by Melody Craigmyle | Aug 30, 2016 | Pro Audio, Sound Engineering
I’m a huge fan of the park service and visit them quite frequently. This summer I’m headed to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. My idea of camping is with a full service hotel and restaurant but I do like it when there’s no TV and no cell phone reception, which was the case on my visit to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Check out these pictures of ancient Pueblo Indian dwellings from yours truly.
This year the National Park Service is celebrating its 100 anniversary in August and there have been lots of stories on the news providing coverage on the celebratory activities throughout the country. A few weeks ago, NPR did a segment on how sound engineers are going deep into the parks to record the natural soundscapes of streams, waterfalls, animals and all parts of nature that make our parks so spectacular. I was thinking about all those kids that grow up wanting to be a park ranger, then get into a band in high school carting around their own A/V equipment. Then through a turn of events, they end up in the A/V industry. Well guess what? Apparently you can do both!
One thing that was particularly interesting are the studies they are doing on how humans and our sound pollution affect the animals. The bio acoustical scientist in the interview, Kurt Fristrup, explained that just a few changes in decibels can have a great effect on their ability to hunt.
“Imagine you’re an owl looking for your dinner,” Fristrup said. “A three decibel increase in sound level cuts in half the area in which you could hear those sounds,” he said. “So you are half as efficient in finding food, with a relatively subtle increase in background sound level.”
Click Here to read the entire interview or download the segment.
by Patricia Murkowski | Aug 22, 2016 | Digital Signage, Video Walls
Being in the Pro Av arena for 10 years there is really not much that I haven’t seen. You would think by now I wouldn’t be the person walking behind a LCD panel in a store or restaurant to see what mount is being used or what type of ceiling accessory it has…..well, you would be wrong! Yes, I am still that person! Just yesterday I received a text message with a picture from my niece while she was at Petco Stadium watching the Padres vs Diamondbacks game, instead of commenting on her experience my first response was “I love that stadium! I was part of their original AV renovation project in the early 2000’s”! Again, I am that person.
With that said, while there is not much in the AV arena I haven’t seen, there is still a TON that impresses me! Living in Chicago I have access to some of the most historic arenas and stadiums equipped with the best AV systems money can buy. Last month I had the privilege of going to the United Center to see Adele perform live. While I’ve been to the United Center numerous times over the last year, no other experience compared to this for me. I walk through the doors on July 13th and see the 35’ x 9’ curved video wall with no other than, yes, you guessed it, Adele! I was smiling from ear to ear and most definitely felt like a newbie in the AV industry. I am a huge fan. =)
As with many sporting events and concerts, signage was everywhere! Visitors of the United Center can see 64, 42 inch flat panel displays throughout the 100 level concourses, not to mention LED boards inside each of the four main gate entrances.
I feel very lucky to be part of a great industry like Pro Av! I get to help clients spec in products that enhance their customers experience in many different vertical markets. On July 13th I was just a patron benefiting from a truly immersive fan experience thanks to innovative, Pro Av solutions.
by Todd Heberlein | Aug 8, 2016 | Video Walls
One of my favorite things to design has always been video walls. I love the flexibility they offer. I’ve “worked” on a variety of projects: A basic 2×2 with a single input source, a multi-sized display wall that was shaped to mimic the LA skyline, to a 90+ unit monstrosity with hundreds of input sources. (Notice that “worked” is in quotes) Working for an audio visual equipment supplier, I’ve had the opportunity to partner with various integrators, but have rarely had the opportunity to get my hands dirty. Coming from a background in construction, I always loved the feeling of building something and felt a bit jealous of the installers who got to see the end result first-hand. Sure, living vicariously through shared images is marginally enjoyable, but it’s tough to fully appreciate the work or satisfaction that comes from creating something on your own.
Recently that changed. During Almo’s booth setup at Infocomm, I was finally able to get a little more of the installation experience, and I was in for a rude awakening. The design was put together by Brian Rhatigan, another BDM with Almo, but it was up to me to bring it to life. I was actually excited. In the past, I’d helped on a few basic walls for trade shows, but they’ve always been relatively straight forward, with few or no surprises. Not this one. This one was in the shape of a pinwheel, and I really had no idea where to start. We had sketched out a basic design, with a few measurements based on the mount we were using (Peerless DS-VWM770). The measurements were based on a spec sheet, since the mount was recently released, and I had never even seen it before. I was still excited….but now with a hint of trepidation. I didn’t think it would be too big of a problem with all the adjustment knobs, etc. that come on the mount. I figured I’d knock it out in a couple of hours, tops. WRONG! Even with all of the adjustability, the entire project took the better part of a day to complete…for 4 measly displays.
It goes to show that no matter how good products are (this mount was awesome for this project), there is no replacement for experience. The good thing is, I came away with a better appreciation of what an installer can go through…and more than ready to get back behind my desk where I belong.
by Melody Craigmyle | Aug 5, 2016 | Digital Signage, Pro Displays
I just returned from a much needed vacation in Puerto Rico at the Wyndham Rio Mar resort. This property recently completed a $500M addition of Wyndham vacation condos in partnership with his royal beach-iness and head Parrot, Jimmy Buffet. The Margaritaville themed portion of the resort was impressive and had that cool Buffet laid-back vibe. As a marketer, I’m amazed at how this artist, who hasn’t had a record on the charts in the last couple of decades (save collaborations Zac Brown and Alan Jackson), has managed to become a global brand commanding licensing agreements from everything to restaurants, merchandising and now resorts.
The outdoor cabana with swim up pool was the centerpieces of the resort, appropriately named Margaritaville. You even got your own mondo margarita cup shaped like, you guessed it, a blender!
Hanging above the bar was a gorgeous installation of SunBriteTV’s, made to withstand the heat, humidity, wind and sand rolling off the beach just a few feet away. Trust me when I say it’s humid down there and the TV’s looked fantastic. Note that the clock on the wall is always on 5 o’clock.
Fast forward a couple of evenings and we go to a beautiful restaurant that was completely open to the elements with a view to die for overlooking the ocean. We got there right before the sunset and ordered the sangria. I look over to my shoulder and there it is…the ultimate no-no in outdoor installations. It was Visio (cue the scary organ music!)
AND to top it off, it was plugged into a cheap power strip, totally exposed OVER AN ICE MACHINE! (Cue even scarier organ music) Can you say electrical fire/accident waiting to happen? Somebody call OSHA!!!!
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We just had training from the very smart folks at SunBriteTV who reiterated that there are very real safety concerns with putting consumer TV’s outside. Forget about there being no warranty, or that the picture will be terrible in a matter of months, or that you can’t view those TV’s in direct sunlight. If you are working with a restaurant owner who wants to go on the cheap with his outdoor TV’s, tell him to call his insurance company and get a rider for electrocution for TV’s that aren’t UL certified for outdoor use. Maybe that will get him thinking. Business owners need peace of mind that their customers will be safe and happy. Use SunBriteTV and you can chill and go to your happy place – kind of like this…
