ADVENTURES IN AV:
SIGHT, SOUND, MOTION AND EMOTION

The audiovisual industry exceeds $55 billion worldwide. AV touches and benefits every man, woman and child in America, and is an integral part of information communications technology that includes new media, projectors, high definition TVs, digital signage, and remote video. To bring home the impact of AV on our lives…

39 REASONS: WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ANYONE
EVER WANT TO HIRE A CONSULTANT?!?

A short time ago, I found myself in a cramped examination room at my eye doctor’s office, and the subject of independence came up unexpectedly. My doc explained that by ordering a year’s supply of contact lenses, I could save a good bit of money. “How much do they cost?” I asked. “Oh, gosh,” he replied, “everyone…”

DISPLAY TRENDS: IS BIGGER ALWAYS BETTER?

It’s a common expression – Bigger is Better. Visual displays surround us everyday – desktop monitors, conference room projectors, flat panel digital signage, home theatre televisions. But is bigger really better? In countless…

PHYSICAL SECURITY: A LOOK TO THE FUTURE

Just in the past few years, we’ve witnessed exciting implementation of imaginative wireless devices, dramatic improvements in the clarity of video images, and ever-larger displays for live camera monitoring. Lesser known (but perhaps more significant) developments include…

AT THE HEIGHT OF CREATIVE DESIGN

The question on the freshman physics test was very simple: Show how to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer. The professor expected respondents to describe using the instrument to measure differing air pressures at the top and the bottom of the building, then calculate the building's…

"SO...WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?"

I was at a party recently, in a room filled mostly with people I only know as casual acquaintances. My wife is having a great time – but for me, on the “Party Bore-O-Meter” scale of 1 - 10, the night is a solid 8. For the fourth time, I am explaining to a similarly snoozed-out gentleman that…

PUTTING THE "GO" INTO ERGONOMICS

Imagine your typical medium-sized office: one desk, one phone, one computer, all in 150 SF of real estate. Now envision that same space packed with a wall of high-resolution video and computer monitors, electronic control consoles, and enough knobs and switches to intimidate the crew of the Spaceship Enterprise. At every turn…

CREATING THE CLASSROOM OF THE FUTURE

AV Convergence and the Black Box Theatre: Though the scope and scale of today’s classroom building far exceeds that of yesterday’s one-room schoolhouse, a teacher from 1903 would likely adapt rather quickly to the classroom of…

CSI MASTERFORMAT: HOW CHANGES IMPACT YOUR PROJECTS

Convergence – the marriage of low voltage technologies such as telephone systems, computer networks, audiovisual systems, video conferencing, and electronic signage – has been lumped in with electrical work, or ignored entirely. Now, it appears that these technologies, all grown up and so eager to be married, are moving out of the house and getting their own place to live – their new address will soon be…

ACOUSTICS & EDUCATION: SOUND INVESTMENT IN FUTURE

Due to recent trends and pending regulations, the architectural community is being challenged to create sensitive acoustical environments that accommodate learning for students of all ages. A proper acoustical environment is relatively inexpensive if proficiently implemented.The means for obtaining satisfactory acoustics in classrooms have been well known to professional acoustical consultants for decades, but unfortunately…

AV & IT: SHOTGUN WEDDING, OR MATCH IN HEAVEN?

For many years, A/V and IT have danced around one another. Brief flings of passion alternating with periods of utter disregard have characterized the relationship. As they’ve matured, a new respect for what each can do for the other has emerged, and from that respect has come opportunity for…