Sound & Communications February 2009 Issue

Vol. 55 No. 2 February 16, 2009communicationssuperhighwayTEXAS DOT’S DALTRANSUSES AV TO MANAGETRAFFIC CONGESTION.strikingvisionspractical examplesof digital signageat work.thismonth:‘sign age,’a newmonthlycolumn.Have you seen it?Log ontowww.soundandcommunications.com/viewpoint.This month’s program:Integration ABCs: The K-12 OpportunityDIGITAL SIGNAGE EXPO NEW PRODUCT showcase

A new era for installed soundThe EV-Innovation (EV-I) family of loudspeakers is the result of the largest developmentprogram in the history of Electro-Voice. Building upon a heritage of audio design excellenceproven in thousands of prestigious installations around the world, EV-I systems offer anunprecedented combination of sonic performance, versatility, ease of use, and aesthetics,all focused directly on the requirements of installed sound systems.At the heart of the EV-I family are brand-new and highly refi ned transducers, designed byEV engineers—the most knowledgeable and passionate in the industry—using the verylatest developmental and diagnostic tools, exclusive to Electro-Voice R&D. Manufacturedto the highest standards in EV factories, EV-I systems collectively represent the mostcomprehensive family of loudspeakers the industry has ever seen. Seven distinct coverage patterns from seven newly designed waveguides Six pre-designed finishes, including two weatherized versions Completely flexible installation accessories Intuitive input panels Three system formats: horn-load (EVH), front-load (EVF), and a trueline array (EVA)To learn more, visit www.electrovoice.com/evinnovation©2009 Bosch Security Systems, Inc.

Volume 55 Number 2 February 16, 20095446F e a t u r e s38 COMMUNICATIONS SUPERHIGHWAYAV plays an integral role at the Texas Department ofTransportation’s DalTrans transportation management center.By Dawn Allcot46 STRIKING VISIONSInnovation and creativity are fueling growth in all sectors of thedigital signage industry as hardware manufacturers, softwarecompanies and turnkey signage providers develop newtechnologies and create services to meet emerging applications.By Shonan Noronha, EdD54 SIN CITY SIGNAGEDigital Signage Expo prepares to invade Las Vegas with itsbiggest show ever, featuring a broad range of digital signagetechnologies encompassing hardware, software and content, aswell as new education and networking opportunities.By Dan Ferrisi58 DIGITAL SIGNAGE EXPO 2009 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTWe preview some of the introductions planned for DigitalSignage Expo in Las Vegas.66 MARKET BRIEFGovernment Facilities & Public Works: A new, auspiciousway of thinking.By Dan Ferrisi38D e p a r t m e n t s9 NEWSLETTER22 HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGYThe Valleys To The Mountain: Peckville Assembly ofGod Church hosts high-profile acts.By Dawn Allcot28 HOUSE OF WORSHIP: BUSINESSSpecial Religious Events: These provide good marketingopportunities.By David Lee Jr., PhD30 INDUSTRY POV‘Signal’ Of The Future: Magenta Research executivesoutline their vision.By Dan Ferrisi34 IN FOCUSSwimming In Success: BlueWater Technologies seeks,and delivers, the best of AV.By Dan Ferrisi68 NEWS68 FEEDBACK73 CALENDAR73 PEOPLE74 PRODUCTS76 LITERATURE& MEDIA77 CENTERSTAGE79 MARKETPLACE82 DATA SCANBy Dan Ferrisi46C o l u m n s6 WAVELENGTHBy David A. Silverman12 SIGHT LINESBy Gary Kayye, CTS14 Sign ageBy Shonan Noronha, EdD18 SOUND ADVICEBy Peter Mapp FASA, FAES20 DOWN TO BUSINESSBy David McNuttSound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

AV-HS400Athe recipe for successPanasonic’s new AV-HS400A multi-format HD/SD switcher adds majornew flavors to the groundbreaking HS400 platform, including an enhancedMultiViewer, 3D Keyer effects, Flying Key, and Full Key capabilities for asecond moveable PiP. Other fresh features consist of pan-tilt camera controland expanded graphics with alpha channel support. New options include theAV-HS04M7 dual HD-SDI output card with down-conversion for webcastsand recording. Mix your vision with the HS400A’s broadcast-quality,10-bit HD processing; DSK; digital effects; wide I/O options; andan array of new features, and you have the recipe for a greatlive production.The new HS400A compact, multi-format switcher. Even tastier.For more information, please visit us atwww.panasonic.com/broadcast.when it counts* Photography supplied by Rustic Kitchen (www.rustickitchen.biz)© 2008 Panasonic BroadcastFebruary 2009

It’s exciting when a technology—orapplication of technology—popsout and takes on a lifeof its own. That’s what has happenedwith digital signage (as canbe seen in Dan Ferrisi’s IndustryPOV this month, where he interviewsMagenta Research’s Founder/CEO,Keith Mortensen, andVice President, Bob Michaels).Not around too long as a separatecategory within the commercialAV marketplace, digitalsignage has a lot of potential.InfoComm’s annual show devotesa pavilion to DS, and a relativelynew show, Digital Signage Expo,is devoted exclusively to all aspectsof this phenomenon.Of course, Sound & Communicationshas been covering DSextensively over the last severalyears in our monthly pages, aswell as in IT/AV Report. In fact,we’ve devoted more pages to thissubject than any other commercialAV publication.That’s not about to change,either. With this issue, we areinaugurating a monthly column,“Sign Age,” devoted exclusively toDS and all of its ramifications. Unlikemuch of the AV we’re used tocovering, DS involves more than ahardware installation approach. Itrequires that the typical relationshipbetween the integrator andvenue be even more “intimate.”DS requires dynamic content,which the venue often needs helpto produce.Thus, “Sign Age” author ShonanNoronha, EdD, will be takingadvantage of her extensive backgroundas an award-winning writer/producerwho has designedand produced networked multimediacontent for a broad spectrumof corporateand institutionalclients. A regularcontributorto our pages,Shonan worksin collaborationwith corporate communications,HR, IT and AV departments of largeenterprises to deliver multimediacontent across disparate networks.“Sign Age” will cover all aspects ofdesigning, installing and maintainingDS networks. The term “maintaining”is not used here in the servicecontract context; read Shonan’swords to see where this will takeyou.If you have different definitionsfor the disparate elements withinthis nascent technology, tell us; andexplain how you’re applying it. If youagree or disagree with her approach,let us hear your thoughts. This isespecially important because “digitalsignage” means different thingsto different people (see how GaryKayye, CTS, and Lyle Bunn feelabout this in our premiere VIEWpointbroadcast in December 2007 atwww.youtube.com/soundcomm.)You can send comments to Shonanat snoronha@testa.com, or directthem to my attention. Let us knowareas you’d like her to explore.In the meantime, if you’re in Vegasthis month for Digital Signage Expo,stop by and visit with us at BoothMC4.Congratulations are in order: You’llnote a new name in our masthead atright. Because of her continuing excellentcontributions, we’re pleasedto add Shonan Noronha as a Sound& Communications ContributingEditor.nEditorDavid A. Silvermandsilverman@testa.comAssociate EditorDan Ferrisidferrisi@testa.comAssistant EditorMichelle Loebmloeb@testa.comContributing EditorsShonan Noronha, EdDR. David ReadJim StokesContributorsDawn Allcot; Gary Kayye, CTS;David Lee Jr., PhD; Peter Mapp FASA, FAES;David McNutt; Shonan Noronha, EdDTechnical 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, LEED AP, RTKLGraphic Designer/ArtistJanice PupelisWeb DesignerPhillip TaylorProduction ManagerSteve ThorakosSales Assistant/Ad TrafficSam Mitranismitrani@testa.comAdvertising ManagerJohn Greccojgrecco@testa.comClassifiedsclassifiedsales@testa.comCirculationcirculation@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 thirteenthissue (Blue Book), for $25 (US), $35 (Canada & Mexico), and $65 (all other countries), by Sound & CommunicationsPublications, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050-3779. Periodicals postage paid at PortWashington, NY, and additional mailing offices.Copyright © 2009 SOUND & COMMUNICATIONS PUBLISHING, INC. Reprint of any part of contents withoutpermission forbidden. 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.Box 25542, 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

NEWSLETTERCADAC ACQUIRED BY SOUNDKING GROUPSoundking Group Company Ltd. (Ningbo, China; www.soundking.com/en/enindex.php) has confirmed itsacquisition of the assets, trademarks and intellectual property of Cadac Electronics plc (Bedfordshire,United Kingdom; www.cadac-sound.com), effective immediately. The announcement was made by XiangguiWang, Soundking’s President and Founder. Under the ownership of Soundking Group, all 25 Cadacemployees are being retained, with R&D and production continuing to be based in the UK. According toWang, “I am [pleased] that I have been able to bring the…Cadac brand and its…products into the SoundkingGroup. The Cadac R&D team will form the European core of Soundking Group’s global R&D effort,enabling us to draw on Cadac’s high level of expertise in analog and digital audio and translate this intonew products across the Group.”Bob Thomas, who has been appointed General Manager of the new operating company, Cadac HoldingsLtd., commented, “Now that we have gotten through this period, the future looks extremely bright, andwe will be working quickly to re-establish Cadac in its core markets. Soundking Group is investing $6million in Cadac and in new product development….For Cadac, the great news is that now that we havethe Soundking Group’s financial backing, we will be able to accelerate that program and, in particular,put the S-Digital console back on schedule. Our digital R&D team is focused on starting production inthe Summer of 2009.”In our July 2008 NEWSLETTER, Sound & Communications had reported that the directors of CadacElectronics had placed the company into administration, following a falloff in anticipated sales of analogproducts.EVENT PARTNERS POSTPONE ISMEA 2009Integrated Systems Events, LLC, and UBMI UAE Jersey Limited (formerly CMPi UAE Jersey Limited)have postponed the inaugural Integrated Systems Middle East Africa (ISMEA; www.is-mea.org) tradeshow, originally scheduled for March 23 and 24 at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center (ADNEC).“We had a tremendous response from the AV and electronic systems industry to our plans to launch anevent in this region,” remarked Mike Blackman, Managing Director, Integrated Systems Events. “However,in light of trading conditions, some of our key exhibitors had raised concerns about the timing ofthe event. We have always listened closely to the advice of our industry and tried to tailor our events tosuit its needs, and we believe that postponement is the best option for all of us at this time.”In related news, InfoComm India 2009, scheduled to be held in March in Mumbai, has been cancelledamid security concerns expressed by the exhibiting companies following the November terrorist attacksin the city.ITSENCLOSURES FORGES PARTNERSHIP WITH INGRAM MICROITSENCLOSURES (Mt. Pleasant PA; www.itsenclosures.com) has forged a partnership with Ingram Micro,Inc. (Santa Ana CA; www.ingrammicro.com), to distribute a complete product line of digital signageLCD enclosures. ITSENCLOSURES will be the first large-format display enclosures supplier for IngramMicro. According to the principals, ITSENCLOSURES products will enhance the value of Ingram Micro’sDigital Signage Division by addressing channel partners’ need to have access to custom and standarddigital signage LCD enclosures.According to Kevin Prewett, Vice President, Digital Signage Division and Vendor Management, IngramMicro US, digital signage is becoming standard use in many vertical markets, citing in particular baseballstadiums, railroads, coffee shops, airports, retail outlets and entertainment parks. “There’s no questionthat opportunity is out there,” he said, “and with this new line of standard and custom ruggedizedLCD enclosures, our channel partners will be able to better address market demands and protect andpreserve their clients’ digital signage investments.”COMPILED BY DAN FERRISI AND DAVID A. SILVERMAN10Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

The Growth Markets for 2009Don’t miss these potential opportunities.By Gary Kayye, CTSAfter years of writing about commercialAV technology, trends andtrade shows, I’ve been fortunateenough to build up a following ofregular “Sight Lines” readers whoconstantly ask my opinion aboutthings. Most of the time, it’s about amanufacturer, specific piece of hardwareor new product; but sometimes,it’s about the economy. I’ve beenwriting long enough to have evenwritten articles through one-and-ahalfrecessions (and, now, make ittwo-and-a-half).And, during such economic slowdowns,my industry friends—peoplewhom I’ve known for 20-plus years—call and ask what I think. Where’sthe money, where’s the opportunityand where are the pitfalls?Thus far, I think I’ve dispensedgood advice.But, this time like no other, I ambeing barraged by emails asking mewhat I think is going on and what Ithink they (the commercial AV integrator,the commercial AV consultantand even commercial AV manufacturers)should do. Even I see that thisone has the potential to be biggerthan any other slowdown we’ve everseen. Longer.Now, don’t get me wrong: Noteveryone is hurting; in fact, mostof you hear the hype and are morescared than feeling pain. Most of theNot all is doom and gloom.There are many lightsat the end of theproverbial tunnel.pain has come from projects beingput on hold, not cancelled. It’s comefrom rumors and nerves, not reality.So, don’t give up now. To the contrary,make yourself invaluable.Point of fact, I was in Texas in mid-January. They don’t show any signsof a recession in commercial AVthere at all. Atlanta is the same. And,so far, some parts of the Northeastseem to be immune. But the Midwest,the rest of the Northeast andCalifornia: It’s there now.Not all is doom and gloom, though.There are many lights at the end ofthe proverbial tunnel. And, I’m goingto tell you about a few that are shiningbrighter than a xenon arc lamp ina large-venue projector!• Religion: Don’t believe the hype.Churches are experiencing a cashinflux like they haven’t seen since2002. They have money. They will bespending it, too. Make sure, if you’rein the worship market, you pay ahouse call. If you’re not, start going!• The Government: I believe whatI am hearing. We will have recordexpenditures on the US transportationsystem, the federal infrastructure,the Federal Bureau of Prisons,the Financial Crimes EnforcementNetwork, the US Marshals Service,the Federal Trade Commission, andthe Department of Health and HumanServices. Seriously, the ObamaAdministration has specifically calledout these departments to receiverecord funding. And, some portion ofthat will go to technology; that’s us.• Education: Obama campaignedon improving education immediately.So, go for it. They won’t get themoney as fast as they want it but, likemany large corporations, they planprojects way, way in advance and youneed to be in there on Day One.• Medicine and Health: This isgoing to be overhauled like nothingwe’ve ever seen. Don’t expect pharmaceuticalcompanies to be clients,but do expect hospitals to gain somebig-time funding. You might not likeit, but leverage it!• New Media: Digital signage,videoconferencing and web-basedtraining will explode over the next18 months. Remember I said that,because it will happen!• Inner Cities: Some of this hasalready started. Every major city suddenly(over the next four years) willfind funding for inner-city improvements.That will include recreation,technology and meeting spaces. And,the bigger the city, the bigger thebudget. New York City’s not going tosee much, but Chicago, Philadelphia,Detroit and Cincinnati will. LA andBoston already have their thing going,and San Francisco has been givenway too much over the years already,so don’t expect much change there.Oh, and don’t forget, you also alreadyhave a client list dating back tothe beginning of your company. So,keep those relationships fresh andfriendly.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 www.soundandcommunications.comSound & Communications

S U P E R I O R I M A G EP O W E R F U L . E F F I C I E N T. R E S P O N S I B L E .R U G G E D A N D D U R A B L E24 Digital Projection LIGHTNING 40isx+ projectors on a 570’ x 60’ screenDubai International Finance CenterPhoto © Louise Stickland - louise@loosplat.comDigital Projection is proud to offer the most powerful line of DLP ® displays available today. DP projectorsproduce up to 30,000 lumens and 5000:1 native contrast, rendering dynamic and preciseimagery. DP’s ColorMax technology assures accurate color reproduction is easily achievedand consistently maintained. Rugged, all-metal construction is tough enough to endure nearlyany environment, ensuring your projection venue impresses for years to come. Equipped with ourexceptional RapidRig systems with integrated pitch, roll and yaw adjustments, TITAN and LIGHT-NING displays are simple to stack, fl y and align—rendering them as Flexible as they are Powerful.DP’s LIGHTNING SeriesUp to 30,000 Lumens • Up to 4,000:1 ContrastDP’s CoolTek engineering guarantees the industry’s most Powerful projectors arealso the most Effi cient. Producing the highest lumens per watt of input power, LIGHT-NING and TITAN displays deliver a dramatically lower long-term cost of ownership anda smaller environmental footprint than competitive products.Insist on the Powerful performance, Effi cient operation and Responsible customer supportthat only Digital Projection delivers. Call 770-420-1365 to learn more aboutour comprehensive line of single and 3-chip DLP ® displays.DP’s TITAN SeriesUp to 10,000 Lumens • Up to 5,000:1 ContrastFind the perfect projector at www.digitalprojection.com/cavAtlanta, GA USA • Manchester, UK • Beijing, China • Singapore • 770.420.1365 • www.digitalprojection.com

Show Me The MoneyThere is growth potential in digital signage.By Shonan Noronha, EdDWelcome to our newest monthly offering. “Sign Age” will offer valuable informationabout the rapidly growing field of digital signage (DS) every month.Shonan Noronha, EdD, a frequent contributor to Sound & Communications,will share her insights on the DS market segment. As an independent producerand training consultant, she works in collaboration with corporate communications,HR, IT and AV departments of large enterprises to deliver multimediacontent across disparate networks. Noronha is credited for the informationmapping and GUI design of interactive content distributed via the internet andon a variety of media. Earlier in her career, she was technical director at EPIEInstitute, where she was responsible for the testing and evaluation of AV equipment.She also co-developed the test protocol for the earliest projectors and PCstested at Consumers Union Laboratories.Are you taking full advantage ofall the revenue streams available toyou as a provider of digital signagesolutions? One way to expand profitopportunities in an increasingly commoditizeddigital signage hardwaremarket is to offer more of the servicescustomers need to deploy theirsignage projects successfully.From custom GUI design, programmingand network management,to content creation, sourcing anddelivery, there are many areas whereDS customers might be in need ofhelp. That’s what I call the customer’spain-point, and easing that pain-pointor meeting that need creates a potentialrevenue stream for you.• Network Worth: Recognizingthe need for networked DS solutions,some AV companies have hiredprogrammers, developed “networks”of freelance IT specialists, partneredwith network solution providers oracquired companies with the requiredcomplementary assets. Buteven without an enormous investmentof time and money, there areways to expand your DS serviceofferings.Several vendors enable AV solutionproviders to resell signage hosting,content management and otherservices. This allows integrators toexpand their brand and grow theirvaluable customer relationships.Signage software is now available as“Software-as-a-Service” (SaaS), similarto sales contact and accountingsoftware. A recent “reseller package”of content management SaaSeven provides a personalized loginpage that can be used to promote anBy using HD video clips and other media in its signage content, the AudubonInsectarium in New Orleans edutains visitors and reduces perceived wait-timeat ticketing.integrator’s branding, cross-sellingand event messages directly to endusers.Such “private label” solutions canbe packaged neatly into a typicalAV design-build integration proposal.But you’ll need to assess theappropriateness of a web-basedsolution against your client’s needShonan Noronha, EdD, is an award-winning writer/producer who has designed and producednetworked multimedia content for a broad spectrum of clients from Wall Street to FleetStreet. She consults on the applications of new media technologies for training, marketing andcorporate communications. Send comments, questions and suggestions to her at snoronha@testa.com.14 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.comImage courtesy IDS Menus

for independent control and security.In future columns, we’ll look at thespecific business models (and someof the vendors) providing these newopportunities.• Soft Sells: Installing, programmingand maintaining digital signagesoftware for content delivery andmanagement is another area wherecustomers implementing signageprojects are often willing to pay forexpertise.Even IT-savvy customers will payfor consultation, training and otherWE CONNECT BIG PICTUREIDEAS AND THE SMALLESTDETAILS TO CREATE EXTRAORDINARYNEW MOUNTING INNOVATIONS.WITH THE ABILITY TO EASILYHANDLE THE LARGEST FLAT SCREENDISPLAYS IN THE WORLD,OUR NEW 103” FLAT PANEL MOUNTIS A PERFECT EXAMPLE.enabling services to expedite theirDS deployment.In order to maximize the revenuepotential in this area, it is necessaryfor a solutions provider to have anin-depth understanding of the capabilitiesof different DS software applicationsto meet specific customerneeds. Developing relationships withselected software manufacturersand qualified local programmers isanother key step in advancing yourDS practice.This might involve some investmentin time and money, and thereare many questions you’ll need toask, such as: “Does the software appenable individual screen addressability?”and “What level of interactivitydoes the software allow?” We’lldiscuss the specifics of software (andvendor) selection in a future column.As the hardware involved in DSsystems becomes more diverse, selectionbecomes more critical. Issuesin this area include manufacturerpre-integration and the “build or buy”decisions we face on a daily basis regardingdisplay sub-systems, kiosksand servers.For example, display screens withonboard computers and DS softwareare available from several manufacturers.Although this option is idealfor some customers, it might notbe appropriate for others. Decisionpoints here include content complexityand speed of product replacement.How quickly does your customerrequire replacement of an integratedscreen if remote troubleshootingdoes not resolve a problem? It’scertainly more efficient to ship outa replacement media player than alarge display. There are many similarissues involving other technologycomponents in DS deployment, andwe will address them in detail duringthe challenging year ahead.Recent pilot rollouts of out-of-homeinteractive signage projects have capturedthe interest of consumers andDS providers alike. Are there revenueopportunities for you in this newmilieu created by the convergenceof digital signage, mobile computingand smart phones? Completelynew ways to engage consumers viasignage are part of today’s mediaecology: getting the mobile user tointeract through IM with signageon large displays, social networking,data mining and other forms ofcrowd sourcing. You can read aboutsome of these bleeding-edge technologiesin “Striking Visions,” beginningon page 46 of this issue, and there’smuch more to come in future “SignAge” installments.• Content Is King: Contentcreation is another frequently en-16 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

countered pain-point for corporatecustomers. Many companies donot have in-house capability to feedfresh content continuously to displayscreens. Digital signage is hungryfor compelling content that will attractviewers, whether they are in alobby or cafeteria, or in a retail store,mall or theater.Without fresh content, the screensno longer attract attention and viewersrapidly “tune out.” This appliesequally to old entertainment or newson screens in a mall as it does to lastmonth’s video newsletter in a corporatecafeteria. Fulfilling the vital needfor fresh content, with everythingfrom dynamic real-time broadcastsof news and stock quotes to shortanimations and video clips on specifictopics, can provide another greatbusiness opportunity for companiesalready delivering turnkey signagesolutions.At first, it might seem difficult toexpand your business into creatingor licensing content for signage,especially if you don’t have mediaproduction or content acquisitionexpertise in-house. Partnering with aproduction company or other contentprovider, such as an ad agency, canprovide a good, low-overhead way toget started in this area.Increasingly, companies in all sectorsof the DS industry are forgingpartnerships to create opportunities,and responding to RFPs for turnkeyDS that include content creation,content sourcing and onscreenadvertising sales. There are plenty ofpotential partners out there with contentto sell, and one of the objectivesof “Sign Age” is to lead you to newareas where you can network moreproductively in this area.• About You: Talking about advertising,what have you been doingto let the world know about the DSsolutions you offer? Potential customersdo extensive web-based researchfor their signage projects. It’s time todo some marketing on the internet.At a minimum, spice up your websitemetadata with appropriate DS keywords.Keyword sales on Google andother search engines are a relativelyinexpensive, effective way to attractreal prospects. It’s also a good ideato check with your DS suppliers andpartners, which might list authorizedor preferred integrators on theirwebsites in the same way that AVmanufacturers do.The rapidly evolving field of digitalsignage holds great promise for AVintegrators and other vendors thatcan respond quickly to the uniqueneeds of new signage applications.In “Sign Age,” we plan to keepyou abreast of DS industry trends,share tips on reselling new services,delineate criteria for the selectionof solutions and discuss some newbusiness models that might add toyour bottom line. And, of course,we’ll address topics raised by you viaemail. I invite you to send questionsand issues, or just start a dialog ondigital signage.I look forward to hearing from you. n February 2009 17

How Do You Achieve Accurate Measurements?Calibration!By Peter Mapp, FASA, FAESOver the last few months, I havelooked at the importance of theimpulse response and the variousmeasures for which we can use it, andthe metrics that can be derived from it.Measurements form an important partof the life of an audio/acoustics consultantor sound systems contractor.But how do we know our measurementis accurate? This is a fundamentalquestion because, if an audio or acousticsmeasurement is not accurate, thereprobably is little point in making it! However,there are degrees of precision.For example, is it necessary toknow a given sound or noise level towithin a fraction of a dB or the arrivaltime of a sound to within a microsecond?As with all things audio, thedegree of accuracy required dependson many factors. But, even assumingwe are using a sensible degreeof potential accuracy for the task athand, how do we know we are gettingthe right answer? Well, we needconfidence...confidence that we aremaking the measurement in the rightway and, secondly, that the equipmentwe are using is giving us theright answer. But how do we know?How do we get that confidence?First, we have to assume that theoperator (measurer) is competentand is potentially capable of makingan accurate measurement; that thenleaves the test equipment. One wayto check this would be to repeat themeasurement using a second piece oftest gear; for example, use a secondvoltmeter, impedance meter, soundlevel meter, etc. Then, if the same oralmost identical reading is achieved,the chances are that it is correct.But what if the second instrumentgives a different reading? Assumingthat one was available, a third instrumentcould be used. However, thelikelihood of having three voltmeters,let alone three impedance meters orthree sound level meters, available isminimal—especially on the jobsite.If your meter is calibrated or has atleast been recently tested alongsidea known good one, a reasonable degreeof confidence should be there.This still begs the question: Howdo you have a known good piece oftest gear? The answer, of course, iscalibration. Sometimes this may beas simple as performing a loopbacktest but, where particular baselineparameters are involved (e.g., volts,amps, ohms or SPLs), some form ofmore formal calibration is required.SPL is a good case in point. Itmay be that you have a dedicatedsound level meter; alternatively, youmay have a software measurementpackage with some form of digitalpreamp. Perhaps the package camewith a measurement microphone, orperhaps it didn’t and you bought oneseparately or, indeed, replaced theoriginal one. Now, how do you knowthat the indicated SPL is correct?Basically, you don’t! You could enterthe microphone sensitivity into theinstrument calibration routine (mostallow this) but, again, is the value theactual one or is it a generic or typicalsensitivity for that model of mic?The answer is to have a microphonecalibrator, which generatesa known SPL (typically 94 or 114dBat 1kHz). Then, with the calibratoroperating, the equipment calibrationroutine can be run and the SPL valueentered or a preset adjusted to givethe correct readout.This, of course, begs the question:How do we know the calibrator isaccurate? Is it, in fact, generating94dB…or whatever? Acoustic calibratorscan and do drift, and can beaffected by atmospheric conditions,including local barometric pressure,temperature and humidity.Because my consultancy dealswith legal cases and expert witnessprojects, I have to ensure that themeasurement equipment not onlyis calibrated but that I can prove it.Annually, the sound level meters andcalibrators are sent off for calibration,so their accuracy is known andtraceable to National Standards.Not everyone needs to have traceablecalibration, but we all need toknow that we are making accuratemeasurements. This is particularlytrue when equalizing a sound system.The objective is to achieve asmooth and relatively flat response,at least over a part of the audiblespectrum. How do we know that theresponse of our measurement microphoneis flat? That’s next month’stopic and we will see what tests wecan run ourselves to check that. nUnited Kingdom-based Peter Mapp, FASA, FAES, 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.18 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

Evolution TheoryAdapt to the present. Live to see the future.dio manufacturer lost $12.6 million in2007, and an additional $3.5 millionin the first half of 2008. Since then,the company replaced its entire executiveteam, reduced staff significantlyand, in December, announced that itsmain Chinese supplier, which makesabout a third of the company’s audioThe expectation that all those doorsthat closed one time will open upagain and that we’ll be back in thehigh life is no longer valid.and musical products, has stoppedmaking its products altogether dueto financial difficulties.As a result, the company warnedpublicly that, in addition to muchlower 2009 net sales, it might notbe able to comply with terms andconditions of its senior credit facility.In the last few months of 2008, thecompany did not file required reportingdocuments with the SEC and, inmid-January, the company voluntarilyrequested that its common stock bede-listed from NASDAQ.These are not the only ones. Manyother companies in our industryare being hit hard and are equallyin trouble, but their conditions arenot public for us to see. Few of ourmanufacturers are public companies,and none of the contracting or consultingfirms is.It would not be an overstatement tosay that this year will see the restruc-By David McNuttA high tide floats all boats, buta low tide reveals a lot of stumps.When times are good, we don’talways notice our mistakes or thatwe are doing things poorly or inefficiently.Tough times reveal our flatspots and present the great challengefor us to change.The last year has taken a toll on manyof our industry’s large, publicly tradedcompanies. Toshiba, the supplier ofeverything from chips sets to nucleartechnology, conceded it will significantlycut its earnings outlook for itsfiscal year through March; share valuehas plunged 65% in six months. Sonyreports it will lose money on its coreelectronics operations this year for thefirst time since 1995, even after cuttingthousands of jobs throughout 2008;Sony stock lost 68% of its value last year.Harman International has undoubtedlybeen affected by the automobileindustry downturn, but its HarmanPro reporting unit, which representsabout 16% of corporate revenues, hasalso felt the economic slide. In 2008,Harman closed several plants in theUS and finished the year with anotherround of layoffs in December.Harman stock has fallen from $48 ayear ago to below $12 a share.One of the toughest hits this yearhas been to Loud Technologies. Afterseveral years of profitability, the auture,sale or liquidation of a number ofcompanies in our industry. Of course,the potential for further cutbacks andlayoffs is still high as we await theinevitable slow recovery and renewalbut, still, some companies simply willnot survive. This is not pessimism;this simply is reality in a very harshfree-market business cycle. Thecompanies that do survive will beones that have managed themselvesbetter over the past several years andnot just the past several months. Forothers, drastic measures now willinevitably not work.For all of our companies, this isa time for navigating through thestumps: finding new and better waysof doing things, pulling together moreas a team, seeking other markets,finding new customers, improvingold processes, doing more training,becoming more efficient, increasingour focus, reducing our costs.All of these must be done to bettersurvive harsh environments andbecome even more profitable in thefuture. But the world is changing.There is more volatility than ever.Scenarios once thought unthinkableare now part of history. And we mustlook at the future differently.The time has come for us to understandthat business is fundamentallyshifting and, therefore, we mustadapt. The expectation that all thosedoors that closed one time will openup again and that we’ll be back in thehigh life is no longer valid. This isevolution and we can’t go back. nA member of Sound & Communications’ Technical Council, David McNutt has more than 35years of experience, covering live sound engineering, marketing for well-known manufacturers,audio system design and consultation, and fixed installation contracting. McNutt holds aMasters in Telecommunications and an MBA in Marketing and Strategy. He can be reachedat dmcnutt@testa.com.20 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

Established Excellencefor the AV IndustryInfoComm is the only organization within the audiovisual industryto earn ANSI accreditation for its personnel certification program.Specifiers, government agencies and purchasers of AV systemsworldwide recognize ANSI/ISO as a valuable measure of anindividual’s qualifications.As an employer, maintaining a staff of CTS holders providesassurance to clients and customers that you are committedto quality performance. As an AV professional, your credentialdemonstrates your ability, knowledge of best practices, andprofessionalism.InfoComm’s Certified TechnologySpecialists (CTS) at all levels ofcertification have demonstratedaudiovisual technology knowledgeand/or skills. Certified individualsadhere to a Code of Ethics andmaintain their status throughcontinued education.A Certified Technology Specialist(CTS) performs general technologysolution tasksby creating,operating andservicing AVsolutions, whileconducting AVmanagement activities which providefor the best audiovisual resolutionsof the client’s needs, both on timeand within budget.CERTIFIEDTECHNOLOGYGE NEQuestions?SPECIALISTCall+1.703.273.7200 or 800.659.7469Email:certification@infocomm.orgVisit:www.infocomm.org/ctsRLAA Certified Technology Specialist- Installation (CTS-I) installsand maintainsaudiovisualsystems byfollowingspecifications,schematics,codes, and safety protocols;administering installation processlogistics; troubleshooting andproblem solving systems;maintaining tools and equipment;and communicating with clients,designers, other trades, otherinstallers and staff to provide thebest audiovisual solutions for clients’needs, on time and within budget.CERTIFIEDI NTECHNOLOGYST ALLATI O NSPECIALISTA Certified Technology Specialist– Design* (CTS-D) demonstratesdetailedknowledge of howto analyze, selectand plan seamlessaudiovisualcommunicationsequipment interoperation. TheCTS-D demonstrates his or herexperience in the form of completespecifications and drawings thatdeliver a desired outcome to meeta client’s needs. A minimum oftwo years’ audiovisual designindustry experience accompaniesthe theoretical and practicalcompetencies.*InfoComm and the InfoComm independent Certification Committee are in the process ofapplying to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for accreditation of this certificationunder the International Standard ISO/IEC 17024 General Requirements for Bodies OperatingCertification Schemes of Persons program.CERTIFIEDTECHNOLOGYDESI G NSPECIALISTCertification is not a guarantee of performance by certified individuals. Certification demonstrates commitment to professional growth in the audiovisual industry and is strongly supported by InfoComm.

The Valleys To The MountainPeckville Assembly of God Church hosts high-profile acts.By Dawn AllcotIn October 2008, the superstarChristian rock band Mercy Me performedat Madison Square Garden.The group’s stop just prior to its concertat the 20,000-seat New York Cityvenue? Peckville Assembly of GodChurch in the small mountain townof Peckville PA, outside of Scranton.With a left-center-right array fromCommunity loudspeakers, a SoundcraftGB8 40-channel mixer and anAviom in-ear monitor system, plusfull projection systems that includeimage magnification capabilities, thechurch has the technical infrastructureto host high-profile Christianacts.The church is the only venue of itssize and type in the Endless MountainRegion of Pennsylvania, and islarge enough to host well-knownbands but small enough to createan intimate concert environment.This month, the Grammy AwardnominatedNewsboys will play in the1000-seat venue.In addition to permitting thechurch to bring in outside groups,the new facility offers many otheradvantages to church staff and thecongregation. For instance, the oldfacility’s sanctuary housed only a fewhundred worshippers; the churchheld four separate Sunday servicesto accommodate all congregationmembers. Now it holds two SundayAssembly of God Peckville’s sanctuary, viewed from the 200-seat balcony.services, and the new facility givesthe church much-needed space togrow. The congregation has doubledin size since the building project wascompleted six months ago.Additionally, the new systems offerinterconnectivity between the mainsanctuary, a youth room and a productionstudio.Perhaps most importantly, thenew systems permit the Pentecostalchurch to perform outreach to thecommunity. “The main reason tohave media is for outreach,” saidAG-Peckville’s Media Director, FredCicilioni. “We have two responsibilities:One is to enhance the servicesand to be transparent while we amplifythe worship leader’s message tothe people in-house, and the secondis to go make disciples.” The new AVsystems, part of a multi-million-dollarbuilding project that moved thechurch’s home literally from the baseof the valley to the top of the mountain,help the church’s media ministryfulfill both objectives.The AV and lighting systems wereinstalled and designed by PottsvillePA-based Audiobahn, Inc. Audiobahn,which also owns and operatesthe domain name www.churchsoundstore.com, has been dedicated toproviding sound, video and lightingsolutions for houses of worship formany years. President and Chief SystemsDesigner Tony Hersch offeredadvice for breaking into the lucrativechurch market.“You have to realize that, whenyou’re talking about Christianchurches, every denomination isdifferent. Catholic churches workone way, Baptists work another andAssemblies of God work yet another.You have to learn their politics, howtheir services are structured andwhat they need. If you don’t haveknowledge of their service, you’rejust shooting in the dark.” He notedthat one thing is the same acrossthe board: Most churches find theiraudiovisual integrators throughword-of-mouth. “In most cases, theonly way to get in is to get directreferrals,” he offered.Dawn Allcot is a freelance writer specializing in the audiovisual and health and fitness industries.22 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

Earning your trust through the years, Yamaha’s PM5D familyhas proven time and time again why it remains the most desireddigital mixing system in the industry. Through changing times,Yamaha’s second-to-none reliability, support and training have aidedin raising the PM5D-EX to new heights. Focusing on technologicaladvancements, the recent addition of the DSP5D expansionunit has doubled I/O for even more demanding applications.Looking towards the future it’s no secret that change is constant,but our commitment to quality products, top-notch service anddedication to education remains unaltered.When you needhelp, time zonesshouldn’t matter.Yamaha providescoast-to-coast 24/7technical support across theUnited States. With dedicatedstaff and regional service centers,assistance is around the corner.If we can’t fix it over the phone,we’ll put a part or a person on thenext plane out. It’s that simple.Today, tomorrow and always.Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. • P. O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90620-6600 • ©2009 Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. • www.yamahaca.com

Assembly of God Peckville’s new homeprovides room for its rapidly expandingcongregation.Dual fixed-frame screens sit to the leftand right of the podium on the stagewall, and arrays hang in a left-rightcenterconfiguration.That does not mean the marketisn’t wide open for integrators whoare willing to take the time to understandtheir client’s needs and explainhow systems work in easy-to-understand,jargon-free language. In fact,Hersch stressed that the technologicaltrend is toward contemporaryworship with high-tech systems,even in many formerly traditionalchurches. “The young contemporaryChristian movement is very big,” hestated. Referring to his recent projectat AG-Peckville, he added, “TheAssembly of God church has alwaysembraced their youth. That’s whythey flourish.”Hersch said he was fortunate towork with the media director atAG-Peckville, a flourishing churchthat puts great emphasis on its youthministry and the technical systemsthroughout the facility. “Fred is justwild about technology and what itcan accomplish,” Hersch said, callingCicilioni a media director whotruly thinks outside the box. “We ranconduit up to the highway becausehe hopes someday to put a digitalbillboard out there and broadcastservices on Sunday morning topeople driving by down in the valley.”For now, Cicilioni outlined threemain objectives for the new systems:AV in the main sanctuary that wouldattract big-name Christian performers,interconnectivity throughout thefacility and systems that would assistwith quality television production.Each goal, in some way, points backto the church’smission to createnew disciples.Cicilionistressed thatsystems werepresent in theirold sanctuaryto accomplishthese tasks, butthe sound, lightingand videowere unreliableand barelyadequate. “We’vebeen doing this for years, bringing ingroups, doing television production,”Cicilioni said. “But now we have theequipment to do it well. Everything’sreliable now; it does what we expectit to do.”Additionally, the church was runningout of room. “The old sanctuaryheld 250 people if we pushed it,”Cicilioni said. “And we were reallypushing it. We had people literallyturning around and leaving the parkinglot because there were no spacesavailable.”The new sanctuary has an extremelyflexible design that allowsthe church to fit anywhere from 400to 1000 people in the venue withoutit looking jam-packed or too empty.“We built the facility with the intentionof growth,” Cicilioni said.The main sanctuary floor seatsabout 450, and the balcony housesan additional 200 worshippers. Byturning off the lights in the balcony,the room looks full even if only thesanctuary floor is occupied. Beneaththe balcony sit classrooms with collapsiblewalls that open up, creatingspace for another 200 seats. Finally,movable seats can be brought in tobring the total capacity up to 1000.“No matter how many or how fewpeople are in the room, it can alwaysfeel full,” Cicilioni said. “We shoot for70% of capacity, because that statisticprovides the highest growth rate toattract new people to worship.”Wherever you sit in the sanctuary,Cicilioni emphasized, the systemssound equally good. Hersch and histeam, which included Project ManagerJoe Dobry and Systems TechniciansRob Bona and Dave Lanzone,installed Community Professionaltwo-way loudspeaker clusters flownhorizontally in a left-right-centerconfiguration. IHP1264 12-inch 60x40cabinets sit at the top to cover thebalcony, with an IHP1296 90x6024 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

February 2009 25

cabinet underneath to cover the mainfloor. Dual ILF218 dual 18-inch mainsubs sit at either side of the stageat deck level. XLT41E 12-inch boxesare used as stage monitors. Herschrelied on an Ashly 3.24CL mainsystem digital processor and 4.224Gand 4.24GS digital graphic equalizers.The system is powered by eightQSC RMX2450 main amps and twoPLX1804 stage monitor amps.One of the key challenges, Herschsaid, was hanging the speakers fromthe extremely high ceilings. TheEasy to use PC software for system design and control (GUI)sheetrock ceiling sits 22 feet up,but the actual roof trusses reside 20feet above the drop ceiling. “It’s along way up to get to the rigging,”he offered. “We had specialized liftsin there during the constructionprocess, and 20 feet of chain comingdown from the main roof trusses.”Acoustical panels on the parallelleft and right walls help alleviateflutter echo. Community CPL27Wdual eight-inch two-way monitor loudspeakershang in entryways at stageleft and stage right, pointing toward®MORE THAN A NEXIAAT A FRACTION OF THE COST.Can you afford NOT to check us out?The UAP G2 DSP Audio ProcessorSound qualityThe advanced 24 bit A/D and D/A converters, togetherwith the 48/96 kHz capable audio processing and the ADSP21371 DSP (266 MHz SIMD SHARC Core, capable of 1596MFLOPS peak performance), guarantee an excellent soundquality with the lowest possible latency.Hardware configurable:4 inputs-12 outputs8 inputs-8 outputs12 inputs-4 outputs16 inputs16 outputsAcoustical Echo CancellationFunction is available in ECS seriesNEXIA is a registered trademark of Bi-Amp CorporationCONTROL &PAGINGVIA INTERNETINTERNETMUSICPC(AP SOFTWARE)INTERNETGATEWAYSERVERPPM-IPTOUCHProgrammablestacking PagingMicrophoneETHERNETMAX. UP TO 12 UnitAUDIO x 16 CH + DATARAC5 RAC8 URCWall-mounted. Level control and5 sources selectors• Same drag and drop componentlibrary as others.• 8 programmable and scalable frontknobs and up to 16 programmableremote controls on each box.• Digitally link up to 12 boxes andshare 16 simultaneous audiochannels and data.• Built-in message storage (100 MB forup to 20 minutes of messagestorage).• Advanced preset manager withhundreds of master and sub presets.• Advanced scheduler with up to 128schedules and 100 events in each.• Powerful paging microphones withbuilt-in stacking paging.• Smart background noise sensing forauto output level control.• 16 control inputs (either TTL orAnalogue) and 8 TTL outputs forremote control and monitoring.• Easy setup 3rd party control via RS232or Ethernet.• Ethernet and TCP/IP connection foreasy setup and remote control andtrouble shooting.Wall-mounted. Level controland 8 sources selectorsMaIn fEatUrEsProgrammable Remote controllerwith displayRock Solid, Elegant, Easy To Use DSP!www.penton-usa.com 1-888-883-8383Booth No. 6641 Infocomm Show 2009, Orlando, USAATEIS EUROPE, ASIA AND MIDDLE EAST PLEASE VISIT WWW.ATEIS.COMthe choir risers. The praise bandperformers use an Aviom AN-16/Isystem with six A-16ii personal monitorstations.Microphones include six AKGC1000S instrument mics, two ShureSLX24/SM58 handheld mics and anSLX14 wireless beltpack system witha Countryman E6i earset mic. Frontof house mixing is accomplished witha Soundcraft GB8 40-channel mixingboard. “The GB8 was chosen forits functionality, sound quality andprice,” Hersch said.Dual Panasonic PT-FW100NTU3200 lumen projectors provideprojection capabilities, firing to dualVutec Vu-Easy fixed-frame screenssitting on the wall behind the stageon either side of the podium. Herschliked the extruded aluminum bevelededge and black velvet covering onthe screens. “It’s a really nice lookingscreen, and easy to install.”The integrator anticipated a challengewith the projectors, whichhad to hang above the prosceniumopening, but discovered they workedperfectly. “They’re coming downat a little bit of an angle onto thosescreens,” Hersch said. He noted thatthey keystone-corrected very well,and maintained focus at both the topand bottom of the screen.The projector’s ambient light sensorsmake it an eco-friendly solution,and the filter mechanism advancesthe filter as it gets dirty, making iteasy to maintain. The fold-down frontprevents dirt from getting on thelens. Hersch said he used the newprojectors for the first time at Peckvilleand, since, has specified themfor several other jobs.The church presents PowerPoint,song lyrics, sermon notes and I-Mag (image magnification) on thescreens. I-Mag is accomplishedthrough Canon and Sony (highdefinition) cameras that were part ofthe previous sanctuary systems. Thecameras also capture the service forwebcasting on the church website,www.peckvilleag.org.A 60-inch LG plasma display hangson the balcony as a confidence monitorfor those on the podium.26 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

Video and audio is routed throughKramer VP 4X4 video/audio matrixswitchers and Intelix DIGIVGA activedistribution baluns systems. Thesecomponents, which transmit signalsover Cat5, provide connectivitythroughout the venue, a key featureof the installation.The new facility contains a productionstudio, youth room, café, lobbyand multiple hallways, all of whichfeature extensive AV systems oftheir own. The systems in the youthroom were originally installed in theformer facility’s master control roomand sanctuary; the church’s 25-persontech staff, comprised mostly ofvolunteers, completed the transferthemselves, along with running conduitin the new sanctuary.Audiobahn also added JBL Control26CT 70-volt, six-inch, two-wayceiling speakers in the hallways andControl 25Ts in the lobby. Thesebroadcast the service while it is takingplace on Sunday morning.The production studio, youth roomand main sanctuary are connectedthrough the Kramer matrix switchers,which Hersch said were anaffordable way to provide three-wayconnectivity. “There’s a send/receivefrom each of those main areas to andfrom the other two,” Hersch said,describing some of the possibilities.“From the front-of-house position inthe main sanctuary, you can switchto the AV signal coming from theyouth room, have a two-way conversationand then the youth can play asong for everyone in the sanctuary.Or you can take a DVD playing in theyouth room and send it to the twoother locations. Similarly, the productionstudio can load up a PowerPointpresentation and send it to both theyouth room and the main sanctuary.”The systems permit the churchto use the youth center as overflowspace if necessary. The church canalso do a live webcast of Sundayservices and tape, produce and createmulti-track recordings for playon-air to the local ABC, FOX andSound&Comm_DecAd-4.875 x 7.25"_XGC500 12/17/08 7:20 PM Page 1ION Television affiliates, along withseveral regional networks and stationsoverseas, as well.“We have an international ministry,”Cicilioni said, noting the webcastsare viewed by Assembly of Godmembers on all seven continents.Hersch and his staff had some funwith the web cam feed when theywere photographing the sanctuaryfor this report. “Earlier today,”Hersch said, laughing, “I had twoguys in the church and they had thewebcam on. I went to the website,and then sent them a text messagesaying, ‘I’m watching you’.”Of course, AG-Peckville’s congregationmembers are enjoying thenew systems even more. “A lot ofpeople say the video screens are somuch easier to read. And the soundis so much more evenly distributedacross the room,” Cicilioni added.“Sometimes people don’t comment atall, but you look around the churchduring services and you can tellthey’re feeling a difference.” nThe Lamp Changer.A fresh lamp, automatically,with the LC-XGC500.For hard-to-reach or mission-criticalinstalls, this 5000 ANSI Lumen, 3LCDXGA projector reduces maintenance andprevents surprises, with an air filter good forup-to 10,000 hours, and a spare lamp thattakes over in seconds when the first lampreaches end-of-life.LC-XGC500XGA, 5000 Lumens, 3LCDFor more information aboutThe Lamp Changerplease call 1-800-932-8703or visit http://www.eiki.com.2345Projectors... and more!February 2009 27

Special Religious EventsThese provide good marketing opportunities.By David Lee Jr., PhDEditor’s Note: Rental and stagingof events involves a different set ofskills—and inventory requirements—and typically would not be coveredin our pages. However, integratorsthat can successfully support regionalmeetings such as the author describescertainly can use this opportunity tomake good connections for future fixedinstallations and upgrades in housesof worship.Religious organizations holdnumerous conventions and specialevents throughout the year. In theChristian faith, most groups sponsora national convention every twoor three years in a large venue in awell known, convention friendly citysuch as Dallas, Indianapolis, Miami,Orlando, Phoenix or Minneapolis,to name a few. Las Vegas is a premierconvention city; however, it isnot (for obvious reasons) a primarydestination for most religious organizations.Venues in cities such as Charlotte,Cincinnati, Denver and Louisville,for example, often host smallerregional conventions and specialevents. Cities of all sizes host specialevents related to Easter, July 4 thand Christmas. More than likely, ifyour city has a 1000- to 25,000-seatvenue, with hotel support, it will beconsidered for a national, regional orlocal religious gathering. If so, youhave an opportunity to win all, or atReligious organizations aretrying to strengthen theirministries by conductingmore conventions, meetingsand special events.least a particular portion, of a mediacontract associated with a specialreligious event.I advance here, in general terms,that product packaging, effectivecommunication skills, state-of-the arttechnologies, plus strong user skillsequals a formidable combination thatcan lead to winning a contract for areligious convention or special event.Let’s break down these components.The first way to get your name inthe hat to be considered for thesespecial events is to package yourproduct in a way that can be understoodby the decision-makers. In otherswords, what do you do? How canyou explain what you do in a way thatis clear, precise and easy to comprehend?Then, you will have to do yourhomework to locate, and then makecontact with, the denominationalheadquarters or a local church. Mostdenominations (Baptist, Presbyterian,Methodist, etc.) have an office ineach US state. They also will have anational office somewhere in the US.You will want to put together whatyour organization offers in a wayleaders can understand quickly.Effective communication skills arerequired to make it in our industry.The ability to communicate well withpeople, in language they understand,is extremely important in religiouscircles. If you communicate poorly(you don’t return phone calls, don’trespond to email, don’t follow upas promised, don’t pay attention inmeetings), these organizations willfind someone who will respond tothem in meaningful ways. You canhave the best gear on Earth but notwin the deal if you communicatepoorly.For large-scale national events, themost up-to-date technologies, suchas high-definition (HD) cameras/productiongear, HD video projection,high-resolution line-array rigs, and amixture of fixed and moving lights,typically will be required. For smallerregional events, the demand for HDvideo production and projection is onthe rise. High-quality line-array is thenorm in almost any venue, and lightingmust be suitable for the event.Local events will range from the bestof the best to lower-end gear. That iswhere your ability to communicateand interpret the needs of the eventand the requirements of leadershipwill help you win or lose the deal.High-level skill sets are required tooperate the communication technologieseffectively. You or your crewmust know how to use those technologiesproficiently in order to respondto the requirements of the event andyour client. The information on therun sheets is the easy portion of theprogram to interpret and execute.The unknown, last-minute addendumsto the program are why usingpeople with high-level skills, who(continued on page 78)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.28 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

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‘Signal’ Of The FutureMagenta Research executives outline their vision.By Dan FerrisiEditor’s Note: Magenta Research, based in New Milford CT, has been involvedin commercial AV signal distribution since its inception in 1998. Thecompany is known for having achieved numerous technical milestones as wellas its presence in the signage space. Sound & Communications caught up withKeith Mortensen, Founder/CEO, and Bob Michaels, Vice President, to get theirinsights on where Magenta has been, its current activities and what the futuremight hold, both domestically and abroad.Sound & Communications: MagentaResearch split from Micrognosisto become its own corporationabout 11 years ago. Explainhow Magenta was formed,its founding vision and how ithas evolved.Keith Mortensen: I worked forMicrognosis and, when I left thecompany, a handful of key peopleand I started Magenta Research witha completely different mission thanMicrognosis had. Although Micrognosiswas in the business of signalmanagement of computer video, keyboardand mouse for financial tradingfloors, that wasn’t the game plan forMagenta Research.Our company’s original vision (it’sbeen this way for almost 11 years)was that we saw the future as beingdynamic signage, now called digitalsignage. We started out developing atechnology base for the distribution ofvery high resolution computer videocontrol signals over inexpensive categorycable. It’s grown from there.We started to develop some goodtechnology and gain traction, andthen the dot-com collapse came.Naturally, that slowed things down.But, we regained momentum, andthen 9/11 happened, and it’s no longerbusiness as usual. People werelooking at dynamic signage as a wayof using disposable income to playwith something new. When catastrophesoccur, it really blows that out ofthe water. Within 18 months, thingspicked up, and our growth could bestbe described as meteoric ever since.At our founding, we saw signage wasgoing to become an explosive business,and it certainly has. It’s been explodingfor more than five years, andit’s continuing. Everybody wants toget in on digital signage, as it’s morphing,changing and growing in so manydirections that people are now startingto specialize in sub-segments.S&C: How do you explain yourdigital signage prescience?KM: We had started talking to acompany, which no longer exists,that wanted to put signs on gaspumps. With CRTs, it wasn’t really agood fit. But LCDs were just comingon and we thought, eventually,this was going to become commonplaceeverywhere. We used to jokethat you wouldn’t be able to go intoa men’s room without seeing LCDadvertising. In fact, that’s finally happened.We had an integrator install asystem in a big nightclub and, in themen’s room, there’s digital signage.So, we were right on target with that.S&C: How has the “shape” ofMagenta Research changed?What are its growth figures?Bob Michaels: Since 2003, ourcompany has grown by a factor of10. Looking toward the future, we allrecognize there’s going to be a slowdownthis year, but we’ve reviewedour numbers and still expect to havehealthy growth. We have a number ofopen positions to be filled. In short,we’re weathering the economic environmentwell and actively recruiting,in terms of both senior staff and thecore organization, such as engineeringand sales.Speaking to the “shape” of our company,there’s been strong professionaland technical growth over the last fewyears. We have low employee turnoverand, in fact, people who’ve beenhere from day one are still contributingin a significant manner. We’veexcelled in our ability to identify gapsin the organization early on, take thenecessary actions to fill them, alwaysbringing in above-average talent.We’ve been fortunate that we’vebeen able to recruit top-tier people,get them on board and keep them onboard, contributing. Technology remainsthe driver, though. The peoplewe hire certainly have to believein the company’s technology andcontribute to it. Although the coreculture revolves around the company’stechnology, there’s a strongemphasis on the people, too.S&C: How do you promote a workenvironment to which people are attractedand at which they stay?Dan Ferrisi is Sound & Communications’ Associate Editor.30 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

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‘[Magenta Researchhas] targeted all ourresources for signagesolutions. We’re nottrying to compete witheverybody and makea million differentproducts.’—Keith Mortensen,Founder/CEOKM: Of the six people who camehere with me, all but one, whorecently retired, are still here. Idon’t think anybody’s ever quit. Ourselection process is rigorous, and it’sresulted in a tight-knit group. We’rea lean organization; there’s not onesecretary in our whole company. Everybodyworks very hard and, whenthe company is successful, all theemployees benefit, as well.S&C: What’s different aboutMagenta, from a technologicalperspective?KM: When we approach productdevelopment, we take a scientificapproach rather than a typical engineeringapproach; it’s different.For example, we probably spend sixman-months mathematically modelingthe transfer function losses of cablebefore we do anything in the way ofputting together a schematic, tinkeringin a lab or picking up the solderingiron. We identify the math problemfirst, which makes it easier todevelop an engineering plan to solvethe well-defined problem. The scientificapproach comes first, and then theengineering approach takes over.Our priorities are a little bit different.We don’t have a huge productcatalog, trying to solve every problemin the world. We focus all our expertiseand resources on solving specificproblems, selling unique products andmaking them the best in class.S&C: What is your trade showstrategy?KM: We attend the InfoComm andDigital Signage Expo shows domestically,along with international eventssuch as InfoComm Asia, IntegratedSystems Europe, PALME and others.Our show strategy is also a little bitdifferent. Because our focus is not onthe presentation market, we tend togo to a number of smaller shows thatbetter target our market with laserprecision: signage. We find those aremore productive.S&C: To what extent is Magentaan international company? Howquickly is the distribution mapexpanding?BM: International is certainly apriority for us. Between 2003 and2006, our growth was really fueleddomestically. International exposurewas there, but wasn’t a strong focalpoint. That was primarily due tothe fact that US signage opportunitiesoutweighed those of Europeand the rest of the world. The trendhadn’t really moved outside of NorthAmerica. That didn’t change in a bigway until 2007. Over the past twoyears, we’ve recognized a shift insignage growth outside the US anddeveloped a strategy to penetrate theinternational market.For us, being prepared is a majorconsideration. So, 2008, in the currentfiscal year, is when we really executedon a strategy to increase ourinternational presence. We broughtin an experienced sales directorand one of his prime responsibilitieswas to create an organization tosupport export in the same way wesupport our domestic channel. We‘We all recognizethere’s going to be aslowdown this year,but we’ve reviewedour numbers andstill expect to havehealthy growth.’—Bob Michaels,Vice Presidenthave a very strong support networkthroughout the United States anddidn’t want to develop the internationalchannel without being properlyorganized to perform on the samelevel as we do in the US.We identified and selected partnersthat will work with us to grow thebusiness. We weren’t looking for adistribution channel that would justput our name on their line cards,hope the phone rang and send us afew orders. That’s not our model.We established our guidelines forall international channel partners andactively recruited, selecting from anumber of potential partners. Sincethe beginning of 2008, we’ve addednew distributors in 10 key countriesand territories, and we’ll have morenews in the next few months, whichwill be announced as relationshipsare established.We take essentially the same deliberateapproach to this as we do inproduct development.S&C: How expansive will yourinternational outreach be?BM: Ultimately, we will cast a verywide net and, to some extent, ourpotential customers around the worldwill dictate the expansion to us. Weare recognized for strong technicalproduct, the ability to support it, and tosolve application issues and problems.Many places around the world certainlywill want to take advantage of that.But our immediate program targetshigh-growth areas: places where wecan make the most impact, gain marketshare and have healthy prices.32 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

S&C: Why was 2007 when digitalsignage broke out of the NorthAmerican box?BM: For us, we kind of “caught up”with the growth here and seized theopportunity to expand into the internationalmarketplace. Our inquiryrate significantly increased duringthat period, as well, in terms of thosecoming directly to us, to our website,or potential distributors expressinginterest in representing Magenta’sproducts. It was just the right time.S&C: How do you explain MagentaResearch’s success in commercialAV?KM: There are several elements.We’ve targeted all our resources forsignage solutions. We’re not trying tocompete with everybody and make amillion different products. We’re notbranching off into breakfast cereals,car jacks and everything else. Westay very focused. We also benefitfrom the premium placed on reliability.We focus heavily on that in all ourproducts. If you have 10,000 displaysaround the country and 10,000 Cat5video receivers at each display, youcan’t afford to get a phone call atyour corporate headquarters fromsomebody saying, “The display overour popcorn stand is down. Fly somebodyout here.” You can’t have that.Reliability, reliability, reliability.All our products have a 100,000-hourMTBF…more than double the industrynorm. Our environmentals are upto 55°C operating capabilities, whichis significantly higher than mostcommercial electronic products. Andit’s borne out in our extremely lowfield failure and return rates. Wedon’t have a specific repair department;it’s not necessary.BM: Other companies are heavilyfocused on addressing the full-scaleneeds of the presentation market; forus, we stick to our mission…to ourfocus on signage. So, why is MagentaResearch successful? We focus exclusivelyon our core competency ofsignal management and distribution.We have an emphasis on high-leveltalent in all areas of the company.And, finally, we take a scientific approachto everything we do.S&C: Do you anticipate rapiddigital signage market evolution?KM: Absolutely. If you look at digitalsignage when it first emerged, itwas most successful in larger venues—throughoutsupermarkets, forexample. Now, it’s filtering down tobecome simpler and simpler, smallerand smaller. Even in a non-chainstore, someone will get some simplesoftware, put up one screen and makea little sign in the lobby, welcomingpeople. Consider an application like adentist’s office, for example. So, largescalesignage is still exploding andsmall-scale signage is, as well.As far as where Magenta is going,if you look at our entire MultiViewproduct line for distribution in analog,you’ll see everything replicatedin digital format and being rolled outover the next 18 months. nFull Discount Wholesale is thepremier supplier of Professional Audio,Video, A/V and Lighting equipmentto resellers and contractors.Extensive InventoryLow Cost ShippingNo Minimum OrderHundreds of the Top BrandsFriendly, Experienced Sales ProsExceptional Customer ServiceBlind Drop Ship Capability800.828.0509

Swimming in SuccessBlueWater Technologies seeks, and delivers, the best of AV.Clearly, this isn’t your typical university setting. BlueWater poured $3 million worthof AV into a new college campus, including eye-grabbing videowalls.Dan Ferrisi is Sound & Communications’ Associate Editor.By Dan FerrisiThe audiovisual industry encompassesa broad range of systemsintegration firms, some of whichseek to carve out a niche (such assound reinforcement for houses ofworship, for example) and some ofwhich draw strength from the expansivenessof their offerings. SouthfieldMI-based BlueWater Technologies(BWT) very much fits into the secondcategory. Although the companyis involved in live event rental andstaging, the bulk of its business(roughly 65%) relates to commercialfixed-install systems integration, withan accent on projects of great technicalcomplexity.Founded in 1985, the company hasabout 120 employees and achieved2008 revenues of about $35 million.Its headquarters includes a 57,500-square-foot facility with more than$3 million in equipment inventory.BWT has established branch officesin Grand Rapids MI; Columbus OH;Northwest OH; Dallas TX; ClevelandOH; Mesick MI; and, soon, theChicago IL area. According to directorof integration Jim Crowley, CTS,BlueWater sells its enviable intellectualproperty, as opposed to piling upcookie-cutter “hang and bangs.” Thetheme is potent: Supplying solutions,not equipment.At its inception, the companyfocused on providing rental equipmentto hotels, along with occasionallyrunning and staging that gear.However, along with the change ofdecade, the ’90s brought rapid technologicalprogression, which inviteda realignment of business strategy.According to Crowley, “With theemergence of flat panels and highbrightnessprojectors, corporationsfinally found a way to get away fromthe older technology and go withsomething electronic that thingscould be hooked into.”And, perhaps in a departure fromconventional strategy, once BlueWaterembraced systems integration,it sought high-end, high-marginprojects. “[We integrate] everythingfrom training rooms to very elaborateboardrooms and visualization systems,”he said, accentuating commandand control and videowalls, as well.With respect to vertical markets,Crowley cited corporate as the biggestpiece of the pie, a categorywhose 45% to 50% encompassesmanufacturing, financial, healthcareand other sub-segments: “Anybodywho has a boardroom, conferenceroom or training room,” Crowleysummarized. Education is the secondlargest component, with strict concentrationon higher education. “Wedon’t get involved with much K-12work,” he said. “There are too manypeople chasing it….You have networkcompanies trying to be AV dealersand AV dealers trying to be networkcompanies. We didn’t really want tobe part of that group.”Illustrating the caliber of work forwhich BlueWater Technologies aims,Crowley cited a current universityproject, involving $3 million worthof audiovisual, which, at the time ofwriting, was a month from completion.“It is for a new college on the34 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

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BlueWater Technologies’Southfield MI headquartersdoes not skimp ontechnology. Note thevisual panache of thelobby, outfitted withflat screens.WE’VE HEARD YOU.“MY CUSTOMERS WANT A VISUAL INFORMATION SYSTEM THAT IS MODULAR,SELF CONFIGURING, EASY TO MANAGE, SERIOUSLY FLEXIBLE AND EXPANDABLE.”PixelNet is a revolutionarynew way to capture, distribute,control and displaydigital and analog videosources for AV applications.Utilizing packet-switchingtechnology, PixelNetdelivers high resolution,real time video and othervisual data from any sourceat any size to any display.> A node for every type ofinput: DVI, Analog RGB,Analog HD (YPrPb),and HD-SDI> TeamMate outputnode can handle eitheranalog or digital displaysat resolutions up to1920x1200 pixels> PixelNet nodes are small,silent, energy efficient,and hot-swappableIT’S POSSIBLE NOW. MEET PIXELNET®.> Instantly scalable: Add anode for any new inputor new display, the systemis self-discoveringand self-configuring> Format conversion, deinterlacing,scaling andcolor space conversionperformed automaticallyPixelNet. Capture it anywhere. Display it everywhere.JUPITER SYSTEMS | +1 510.675.1000 | WWW.JUPITER.COM | 31015 HUNTWOOD AVE., HAYWARD, CA 94544 USA> Inexpensive and easy touse CAT6 cables allowdistances between nodesof up to 100 meters withoutsignal degradation> System managementthrough PixelNetDomain Control— anobject oriented, drag anddrop user interfaceuniversity’s campus,” he said. “Itinvolves a big head-end master controlsystem in the basement, three40-person classrooms, an 80-personclassroom, 30 25-person classroomsand, finally, a huge auditorium. Thereare some interactive kiosks and flatpanels in the lobby, classroom technology,facility-wide control systems,media streaming, videoconferencing….”Of course, not every projectcan reach into the millions, but thisjob’s complexity—and marshaling ofdiverse disciplines—gives a sense ofBWT’s vision.Technologically speaking, Blue-Water considers itself adept in everything,from audio and video tocontrol systems technology. But,although its focus is not exclusive, ithas delved deeply into the lucrativedigital signage domain. “One of ourmost interesting current projects isa huge, two-year national rollout of adigital signage system for a nationalfinancial institution. It’s valued between$10 and $12 million, and it’s agreat feather in the cap that has reallyspringboarded us into everything digitalsignage,” enthused Crowley. Thecompany is even testing the watersof content creation and management,seizing on the creative minds underits roof and warding off concernsabout hardware commoditization.However, BlueWater’s most uniquecharacteristic might not be its prestigiousprojects or even its diversetalents. The range of certificationsand credentials of which it can boast,including some that might be unfamiliarin AV circles, is singularly striking.Crowley takes pride in BlueWaterTechnologies being North America’sfirst ISO 9001-certified AV company.This standard provides a set offormalized requirements for a qualitymanagement system, irrespectiveof an organization’s field, size, orpublic- or private-sector status. Hebelieves that, for clients, being ISO9001 compliant indicates a “buttonedup”business approach…a seriousnessand professionalism fosteringmutual trust. It also simply enhancesoffice operations.“Everything is electronically linked36 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

Increasingly, flat-panel displays andinteractive kiosk stations are finding theirway into shopping malls, presenting freshways for retailers to make the sale.and justified in our system,” Crowleysaid. “We use a custom modulesystem for all our work. People workingfrom out-of-state offices—evenat home at night—have access tothis. Everything you want to learn orcommunicate about a job is all donethrough a common portal.” BWTparticipates in the InfoComm CertifiedAudioVisual Solutions Provider(CAVSP) program, as well, earningthe Silver designation for 50% of staffbeing InfoComm certified.BlueWater also received nationalcertification as a Women’s BusinessEnterprise by the MICEED, whichis a regional certifying partner of theWomen’s Business Enterprise NationalCouncil (WBENC). The rigorous certificationprocess confirmed the businessto be at least 51% owned, operatedand controlled by a woman or women.“There are certain client organizationsthat have to go toward diversity orminority dollars,” noted Crowley, “andthis certification has opened up communicationfor us to get into certain areas.”He remarked that, going to tradeexpositions and seminars, he noticedbuyers seeking woman-owned companies.“You don’t walk up to them—theycome to you!” he exclaimed.ISO 9001 and, in the historicallymale-dominated technology fields,WBENC are badges most systemsintegrators cannot claim—a fact thatmakes BWT’s considerable investmentto obtain them all the morenoteworthy.Asked the secret to which hewould attribute BlueWater’s success,Crowley cited the people, along withthe work environment, and processesand procedures, that maximize theirefforts. “Our biggest strength, sincewe have this diversity of divisions, isthe mind-sharing…the skill sets wehave to work with. It’s a huge operationaland sales tool, because there’snot too much we come across thatwe can’t handle,” he declared. “That’sthe best asset we have,” concludedCrowley, “our people and what theyshare.”nFebruary 2009 37

CommunicationsSuperhighwayTexas DoT’s AV technology keeps traffic flowing.By Dawn AllcotImagine driving to work, no time tospare before the big Monday morningmeeting, when your GPS warns of trafficcongestion ahead on your chosenroute. It redirects you to another majorthruway and you arrive at the meetingon time. The boss notices, especiallysince several of your colleagues, wholacked such high-tech systems, walkedin late.The technology to do this is availableand affordable today in products suchas the Dash Express internet-enabledtraffic data system. But the informationabout the traffic must originatesomewhere. If you live in the DallasMetroplex region of Texas, it’s comingfrom the Texas Department ofTransportation’s (TxDOT) new 54,000-square-foot, $10 million transportationmanagement center, DalTrans.TxDOT’s Home BaseDalTrans is the home base of operationsfor TxDOT’s new traffic managementsystem, which is using IntelligentTransportation Systems (ITS)technologies. ITS is designed to bettermanage traffic congestion createdby accidents and increasing volume,and to enhance vehicle throughput onmore than 100 miles of North Texasroadway. By using available roadwaysmore efficiently, ITS helps alleviatetraffic problems without the time andexpense (not to mention the negativeenvironmental impacts) involved withbuilding more and larger highways. Accordingto a published case study, “ITSintegrates innovative traffic monitoringtechnology with inter-agency coordinationto provide a seamless transportationnetwork.”In addition to 15 RGB Spectrum4View multi-image display processors,the extensive AV and communicationssystems in the new facility include amassive Draper Diamond screen, fivePanasonic rear-screen LCD projectors,ViewSonic LCD displays at eight monitoringstations and an Extron matrixswitcher. Audio components includea combination of KSI ceiling speakersand Klipsch surface-mount speakers,all powered by Crown amplifiers. Thesystem is controlled by an IP-addressableAMX NetLinx system via touchpanelsor over the computer network.The audiovisual and communicationssoftware was installed by CCSPresentation Systems’ Dallas office,with Systems Sales Engineer Kim Ottdirecting the project design and implementation.The install was completedDawn Allcot is a freelance writer specializing in the audiovisual and health and fitness industries.38 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

ased on specifications and guidancefrom Rockville MD-based IT consultingfirm Telvent. Making the ITSfunctional, said Telvent Senior ITSEngineer Joerg “Nu” Rosenbohm, requiredintegrating the AV systems withTxDOT’s statewide traffic managementsoftware.This unassuming structurehouses DalTrans, theTexas Department ofTransportation’s (TxDOT)new 54,000-square-foot,$10 million transportationmanagement center.Scott WilliamsShared SpaceThe TxDOT shares the space withthe Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)and with the Dallas County CourtesyPatrol. DART is responsible for operatingand maintaining Dallas’ HOV (highoccupancy vehicle) lanes, whereas thecourtesy patrol assists motorists whosevehicles have broken down. The threeorganizations work together to resolvetransportation issues in the Dallas region.Having all relevant agencies underone roof provides huge benefitsand helps the system work more effectively,according to TxDOT FreewayManagement Engineer Rick Cortez.The previous TxDOT building wasonly 2200 square feet, “the size of asmall to medium-sized house,” Cortezsaid. They had a similar system, but itwas staffed in different locations. “Ourmain goal here was getting more playersin the same room. We still haveroom to expand and we have interestfrom other agencies to bring personnelinto this building,” he offered. “If theyare a good fit for us, it would be greatto coordinate with other agencies, aswell.”The new building is also miles aheadin technology. The previous facilityused 21 CRT monitors stacked in threerows of seven, and one 60-inch screenwith a projector. “It was just a way toget the image into the room,” Cortezsaid.The AV systems in the new facilitygive TxDOT and the other organizationsenhanced picture quality and theability to put multiple images on thescreen and view them simultaneously,instantly change display arrangementsfrom four-window quad configurationsto full-screen, and to “zoom in” on particularimages and bring them down tothe monitor at any one, or more, of theeight workstations on the EmergencyOperations Center (EOC) floor.Other EOCResponsibilitiesThe EOC is also used to handleweather situations and, should theneed arise, homeland security emergencies.The building was conceptuallydesigned by Telvent, and architecturallydesigned by HLM Architects, Inc.,which was acquired by Rees Associates,Inc., during the course of the project.The facility includes several conferencerooms, executive offices, a divisibletraining room and a media/viewingroom. The viewing room is situated tothe rear and slightly above the EOC,with a large window that opens intothe room so members of the media cansee everything going on in the EOC.The main conference room, called theEmergency Management Room, is onthe second floor above the viewingroom, overlooking the EOC, whereasthe training room shares the first floorwith the EOC.The Emergency Management Roomhas the same functionality as the EOC,with privacy away from the media cameras,as well as teleconferencing andpresentation capabilities. “That’s wherewe work out any emergencies, be it aweather emergency, a traffic emergencyor a homeland security emergency,if it should come to that,” Cortez said.“The only [major emergencies] we’vehad to use it for recently are weatherevents: ice storms and hurricanes.During the hurricane, we coordinatedtraffic coming up from the Houstonarea.”NASA-Type FacilityCortez described the EOC as “somethingyou might see at NASA.” Twelvemonitoring stations on the floor areused by TxDOT, DART and DallasCounty personnel. The stations containmultiple 21-inch LCD flat-panel monitorsby ViewSonic in Evans consoles.The LCDs were specified by Telvent asa cost-effective selection that would notexperience burn-in over time, becausemany of the images displayed on thescreen would be mostly static.An entire wall of the EOC is coveredby a videowall composed of five 6'x8'(120-inch diagonal) Draper Diamondscreens. The screens receive imagesfrom five Panasonic PTD5700U 5000lumen, rear-screen LCD projectors.The space was available behind the videowallto install the more cost-effectiverear-projection systems, according toOtt. “The LCD projectors were featurerich,with the lamp life the client waslooking for, at an attractive price point,”she said. The Diamond screen also offeredhigher gain than other options.“The client’s goal was to have a good,bright image on the screen with theability to switch easily between sourc-February 2009 39

View from the downstairs viewingroom where the media can setup during bad weather or otheremergencies, and view theEmergency Operations Center.The members of the media connecttheir cameras and microphonesinto this media panel in thedownstairs viewing room. A cablerun of about 350 feet runs to theparking lot where their vans getfeeds and send communicationsout via satellite.es, view four images on the screen atonce, or zoom in and view any singlesource as a full-screen image acrossthe entire wall,” Ott said.Fifteen RGB Spectrum 4View multiimagedisplay processors and an IPaddressableAMX NI4100 NetLinxcontrol system with touchpanels givethe operators complete flexibility overthe images they view. “We didn’t useRS232 commands,” Ott said. “Everythingis done over IP, so they can log into a regular computer to control audioand video.”Images At Any SizeThe 4View processors permit operatorsto views images at any size, anywhereon the screens, with coloredborders and labels to assist in image40 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

A videowall composedof five 6'x8' screenscovers an entire wallof the EOC. Five5000 lumen, rearscreenLCD projectorsprovide the images forthe screens.The EOC floor featureseight workstations andfive 6'x8' screens.The lobby features two 40-inch LCDmonitors with CCTV that receiveinputs from traffic cameras or localnews, or visitors can view a feedof a pre-produced program.Scott WilliamsScott Williamsdelineation. The processors display allfour video inputs at full resolution, upto 1600x1200 pixels, with advanced, artifact-freemotion rendering for highvisual quality.“The multi-image display wall hasbecome an invaluable monitoringtool, enabling operators to maintaincomprehensive vigilance and improvesafety and security,” Ott noted in thecase study.The 4View processors support composite,S-video and component videoinputs. The systems receive feedsfrom 200 remotesurveillance CCTVcameras locatedon Dallas-areahighways, as wellas local televisionScott Williamsbroadcasts, DirecTVbroadcastsor a DVD player.“They can bringup CNN and othernews stations onthe big screen,”Ott said. “It allowsthem to draw fromevery source to beable to divert trafficin the event ofan emergency.”The company installed both analogand digital antennae on the roof inorder to be prepared for the shift todigital broadcast. Analog tuners weresupplied but TxDOT is prepared, withmoney available in the budget and infrastructurein place, to install digitaltuners. “We didn’t paint them into acorner,” Ott said. “We left them withoptions.”The EOC’s audio includes six KlipschCA-650T 60-watt wall-mounted speakerspowered by Crown amps. The system,which also features an Extron 12x8audio matrix switcher, is controlledthrough the AMX.Viewing RoomThe viewing room might be consideredTxDOT’s outgoing connection tothe outside world. A large media panelwith video and XLR connectors permitsstaff from the various new stations toreceive a direct feed from inside the42 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

CCS PresentationSystems, Inc.CCS Presentation Systems, Inc., has 25offices in 11 states across the US. Thefull-service AV and control integrator andinstaller has been serving customers inthe corporate, government and educationalsectors for nearly 20 years. In thattime, CCS expanded from a two-personoperation to a $100 million company withmore than 300 employees.Recent projects include the installationof rear-screen projection and integratedvideoconferencing in the executive conferenceroom at the Naval Hospital in CampPendleton near San Diego CA, and thedesign and installation of AV systems,including a one-ton pentagonal plasmavideo display system, in the new ServiceGroup of America (SGA) Corporate Center’shigh-end conference room, locatedin Kierland AZ, just outside of Scottsdale.Other clients include Strong Rock ChristianSchool in Locust Grove GA, the Phoenix(AZ) Elementary School District andthe Arizona Law Enforcement Academy.In 2008, CCS received an ACE (ArizonaCorporate Excellence) Award.The integrator recently introduced initiativesto emphasize green solutions forits clients, while developing user-friendlyrecycling programs and establishingstandards to reduce the company’s environmentalfootprint in all its offices. Thecompany’s recent TxDOT installation project,designed to reduce traffic congestionwithout building new roadways, exemplifiesthis commitment to environmentalawareness and sustainability.For additional information, go to www.ccspresentationsystems.com.EOC. “The news crews plug into thewall and 350 feet of conduit and cablingleads into the parking lot area wherethe news crew vans park, with theirsatellites on top to transmit the livefeed,” Ott explained. The viewing roomalso includes two 42-inch MitsubishiLCD displays connected to 4View processors.The large, divisible training room onthe first floor has extensive AV systemsof its own, controlled through an AMXVPX-CPNW wireless system. Projectionsystems include an NEC 2100 lumenVT-676 XGA LCD projector and a 100-inch diagonal Da-Lite Electrol screen.+++++Eight KSI ceiling speakers were installedfor reinforced sound. Ott notedthat the glass windows in the trainingroom created some acoustical challengeswith echoes and reverberation,“but not many, because they did sucha good job on the front-end with theengineering,” she said.All sound and video is routedthrough an Extron six-input Media-Link switcher and stereo amplifier.Dual WolfVision Visual Presentersand a rear-projection SMART Board3000i give speakers all the presentationcapabilities they might need. TheSMART Board is a standalone unit withan integrated high-resolution projectorand a control panel button that permitsoperators to switch inputs from the internalcomputer to a laptop or othermultimedia device. The Digital VisionTouch (DViT) technology lets presentersuse their finger as a mouse or writein digital ink on the screen using theincluded pen and eraser.The systems in the Emergency ManagementRoom are similar to those in thetraining room, with the same projectorTHE COMPLETE AUDIOSYSTEM FOR CONFERENCINGMIC/LINE INPUTSLINE INPUTSOUTPUTSCONVERGE PRO 8i 8 4 0 0CONVERGE PRO 880 8 4 12 0CONVERGE PRO 840T 4 4 9 1CONVERGE PRO TH20 0 2 2 1NEW!CONVERGE PRO 880T 8 4 13 1TELCO CHANNELSCONVERGE PRO is the next-generation professional audio platform from ClearOne.Building on our legacy as Gentner with our industry-standard XAP® platform, theConverge Pro is a complete automatic audio mixer, echo canceller, audio processor,and matrix mixer.BRAND-NEW 880T: offers increased value and greater application flexibilityNext-generation audio: ClearOne HDConference technology with ultra-wide bandwidthecho cancellation that delivers the ultimate in audio clarity and performance forconferencing and mixing applicationsNetwork management: web-based control console, built-in Ethernet andUSB, SNMP, SMTP, remote diagnosticsSimplified configuration: drag-and-drop object database, rapid configurationprogramming softwareApplication flexibility: ground-breaking sound reinforcement feature set, andautomated push-to-talk microphone AEC functionVisit www.clearone.com/convergepro or call 1-800-945-7730 to learn more about Converge Pro.

EquipmentEmergency Operations Center1 AMX NI-4100 NetLinx integrated controller w/ICSNet1 AMX PSN6.5 13.5VDC, 6.5A power supply1 AMX NXT-CV10 10" Modero tabletop touchpanel5 Chief RPA-U projector mounting plates2 Contemporary Research 232-STA stereo TV tuners1 Contemporary Research RK2 surface mounting bracket1 Crown CTs 600 amp1 DirectTV DBS18x24D satellite dish6 DirectTV D11 receivers5 Draper Diamond videowall screens w/frame12 Evans Identity 72"-wide consoles1 Extron MAV Plus 128 A 12x8 matrix switcherw/IP link for stereo audio6 Klipsch CA-650T 60W surface-mount speakers1 LG XBV-613 DVD/VCR combo4 Middle Atlantic KDB14 slotted rack shelves6 Panasonic PT-D5600UL 5000 lumen digital projectors1 Panduit DP48688TGY 48-port patch panel15 RGB Spectrum 4ViewXL color quads1 Spaun MS512 multiswitch4 Spaun SVF20LE 20dB line amps6 Spaun SEW121F diplexers48 ViewSonic VP2130B 21" LCD flat-panel monitors1 Winegard SS2000 TV antennaViewing Room1 Extron 6-input MediaLink switcher8 KSI ceiling speakers1 LG XBV-613 DVD/VCR combo2 Mitsubishi MDT402S 40" LCD monitors1 Mitsubishi SPKRSFL40 LCD monitor speaker2 Peerless PLA60UNLP articulating wall arm mounts1 SMART Technologies SMART Board 3000i hi-res projector2 WolfVision Visual PresentersLobby LCD Monitors1 LG XBV-613 DVD/VCR combo2 Peerless PLA-60 articulating wall arm mountsw/adapter plates2 Samsung LN-S5797D 57" LCD monitorsEMS Conference Room (2 nd Floor)1 AMX NXD-CV5 5" Modero wall/flush mount touchpanel1 AMX NI-2100 NetLinx integrated controller w/ICSNet1 Chief RPA-U projector mounting plate1 Chief CMA-440 ceiling plate1 Crown D-75A amp1 D-Link DI-804HV 4-port broadband router1 Draper Access V tab-tensioned 100" diagonal screenw/low-voltage control1 Euro Design multimedia lecternExtron 6', 12' VGAs w/audio cable1 Extron WP150 VGA w/audio wall plate1 Extron CrossPoint 8x4 matrix switcher w/audio4 KSI 6061-CS 2x2 grid ceiling-mount speakers w/grilles1 LG XBV-613 DVD/VCR combo1 NEC VT695 2500 lumen, XGA LCD projectorNEC serial cable1 PolyVision IP 17 interactive panel1 WolfVision VZ-8light visual presenterTraining Room (1 st Floor)2 AMX NXD-CV5 5" Modero wall/flush mount touchpanels1 AMX NI-2100 NetLinx integrated controller w/ICSNet2 Chief RPA-U projector mounting plates2 Chief CMA-440 ceiling plates2 Crown D-75A amps1 D-Link DI-808HV 8-port broadband router2 Draper Access V tab-tensioned 100" diagonal screensw/low-voltage controls2 Euro Design multimedia lecterns2 Extron 6', 12' VGAs w/audio cable2 Extron WP150 VGA w/audio wall plate (black)1 Extron CrossPoint 16x8 matrix switcher w/audio8 KSI 6061-CS 2x2 grid ceiling-mount speakers w/grilles2 LG XBV-613 DVD/VCR combos1 Middle Atlantic ERK-2725 25" depth, 47½" (27-space) rack2 NEC VT695 2500 lumen, XGA LCD projectorsNEC serial cable2 PolyVision IP 17 interactive panels2 WolfVision VZ-8light visual presentersList is edited from information supplied by CCS Presentation Systems, Inc.44 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

and screen, five KSI 2x2 ceiling speakerspowered by the Extron amplifierand six-input MediaLink switcher. TheSMART Board in the room is a 72-inchSB-580, which receives images from theprojector or inputs from a laptop.Lobby AVThe lobby uses two 40-inch MitsubishiMLM400 LCD monitors withCCTV, receiving inputs from the trafficcameras or the local news. The lobbysystems, with Mitsubishi MLM-SPKRspeakers, are controlled by an ExtronMLC. The monitors can also receive afeed from an LG DVD player or VCR,so TxDOT can broadcast a pre-producedprogram to greet visitors tothe facility.Ott noted that the project, whichtook seven years to complete fromthe day ground was broken until thefacility opened, presented some typicalchallenges, such as timing issues withall the trades involved and a limitedbudget.Originally, the client desired a wall inthe EOC composed of video cubes, butthis turned out to be cost-prohibitive.Video cubes would have cost $15,000each, with 16 cubes required to coverthe wall. “It would have cost almosthalf a million dollars,” Ott said. “Withthe Diamond screen and the projector,Installedthat aspect only cost $150,000.” The infrastructureis in place so the client canupgrade to video cubes in the future iffunds become available.With concerns about spending taxpayers’dollars well, the budget waswatched carefully. “Locally, this projectwas highly publicized,” Ott noted. “Theyactually came in under budget.”The EOC appears on the local newschannels regularly, and the city relieson the EOC to relay important newsregarding traffic and weather, so it was(continued on page 78)Telvent, North AmericaTelvent, North America, a wholly ownedsubsidiary of the Seville, Spain-basedtechnology company Abengoa, is headquarteredin Rockville MD, with 21 officesacross the US and Canada.Known as “the IT company for a sustainableand secure world,” Telvent recentlydesigned and integrated aviationinformation systems in four airports inBosnia and Herzegovina, as well as automaticweather observation systems(AWOS) in five airports, and is currentlydeveloping a platform for forecasting directsolar radiation for solar power plants toforecast electricity generation accurately.The company provides IT solutions withinthe areas of transportation, energy, environment,public administration and globalservices. The transportation segment hasprovided systems and services for manyDoT facilities across the US, with revenuetotaling more than $152M in NorthAmerica alone.The TxDOT project began prior to Abengoa’spurchase of the Intelligent TransportationSystems (ITS) firm, then PB Farradyne.In July 2006, Abengoa purchasedPB Farradyne in order to establish an ITSpresence in North America, and purchasedCaseta Technologies in 2007 to round offits offering with tolling capabilities. Telventnow employs more than 2000 people inNorth America. Worldwide, the companydoes $850 million in revenue annually.For additional information, go to www.telvent.com.CorporateFacilitiesEducationalOrganizationsPerformance andBroadcastingHouses of WorshipFour products. All trusted to deliver. For half a century, MarantzProfessional has provided innovative and intuitive solutions for the mostdemanding recording and archiving needs. While our classic cassetterecorders continue to function flawlessly, our new digital solutions providea welcome dilemma: Which Marantz Professional installed recorder will youpick for your application?remotelyschedulesrecordingsautomaticallyarchi ves!drops recordingsonto server...where studentscan downloadth emsel ves.PMD560Professional Solid State Recorder• High quality recording meets small budgetaffordability• No moving parts-no maintenance• Records MP3 files or uncompressed 16-bitPCM wav files at 44.1kHz or 48kHzPMD570Professional Solid State Recorder• Complete file compatibility with Balanced inputs• Record Directly to Compact Flash Cards• RS-232c Control of Functions• MP3, MP2, WAV, and BWF Format CompatiblePMD580Professional Network Solid StateRecorder• Sits right on the network• Users can schedule, record, archive anddistribute audio files right from theirdesktops – or set the PMD580 to handleall this automatically• Choice of MP3 or 16/24-bit Recording ontoCompact Flash (CF) CardCDR633CD-R/RW Recorder• New slot-in mechanism for years ofworry-free use• Compatible with most CD-R/W Audio & Data Discs• Marantz Minute Track with Adjustable Timeor Level-dependent Auto Track Increment• MP3 PlaybackCourt RoomsVisit d-mpro.com to learn more.February 2009 45

Striking VisionsDigital signage deployments capitalize on creativity.The dramatic 178-foot LED atTemple University’s Fox Schoolof Business and Managementreceives real-time data feeds.Joseph LabolitoBy Shonan Noronha, EdDEditor’s Note: This month, Digital Signage Expo will be featuring a lot of applicationsand technology related to this fast-growing market segment. See DanFerrisi’s show preview, “Sin City Signage: DSE rolls into Vegas with big expectations,”beginning on page 54, and our Digital Signage Expo New Product Spotlight,beginning on page 58. Here, the author offers some real-life examples of how toapply what’s available today. Because digital signage is such an important growtharea within the systems integration market, we’ll be covering it every issue: Besure to read Shonan Noronha’s monthly “Sign Age,” debuting in this issue.Innovation and creativity are fueling growth in all sectors of the digital signageindustry, even in the midst of an economic recession. Hardware manufacturers,software companies and turnkey signage providers are developing newtechnologies and creating services to meet emerging applications and trimmedbudgets. Many of the latest offerings make it easier and more profitable forAV/IT commercial systems integrators to deploy digital signage (DS).Enterprises with digital out-of-home (DOOH) networks are inventing applicationswith convergent signage and mobile technologies to attract eyeballs andenhance the value of their advertising channels. Universities, healthcare facilitiesand other institutions that were in pilot stages are now ready to roll outDS campus-wide. Some are even selling onscreen advertising to defray capitalexpenditures and provide new revenue streams for their organizations.We’ve talked with DS providers and end users involved in current projects,and their insights point to new ways of developing your signage business, fromeasing entry into DS for existing AV clients, to forging partnerships with othervendors in order to provide a broaderrange of turnkey solutions.Mobile InteractivityFor decades, New York’s TimesSquare has provided a window intothe future of high-tech signage. As wewelcomed 2009, the crossroads of theworld was serving as a showcase forthe latest DS trend: the combinationof mobile interactivity with digital billboardcontent.Pepsi, Kellogg, MTV and JVC wereamong the brands with advertisingcampaigns designed around the mobileand web-based interactive technologiesdeployed at Times Square on NewYear’s Eve. Kellogg’s Special K campaignenabled people to text messagetheir New Year’s resolutions to a digitalsign. Pepsi’s “Optimism” campaignposted photos from people who usedtheir cell phones to take their pictureand email it to a billboard.Shonan Noronha, EdD, is an award-winning writer/producer who has designed and produced networked multimediacontent for a broad spectrum of clients from Wall Street to Fleet Street. She consults on the applications of new mediatechnologies for training, marketing and corporate communications. Send comments, questions and suggestions to her atsnoronha@testa.com.46 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

JVC’s campaign made consumers feel like celebrities whentheir emailed photo was featured on the company’s new 19'x34'high-definition LED billboard. Photos from cellphone usersat Times Square, as well as others who got early word of theproject through viral marketing, were reviewed and approved,and then displayed for three seconds as part of an animatedNew Year’s greeting on the HD display. An image of one’sphoto as it appeared on the billboard was also available fordownload. Such souvenirs of memorable interactive experiencesgo a long way in developing brand loyalty.Combining Screen Content, Interaction“JVC wanted to combine content on the screen with audienceinteraction,” said Steve Bumstead, president of PIXELFireProductions, a motion graphics company that developed theapplication behind the JVC campaign. “JVC wanted to engagethe live audience in a virtual advertising medium, allowingcellphone photos to appear on the huge billboard in real time.”The enabler was PIXELFire’s PIX-iT, an application that combinessoftware and web-based apps to enable simultaneouslocal play and internet-based communication.Solution-driven projects call for collaboration among technologymanufacturers, programmers and content producers. Bumsteadsaid that PIXELFire worked in conjunction with D3 LED,manufacturer of JVC’s display. “With screen prices coming downand static ads losing their relevance, we’re looking at a sea ofopportunities in new media advertising,” noted Bumstead.At the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, interactive content wasdeployed to 13 touchscreens.Wireless Projection with VideoIntroducing the Black Box ® Wireless VGA Video Presentation SystemWirelessly display presentations, includingvideo and audio, from up to 200 feet away.» Collaborate with up to 254Wi-Fi ® laptop users.» No more swapping cables.» Works with any projectoror display with a VGA port.» Connect it to the Web oryour LAN.Projector not included.AC1130ASee the video demo at: blackbox.com/go/vps | 888-225-6921s&c-bbox-ac1130a_1-09.indd 12/2/09 11:25:26 AM

Zoofari Café’s signage entertains visitors with factoids about animals.Real-Time NeedsBuilding strong positive experiencesfor consumers by providing usefulservices goes a long way in establishingbrand loyalty. The Hyatt RegencyO’Hare’s high-tech, high-touch signageenables guests to access essential informationquickly, while it reinforcesthe hotel’s brand. Placed strategically,13 LCDs provide information onscheduled events, facilities, conciergeservices, amenities and airline arrivals/departures.To help business guests move betweenworkshops, conferences andother areas of the facility more efficiently,X2O Media’s Creative Servicesproduced a 3D interactive way-findingmap. The content was authored in X2OMedia’s Xpresenter for signage deployment.The Hyatt’s trusted event technologysupplier, PSAV PresentationServices, in conjunction with X2O Media,received the Digital Signage ExpoEast 2008 Content Award for this application.Digital Signage is also helping clearup information clutter, delivering timelycampus information and strengtheningschool spirit. At the world-famousJuilliard School in New York City, areal-time information display systemserves the internal community of students,faculty and administration. Twostacked Samsung 57-inch LCDs areused as an electronic bulletin board.“The signage system was intendedto eliminate traditional paper flyers/Two 57-inch diagonal LCDs at TheJuilliard School NY display photos fromrecent performances, program schedules,announcements and live data feeds.Images on both screens change everyfew seconds.sheets on cork bulletin boards, as wellas provide a sophisticated, contemporarysolution that fits in with the surroundingenvironment and our currentvisual brand,” said Donald Giordano,Director of Creative Services. “It isparticularly useful to highlight eventsand notifications.”Onscreen content includes performanceschedules, general announcements,and Reuters live news feedsusing Rise Display Network. “We alsouse recent performance photos fromthe dance, drama and music divisions,about 24 pictures per screen, with imagesrotating every few seconds,” explainedGiordano.According to Tunde Giwa, Julliard’sChief Technology Officer, the sheeramount of content made it necessary touse two display screens. “The sourceinformation changes daily,” Giwa explained.“Content is template-drivenand we have distributed the task ofcreating content to various membersof the community. The Office of StudentAffairs is the ultimate contentapprover.” All event-related content isstored in an SQL database.The template-driven Rise Displaysystem makes it easy for a wide rangeof users to input timely information.“The system works well, especiallywhen a quick correction/change orlast minute announcement has to bemade,” said Director of Student AffairsSabrina Tanbara, ”Once you aretrained on the system, creating bulletinsis quite easy.”The IT FactorEffective integration of advanced digitalsignage systems usually requiresexpertise beyond the realm of displayinstallation and video distribution.“Most DS projects call for substantialIT and network experience,” saidJohn Melillo, president of DiversifiedMedia Group (DMG), an offshoot ofAV integrator Diversified Systems thatis solely focused on the DS and networkedmultimedia market. Amongother high-visibility projects, DMGwas contracted by JCDecaux NorthAmerica to engineer, integrate andmanage a state-of-the-art DS showcaseat American Airlines’ Terminal 9 at JFKInternational Airport in New York acouple of years ago.“Digital signage is like a rocket readyfor takeoff and there is no stopping it,”noted Melillo, recommending that, “AVintegrators who want to take advantageof the growth in this area should considerbringing IT expertise in-house.”Nearly 60% of DMG’s employees areIT/AV engineers or technicians.48 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com©Mignon BylerDavid Gee

THIS MONTH ONMISS THESE PASTPROGRAMS?WATCH THEM NOW ON http://youtube.com/soundcommARE wHITE SPACES,700MHz, dTV ANdFCC ON A COllISIONCOuRSE?Featuring: Jerry Budge, Director, Marketing andProduct Management, Blonder Tongue Laboratories,Jay Paul, CTS, VP Engineering/QA,AVI-SPL, and Darren Cheshier, CTS-D, SystemsEngineer, SKC.MAKING THE GRAdE:AV IN HIGHER EdFeaturing: Ernie Bailey, CTS, Director ofAudiovisual Services, Office of AcademicServices, University of Arkansas forMedical Sciences and Steve Rynbrandt,CTS, Systems Engineer, ScienceApplications International Corp.STAFFING:TRAINING ANdKEEPING EMPlOyEESFeaturing: Dan Shoman, General Manager,Masque Sound and Jonathan Shor, CTS, Directorof Technology, McCann Systems.dOING buSINESSwITH uNClE SAMFeaturing: Barry Goldin, Director, SystemsIntegration, Audio Video Systems and SidneyLissner, President, Avitecture.FREEdOM OF CHOICE:INSIdE OPENARCHITECTuREFeaturing: Dave Berlin, President, Video Corp.of America and Christopher Maione, CTS-D,Partner, Costello Maione Schuch.The industry’s first and onlystreaming video webcast.INTEGRATION AbCs:THE K-12OPPORTuNITyThis broadcast explores the profit potential ofelementary, middle and high school systemsintegration. Among topics covered are the differencesbetween the K-12 and higher educationspaces and the types of technologies best suitedfor school implementation.Featuring:David Allen, Executive Vice President, ComputracInteractive Solutions, an RM Group company, andCarl Adams, District Sales Manager, CCS PresentationSystems.A NEw PROGRAMIS dElIVEREd EVERyMONTH VIA EMAIlSign up atwww.soundandcommunications.com/viewpoint

Courtesy JVCSteve BumsteadTimes Squarebillboard sponsorshave used real-timeconvergence ofmobile, web and DStechnologies.“It’s also important to have a thoroughunderstanding of the technologiesinvolved, and how these can meeta client’s needs,” Melillo suggested.Contented CustomersA client’s needs might go well beyondthe installation of displays, andeven further than the integration of anetwork and delivery platform. Contentcreation can be a critical issue for bothsmall and large organizations, and thisprovides a real opportunity for solutionsproviders willing to accept someadditional responsibility.“Content was a major concern forus,” said Terry Kenney, director ofgraphics, Audubon Zoo in New Orleans.“During the renovation of ZoofariCafé, we replaced static menuboards with four LCD screens.” Thetwo center screens are used for thecafé’s menu, and the two screens flankingthe menus are used for factoids andmultimedia content on animals.“We wanted digital displays to enhancethe beauty of our redesignedcafé and give it an upscale look. Wewanted the text to be presented clearlyand the multimedia to be fun and entertaining,”Kenney explained. “Wealso wanted the software to be easyenough for the staff to use to makequick changes on the menu.”The Audubon Zoo’s RFP includedcontent creation and staff training onthe creation and delivery software inaddition to typical AV procurement andinstallation. The zoo contracted with itslocal AV vendor, Crescent Communications,for the installation, but selectedIDS Menus in Holbrook NY for the restof the deployment.Focused OnFood Service IndustryIDS Menus had focused solely onthe food service industry since it wasestablished in 1995. The company designed,manufactured and installedstatic boards at quick-serve restaurantsin malls, movie theaters and militarybases. “Even in that environment, ourclients’ need for content was acute,”said Rick Kranz, IDS Menus CEO.“They didn’t have visuals for the menusand their advertising agencies wouldhave charged a lot for creative. So webuilt up an impressive library of graphics,and made a strategic decision touse it as a marketing tool.”Kranz noted that the drop in LCDdisplay prices about three years agoled to the company’s entry into digitalsignage. “It was welcomed by ourclients who were looking to give theirrestaurants a modern look, and thesoftware allowed for easy menu andpricing changes,” he explained.Last Summer, the Audubon Insectariumin New Orleans retained IDSMenus to work on its signage project,and today, the digital department at IDSMenus provides content developmentand hosted or enterprise DS solutionsfor clients in a variety of industries.Even though customer requirementsfor content vary widely, integratorscan profit by expanding into this area.Some savvy integrators have developedsubcontracting relationships with productioncompanies and then includecontent creation in their proposals.Zero-Cost InitiativeIn a strategic business move, theWashington Metropolitan Area TransitAuthority (WMATA) issued a bidfor a “zero dollar,” turnkey digital signageswap-out of its printed advertisinginfrastructure, which encompassesadvertising locations at hundreds oftrain stations and bus stops, and inthousands of rail cars and buses operatingacross three states. The WMATAcurrently is reviewing responses toits RFP and expects to announce theaward this Spring. The DS system isofficially dubbed The Metro Channel.“We’re building The Metro Channelto enhance customer experience,increase information access, improveour incident and emergency communication,generate more advertisingrevenue, and enhance the value ofour advertising franchise,” explainedJamey Harvey, chief enterprise archi-50 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

tect, department of IT, WMATA. “Ourfranchise is already quite significant,and we’d like to grow it as an asset.”The three main components of thebid incorporated financing, includingdemonstration of the ability to finance$30 million up front; design/build; andoperations, maintenance, content creationand advertising sales.Discussing the “zero-cost” DS initiative,Harvey said, “This was an innovativeway to leverage the value of ouradvertising franchise into significantcapital improvement during a timewhen there’s not much money availableto implement new amenities andto solve a lot of problems at once.”At Your ServiceInnovation and creativity are alsodriving developments in software solutionsfor content creation, delivery andmanagement. Rise Vision, for instance,designed its Rise Display Network asa web-based, Software-as-a-Ser vice(SaaS) content management solution.A subscription (to a single computeror media player) brings live data, suchas headline news and stock quotes, inaddition to custom messages and otherdesired content, to the display screensto which it is connected. A company orinstitution can have any number of userscontributing content via computerswith internet access, and authorized userscan change content via the web.“There are no upfront costs, no setupfees, and no additional infrastructure isnecessary,” said Ryan Cahoy, ManagingPartner, Rise Vision. Cahoy notedthat the SaaS model makes it economicaland easy for an AV integrator todeploy a large DS network. “We takecare of the infrastructure: backendservers, terabytes of data, redundantpower grids and redundant networkconnections.” He said that subscriptionsare available through AV, IT andDS distributors, including ElectrographSystems and Stampede.University’s DSTemple University’s Fox School ofBusiness and Management in PhiladelphiaPA is a recent addition to the150 universities and colleges that havedeployed a DS system using Rise DisplayNetwork, according to Cahoy.Villanova University, also in the Philadelphiaarea, has completed its pilotDS deployment using 15 LCD displays,and rollout plans call for another 30screens for displaying informationabout emergency notifications, campusevents, schedules and advertisementsfrom local merchants that accept theschool’s Wildcard debit card.More recently, Rise Vision introduceda reseller’s edition of Rise DisplayNetwork, with a personalizedlogin page that can be used by an AVintegrator or VAR to promote branding,cross-selling and event messagesdirectly to end users. “Integrators andVARs are being squeezed by decreasinghardware margins. By includingour software in their offerings, theycan be perceived as the DS networkprovider, partake of the ongoing revenuestreams and make a really goodmargin at it,” explained Cahoy.February 2009 51

Software FlexibilityCustomers striving to create and delivereffective content on smaller budgetsand with limited staff resourcesincreasingly are demanding ease ofuse, professional-looking results andcost-effective software solutions. Basiccontent delivery and management softwareare integrated into select modelsof players and displays. But standalonesolutions offer robust features, such ashigh-end 2D/3D content authoring, deliveryand management, and scalabilityfor expanding a network after initial orpilot deployment.“Software flexibility and easy contentmanagement are key requirementsfor many digital signage users,” saidX2O Media president and CEO DavidWilkins. The company’s Xpresentersoftware provides an end-to-end platformfor the creation and managementof high-quality DS content. The applicationenables assembly of broadcast-qualityvideo and 3D graphics in a variety offormats and screen resolutions.Because Xpresenter’s authoringmodule runs alongside PowerPoint,non-technical users familiar with thePowerPoint interface easily can editor repurpose presentations and otherVillanova University is expanding its signage network to an additional 30 locations,and will display campus information, live data feeds and local advertisements.content for DS networks. “By using our‘smart templates’ that contain built-inproduction logic and real-time datafeeds, users can cut the time requiredto create fresh content dramatically,”Wilkins explained.Software flexibility can also facilitatedeployment of digital signage projectsby providing business-essential functions,such as metrics. Recognizing theincreasing demand for more sophisticatedcontent management tools withA mockupof theWashingtonMetropolitanArea TransitAuthority’sThe MetroChannelsignage.robust feedback from DS viewers/consumers, the latest version of Scala5 integrates its Content Manager applicationwith Ad Manager (formerlyCharting Pro). Scala’s product upgradealso provides web services and a hostof other enhanced features.Scalable software, such as that offeredby BroadSign, CoolSign, C-narioand Omnivex, enables distributionof dynamic digital content across anenterprise, at various stages of expansion.Tech InspirationsAs the digital signage market matures,component and display manufacturersare providing equipment withfeatures designed to enable new servicesand generate sales opportunities.By proposing the use of DS systemswith emergency alert devices or softwareto enhance security, for example,you might make it easier for a client togain approval for widespread signagedeployment.Chyron’s ChyTV signage systemoffers emergency and security alertcapability that allows pre-determinedalert pages to be triggered automaticallyby an alarm, or activated manuallyby authorized personnel who mayalso compose or revise emergency(continued on page 78)52 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

February 2009 53

Sin City SignageDSE rolls into Vegas with big expectations.Economic conditionsnotwithstanding, DigitalSignage Expo is expectinganother record-breakingshow this year.By dAN FERRISIFor those looking for a warm respitefrom wintry cold, with a little visual flairthrown in for good measure, one needlook no further than the Digital SignageExpo (DSE), being held in Las Vegasfrom February 24 to 26, with the showfloor open the last two days. DSE, thelargest digital signage-specific tradeshow, is co-locating with InteractiveTechnology Expo and Out-of-HomeNetwork Show, resulting in a full slateof products, activities and networkingopportunities for the thousands expectedin attendance. And, despite theeconomic woes driving 2008’s headlinesand newscasts, ExpoNation presidentChris Gibbs, show manager, expressedoptimism that this year’s DSE wouldattract more exhibitors and attendeesthan ever before. Make no mistake:Digital signage is still exploding.ExpectationsAt the time of this writing in lateDecember, 173 exhibitors had alreadybought space; Gibbs estimated thatfigure would rise to up to 190. DSE2008 attracted 148 exhibitors, so anexhibitor increase of about 18% is alreadyassured. For 2008, the show encompassedroughly 48,650 net squarefeet; so far, 2009 has expanded to57,280 net square feet…and it is stillgrowing. And, although similar hardfigures were not available vis-à-vis attendeeprojections because, accordingto Gibbs, most attendees sign up afterthe first of the year, he expressed cautiousoptimism. “Last year, we had 3543attendees, which was 75% growth over2007. And, this year, I’m also expectinggrowth,” he said.As compared to more expansiveindustry trade expositions, DSE hasboth a narrower and wider view: Althoughit restricts its purview strictlyto digital signage, it aims to cover thatsegment comprehensively, addressinghardware, software, content and more.Hence, among exhibitors are flat-panelmanufacturers, software suppliers, distributioncompanies and systems integrators.And the attendees are moreheterogeneous yet.Co-Located EventsBefore surveying what DSE hasto offer, let’s explore the InteractiveTechnology Expo and Out-of-HomeNetwork Show. The former is dedicatedto the self-service industry thatdirectly courts consumers with interactivetechnologies meant to enhanceand expedite their point-of-consumerDan Ferrisi is Sound & Communications’ Associate Editor.54 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

experiences. Types of offerings willinclude interactive digital signage, selfservicetechnology, kiosk technologyand interactive wayfinding products.The Out-of-Home Network Show,meanwhile, concentrates on advertising/marketingnetworks in retailstores, medical offices, restaurants,bars and other commercial environments.This event will showcase leadingnetworks in exhibits and will besupported by a conference programand on-floor workshops.The three-show-in-one synergism willprovide a rounded experience for attendees,touching on newly emerging,potentially lucrative signage facets.DSE Expands OfferingsOne of the most notable changes forDSE 2009 is the expanded first-day offerings.February 24 will feature theGuided Installation Tour, in which attendeeswill board buses and tour severalinnovative digital signage installsaround Las Vegas. According to Gibbs,“We try to make the stops different, forexample, a hotel, a retail store and apublic space. So, no matter what [participants’]industry segments might be,one of the locations will speak to them.And, hopefully, participants also gleansome knowledge from the other applicationsand other stops.” This programoffers the opportunity to ask questions,speak to the designer/implementersand see the technology in use.Alternately, three full-day conferenceprograms are being held on February24: Content Day; Revolutionizing InteractiveMarketing in Public Spaceswith Mobile and Gestural Digital Signage;and Digital Signage ExpertsGroup Certification Program. Gibbsremarked, “[Content Day] focuses onwhat probably is one of the biggestThis year’s show willfeature more educationopportunities thanever before, includingconferences, courses andworkshops.challenges in digital signage: feedingthe beast. That is, making sureyou have content, especially for 24/7digital signs in out-of-home networks.It can’t just be any content, either; ithas to be related and have a strongimpact.” More than a dozen speakers,representing numerous organizations,will participate.Mobile, Gestural DSThe Mobile and Gestural DigitalSignage conference track focuses onsignage that allows users to interactDownload at www.avsnap.comWireless IPReliable Touch Panel7-19” ScreenDesignControlDesign user interfaceFully ProgrammableLoad into MultiTouchControl any equipmentwww.altinex.com 1-800-ALTINEX (258-4639) Brea, CAWinXP EmbeddedSolid StandFebruary 2009 55

Every Patchbay…for Every Project.2 x 32 Mini-WECO Video Patchbay 969-S Programmable Bantam Audio Patchbay (800) 500-8142 www.Bittree.comwith it through mobile phones andgestures, and how such technology isaffecting public-space marketing. Thisconference, which incorporates casestudies, covers strategies for exploitingthe many marketing opportunitiesmobile and gestural signage offer.Finally, the Digital Signage ExpertsGroup Certification Program, presentedby Alan Brawn and Jonathan Brawn,of Brawn Consulting LLC, offers attendeesa chance to earn the DigitalSignage Certified Expert (DSCE) designation.In addition to providing anoverview of digital signage, includingthe marketplace, the customer and systemdesign, the conference addresseshardware, networks, software, contentand business elements. At the course’sconclusion, a test will be administeredand certificates issued.And, while the show floor is openon February 25 and 26, the educationcomponent will continue full-steam. Toaccommodate its varied attendance,DSE show management has dividedits education into six distinct tracks:Retail, Advertisers & Brands, Hospitality,Public Spaces, Digital Signage 101:The Basics and Tech Track. “As far asthe industry segments, it’s similar towhat we did last year,” explained Gibbs.“We do a lot of polling of both our attendeesand exhibitors after the eventto make sure we’re on target and providingthe best education.” Each trackincludes five seminars, scheduled, onFebruary 25, for 9:00 to 10:00am, 12:00to 1:00pm and 3:00 to 4:00pm and, onFebruary 26, for 12:00 to 1:00pm and3:00 to 4:00pm.Keynote AddressesEach of the two exhibit hall days willcommence with keynote addresses. OnFebruary 25, in-depth analysis willbe offered and key insights revealedfrom a new study, “Engaging Peoplewith Digital Out-of-Home Media,” alook at how place-based digital videoadvertising can be harnessed to reachconsumers. The study was producedby OTX, a global consumer researchand consulting firm, and sponsored bySeeSaw Networks.On February 26, the keynote breakfastsession will be “The Science ofDSE attracts a broad range of exhibitors,including those involved in the hardware,software and content facets of the digitalsignage business.Shopping Meets the Information Age,”in which Paco Underhill, founder andmanaging director of Envirosell, willwalk attendees through a broad rangeof spaces from a consumer perspective,filling in the missing pieces betweenplanning and execution, and addressingthe communications revolution.Finally, to round out the educationand training component, a dozen freeworkshops will be offered on the exhibithall days between 4:30 and 5:15pm.According to Gibbs, “Typically, thoseworkshops are delivered by exhibitors.However, we enforce a non-commercial,non-solicitation policy.” The workshopsinclude Standards Initiatives inDigital Signage: What it Takes, byBroadSign; Digital Signage for QSR:Menu Boards and Beyond, by WirelessRonin Technologies; Integration ofLive Data Sources for Digital Signage,by Dynasign; and After Hours Uses forDigital Signage Networks, by WEGEN-(continued on page 78)56 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

for the largest and mostcomprehensive pro-AV event in the world.The Power to ExploreUncover the hottest technologies and products on themarket from more than 1,000 leading manufacturers.Experience the latest technology applications up-closeand hands-on. Discover new techniques and solutionsin more than 350 educational courses. And, connectwith the brightest AV professionals and leaders atspecial networking events.32,000+ AV professionals1,000+ exhibitors350+ seminars & workshopsOne powerful eventIncorporating> Systems Integration Expo ®NSCA Conference June 14–19NSCA Exhibition June 17–19(on the InfoComm Show Floor)

COMPILED BY DAN FERRISISound & Communications’ 2009 DigitalSignage Expo New Product Spotlightpresents descriptions of products thatmanufacturers report are being introducedto our industry at the Digital Signage Expo inLas Vegas this month (see related story, “Sin CitySignage,” beginning on page 54). Product informationreceived after our production deadline will befeatured in the Digital Signage Expo New ProductWrap-Up in April, and future issues. (All specificationsare supplied by manufacturers or distributors.)Atdec's ArticulatedArm Wall MountAtdec's TELEHOOK TH-37-63-AWM articulated arm wall mountallows for a wide range of motion,including lateral movement, a 180°pan from the wall, an adjustable tiltof +/-15° and a low-profile designthat folds flat against the wall. Itsself-centering universal mountinterface allows quick configurationof the bracket to match thedisplay's mounting hole pattern,saving installation time. Themount's spring-supported tiltingmechanism makes tilt adjustmenta simple procedure; its strongdie-cast aluminium constructioncan hold up to 200lb. and itsintegrated cable managementsystem allows data and powercables to be separated, reducingelectro-magnetic interference.Atdec(303) 972 7550www.atdec.com.auBooth #1643X2O Media's StandaloneSignage SystemX2O Media's latest generationof Xpresenter Xe, the all-in-one,standalone digital signage systemready to use out of the box, is forcustomers who want an entry-levelsystem but who require goodquality for the content on theirdisplays. Xe's easy-to-use wizardlets users customize content, andincludes simple day-to-day contentmanagement tools and the sametechnology used in X2O's higherendsystems to create a broadcast-qualityoutput.X2O Media(415) 256-2800www.x2omedia.comBooth #2223Matrox's RepeaterMatrox Graphics' Matrox VeosRepeater works in harmony with aVeos Master unit and an essentiallylimitless number of Veos Displaysto create flexible, easy-to-workwithdigital signage installations.The Repeater accepts the multichanneldigital signal provided bythe Veos Master unit, a Display oranother Repeater, and re-transmitsthis signal on 2 coaxial outputs,extending the signal an additional100 meters per output, withoutcompromising image quality.Matrox Graphics(800) 361-1408www.matrox.comBooth #2613Tightrope MediaSystems' Plug-In ModuleTightrope Media Systems' CarouselInteractive Touch, a plug-inmodule that adds interactivity tothe Carousel digital signage system,provides the ability to createinteractive bulletins within anyCarousel zone. These bulletins canbe interactive via a connection toan external website, a website uploadedinto Carousel or full-blownAdobe Flash application. Carouselis a multi-zone digital signagesystem, and Carousel InteractiveTouch can be assigned to anyzone. When a viewer leaves thetouchpanel display, Carousel InteractiveTouch restarts automatically.Users can override interactivepresentations with alert bulletinsduring emergencies or specialevents. Interactive websites andapplications are not included withthis plug-in and must be developedseparately. Requires a touchscreenpanel, available separately.Tightrope Media Systems(866) 866-4118www.trms.comBooth #1442Black Box's VideoPresentation SystemBlack Box's VGA Wireless VideoPresentation System (AC1130A)makes any VGA projector wireless.Requires a Windows laptop witha WiFi card to access a projectorfrom up to 200' away. Supportsup to 254 users. The plug-andplaysystem attaches directly toany SVGA or WXGA projector andsuits conference rooms or largeclassrooms. Users can streamMPEG formats directly from alaptop to the projector (or otherdisplay device with a VGA port).There is no need to swap cables toswitch presenters. An administratorcontrols access by users on anindividual basis. It has a built-inDHCP server and can be used asan access point for 802.11b/g laptopusers who want to connect tothe internet wirelessly. Alternately,connect it to a LAN.Black Box Network Services(724) 746-5500www.blackbox.comBooth #1651Chief's UniversalTilt MountChief's low-profile FUSIONLTMU universal tilt mount is for37" to 63" monitors. CenterlessLateral Shift allows precise centeringof a flat panel TV, offering upto 16" of post-installation adjustment(8" left or right of uprights),to offset the mount from studs.ControlZone Leveling provides“fail-proof" mounting. All adjustmentsare made after the mountis on the wall, including overallmount height and leveling. CentrisLow-Profile Tilt provides fingertiptilting without tools while remainingless than 2" deep. Click-Connectfeatures an audible click whenthe screen safely engages with themount. For easy cable access, thebuilt-in cable stand temporarilypositions screen away from thewall.Chief Manufacturing(800) 582-6480www.chiefmfg.comBooth #1753Adder's Video ExtenderThe AdderLink X50-MS (multiscreen)video extender, a linktransparentUSB, high-performancevideo extender, deliversvideo quality up to 1920x1200together with 44.1kHz digital stereoaudio over a single CatX cable.Readers may see older products included due to inaccurate information supplied by manufacturers or suppliers. Although we try to check every product, a few may58 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

Atdec’s TELEHOOKTH-37-63-AWMArticulated Arm WallMountAdder’s AdderLinkX50-MS VideoExtenderBlack Box’s AC1130A VGAWireless Video Presentation SystemChief’s FUSIONLTMU UniversalTilt MountX2O Media’s Xpresenter XeStandalone Digital SignageSystemMatrox’s VeosRepeater UnitA PerfectPolar Patternfor anyApplicationAstatic’s Variable Polar Patterntechnology allows total controlfor every application. Availablein boundary, gooseneck,button and large diaphragm.RF Resistant & Logic Compatible.It enables USB peripherals to be extendedup to 165' from the computer. The X50-MSadds a second video and transparent, highspeedRS232 connection, up to baud rates of19200. The extra functionality allows for theextension of computers with dual monitorscommonly used in a variety of KVM extensionscenarios. Appropriate for interactive digitalsignage applications such as point-of-sale andtouchscreen kiosks, it allows ultra-smoothfine picture adjustments. Control of extendedcomputers through a local video/audio outputat the transmitter unit is also possible.Adder Corp.(888) 932-3337www.adder.comBooth #2251800.421.3161 • ASTATIC.COMhave slipped through due to the volume of information. We apologize in advance for any errors.February 2009 59

2009 DIGITAL SIGNAGE EXPO NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTTTUFF Technologies’DMD-80HD-B High-ResolutionMedia PlayerHall Research'sMatrix SwitchesHall Research's Genesis Seriesof HD and PC matrix switchesfeature the video over twistedpair extension on all outputs. The8x8 and 16x16 compact videomatrix switches can be orderedwith RJ45 outputs that send hiresvideo and power to compatibleremote receivers over a singleCat5e/6 twisted pair cable. Thereceivers are “Phantom Powered"from the matrix over the twistedpair. A variety of receiver optionsis available, from component video(YPbPr) active balun (Model UVB1-CP-R) to a VGA/YPbPr wallplatereceiver (Model UV1-R-WP). TheAV matrices are available with orwithout audio, and feature RS232and IP controls and support PCvideo resolutions to 1920x1600and analog component video from480i to 1080p.Hall Research Technologies(800) 959-6439www.hallresearch.comBooth #1115Hall Research’s 16x16 Matrix SwitchesSVSi's Networked DigitalVideo RecorderSouthern Vision Systems'(SVSi) networked digital videorecorder can record up to 4 hoursof hi-res, hi-def content over EthernetLAN. Fully compatible withall voLANte digital video-over-LANproducts, the voLANte VDR-106digital video recorder connects toany access point on the network torecord live video from digital videocameras or any other content beingdisplayed over the voLANtenetwork. Once finished recording,the content can be transmitteddirectly from the DVR over thevoLANte network. It is suited forrecording real-time video streamsin resolutions up to 1080p and canbe added to any existing voLANtenetwork. The voLANte systemfeatures low latency for videoover-Ethernetdistribution and issuitable for live broadcasts, teleconferencingor surveillance applications.Southern Vision Systems, Inc.(256) 461-7143www.easysignage.netBooth #1046Intelix's TwistedPair ExtenderIntelix's DIGI-HDMI-HR progradetwisted pair extender distributes1080i HDMI signals upto 150'. It provides extension of480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i hidefsignals up to 150' when usingstandard Cat5e or Cat6 cabling. Itscircuit provides ESD protection,safeguarding expensive source anddestination equipment, and allowspower on either the send or receiveend. Diagnostic LEDs provide systemstatus. The Intelix DIGI-HDMI-HR balun, which supports standardHDTV resolutions and is HDCPcompliant, includes 1 send balun,1 receive balun, 1 power supplyand 2 mounting brackets.Intelix, Inc.(866) 4-MATMIXwww.intelix.comBooth #2049Visix’s Interactive Room SignEnseo's DigitalSignage CanvasEnseo's HD2000 IP/RF hi-defdigital signage canvas combinesIP streaming, RF tuning,Store+Forward content and videoscaling with Author content creationsoftware for a hybrid solutionthat provides flexibility andscalability for modern HD digitalsignage solutions. Content for theHD2000 is created using the toolsof the Enseo Author software,which provides layout capabilitywith scaled video, graphics,ticker tape and scrolling text, andlive web elements. On screen fullor scaled video comes from anysource: RF, IP, stored content oroptional HDMI inputs. Graphicand text elements remain in placewhile the video seamlessly changessources. Applications includeretail digital signage and corporate,government and educationtelevision systems.Enseo, Inc.(972) 234-2513www.enseo.comBooth #1124TTUFF Technologies'Media PlayerTTUFF Technologies' DMD-80HD-B hi-res media player provides1080i60 and 1080P24 HDvideo performance, plus incorporatesUSB programming securityand push-button-controlled multipleshow functionality. It incorporatessecurity key software toensure only authorized contentcan be loaded, a feature expectedto become mandatory for installationsin high-profile locations.A multiple content display featureexpands the functionality of anystandalone signage installations.The player allows up to 10 HDprogram files to be stored andlocally selected for presentation,as required, which is appropriatefor menu boards, ticket counters,movie theaters, product showrooms,etc., where a variety ofselectable presentations are apushbutton away.TTUFF Technologies(519) 880-9497www.ttufftech.comBooth #113260 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

Visix's InteractiveRoom SignsVisix's interactive room signs,with 10.4" or 15" touchscreen LCDs,can be wall-mounted or recessed.MeetingMinder room signs displayroom reservations from MicrosoftOutlook or Dean Evans & AssociatesEMS, while allowing users to createa walkup reservation that is immediatelyshared with the schedulingserver. Visix's browser-based interfaceallows users to create and managecontent from any PC or browsercompliantdevice on the network orvia the web. Options: display greetings,announcements and way-finding;use Flash to present interactivecontent; present news, weather andRSS feeds; broadcast live, streamingcontent; show event schedules for 1or more rooms.Visix, Inc.(800) 572-4935www.visix.comBooth #1751Minicom's Distribution,Extension SystemMinicom Advanced Systems' DS VisionHDMI HD digital multimedia distributionand extension system “narrowcasts"hi-def digital video-audio froma single player to remote plasma/LCDscreens located 250 meters away. Thedelivery of rich multimedia contenthas close to zero degradation in video-audioquality. Features Minicom'sCat5/6/7 cable distribution technology.According to the company, Cat5is less expensive than HDMI cable, candistribute content further and is easierto install. Unlike other HDMI productsthat require 2 cables, DS Vision HDMIfeatures a single-cable solution transferringboth audio/video and supportingscreen resolution optimization (DDC),further simplifying installation and reducingassociated costs.Minicom Advanced Systems(908) 486-2100www.minicom.comBooth #1111Minicom Advanced Systems’ DS Vision HDMIIntelix’s DIGI-HDMI-HR Professional-Grade Twisted Pair ExtendersDecember 2008 Vol 10 No 6 $4.95Lasersare backmajor venuesinvest inbeamagesorry, parisno more six-figureappearance feesin vegasWalk Outwww.clubworld.usWHY THECO-FOUNDER OFREHAB QUIT302009 collectors issueNightlife’s 30 most iNflueNtialpeople past present and futurePlUsplus: Next 10 exciting up-and-comersnoMinees representingtHe best of 2008 nigHtlifeFeaturing beta pioneer CirCa dJ aM tHe Martinez brotHers tannoy paul oakenfold paCHa sHrine stewart filMsCreen aero bar deadMau5 versus CHauvet+VERSUS L.A.Q & A: CRAIG REEVESONE NIGHT IN: NEW ORLEANSHow tHe year’s bestvenues pulled off tHeirbest partieswww.clubworld.usJanuary/February 2009 Vol 10 No 5 $4.957th ANNUALCLUBWORLDAWARDSINTERESTEDIN THECLUBMARKET?Get aFREESUBSCRIPTION TOwww.clubworld.usWWW.CLUBWORLD.US or CALL 1-800-YES-7678

2009 DIGITAL SIGNAGE EXPO NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTAvocent’s Emerge MPX1550 Distribution ProductsAvocent’sAV Distribution ProductAvocent’s Emerge MPX1550 is a6-generation wireless and IP-wiredaudio/video distribution extensionproduct that integrates Avocent’sMPX video extension and distributionengine with 802.11n radiotechnology and MIMO-based smartantennas. The resulting video andaudio distribution solution deliversgood performance, range and reliability.The products are suitablefor use in a broad range of criticalviewing applications that require1-to-many distribution, such asinformational displays, corporatesignage, boardrooms, courtrooms,medical, military and education.Additionally, the Emerge MPX1500video extension and distributionproduct is for applications thatinvolve normal viewing needs.These products provide connectivityfrom a source device suchas PC or media player to the pointof display. Video options includeRGBHV, HDMI, DVI-D and component.Avocent(800) 275-3500www.connectivity.avocent.comBooth #1410Electrosonic’sVideo PlayerElectrosonic’s ES9600 dualchannelJPEG2000 video player,for 2K and HD Video installationswhere the audience experiencedepends on image quality, usesJPEG2000 compression, the sameimage technology found in digitalcinema theaters. JPEG2000 deliversgood video quality due to its12-bit color depth and 4:4:4 colorsampling. Includes a file conversionand transfer utility that enablescreating compatible JPEG2000files. The ES9600’s 2 channelscan be controlled independentlyor they can be synchronized forsuper-wide screen or stereoscopicdisplays. The dual HD-SDIor dual DVI-I connectors facilitatethe playback of 3D video and 2Kresolution files. Multiple units canbe synchronized for multi-screenpresentations or playback of full4K resolution. The ES9600’s frontpanel features an easy-to-use GUI,jog wheel, transport controls andvideo confidence monitor.Electrosonic(888) 343-3602www.electrosonic.comBooth #1821Electrosonic’s ES9600 Dual-Channel JPEG2000 Video PlayerMagicBox’sTurnkey SolutionMagicBox’s VIP EZ-Stream Liteis a turnkey solution involvingthe company’s VIP player and itsEZ-Stream application. The VIP,a small-form-factor media playerthat can be mounted near a display,can accommodate many differentdisplays; it can display inresolutions from 640x480 up to1280x768. EZ-Stream databaseintegration software can readinformation from many differentdatabases or various meetingscheduling software and can automaticallysend that informationto the VIP player. This solutionpackage provides a way to displaymeeting room schedules outsideof 10, 20, 50 or more conferencerooms. It provides flexibility andMagicBox’s VIP EZ-StreamLite Turnkey Solutionscalability, can accommodate anytype of data and saves time becauseinformation does not haveto be re-entered into a contentmanagement program.MagicBox, Inc.(541) 752-5654www.magicboxinc.comBooth #1653DT Research’sSoftware ExtensionDT Research’s WebDT Simul-CAST, a software extension of theWebDT Signage System, allowsthe real-time broadcast of emergencymessages to digital signsand desktop computers. Emergencyinformation can be deliveredto people within schools, medicalfacilities and corporate buildings

TV One’s 1T-C2-750Dual Picture-in-PictureDVI-I ScalerTightrope MediaSystems’ TightropeCreativeDT Research’sWebDT SimulCASTSoftware Extensionin a visual format that containsmore detailed safety informationthan traditional emergencybroadcast systems. The WebDTSimulCAST is a web-based serversystem that allows administratorsto control messages displayed onmultiple digital screens and desktopswith the installed SimulCASTsoftware. Using a secure onlineportal, administrators can accessthe system via a computer or mobilephone to update and transmitmessages quickly, crucial inemergencies.DT Research(408) 934-6188signage.dtri.comBooth #2028Tightrope’s DesignService DivisionTightrope Media Systems haslaunched Tightrope Creative, itsCarousel design service division.It offers end users professionallycreated channel designsthat include coordinated designelements, pre-configured zonelayouts, specialized templates,high-utility icons and new designelements called snap-ons,which modify the look of a templateto give it a specific theme,such as a season, event, holiday,etc. With its channel designs andTightrope’s “zero training” userinterface, customers can roll outa complete, easy-to-modify chan-nel from the first day. TightropeCreative can adjust the colors andintegrate the user’s logo into anexisting channel, which is a costeffectiveway to get a professionallook.Tightrope Media Systems(866) 866-4118www.trms.comBooth #1442TV One’s DVI-I ScalerTV One’s 1T-C2-750 Dual Picture-in-PictureDVI-I Scaler, basedon the company’s CORIO2 technology,includes 2 high-quality graphicscalers capable of working at fullDVI video rates. The scaling enginescan convert between digitalDVI-D and analog DVI-A signals,including RGBHV, RGBS, RGsB andYPbPr formats, using the 2 DVI-Iinputs available. DVI-D resolutionsup to 1920x1200/60Hz are supportedwith analog DVI-A resolutionsup to 2048x2048 at virtuallyany refresh rate and HDTV resolutionsup to 1080p/60Hz. HDMI signalsare also accommodated usingHDMI to DVI adapters and the unitis fully HDCP compliant. CORIO2technology provides dual picturein-picturecapability with sizing andpositioning options.TV One(859) 282-7303www.tvone.comBooth #C6wireless,rechargeable,secureExecutive HD [ig-zek-yuh-tiv eych-dee]great audio; wideband frequencyFirst High DefinitionWireless Microphone System• Wideband frequency responsev50 Hz to 22KHz• More Microphones in Given Area• Remote Management63 Great Rd, Maynard, MA 01754978-450-5400Info@revolabs.com | www.revolabs.com

2009 DIGITAL SIGNAGE EXPO NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTX2O Media’s Remote Manager 2.5 Atdec’s TELEHOOK TH-31-55-TC Ceiling MountX2O Media's PlatformX2O Media's X2O Software plusServices platform combines X2O'son-premise, broadcast-qualityplayers with centralized, hostedservices to deliver professionallookingcontent with a flexibledeployment strategy. Benefits ofthe hybrid Software plus Servicesplatform include the ability to usefeature-rich applications not yetavailable via a browser, more controlover sensitive data and digitalassets, and added flexibility in ITdeployment models (on premise,hosted or both). As part of thisstrategy, Xpresenter 2.5 includesa new release of the XpresenterServer, new versions of centralized,web-based content managementtools and other web-basedservices. This release, along withmonitoring services offered fromX2O's Network Operations Centerand an array of content and designservices, gives customers everythingrequired to run a digital signagenetwork.X2O Media(415) 256-2800www.x2omedia.comBooth #2223Intelix's ActiveDistribution AmpIntelix's DIGI-VGASD-T8 professional-gradeactive distributionamp distributes VGA videocomponent video, stereo audio,and IR or RS232 control signalsfrom a single source to 8 remotedestinations via twisted pair cable,such as Cat5 or Cat6. It distributes1080i component video whenused with Intelix DIGI-V3SD componentvideo baluns and conversioncables. It features 1600x1200VGA and 1080i component videoperformance, high-fidelity 20Hz-20kHz audio performance, and IRor bi-directional RS232 extensionup to 350' when used with IntelixDIGI-VGASD series wallplate ormodular receivers. The unit featureslocal monitor support andis linkable for additional remotedestinations.Intelix, Inc.(866) 4-MATMIXwww.intelix.comBooth #2049Intelix’s DIGI-VGASD-T8 Professional-Grade Active Distribution AmpVisix's SoftwareAs A ServiceVisix has launched its digitalsignage software as a service(SAAS) solution. The offering, builtupon the AxisTV platform, is a fastway for communicators to bring adigital signage solution online withlimited investment and support requirements.Features: minimal initialinvestment, no content servermaintenance, no data backup responsibility,new builds appliedas released and new releasesdeployed with notice. Visix SAASsubscribers can exploit 90% of thefunctionality found in the premisebasedsolution, which is built onthe same architectural platform.At the visual playback level, communicatorswill see no differencein the products because they areboth compatible with Visix channelplayers and media appliances. TheSAAS offering pulls informationfrom the Visix content manager,and users can set refresh rates toas short as 1 minute.Visix, Inc.(800) 572-4935www.visix.comBooth #1751Atdec's Ceiling MountAtdec's TELEHOOK TH-31-55-TC ceiling mount supports LCDand plasma TVs and monitorsranging from 31"-55" and supportsdisplays up to 132lb. Offered inblack or white powder coat finishthat blends with most commercialinteriors, the TELEHOOK TH-31-55-TC allows displays to rotate360°, offers a -5° to +25° adjustabletilt and features horizontal adjustmentof +/-5º. The Telescopicpole allows a minimum distancefrom ceiling to center of display8-11/16" and maximum distancefrom ceiling of 78¾". Available inback-to-back configuration.Atdec(303) 972 7550www.atdec.com.auBooth #1643Chief's MountAccessoriesChief Manufacturing offers theFUSION Series and accompanyingFUSION accessories, whichintegrate with the fixed and tiltmounts. The FUSION FCK008/FCK016 Connector Kits are forconnecting multiple FUSION flatpanelmounts together to createmultiple monitor applications,such as videowalls. The kits includeeither 8" connector pieces or16" connector pieces. The accessoriesattach directly to the mount,64 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

so the entire system can be leveled and adjusted as a single unit. Otheraccessories include videoconferencing camera shelves, component shelvesand speaker adapters. The accessories add zero depth to the installationand can be placed independently for precise positioning.Chief Manufacturing(800) 582-6480www.chiefmfg.comBooth #1753Hall Research's DVI ExtenderHall Research's UD2A-EDID DVI extender with EDID (Extended DisplayIdentification) management over UTP can read the EDID informationfrom the device connected to the DVI output at the transmitter orDVI UTP output at the receiver. This information can be stored in theUD2A-EDID-S memory as “learned," which allows the unit to emulatethe actual monitor connected to the receiver's output. The extender haslocal DVI and remote UTP video and audio outputs. Its video outputscan be blanked or boosted. Can drive video, audio and RS232 to 150'or more depending on the resolution. This unit can be controlled bymanually using the buttons on the front panel, or remotely with RS232commands or with the provided GUI software.Hall Research Technologies(800) 959-6439www.hallresearch.comBooth #1115 n Hall Research’s UD2A-EDIDDVI Extender With EDIDManagement Over UTPChief’s FUSION Mount AccessoriesAZDEN INFRA REDIn the classroomTHE COMPLETE CLASSROOM SYSTEMAzden provides two complete systems (IR-CSand IR-WS) which include: an IR receiver withample power for 4 ceiling or 4 wall-mountedspeakers and a built-in sensor array (IRR-30P),a small, lightweight chest-worn microphone/transmitter (IRN-10), a pass-around handheldmicrophone/transmitter (IRH-15c), an externalceiling-mounted sensor (IRD-60), and 4 highqualityin-ceiling speakers (ACS-6.5) or 4compact wall-mounted speakers (AWS-4.5).All you need to complete the installation is thewiring for the speakers and sensor. Of course,you can purchase components separately tocustomize your own system.®For complete details, specifications, and pricing, e-mail azdenus@azdencorp.com,visit our website: www.azdencorp.com or call us @ 1-800-247-4501.P.O. Box 10, Franklin Square, NY 11010 • (516) 328-7500 • FAX: (516) 328-7506February 2009 65

Government Facilities & Public WorksA new, auspicious way of thinking.By Dan FerrisiThe federal government, just like theprivate sector, has been feeling the illeffects of an economy in recession.After all, the financial “pie” is only solarge and, with money going to bailoutsand such, there have to be sometradeoffs. Nevertheless, in terms ofgovernment spending on projects suchas libraries, schools, hospitals, airportsand prisons, the Obama Administrationmight promise a brighter future, whatwith the president’s promise to reinvestin infrastructure and public services.Whatever the future might hold, publicworks spending does still persist, despitesome unambiguous belt tightening.Examine the following survey ofconstruction activity; the opportunitiesremain numerous.In Avon CT, the Avon Free PublicLibrary recently received a $1 millionConnecticut State Library constructiongrant for expansion and renovation ofthe library, an undertaking that willcost about $9.5 million. The town anda private fundraising campaign wouldsecure the balance of the funding.The existing library building openedin 1982 and underwent renovation in1997. This expansion would add 22,000square feet, more than doubling thesize of the existing 18,000-square-footstructure.Library Taking ShapeIn West Chester OH, West ChesterTownship’s new library is taking shape:The more than $13 million project entailsalmost 50,000 square feet (as comparedto the current 15,000 square feet),with completion expected next Fall.The new library will boast expandedsections for children and youngadults, as well as spacious communityrooms, a café and automated checkoutstations. Construction commenced inJune on the facility.An addition of the Deming (WA)Library opened in December, followinga long fundraising campaign and18 months of work. Constructionkicked off in Spring 2007 on the new4000-square-foot space. The old 2500-square-foot library was running out ofroom. The addition, which cost roughly$800,000 to complete, is merely theinitial phase of the expansion project.Phase two entails renovating the originallibrary building, which will costabout $30,000. The third phase is renovatingthe parking lot. Those phaseswill be executed when the money is inhand. Once renovations are complete,the Deming Library will encompass7000 square feet.A Solid FoundationIn Temple TX’s Temple Public Library, construction workers havetaken up alongside the patrons. Workhas begun on the library’s foundation,the first of two stages in the building’srenovation plan. Stage two will involverenovating the interior of the formerBank of America on the north side ofthe building for library use. Remodelingof the former bank section willinclude taking out the teller line, creatinga circulation office and removingthe wall between the bank and thelibrary. A teen area will take the placeof the current AV room, and the bankvault will be employed for storage andmaintenance.In Palm Harbor FL, the Palm HarborLibrary renovation is a success.Reconstruction of the facility, encompassing26,000 square feet, was completedin four phases, which helped tokeep the library maximally open. Theconcluding phase of improvements tothe front lobby, restrooms, checkoutarea and community room did forcethe library’s closure in October. At thiswriting, the building was scheduled toreopen January 5. The $1 million-plusproject was funded partially througha $500,000 state library constructiongrant. The facility’s inside has beenremodeled, including improved lighting.It also features a larger children’sarea, redesigned reference area anda Friends of the Palm Harbor LibraryBookstore.In San Antonio TX, the Departmentof Defense is preparing to commenceconstruction on a nearly $725 millionexpansion of Brooke Army MedicalCenter (BAMC). The project willmerge the trauma and emergency functionsof BAMC at Fort Sam Houstonwith those of Wilford Hall, the hospitalat Lackland Air Force Base. WilfordHall will be an outpatient surgical center.BAMC, which has the Army’s soleburn center and houses numerous amputees,will add almost 760,000 squarefeet. Construction was scheduled tobegin last month. The realignmentof the facilities must be completed bySeptember 2011.On Track, Under BudgetIn Mountain View CA, El CaminoHospital administrators have reportedthat the new facility is on track and underbudget. Construction kicked off onthe more than $450 million building in2006 to meet new state seismic regulations.The hospital, spanning about 460,000square feet on five floors, will boast privaterooms and baths equipped withwireless technology for each of itsroughly 240 patients, a larger emergencyroom and areas for families tostay on each floor. Construction willwrap in July 2009. The new hospital66 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

should open to patients in October2009 after a few monthsof preparations.In Oakdale CA, Oak ValleyHospital District held a groundbreakingceremony in Decemberfor a new 123,000-squarefoot,$69 million hospital. Thedistrict recently attained approvalto build the hospital intwo phases: The first phase will involvebuilding the entire two-story structure,but will only outfit the first floor forpatient use. It will include a 12-spaceemergency room, two operating rooms,five post-anesthesia beds, two GI procedurerooms, seven out-patient surgicalprep and recovery rooms, CT andMRI imaging, and the laboratory. Thehospital’s second floor, which will bevacant for an undetermined period,eventually will contain individual roomsfor patients. The new hospital will befinished in 2011.From The HeartlandHeartland Health (St. Joseph MO)has decided to progress with constructionprojects that, it says, will add $62million to the local economy and employabout 100; several of these shouldbe complete within months. The HumanMotion Institute, located on thehospital’s second floor, will affordpatients recovering from orthopedicand neurological surgeries access toa gym and group therapy. Completionwas scheduled between writing andpublication.A project on the fourth floor will permitall surgical patients to be in onearea. And, the medical oncology unitwill move from the third to the secondfloor to create a 48 medical-bed unitwith all patients together. The medicaloutpatient unit will shift from the secondfloor to the third to accommodatea new long-term acute care hospital,scheduled for March completion.St. Luke’s Hospital and RehabCareGroup have announced the opening ofthe $7.5 million St. Luke’s RehabilitationHospital in west St. Louis CountyMO. St. Luke’s has relocated inpatientrehabilitation to the new hospital, threemiles from St. Luke’s main campus inChesterfield. The new 35-bed inpatientrehabilitation facility offers medical andtherapy services for residents of the St.Louis metropolitan area. The hospitalhas nearly 500 beds and offers morethan 60 specialty areas, such as cardiovascularcare and surgery, cancer care,neurosurgery and neurology.In November, plans were announcedfor the modernization and expansionof Los Angeles International Airport.Planned improvements include majorrenovation of the Tom Bradley InternationalTerminal, a cross-field taxiwayand a midfield concourse, as well asa new passenger processing facility.The Bradley Terminal will involve thereconstruction of two concourses andnew gates on the west side suitinglarger airliners, plus shops, restaurantsand lounges. At a cost between about$5 billion and $6 billion, the projectsare set to be completed by 2013.In Gainesville GA, even though theold Hall County Detention Centerhas been empty for more than a year,change is coming. County officials areleasing it to Corrections Corp.of America (CCA) and it willbe renamed the North GeorgiaDetention Center. At this writing,the firm was scheduled todo construction and renovationwork on the jail in January. CCAwill house federal immigrationdetainees. The future of the 489-bed jail has been in doubt sinceinmates were moved into a new $52million jail in November 2007.New In NormanIn Norman OK, a county jail is expectedto open in late 2011 on a 28.9-acre site. Construction is scheduledto commence in March and continuethrough September 2011. County officialshope to start using the jail, designedto house up to 542 inmates,later that Fall. Updated constructionestimates place the cost at nearly $40.3million. With required overrun and financereserve funds, the jail’s overallcost is expected to exceed $45 million.The county jail in downtown Normanhas an official capacity of 177 inmates,but more than 200 people have oftenbeen housed.It seems that, in many political powercircles, a new meme is spreading rapidly:Tax dollars should shift toward improvingAmerican infrastructure and publicfacilities. As this begins to effect changein federal, state and local budgets, weare sure to see more libraries, hospitals,airports and prisons being erected, alongwith courthouses, legislative chambersand other facilities. And, of course, all ofthese buildings will require audio andvideo outfitting, including, perhaps, theexploding trends of digital signage andvideoconferencing. The economy mightbe dour for the moment, but the futurestill looks bright.nFebruary 2009 67

COMPILED BY DAN FERRISINSCA Launches SystemsPlus Health SolutionsAs industry companies look to cut costs yet remain competitive forpotential employees, NSCA, on January 1, launched SystemsPlusHealth Solutions, a member service program that can help stabilizehealth insurance costs. Designed to help commercial electronicsystems companies combat rising health insurance premiums, theprogram offers alternatives such as wellness initiatives and, mostimportant, the ability to receive credits toward insurance premiums.Participants can access a national network of providers; stabilizehealth insurance costs; earn “premium credits” based on programand individual company performance; reduce paperwork; andstreamline HR through one contact and one program for their entirecompany, no matter where employees live or work.SystemsPlus also provides property and casualty and surety insurancesolutions. NSCA members who have taken advantage ofthese programs have already saved up to 40%. To learn how youcan save money through SystemsPlus Health, property and casualtyor surety solutions, visit www.systemsplus.org or call NSCA at(800) 446-6722.World Café Live Employs ShureSince opening in the historic Hajoca Building on the eastern edge ofthe University of Pennsylvania campus, local, regional and nationaltouring artists of all genres have crossed the stages of World CaféLive. The World Café Live’s stages are spread across two levels.Downstairs, a 300-seat music hall (650 standing) and restaurantis the larger space. An upscale restaurant and café accommodate120 people seated (200 standing). The upstairs room showcaseslocal and regional talent.Clair Brothers, Acoustic Dimensions of Dallas and New York, andPhiladelphia-based Metropolitan Acoustics jointly crafted the facility’saudio blueprint. Downstairs, where a Midas Legend 3000 consoleis used to give direction to a house PA built around proprietaryClair Brothers loudspeakers, Shure products lead a diverse rosterof microphones.Ten SM57s and 10 SM58s head the list. along with four Beta 87Amics and Beta 56A and Beta 91 mics. An SM81 condenser is usedfor various instruments, as are a Beta 52A and a Beta 98. Shure’sRe “Sight Lines” by Gary Kayye, July 2008:After reading your article, “Should Design Consultants Do Programming?”, wefeel compelled to respond to your question.Having been a consultant for many years, I believe that a design consultant shouldbe driven to always do what is best for his client. In a bid scenario that drawslow-bid responses or integrators that have little interest in developing a relationshipwith the client, then clearly the design consultant’s programming servicesshould be considered beneficial to his client. However, when highly regarded AVsystems contractors are involved, it is in the client’s best interest to consider thein-house capabilities of the contractor to deliver a full-service solution that includesCrestron or AMX programming.As clients evaluate design consultants and systems contractors for their ability todeliver the systems and products they need in the short term, they should alsoconsider the long-term aspects of servicing their AV systems. It is often best toupgrade and service these systems by involving the original author of the Crestronor AMX code. Because long-term service is not a core competency for most designconsultants, clients that realize this might question the motivation and value of theprogramming services his design consultant offers. To many, this would appearto be a clear conflict of interest.The best design consultants and systems contractors retain their customers byproviding an excellent experience for the customer. This comes from having acollaborative process that promotes teamwork between the client, consultant andcontractor. Design consultants best serve the client by leading the project and managingthe contractors. By inserting himself as a programmer into the contractor’swell-organized team, the design consultant is likely to be a disruptive element to thecontractor’s internal process, creating inefficiencies and communication issues.Also, as you might expect in a bid scenario, the design consultant will havea difficult time convincing the systems contractor to put more time and effortinto the visual experience of the touchpanel design. Once the programming isdeemed logical and functional by the contractor’s internal testing and commissioningprocess, spending any more time adding fluff impacts the bottom line,the project schedule and creates potential headaches for the Service Departmentafter system commissioning.I don’t know a single AV salesperson who hasn’t hyped the power and intuitivenessof [the company’s] walk-up-and-use touchpanel solutions. In that regard,these user interfaces sometimes fall short of the client’s expectations, especiallythe graphical design aspect. However, I could not imagine a client would forgouser training because he expects the touchpanel design will be self-explanatoryto everyone who walks into the room.All business owners need to be thinking about ways to improve their company andcompete in the marketplace, including adding profitable services and products thatare desirable to their customers. This brings customers back for more. However, strivingto provide products and services that are truly in the best interest of their clientsis the essence that builds stronger relationships. These important values are usually68 Sound & Communications For more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.net www.soundandcommunications.com

KSM mics are also employed, with a handheld KSM9 used forvocals. A side-address condenser KSM27 is also available, alongwith a pair of KSM137s.Upstairs, loudspeaker systems from Clair Brothers were chosenagain, with low-end support from Bag End subwoofers. An Ashlyeight-channel mixer stands at the FOH mix position, while a smallerselection of Shure mics mirrors many of the downstairs models.Broadcast Pix Powers Northcreek Church VideoAssociates, a Broadcast Pix dealer. NCC also worked with FresnoCA-based Michael Garrison Associates (MGA) to incorporate audio,lighting, stage and graphic components throughout the remainderof the new building being added to the church campus.NCC is now in Phase III of a massive construction project thatcommenced two years ago. Construction began in response to anincrease in church attendance and the need to provide additionalspace for the church’s various ministries. Advanced audio, videoand lighting components have replaced the church’s previous basicsystems.The Slate 1000 is installed within a 600-square-foot central controlarea. It connects to three Panasonic 860 robotic cameras, oneCanon camera, DVC recorders and an Apple 4TB computer editingsystem, and powers the complete AV system while broadcastingto 25 flat-panel monitors throughout the NCC campus during twoweekly worship services. NCC offers copies of its services on DVDfor congregants and plans to stream video of its services on itswebsite and through iTunes.Northcreek Church (NCC) in Walnut Creek CA has selected BroadcastPix’s Slate 1000 to power the video element of the church’snewly constructed worship facility. NCC purchased the unit andintegrated the video elements of the facility through Snader andAVS Ranks DC’s Third Best Small Tech CompanyAudio Video Systems, Inc. (AVS), an audiovisual design, engineeringand systems integration firm, has been named as one of theWashington DC region’s top small technology companies. Rankedthird in the Washington DC metro region, AVS has maintained itsranking among the top local small technology companies for thethird year in a row. The announcement was published in the WashingtonBusiness Journal and will be listed in the publication’s annualBook of Lists.AVS attributes its 2008 growth to contracts in new markets, includreflectedin the company culture that is established by the business owner.Michael A. Diodato, CTS-DExecutive VP of OperationsVerrex Corp.Mountainside NJGary Kayye responds:First of all, thanks for reading and for caring enough to write! I may write a follow-upto this column due to the perspective of the many integrators who responded.Re “Formidable Challenges: Panthers Bank of America Stadium makesa play with HD,” by Shonan Noronha, EdD, November 2008:[Addressed to Andreas Hilmer, Director Marketing & Communications, RiedelCommunications.]Great article. Enjoyed reading about the upgrades but thought you should haveasked if you were the first to do this type of project before you said it. That projectis not the first to do a Riedel Communications system in a stadium in the US.Brigham Young University installed Riedel Communications in our Marriott CenterBasketball Arena and Lavell Edwards Football Stadium some time ago. In fact, theMarriott Center has been online with five S Frames with all four slots full in eachnode since 2003; we have also interfaced eight channels of RTS communicationsand eight wireless Telex BTR 600 beltpacks that were our old coachcommsystem that we retired. The stadium went on line with four S Frames with 32 portnodes two years ago. We are moving digital audio between buildings on campusalong with comms.There are three S Frames added and removed as portables as digital audioneeds arise; we are also connected to our Fine Arts and Theater Departmentsand their S Frames there.This system provides digital audio passing to TV trucks, communications; ourhouse PA announcer uses a master station with a Sennheiser broadcast headsetfor house PA via Riedel master panel using the second channel as audio to house.Media Productions uses interfaces to wireless Telex BTR 800 systems, and wiredRTS partyline beltpacks. We have also integrated the system with our coachessTelex BTR1 Lombardi intercom sideline system for digital operations.This is all integrated together with the Marriott Center because video productionis done there for both facilities.All video and audio and communications are traveling on Riedel between thesesites. The distance is about 6000 feet, so we are using single mode fiber interfacesto get these distances.Anyway, it was a great article, but not the first to do this in either an arena orstadium, and not the first to support Riedel in this way. It is a great product. Wepresently are running 14 nodes on campus, by far the largest permanent installationin the nation. We will add [in 2009] four more buildings each with its own node.(Feedback continues on page 70)For more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.netFebruary 2009 69

ing in the healthcare field as well as regular government business,such as agency-wide classroom renovations and facility upgradesfor various government agencies. AVS’ ranking is based on companyrevenues from 2007.Leviton Cuts Ribbon On Distribution CenterLocal politicians and community development groups joined Leviton’schief executives at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark theFebruary 2009 opening of the company’s new distribution centerin Lebanon TN. The 450,000-square-foot, fully automated facilitywill serve as one of the company’s two domestic warehousing anddistribution hubs, servicing US customers east of the MississippiRiver, and serving as a regional showcase for the company’s distributiontechnology and products. The center will ship more thanhalf of Leviton’s US order volume and bring about 150 new jobsto the area.JBL Suits Buffalo’s HSBC ArenaClair Brothers Systems recently designed and installed a new audioreinforcement system for HSBC Arena in Buffalo NY, featuring JBL’sVLA line array loudspeakers, arranged in a circular formation abovethe main scoreboard. Home to the Buffalo Sabres of the NationalHockey League and the Buffalo Bandits of the National LacrosseLeague, the 18,690-capacity arena is also used regularly for collegebasketball games, WWE events and concerts.“We used VLA and [Precision Directivity (PD)] loudspeakers in previousprojects and were pleased with their articulation and powerhandling, so we thought this project was [an appropriate] venue touse them again,” said Jim Devenney, senior audio designer, ClairBrothers Systems. Clair Brothers installed six arrays, each containing10 VLA901 loudspeakers, hung in a circular arrangement fromthe top center of the arena, above the main scoreboard. Additionally,Clair Brothers installed six PD5212 loudspeakers in the scoreboardfor floor and ice fill.“The coverage of the arena with the six arrays is [good] and thetransition from one array to the next is seamless,” Devenney added.“In addition to the articulation, the system is musical and has lotsof headroom. We were pleased with the final result and, more importantly,so was the customer.”NEXO Line Array Symposium At Cerritos CenterYamaha Commercial Audio Systems brought key dealers, integratorsand end users to the Cerritos Performing Arts Center for two-daydemonstrations of NEXO line arrays, including GEO T, GEO D, GEOS8 and the new GEO S12 Series. The demonstrations were held inThis will tie all of our major athletic buildings together and allow videotaping andaudio transfer to occur over fiber.I will agree with you that the learning curve is steep, but once mastered, wehave done very well.As a side note, we did all our own onsite training and design, as Riedel had timeto support us only when we had questions and crashes as we learned the systemand how to set up files and recall events.We support around 90 events a year in these two arenas and have to providecomms and audio for cameras, media production, marketing, security, management,as well as show support and technical operations for lights and sound.Charles L. CoxHead Audio Engineer/Comms SpecialistBrigham Young UniversityRiedel Communications responds:Dear Charles, Readers of Sound & Communications:We at Riedel are well aware and proud of the impressive Riedel installation at yourcampus—currently, indeed, the largest Artist network in the US. What [the articleshould have stated] was that Bank of America stadium was the first NFL stadiuminstallation, not the first stadium installation in general. There are plenty out therethese days. I’m sorry if that got mistaken. BTW: Thanks for all the support and trustyou (and many other users) gave to us in the early days; our US branch has grownsignificantly in recent years, so our capacities for training and programming havechanged quite a bit from when you started working with us. Even though operationof our system has become even more intuitive, I hope you won’t mind getting moresupport than you used to get when you expand your system.Andreas HilmerEditor’s Note: The referenced feature can be found, with the reference corrected,at www.soundandcommunications.com.Re “House of Worship: Business,” by David Lee, PhD,December 2008:I just wanted to express my thanks for your article in the December issue of Sound& Communications. I especially appreciate your bold stand on prayer (Concept 1).It was an awesome reminder for me personally, and totally rocked! Providing AV inHouses of Worship is our passion, and I’m taking your concepts to heart for 2009!Jason R. Callahan, President/OwnerChurch Sound Solutions, Inc.Charleston ILDavid Lee responds:I am happy you enjoyed the article in Sound & Communications. Prayer certainlyplays a key role in everything I do. I will pray that your passion for church AV willgrow and that you will find continued success.n70 Sound & Communications For more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.net www.soundandcommunications.com

mid-November at the performing arts venue located in Cerritos CA.Speakers were powered by Yamaha and NEXO NXAmp as well asYamaha Tn amplifiers and also included a preview of the YamahaSB168-ES Stage Box. The first day, attendees were given a formalpresentation with hands-on demonstrations at the YCAS trainingfacility in Buena Park on the NEXO product line and GEO Soft linearray calculator. The second day consisted of listening evaluationsat the Cerritos Performing Arts Center, where participants couldhear the various models in a real-world software-to-hardware applicationand get a feel for various scenarios.TPMC-8L touchpanel that controls the built-in projection systems,dropdown projection screens and lights. The rooms combine into 73pre-set configurations with Crestron control systems programmed tomanage the resources in any combination with one-touch control.Alpha Video Enhances Mount AiryCrestron Selected By Las Vegas CityCenterCrestron Electronics has been chosen to control the lighting, audioand video in the expansive front- and back-of-house conventioncenter space in the ARIA Resort & Casino, the centerpiece of theLas Vegas CityCenter. Scheduled to open in December 2009, ARIAwill provide a distinctive event experience with a blend of modernarchitecture, unique decor, and 300,000 square feet of meetingand convention space. Seventeen Crestron control systems managelighting and AV throughout the common areas and 74 meetingspaces from 93 touchpanels. Crestron RoomView Server Editionbuilding management software enables central and global monitoring,management and control of all devices and sub-systemsthroughout the facility.Crestron solutions will be controlling all the lighting and audiovisualsystems, both in the public areas and back-of-house rooms withinARIA’s corporate and event space. The convention facility will beaccessible from guestrooms via a second level promenade; naturallight will illuminate the three above-ground levels through a dramaticglass curtain wall that will span the entire north façade.The main building management system includes a RACK2 andmultiple PRO2 controllers. Three TPS-17L wallmount touchpanelscontrol satellite and IPTV, audio, video and lighting. Sixteen TPMC-8X-DSW “floating” wireless touchpanels enable optimal mobility forfacility managers to monitor and control various systems from anylocation throughout the building. Wallmount docking stations providelocations for touchpanel storage and recharging.The 74 meeting spaces consist of 30 ballrooms, 36 meeting rooms,two boardrooms and six training rooms, which are located on fourlevels. Each meeting room and ballroom features a wall-mountWith more than 2500 slots, numerous restaurants, a spa, salon,fitness center and nightclub, the Mount Airy Casino & Resort offersa unique luxury experience. Adding to that experience is DigitalDisplay Group (DDG), a division of Alpha Video & Audio, Inc., whichcompleted the design and installation of a digital signage solutionat the Mt. Pocono PA-based casino and resort. DDG employed theCastNET digital signage solution to meet the expectations of theproperty, including providing the hardware, software and customcontent to drive the system.The newly constructed property wanted to make a statement usingdigital signage, as well as provide the ability to advertise its accommodations,and enhance the excitement of its gaming facilities. MikeRay, executive director of IT/CIO, said, “From the very beginning, wewanted to utilize digital signage to inform our patrons of our currentand upcoming promotions, display jackpot and promotion winners,advertise upcoming shows and schedules, display restaurant menusand much more. [The CastNET solution] allows for all of this, and[offers] the ability to change content in a matter of minutes, as opposedto days using traditional signage….”DDG worked simultaneously with the property during the constructionphase of the casino and resort. Along with Digital Display Group,manufacturers involved in this major integration project include MagentaResearch, Belden, Panasonic, Extron and Dell.Klein + Hummel For NY BallparkThe Staten Island Yankees, a Class A minor league affiliate ofthe New York Yankees, play a short but well-attended season inRichmond County Bank Ballpark. Since its construction in 2001,the ballpark has been used for more than just baseball. Children’sshows, concerts and free movie screenings on the ballpark’s largescreen fill out the events calendar between home games. The moviescreenings attract thousands to the field at twilight, where local, fullserviceproduction company L&M Sound Design delivers audio.A permanent sound system provides even coverage to every part ofthe ballpark except the field and, because almost everyone watchesFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.netFebruary 2009 71

the movies from the field, this otherwise-appropriate shortcomingis a significant problem. L&M Sound’s challenge is to feed its arrayof 16 full-range and eight subwoofer JBL Vertec Series 4887adpspeakers from an audio output located 650 feet away. The solutionis a Klein + Hummel K8-AI8 digital audio encoder, a K8-AO8 digitalaudio decoder and a length of Cat5 cable to convey the audio signalacross that distance with imperceptible latency, good transparencyand no risk of noise associated with mismatched ground betweensource and speakers.According to Lou Mannarino, owner of L&M Sound, “The almostcomplete lack of latency is critical because the sound can’t fall outof sync with the visuals. Apart from that, the sound quality is [good]and…free of the sort of noise that inevitably creeps into long analogruns. Because the K8 system is plug and play, all we have to dois connect output from the DVD player to the AI8, connect the AI8to the AO8 with Cat5 cable and connect the AO8 to our speakersystem. It powers on and works without any tinkering.”Danley Speakers For New Birth ChurchAdditional SH-50s compose the delay ring located 80 feet into theroom. These delays were angled such that there are no reflectionsagainst the back wall, which requires tight pattern control.Panasonic Enlivens Times SquarePanasonic System Solutions Co. has provided a newly upgraded hiresLED large screen for a major television network in New York City.The LED screen is located at 5 Times Square, which is positionedat the southwest corner of 7 th Avenue and 42 nd Street. Expected tobe used to display broadcasting from the network’s HD studio, thePanasonic board is 13 feet high and 22 feet wide, with a pixel pitchof 8mm, making it the highest resolution board in Times Square.With an overall size of 20 LED panels high by 35 LED panels widefor a total of 700 LED panels, the board has a three-color pictureelement in one-chip SMD (surface mount device) technology. Themodule format allows for the boards to continue displaying contentshould one module require replacement. The boards are designedfor an ultra wide angle of viewing and bright colors, including indirect sunlight. This eases viewing for the 27 million visitors passingthrough Times Square annually.Allen & Heath For Campbellsville U. ChapelNew Birth South Metropolitan Church (NBS) in Jonesboro GA isa close affiliate of nearby New Birth Missionary Baptist Church,one of the top 10 mega-churches in the country. Although small bycomparison, the sanctuary of NBS is large. It accommodates 3000in an area 140 feet deep by 300 feet wide. Irrespective of ceilingheight, conveying smooth, intelligible sound to all those seats wouldbe challenging, but this was compounded by the low 26-foot ceilings.The AV project was awarded to Creative Media Solutions (CMS),video specialists. John Hogg, CMS project manager, called on dBAudio and Video for assistance. The original design had called fora line array solution but, in the end, the church went with a DanleySound Labs SH-50 LCR loudspeaker installation, supported downto 25Hz by 12 Danley subwoofers.NBS wanted a sound system that would serve two crucial functions.First, it had to pump high-energy gospel music with plenty ofpower. Second, it had to convey Pastor Andre Landers’ sermonswith nuance and clarity. Given a room the size of a football fieldwith a fairly low ceiling, the challenge was considerable.The overall loudspeaker system design used distributed LCR forprecise imaging of music and voice with ample distributed delays foreven coverage. Each of the main loudspeaker blocks is composedof two Danley SH-50s, which rely on Synergy Horn technologyto convey phase-coherent audio with well-defined pattern control.Ransdell Chapel, the heart of Campbellsville University in Kentucky,has installed an iLive-144 at FOH position. A 900-seat facility, theRansdell Chapel is used for student orientation, bi-weekly studentbody worship sessions, annual Pastor’s conference, worship artsconference, theatrical performances, symphonies and full-bandconcerts.“Completed and dedicated in April 2007, the new Ransdell Chapelis in constant use and every program is different from day to day,”remarked Doug Price, the university’s AV coordinator. “Often, theywill have multiple events in a single day. They needed a systemwith easy channel and output configuration, total recall and flexiblerouting. The iLive-144 was [an appropriate] solution for Ransdell.The mix rack lives at the stage, integrates directly with the Aviomsystem with the iLive’s Aviom card and connects to the mixingsurface with two Cat5 cables.”The iLive is configured with 48 inputs, 16 outputs and the Aviomcard in the iDR-10 Mix Rack and a further 16 inputs and eightoutputs in the control surface to handle wireless mics, CD players,DVD players and computers for playback and recording. Scene recallis heavily used to switch between the various types of events, and72 Sound & Communications For more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.net www.soundandcommunications.com

COMPILED BY DAN FERRISIadministrative passwords and security levels are implemented tomanage the different mixing engineers. DCAs and matrix outputsare configured to feed the lobby, choir room, monitor feeds andrecord decks.The console was installed by Jim Cottrell from JCM Media withtraining and sales support from Marc Warling at Online Marketing. nSound & Communications’The commercial systems integration industry’s first and only streamingvideo webcast.This month: There’s lots of money to be made in the K-12 educationsegment but, to maximize your investment, you need to knowhow best to approach this space. David Allen, Executive Vice President,Computrac Interactive Solutions, an RM Group company, andCarl Adams, District Sales Manager, CCS Presentation Systems,share knowledge gleaned from years of experience. “Making theGrade: AV in Higher Ed” analyzed systems integration at the college/universitylevel in our November 2008 webcast.Next month: A Disney-type mindset is increasingly being transportedinto retail outlets, corporate headquarters and other nonentertainment-basedcommercial spaces. This is part of a trendtoward embracing creative elements, including interactivity, whichhave been shown to enhance branding efforts and informationretention. Maris Ensing, President/CEO, Mad Systems, Inc., andAnne Herzog, COO/President, Entech Creative Industries, discusscreativity in commercial AV, drawing on their own projects to showits effectiveness.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 rMarchGlobalShop 2009March 23-25Las Vegas NVNielsen Business Media, Inc.(770) 291-5409www.globalshop.orgAprilISC WestApril 1-3Las Vegas NVReed Exhibitions(203) 840-5602www.iscwest.comMusikMesse Pro Light + SoundApril 1-4Frankfurt, GermanyMesse Frankfurt, Inc.(770) 984-8016musik.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/enNAB ShowApril 18-23Las Vegas NVNational Association ofBroadcasters(800) 342-2460www.nabshow.comACUTA 38 th Annual Conference& ExhibitionApril 19-22Atlanta GAACUTA(859) 278-3338www.acuta.org/events/annual_conference/sce09.cfmAIA 2009 National Conventionand Design ExpositionApril 30-May 2San Francisco CAAmerican Institute of Architects(800) 242-3837www.aiaconvention.com/live/61J. CodyB. CardeaJ. KarlanW. LongC. LehoeM. LarsonJ. WoolleyM. DukeD. SatterwhiteS. SamsonJ. IsonJ. LatimerB. GoodwinP. CeliaC. StewartMitsubishi Digital ElectronicsAmerica’s Presentation ProductsDiv. has appointed Akihiro “AK”Kambara as VP of its PresentationProducts Division…YamahaCommercial Audio Systemshas appointed Jacob (Jake) Codyto House of Worship MarketingSpecialist…AVI-SPL’s NewportNews office has added AccountManager Michelle Duke and SalesEngineers Bart Cardea and DonaldSatterwhite to its sales team. Additionally,the company’s Columbiaoffice has added Account ManagerJeffrey Karlan. And Design EngineerChris Lehoe has earned hisCertified Technology Specialist-Design (CTS-D) certification fromInfoComm International…Crestronhas selected Steve Samsonas Director of Business and MarketDevelopment…Da-Lite Screen Co.has named Wendy Long as VP ofMarketing…Omneon has appointedJohn Ison as VP of Marketing…JimLatimer has returned to Symetrixas Northern Regional Sales Manager…TheElectronic SystemsProfessional Alliance (ESPA) rotatedits committee positions andappointed Kerry Moyer, Senior Director,Strategic Relations, with theConsumer Electronics Association(CEA), as chairman for 2009…HitachiHome Electronics (America),Business Group, has appointedScott Coffee as Southwest RegionalSales Manager and Kristin Fordas Northwest Regional Sales Manager…StephanParidaen, Presidentof the Media & Entertainment Division,has departed Barco…GroupOne has appointed Matt Larson asNational Sales Manager for ProfessionalAudio Products…Scalahas appointed Damon Crowhurstas Director, Business Development& Services, EMEA…FDW-Worldwidehas appointed Buzz Goodwinto serve as President…TheHarman Music Group has addedJay Woolley as Marketing Directorfor Portable Sound…Perry Celiahas been named as QSC AudioProducts’ Director of US Sales-Western Region…Meyer Soundhas selected Chimène Stewart tobe Public Relations Manager….nFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.netFebruary 2009 73

COMPILED BY DAN FERRISIAll specifications supplied by manufacturers and/or distributors.OmniMount’s OmniLite Flat Panel Mount PackagingOptoma Technology’s EX525ST ShortThrow Multimedia ProjectorNady’s J-12M And J-15MMulti-Purpose SpeakersOptoma’s ShortThrow ProjectorOptoma Technology’s EX525ST(short throw) multimedia projector,for the education, governmentand business markets,can project hi-res images up to100" diagonally at a distanceof 4' from the wall. To shortenits projection distance, Optomadeveloped a new optical projectionsystem, which incorporatesa short-throw lens with asphericallens elements that providea throw ratio of 0.6:1. Shorteningthe necessary projectiondistance increases the numberof options available for installationto include almost anywhere:tabletops, ceilings, walls or thefloor. Features TI’s DLP chipsetand incorporates BrilliantColortechnology to ensure imageshave vivid, accurate color.Optoma Technology(408) 383-3700www.optomausa.comOmniMount’s ‘Green’ LineOmniMount’s OmniLite Seriesof flat-panel mounts (OL50FT,OL125FT and OL200FT) is environmentallyfriendly, with productand condensed packaging madefrom recycled materials andminimized component parts. Theamount of material used was reducedby 32% while increasingeach mount’s overall strength,and therefore weight capacity,by 56%. These flat-panel mountsoffer fixed and tilt functionality.Manuals and installation templatesfor each product will beprinted on the inside of the box,eliminating unnecessary paperuse. The series will use 100%recyclable internal packagingwith no plastic bags, post-consumerrecyclable outer box materialand non-petroleum-basedink for all package printing.OmniMount Systems(800) 668-6848www.omnimount.comLab.gruppen’sInstallation AmpLab.gruppen’s C Series C 88:4network-controlled installationamp, housed in a 12kg 2RUchassis, is a 4-channel modelsupplying 8800W of total output.Up to 2200W per discretechannel are available at 2 ohmsand 2100W per channel at 4ohms, while 4600W are availablethrough 2 bridged outputpairs at 4 ohms. Using VoltagePeak Limiting (VPL), it can beconfigured for operation with 4channels, 3 channels (1 bridgedpair) or 2 channels (both pairsbridged). Each output can be individuallytailored for either lowimpedanceor high-impedance(70/100 V) systems, allowingflexibility across the full range ofapplications. It retains all otherfeatures of the C Series, includingClass TD amp topology,Regulated Switch Mode PowerSupply (R.SMPS), Phoenix-typeinput connectors and screw terminaloutput connectors.Lab.gruppendistributed by TC|US(818) 665-4900www.labgruppen.comNady’s High-Power SpeakersNady’s J-12M and J-15M J-Seriesmulti-purpose speakers canbe used as FOH or monitor cabinetsand offer 700W handlingcapacity. Woofers and titaniumhorn drivers create good soundwith smooth overall response.Feature a tough epoxy finishfor scratch resistance. The J-Series cabs suit a variety ofapplications and requirements:30° monitor angle for more distantstage monitoring; 45° monitorangle for performers closerto the speaker; 90° angle forhorizontal placement on shelves;or upright for use as main FOHspeakers. Both feature 8° impedance;wide-angle dispersionhorns for clarity and presence;ported design for good bass andtreble punch; 2 nd order internalcrossover with tweeter surgeprotection circuit; Speakon and¼" connections; and roadworthycabinet construction.Nady Systems, Inc.(510) 652-2411www.nady.comMeyer Sound’sSubwooferMeyer Sound’s 500-HP compacthigh-power subwoofer brings agood power-to-size ratio and lowdistortion to a package suitablefor rigging with the M’elodie linearray speaker. With its goodbass clarity, the self-powered500-HP is appropriate whenspace is limited. It can be usedin groundstacked configurations.With an integral pole mount receptacle,it also complementsother Meyer Sound speakers,including the UPJ-1P VariO andUPA-1P/2P models. Best suitedfor enhancing low-frequencyheadroom in applications such74 Sound & CommunicationsFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.net www.soundandcommunications.com

Meyer Sound’s 500-HPCompact High-PowerSubwooferMagenta Research’s Mondo III-SAPFull-Matrix Cat5 SwitchSony Electronics’ SRX-T110 ProjectorExtron’s P/2 DA2 D 2-Output VGAAnd Audio Distribution Ampas small-to-medium theaters,clubs and houses of worship.The 500-HP subwoofer features2 high-power 12" cone drivers.The cone drivers are housed ina rectangular, optimally tunedand vented enclosure that isthe same width as M’elodie.Operating frequency range from36Hz-150Hz, with a peak SPLof 134dB.Meyer Sound(510) 486-1166www.meyersound.comSony’s 4K ProjectorsSony’s T-Series, including theSRX-T110 and SRX-T105, expandsthe 4K SXRD projectorline. They offer 4096x2160 resolution,a contrast ratio of 2500:1,and brightness of 11,000 and5500 lumens, respectively, dueto a refined optical block design.The projectors feature enhancedperformance, interface capability,control software and installationcapabilities, without affectingresolution, fill factor, responsespeed and other characteristics.Both models support AdobeRGB color space (with 95% coverageof the color gamut), and awider selection of color spaces,including ITU-R T.709, DCDM(for Digital Cinema Initiativecompliance) and sRGB (standardRGB). Additional flexibilityhas been designed into theGamma settings in the T-Series.A user-defined register is availablein addition to 2.2 and 2.6presets, where the user can setvalues from 1.8 to 2.59 in stepsof 0.01.Sony Electronics(212) 833-6800pro.sony.comExtron’sDistribution AmpExtron Electronics’ P/2 DA2 D isa Decora mount, 2-output VGAand audio distribution amp. Itcompensates for voltage lossand high frequency attenuationover long cable runs, and candrive VGA-QXGA video and audiosignals up to 250'. Availablein black or white, it is suitable foruse in permanent, in-wall applicationsrequiring long-distancetransmission of hi-res videosignals and audio. Additionalfeatures: 350MHz (-3dB) RGBvideo bandwidth, selectable gainand peaking, and active PC audiobuffering. Selectable stereoor dual mono audio output allowfor a choice of stereo audioor actively summed L+R monoaudio on both outputs. This simplifiesintegration in program audioand distributed audio systemdesigns and allows the optimalaudio reproduction method to bechosen.Extron Electronics(714) 491-1500www.extron.comAlpha’s InteractiveWayfinding SolutionDigital Display Group (DDG), adivision of Alpha Video & Audio,has released its CastNET CasinoVIEWinteractive wayfindingsolution. The optional component,created for the gamingmarket, is an addition to DDG’sCastNET digital signage software.The CasinoVIEW solutioncombines digital signage’svisual impact with a touchscreendisplay. It gives users the abilityto find the casino experiencethey are looking for by touchingan on-screen map of the gamefloor, or by choosing from anon-screen list of games, venuesand events on a gaming property.The CasinoVIEW componentsuits gaming propertiesthat want a wayfinding solutionthat is flexible and customizedfor each casino.Alpha Video & Audio(952) 896-9898www.alphavideo.comMagenta’s Full-MatrixCat5 SwitchMagenta Research’s next-generationMondo Matrix UTP switch,Mondo III-SAP, adds supportfor addressable, full-duplex serial.This technical hurdle wasovercome by the developmentof Mondo III-SAP output cards,which, when combined with MultiView-SAPreceivers, allow usersto extend and switch hi-defvideo, stereo audio and addressableduplex serial to 2000', allon a single cable. Bi-directionalserial communication is usefulin digital signage applicationswhere display telemetry and/ormetric collection are required, orin circumstances where userswant verification that commandsare received and implementedby the remote receiver/display.2-way serial functionality is retainedeven when MultiView-SAPreceivers are daisy-chained offa Mondo III-SAP output. Daisychaining is useful for creatingzones of displays (all showingthe same content) from a singleFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.netFebruary 2009 75

Mondo output.Magenta Research(860) 210-0546www.magenta-research.comChristie’s LCD ProjectorChristie’s LX700 4-panel LCDprojector delivers 7000 lumensand XGA resolution. Suitablefor large venues, educationalfacilities, retail environments,corporate boardrooms andtraining, rental and staging,and houses of worship. At theprojector’s core is 4DColor technologycombined with inorganicLCD panels. 4DColor providesa 20% increase in color gamutover previous 3-panel LCDmodels. The inorganic panelshelp create a “natural black” forsharper images and increasedcontrast ratio. Features: contrastratio of 2200:1; AutoFilter systemrolls out a new filter every1000 hours for up to 10,000hours; true digital connectionswith full AV inputs; broad suiteof optional lenses; built-in shutter.Christie Digital(714) 236-8610www.christiedigital.comFiberplex’s FOM Line Interchangeable/ExpandableFiberoptic ModuleFiberplex’sFiberoptic ModulesFiberplex has launched theFOM line of interchangeable/expandable fiberoptic modulesfor secure communications applications.The 6 FOM Modulecategories are Serial Data Communications;Digital Data Circuits;Telecom; Audio and Video;PC and Consumer ElectronicCommunications; and Control,Measurement and Monitoring& Security. All modules can beheld in the RMC5000 chassis or,alternately, used independentlyin standalone enclosures, allowingusers to customize applications.The FOM RMC5000 4RUchassis holds up to 16 individualFOM modules, plus providesspace for 2 power supplies, thusoffering the ability for redundantpower (AC or DC). Modularpower supplies can be swappedquickly, and I/O is adaptable toany facility, increasing the line’sflexibility. Any combination ofmixed media FOM modulescan be utilized within the sameRMC5000 chassis.Fiberplex(301) 604-0100www.lightviper.com nCOMPILED BY DAN FERRISIYamaha Commercial AudioSystems’ Installation GuideNavitar’s 2009Product CatalogYamaha’s Installation GuideThe Yamaha Commercial AudioSystems Installation Guide providesthe range and scope ofcomplete Yamaha digital audiosystems solutions and how theycan be applied. Emphasis hasbeen placed on how systemscan leverage the benefits providedby digital audio networkingthat can simplify and reduce thewiring infrastructure costs associatedwith complex systems byproviding convenient, flexiblecontrol facilities.Yamaha Commercial AudioSystems, Inc.(714) 522-9011www.yamahaca.comVMP’s Redesigned SiteVideo Mount Products has createdadditional search optionsfor its redesigned website, aswell as extra tools, such as theVideo Mount Products’Redesigned Website“Video Mount Finder,” which offersaccess to dozens of flatpanelmanufacturers and theirflat-panel SKUs. Then, with theclick of a button, it lists the appropriateVMP mounts.Video Mount Products(410) 643-6390www.videomount.comNavitar’s Product CatalogNavitar’s 2009 product catalogfeatures more than 400 products,including high-magnificationzoom, telecentric, large format,motorized and video lenses.Additions include SWIR fixed focallength imaging lenses and asection highlighting Navitar’s expandedcustom lens design andrapid prototyping capabilities. Fora copy, visit www.machinevision.navitar.com/catalog_request orcall (800) 828-6778.Navitar(585) 359-4000www.navitar.comScala’s Redesigned WebsiteScala’s relaunched website hasundergone a complete re-architecture,using images and videoto describe digital signage. TheSolutions Gallery provides customerprofiles for visitors lookingfor examples of digital signagein a specific vertical market orapplication. It features digitalsignage customer stories inbanking and financial, corporatecommunications, digital menuboards and more.Scala, Inc.(610) 363-3350www.scala.comn76 Sound & CommunicationsFor more information about these companies, go to www.bluebookonline.net www.soundandcommunications.com

AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO SOUND & COMMUNICATIONSElectro-VoiceNetMax N8000-1500 – The Most Powerful ProAudio Processor on the MarketProven in the most demanding installations and live performances, Electro-Voice NetMax audio processing technology advances to the next level withthe N8000-1500. At the heart of the N8000-1500 is the new DSP-2 engine.Composed of three dual-core processors, the DSP-2 expands the total processingpower of the N8000-1500 to 1500 MIPS. The unique modular nature ofNetMax means that each input or output card added to a chassis provides anadditional DSP engine and another 100 MIPS of processing power. This meansthat a fully loaded chassis provides 1900 MIPS of processing — almost doublethe power of the original N8000. Combined with the optional CobraNetinterface, NetMax’s unique monitoring and supervision options, FIR-drive,and the multitude of control options provided by IRIS-Net, the N8000-1500represents the most powerful pro audio processor on the market!WEB ADDRESS: http://irisnet.electrovoice.comE-MAIL: pro.sound@us.bosch.comPeavey ElectronicsIPR Series Of Ultra-Lightweight and EfficientPower AmplifiersPeavey’s groundbreaking IPR Series of ultra-lightweight and efficient poweramplifiers boast as low as 6.2 lb. net weight on the IPR 1600 and up to 6,000watts power on the IPR 6000. IPR Series amplifiers are designed with aresonant switch-mode power supply and a high-speed class D topology thatyield the highest audio resolution available while dramatically reducing weightand increasing output power, reliability and thermal efficiency. In addition tothe standard IPR 1600, IPR 3000, IPR 4400 and IPR 6000 models, Peavey alsodesigned four models that feature built-in 32-bit, floating-point digital signalprocessing. The IPR DSP models share the same power ratings and lightweight, but ship with program-specific EQ presets that make common soundreinforcementEQ treatments easy to perform, as well as delays, crossover andstereo/mono operation with lockable security settings. A front-panel LCDscreen allows users to quickly identify and assign presets.WEB ADDRESS: www.peavey.comSpeco TechnologiesA-live Multi-Room Audio System Brings YourDigital Audio To Life!Play the same song file or audio playlist in up to 6 zones simultaneously fromthe same PC without any sharing restrictions OR play multiple playlists fromthe same PC in different zones. A 6x6 matrix system allows simultaneousplayback of up to 6 sources into up to 6 zones. Integrated networked audiostream directly from your PC to any and all zones. An Intuitive GUI Interfaceturns your PC or laptop into a master remote control. There is also a backlitLCD keypad and 6 auxiliary inputs. Up to 240W RMS with 6 residential zonesor 120W RMS with 6 commercial zones. A-live will be available from SpecoTechnologies this fall.WEB ADDRESS: www.specotech.comAudio-TechnicaSpectraPulse® mtu201 XLR Desk Stand TransmitterA new XLR desk stand transmitter has joined Audio-Technica’s award-winningSpectraPulse® Ultra Wideband wireless microphone system. The mtu201 XLRDesk Stand Transmitter is optimized to work with Audio-Technica EngineeredSound® gooseneck microphones with 3-pin XLRM-type output. The unit providesphantom power to the microphone and features a programmable touch-sensitiveswitch and 9-hour rechargeable battery life. Audio-Technica’s innovative Spectra-Pulse® offers levels of security that have never before been commercially availablein wireless microphones. Protection from electronic eavesdropping is just oneof the benefits of this innovative system. Designed for quick, intuitive setup anduser-friendly operation, SpectraPulse offers interference-free performance withno frequency hunting or coordination required. Channel selection is quick andeasy. Bypassing the increasingly congested UHF, VHF and 2.4GHz frequencybands, SpectraPulse is ideal for use in areas with high RF congestion.WEB ADDRESS: www.audio-technica.comE-MAIL ADDRESS: install@atus.comFebruary 2009 77

How: Business(Continued from 45)particularly important to CCS thatthe systems had no down time.TxDOT retained CCS on aservice contract, so the installervisits on a regular basis for routinemaintenance. “We wantedto keep an eye on the project,”Ott offered. “It was really im-(Continued from 28)can quickly react to a newscenario or problem, is so important.Fast response time isrequired to make such changesoccur seamlessly. Personnelwho cannot handle the pressureof last-minute changes andCommunications superhighwaytechnological hiccups will notmake it in this particular areaof our industry.Briefly summarized, religiousorganizations on national, regionaland city levels are tryingto strengthen their ministriesportant to us to make sure itwas always up and running.”The ongoing service contracthas also enabled Ott to experiencethe fruits of her laborfirsthand. “Sometimes, I’d beheading out there and I’d calland say, ‘I’m going to be late.’But they’d already know. Theyknew exactly where the trafficwas and they’d tell me, ‘Onceyou get past mile marker soand-so,you’ll be OK’.”She continued, “What amazesme is how quickly they canrespond to things now. Theyby conducting more conventions,meetings and specialevents than ever before inchurch history. The four generalareas specified here arethe minimal requirements fora vendor to operate successfullywithin current religiousconstructs. If you meet thesebasic requirements, then youhave the opportunity to thrive inthe house of worship market.This is what I think. I want toknow what you think! nspot a problem and they get onthe radio, dispatching people tosolve the problem. It used totake a lot more time and theyneeded more operators to monitorthe screens. Now they canspend more time out on thefield fixing the problems.” nstriking Visions(Continued from 52)messages in real time.Integrating this capabilitywith a certified emergencyalert system (EAS), such as theDASDEC EAS encoder/decoderfrom Digital Alert System, enablesautomatic distribution ofweather and other critical emergencyinformation.Display manufacturers arealso expanding their signageofferings to fill specializedrequirements. This can providemore value-added opportunitiesfor integrators inan increasingly commoditizedmarket. LG Commercial, for instance,offers unique displays,such as the Stretch and theMirror, for a variety of signageapplications. LG has plans toship its 42-inch 3D monitor foruse in theater lobbies to display3D movie trailers and at mall kiosksfor 3D video game promoslater this year.Two installations of the 132-inch 3D WOWzone HD LCDmulti-screen display wall fromPhilips 3D Solutions are reportedlycreating spellbinding experiencesat the LA Bridge Theaterand at Karu & Y in Miami. Philipsalso offers a full suite of 3Dcontent creation applications.Easier To InstallSamsung has made it easierto install a videowall with itsnew Interlocking Display 2. Thispre-configured system consistsof 46-inch professional LCD networkedscreens with built-inWindows XP PCs, Samsung’sMagicInfo Pro content deliverysoftware and easy-assembly interlockingstand hardware.Just beyond the horizon are flex-ible screens that can be wrappedaround pillars, scent-emittingLCD displays to lure customersinto restaurants and retail stores,and kiosks with HD touchscreensand RFID for creating more immersiveconsumer engagementand usage reporting.Digital signage is a burgeoningmarketplace and, althoughthe current economic downturnmay impact its growth, the needfor even more cost-effective signagesolutions provides excitingopportunities for those withreal vision and expertise. nSin City signage(Continued from 56)ER. Taken together, this slate ofeducational opportunities comprehensivelycovers the signagesegment.Be sure not to miss the presentationof the 2009 Apex andContent Awards, both of whichare exclusive Digital SignageExpo awards programs. Honorswill be bestowed between5:00 and 7:00pm on February25. “The Apex Awards,” beganGibbs, “as the name indicates,connotes the best of the best;the top deployments out there.Companies are judged in numerouscategories, such as interactivetechnology, retail and publicspaces. It’s an opportunity torecognize the best of breed inthese different tracks.” Editorsfrom industry publications serveas Apex Awards judges, includingSound & Communications’editor, David A. Silverman. TheContent Awards, meanwhile,are new this year, illustratingthe industry’s increased focuson the message digital signageis being used to deliver.Looking at DSE’s history,Gibbs is proud of its evolutionand excited for the future. “Whenwe started, the industry was dyingto have its own identity,” hesaid. “So, when we attracted 600attendees in our first year, eventhough it wasn’t a huge event,people were still elated. Theyfinally had a place they could goto network and discuss the industrywith people who believe in it.And it’s only grown exponentiallysince then.”A Growing SegmentHe continued, “The AV industryhas been around a long time,and digital signage is a growingsegment of it. I think, whenevera growing segment of a largerinstitution is broken off andgiven a more intimate, focusedplace for people to network, youcan really start to see it blossom.Digital Signage Expo is afantastic example of that.”Clearly, for integrators interestedin the commercial segment’sfuture, DSE is a must-attendevent. “There will be moreexhibitors, more vendors, morethings to see and, of course,more new products,” Gibbsstressed. “It’s important for AVintegrators to know what offeringsare out there: what theyhave to choose from…what’sin their arsenal of solutions.And Digital Signage Expo hasmore than any other event forthe digital signage community,period.”We'll see you in Sin City.(Sound & Communications willbe at booth MC4.) n78 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

For advertising rates and deadlines call 800-YES-7678 x503SUPPLIERSFor advertising rates and deadlines call 800-YES-7678 x503Benefits include competitive compensation, healthinsurance, 401k and tuition reimbursement. DFWP/EOEFor the largest selection ofPro A/V Premium BalunsMake the Best Move ofYour Career!Join an award-winning companythat will help you make the mostof your skills, talents anddesire to succeed.AVI-SPL, an industry leader in cutting-edge AVtechnology, is seeking top-notch, motivatedprofessionals for the following areas:Design & EngineeringAV Product & AV System SalesProject & Construction ManagementRental & Stagingwww.etslan.com 1-800-752-8208For more info, visit www.avispl.com/soundcomm.aspSTEEL 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 ContractorsFebruary 2009 79

AD INDEXCompany Page #Altinex.............................................. 55Astatic............................................... 59Atlas Sound...................................C-IIIAudio-Technica................................ 35Azden................................................ 65Biamp................................................. 8Bittree............................................... 56Black Box......................................... 47ClearOne Communications............ 43Contemporary Research................ 51Crestron Electronics....................C-IVDigital Projection............................ 13EIKI International........................... 27Electro-Voice...................................C-llFDW................................................. 33Galaxy Audio................................... 40Holosonic Research Labs............... 37InfoComm........................................ 21InfoComm........................................ 57International Audio Visual............. 25Jupiter Systems............................... 36LG Electronics................................. 15Line 6................................................ 19Magenta Research............................ 3Marantz Professional...................... 45MediaMatrix.................................... 27Middle Atlantic Products............... 11NAB.................................................. 31Omnivex........................................... 17Panasonic Broadcast Systems......... 5Parts Express.................................. 56Penton Audio USA.......................... 26Premier Mounts.............................. 16Revolabs........................................... 63Speco Technologies........................ 41Stewart Audio.................................. 62Yamaha Commercial Audio............. 7Yamaha Commercial Audio........... 23EMPLOYMENTMechdyne Career Ad - B&W:Mechdyne Career Ad 12/8/2008 1:25 PM Page 1 Metal Rack Enclosures www.gatorcases.com INDEPENDENT REPS NEEDEDFOR MOST U.S. TERRITORIES• Pro Audio and Musical Instrumentlines available• 10 % commission paid• Sturdy and reliable products you willbe proud to representContact Rich at 516-313-7792 orrich@proaudiomarketing.comSOUND CONTROLToll-FreeNumber:8 8 8 - 76 5 - 2 9 0 0Full product line for sound controland noise elimination.www.acousticsfirst.comThermal ControlMarketplaceAds WorkCall 800-YES-7678 x503®80 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com

For advertising rates and deadlines call 800-YES-7678 x503SUPPLIERSFor advertising rates and deadlines call 800-YES-7678 x503for saleSOUND/LIGHTING CO. FOR SALEProfitable 40yr old west coast sound& lighting co. Turnkey mgmt.Events/permanent installations• Retail Sales • Full ServiceProduction • Contracting/Installations• Rentals • Complete Service andRepair. Sales $2.4 MM with 40+%gross margins.Madeleine Eno Piper GroupInternational 503.620.1800meno@pipergroupinternational.com.

Government Facilities & Public WorksBy 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 the July 2008 issue) and the Worship Center Survey (the 11 th edition, published in March 2008).Each month, we examine cross-referenced data culled from responses to specific questions from the surveys. This information is meant to supplementthe published reports, not duplicate those efforts.To tie in with this month’s Government Facilities and PublicWorks theme, this time we are analyzing information providedby respondents to the 23 rd Annual Commercial Systems IntegrationSurvey who indicated in Question #18 (asking about venuesand percentages of each company’s business) that 10% or moreof their business relates to public/government building integrationprojects.Question #4 relates to business trends, specifically total dollarsales for one year compared to the previous year. The data hereillustrates a dynamic market segment, with few respondentsreporting flat business. Indeed, whereas, last time, more thanone-fifth of respondents indicated their business remainedthe same, this time, that has fallen to just 5%. On the positiveside, 77% of those polled reported they experienced a businessincrease of some magnitude for 2007, with the vast majority ofthose enjoying a 5% or more business boost. Those numbers arean improvement from our last analysis. However, we also havemore people reporting a business decrease: Whereas, for 2006,it was only 14%, this time, it is 18%, with the vast majority sufferinga decrease of 5% or more.Question #7 asks about average dollar size of projects. Thischart’s data paints a mixed picture, with percentage-point shiftsseeming to go in opposing directions. Looking at the

ComplexProblemsI need a rack that fits myspecification and my budgetI need a rack with simplepart numbers that arelogical and descriptiveI need to reduce vendors—how can I buy a qualityrack from a full line supplier?Atlas©2008 Atlas Sound LP. Atlas Sound is a trademark of Atlas Sound. All other Trademarks are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. ATS002686 RevB 8/08SolutionsElectronic Equipment Racks from Atlas Sound• Four families of vertical racks designed for exceptional strength andversatility to fi t almost any specifi cation requirement.• Logical and descriptive model numbers! Example: Model #244-25 is a200 series cabinet, 44RU high, 25" deep. New commonality of doors,side panels, and casters also simplifi es accessory ordering.• Atlas Sound wants your rack business - Combine our cost effectiveracks with other Atlas Sound product to qualify for the industry’s mostaggressive free freight program!CHECK OUT OUR NEW RACK ACCESSORIES!SD Series,2, 3, 4, & 6 RUstorage drawerswith optionallocksMMK15-RMRack mountKeyboard /Monitor100 SERIES 200 SERIES 500 SERIES 700 SERIES• 21RU to 44RU, 18”depth• Fixed Rack Rails• The industry’s bestvalue• 21RU to 44RU, 18”,25”,& 30” depths• Sturdy 16GAConstruction• Increased open areasat top & bottom forgreater conduit & cableaccess• 35RU to 44RU, 25”, &30” depths• Removable left / righthinging rear door• Ideal for any multi-rackinstallation744-25• 35RU to 44RU, 25”, &30” depths• Heavy duty 14GA frameconstruction• Zone 4 seismic certifi edto the Telcordia NEBSGR-63-CORE standard100, 200, 500, & 700 Seriesracks are UL Listed(Standard 1678)244-18DOOR OPTIONS• Solid Metal• Perforated Metal(2 depths)• PlexiglassLearn more about how Atlas can solve your complex problemsDesigned & Engineered byAtlas Sound in the USAISO9001-2000-CERTIFIED-ATS002686B Ad Racks S&C.indd 1 12/24/08 3:03:1

The Only Solution for the Digital AgeThere’s no question that the digital age is here today. Analog television is going off the air; practically every devicethat plugs into a display has an HDMI port; the latest MacBooks only provide DisplayPort outputs; laptops nowinclude built-in Blu-ray players; and the latest video conferencing systems feature HDMI/DVI outputs exclusively.The products you’re using now won’t work for much longer. Crestron DigitalMedia (DM) is the only solution thatanswers the challenges of tomorrow – today.Crestron began designing products with HDMI technology more than five years ago, and have shipped thousandsof HDMI products over the last three years. But DM is more than just another HDMI switcher or extender; it’sa complete, integrated solution that manages, controls and distributes all analog and uncompressed HD digitalcontent over twisted pair or fiber. DM matrix switchers are flexible, modular systems that can accept virtually everysignal type and transmit them long distance as digital DM signals. Built-in exclusive QuickSwitch HD TM maintainsa constant HDCP connection for fast, glitch-free HD switching. At the end points, DM receivers control and outputHDMI to the display.Distributes:+ analog AV and HD computer+ uncompressed digital AV+ HDMI 1.3 with Deep Color+ Simultaneous HDMI stereo and 7.1+ USB mouse and keyboard+ QuickSwitch HD TM - glitch-free HDMI switching+ Manages HDCP content protection+ EDID resolution management+ CEC device control over HDMI+ Gigabit Ethernet switchingGo to crestron.com/digitalmedia to learn the facts about HD distributionand how Crestron DigitalMedia is delivering the solutions you’ll need fortomorrow right now.