Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/177525
Show and Tell Meeting the demands of the wired world from the audiovisual industry's perspective is a constant endeavour by Jerry Eberts W illiam Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." His words ring true when we consider today's interactive audiovisual environment. From the living room to the boardroom, from the classroom to the auditorium, we live in a wired world. Technology available today is both more complex and easier to use. But that doesn't mean we can function without knowledgeable help. There are many companies whose mission it is to help us discover what is best for our needs – at home and at work – and to install and instruct. Tim St. Louis, vice-president of sales and marketing for Calgary-based Sharp's Audio Visual, describes his company as "a systems designer, as well as installation and aftersales service provider." He says Sharp's AV is the only such provider from coast to coast. "Today, audiovisual is an essential service," says St. Louis. "All companies need it to some degree. There is an expectation that today's corporation will have itself prepared with a certain level of professionalism and communication technology." One product originally developed for education but now making its way into corporate boardrooms is Smart Technologies' Smart Board. St. Louis describes this as "an interactive whiteboard Audiovisual Systems p.26-31Audio_Energy.indd 27 that has evolved into a very promising business tool. You can use your finger to operate a PC through the Smart Board – anything a computer can do, you can do with the Smart Board." The evolution of this device has been remarkably fast, becoming a valuable tool for interactive meetings in the past year, says St. Louis. Smart Meeting Pro business software fits hand-in-glove with this technology, automating the Smart Board as a collaborative business tool. "We're seeing sales in all areas," says St. Louis. "The oil and gas industry, software developers, the military, Fortune 500 companies – lots of people are interested in the business-focused segment of the Smart product line." As well, St. Louis says digital signage continues to be a growth market. "A business can push information to staff in corridors, lunchrooms, anywhere it needs to communicate," he says. "It's used within educational facilities, to help in emergency situations or to promote campus events. If properly designed and implemented, digital signage can be used to effectively communicate instantly." St. Louis says video walls are becoming increasingly popular, with monitor sizes up to a whopping 70 inches diagonally. Combine four screens and you can make one huge screen 140 inches from corner to corner. Headquartered in Montreal — and with 18 offices across Canada — AVW-Telav Audio Visual Solutions provides full-service AV rental and permanent installation, with a goal to be "a technologically innovative, equipment-savvy extension" of a client business. Byron Tarry, general manager of system design and integration, describes the company's permanent installation division as a "design-build systems integrator. We design, install and support, particularly focused in the corporate arena. How a company deals with the audiovisual/IT convergence, and its impact and opportunities, is very important," says Tarry. "With the enterprisewide integration of AV onto the network, combined with increasing reliance on these tools, system consistency is vital. Mediocre is no longer acceptable; an ad hoc approach is no longer effective." Photo above: Three video screens provided by Mitsubishi Electric mounted on the recently renovated BC Place exterior, Vancouver, B.C. Photo: Robert Stefanowicz. "With our membership of the Global Presence Alliance," he continues, "we can offer an enterprise-wide approach to implementation and support AV solutions, regardless of the breadth of the organization. The global corporate market is particularly driven by the rapidly expanding market of videoconferencing. Despite — indeed, in part due to — the global economic situation, there is still significant growth happening in the audiovisual industry. There is a real need to integrate technologies, to improve efficiencies, sustainability and save money — reducing travel costs being just one example. Our industry and our clients are rapidly evolving. And that means tremendous opportunity." David Rawlings, managing director of Vancouver-based Bernard & Associates, notes that with the rise of Skype and other teleconferencing software, it is imperative that effort be made to offer something more than just a murky image on the other end. Consider this when you are teleconferencing, says Rawlings: "Can you see the person clearly? Can you make out the body gestures, the tilt of the head, the facial expression? If you or the other person are badly lit, you'll miss those little gestures, smiling, frowning. If you are doing a technical presentation and show a piece of equipment and it is badly lit, no one will see the details, the depth. It gets lost in the background. There are three elements for good lighting. The first is key lighting, left and right on the face. Second is a backlight. And third is a fill light. All three of those levels of light must be in balance, so you need controls, not just lights." Rawlings points out that while lighting is very important, the quality of the projector also makes a difference. He says that improvements to HDTVs have been considerable recently, and cameras, too, are better than ever."If you are doing something such FEBRUARY 2012 /27 1/23/12 10:31:47 AM