sense, separate audio sense turn-on, balanced phoenixstyle and unbalanced RCA input connections, stereo summing,HPF for small speaker protection, front panel status LEDs, andrecessed, screwdriver-adjustable tone and level controls.• Optional 1RU rack mount kit allows single or dual mounting.Be Rewardedfor GrowingYour BusinessJoin The A-TeamProgram800•876•3333Perfectlysuitedfor projectionsystemsProvenBASH classA/B amplifierdesignprojector not includedPatentPending“throughchassis”polemountBalanced &unbalancedinputsLearn more about how Atlas can solve your problems@ AtlasSound.com or call 800•876•3333Designed & Engineered byAtlas Sound in the USAISO9001-2000-CERTIFIED-July 2008 83

Extron Twisted Pair TechnologyLevel and peaking compensation activelycompensates for various cable lengthsDynamic skew compensationmaintains RGB color alignmentLocal highresolution videoI/Os accept localvideo sourcesSix I/O sizes available: 8x16 16x32 16x8 32x16 16x16 32x32Local audioI/Os supportlocal audiosourcesMTPX Plus 161616x16 Twisted PairMatrix SwitcherLocal audio output volumeadjustment and muting eliminatesthe need for preamplifiers in manyA/V system designsIP Link® Ethernetconnectivity forremote management,monitoring, andcontrolLocal,bi-directionalRS-232 insertionportsPre-peaking on 50% of the ouputsprovides additional compensation at thefront end for the longest cable runsThe Industry’s Most Complete TP System SolutionsExtron offers the most comprehensive twisted pairproduct line with more than 100 transmitters,receivers, DAs, switchers, matrix switchers, cables,and accessories. Designed for the A/V integrator, theExtron MTP Series gives A/V professionals the toolsto provide the right twisted pair product at everypoint in the signal path, enabling A/V systems to beinstalled more easily and more economically thanever before.Integration friendly features save time by reducing design andinstallation complexity: Professional and reliable connectivity for popular A/V signals Simplified front panel controls for fast and easy-to-useadjustments Matrix switchers with advanced features like dynamic skewcompensation, local RS-232 insertion ports, plus video inputlevel and peaking compensation Exclusive universal twisted pair receivers reduce the need formultiple receivers and reduces cabling requirements Versatile mounting options and form factors for any type ofTwisted Pair applicationNew 1500’ Receivers!!The new MTP 1500RL 15HD Series models support 1,500 foottransmission of 1600 x 1200 resolution video, along with audioor RS-232 signals.800.633.9876 www.extron.com