Here’s a closer look at some of the AV news, products and projects you might have missed this week. We call it AV News to Know:
New AV Products
Bluesound Professional BSP1000 and BSP500 Loudspeakers Now Shipping
Bluesound Professional announced the immediate availability of the BSP1000 and BSP500 network active loudspeakers. Both models incorporate integrated streaming capability designed specifically for use in either indoor or outdoor commercial installations.
The BSP1000 and BSP500 speakers are offered in choice of white or black matte finish and come supplied with an integral wall mounting bracket for easy installation.
AtlasIED Atmosphere Digital Audio Platform Now Shipping
AtlasIED announces the immediate availability of the first components of the Atmosphere digital audio platform comprising the new ecosystem.
Shipping now are two varieties of digital signal processors (6-input/4-output AZM4 and 10-input/8-output AZM8; two amplifiers (400-watt AZA404 and 800-watt AZA804); six different plug-and-play accessories, including wall-mounted audio controllers (single- and multi-zone options); remote audio inputs (RCA, Bluetooth, and XLR sources); and an ambient noise sensor.
As many as 16 accessories can be daisy-chained to the AZM4 and the AZM8.
Epson Introduces VS260 3LCD Projector
Epson this week introduced the affordable and versatile new VS260 3LCD XGA Projector.
Leveraging advanced 3-chip 3LCD technology with crisp XGA resolution and 3,300 lumens of color and white brightness,2 the VS260 delivers dynamic presentations and facilitates seamless Teams, Webex or Zoom video conferencing. Projecting vivid content, the VS260 helps professionals better engage meeting participants and own the room, whether presenting in-person or remote.
ATEN Technology Launches StreamLIVE PRO All-in-one Multi-channel AV Mixer
ATEN Technology, Inc. this week launched the UC9040 StreamLIVE PRO, an all-in-one multi-channel AV mixer.
The solution, a more advanced version of the UC9020, allows users to capture, stream and switch between two full HD video inputs over the Internet, creating a professional, dynamic multi-camera production that instantly takes video production to the next level.
The UC9040 is ideal for commercial product promotion, conferences and meetings, lectures and seminars and individual live event broadcasting.
Marshall Introduces New ML-454 Quad 4.5 Inch Rack Monitor
Marshall Electronics new ML-454 Quad 4.5 inch rack monitor features four high-resolution screens in only two rack units, making it ideal for fly packs and broadcast trucks. It supports a range of inputs including HDMI, 3G-SDI and composite.
Both SDI and composite inputs have active loop through with independent tallies and controls on each screen. It also features front panel access to functions, such as aspect ratio, marker and backlight level, for greater flexibility on location.
Bose Unveils L1 Pro Portable Line Array Family
Bose Professional this week introduced the Bose L1 Pro portable line array systems, the next-level advancement of a PA category invented by Bose 17 years ago with the release of the original L1. The L1 Pro systems usher in a new era of on-the-go audio for singer-songwriters, mobile DJs and bands.
The three new systems — the L1 Pro8, the L1 Pro16, and L1 Pro32 with its choice of two subwoofers — offer legendary 180-degree horizontal coverage along with unmatched clarity and tonal balance.
RTI VXP-82 All-in-One Presentation System Now Shipping
RTI is now shipping the new VXP-82 all-in-one control processor and presentation switcher, a single-box presentation solution for conference rooms, meeting spaces, classrooms, and lecture halls.
The all-in-one device combines an 8×2 multi-format video switcher with an RTI control processor, achieving exceptional performance while simplifying installation.
The VXP-82 handles video signals from up to eight sources and enables presentations on two monitors or in two rooms simultaneously, making it ideal for BYOD settings and social distancing office configurations in the COVID-19 world.
Audio Visual Projects
Portland Barber Shop Enhances Services with TAURI Temperature Check Tablet
Glory Star is helping barber shops and salons welcome back clients with worry-free, noninvasive temperature scans.
Using the patent-pending TAURI temperature check tablet, Northwest Barber Association in Portland, Ore., eliminated anxiety-inducing temperature guns and uniquely enhanced its safety protocols with the intelligent, contactless self-service solution.
“Like many small businesses, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve had to rely on a temperature gun to scan our clients,” said Cory Lee, barber and co-owner of Northwest Barber Association.
“However, we have a lot of customers who have mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Using a temperature gun raised their anxiety level. We’re in the business of self-care and helping people feel good about themselves.”
Prior to installing the TAURI, when a patron walked into Northwest Barber Association, staff had to interrupt service to a client already in a chair, disinfect their hands and the temperature gun, and check the temperature of the new arrival.
Now, guests simply walk up to the screen and it immediately scans their temperature, completely contact free. TAURI features a professional, high-quality infrared sensor that immediately detects and issues an alert when a person is running a temperature and, therefore, should leave the premises.
The system has different chimes and messages depending upon the person’s temperature. If a fever is detected, owners can customize the message according to their response plan. For example, it might read “Please wait for one of our barbers or service providers.”
TAURI combines a sensor and body heat algorithm for fast temperature accuracy with a tolerance of +/- 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit (+/- 0.3 degrees Celsius) and a refresh rate of 64Hz.
Based on a vast amount of biological and environmental factors that can impact temperature data, the system’s self-calibration feature automatically attunes to the environment of the room. Guests are scanned in three seconds and from up to 3 feet away, providing an efficient process.
TAURI is available in 7-inch, 10.5-inch, 15.6-inch, and 21.5-inch models and can be deployed anywhere using Glory Star’s VESA standard wall mounts, desktop mounts, or floor stands, which are available as options.
Each tablet is embedded with the TAURI Application, which immediately launches upon start-up. Northwest Barber Association was able to set it up in minutes using the interactive user interface. It also has intelligent features, such as face detection and optional face recognition.
The company’s team of engineers continuously writes free firmware over-the-air updates, which add new tools to address arising concerns and recommendations.
To provide greater ROI, TAURI is also designed as both an immediate and long-term communications tool. When not being used to scan customers, it doubles as a contact-free, affordable digital signage screen. Businesses can run their own advertising or feature their products and services.
“Barber shops and hair salons are in a unique position to help customers feel safe in resuming their self-care regimen,” said Cindy Cheung, chief commercial officer of Glory Star. “Northwest Barber Association is a great example of how community businesses can reopen while keeping physical health, safety, and mental health in mind.”
FCC’s $10M Tech Installation Overcomes COVID Delays Thanks to C3EL
Command and Control Communications Engineering & Logistics, LLC (C3EL) is a veteran-owned small business that specializes in building command centers worldwide.
The company’s core capabilities are providing AV/VTC design-build and O&M services to Department of Defense (DoD) clients in support of global operations.
C3EL is comprised of industry veteran engineers and logisticians who develop project plans and designs, procure and ship equipment and materials, and deploy to build and install projects all over the globe.
Its senior staff is made up of prior military technicians and engineers, and its technical personnel all hold DoD security clearances to work in the most secure environments.
The company also performs SCIF construction (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) and all the system requirements to assist the government in that process.
With qualifications like that, it’s no surprise that C3EL was chosen to perform turnkey services for the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Headquarters facility in Washington, D.C.
The FCC was looking for a detailed design validation, project management, procurement, engineering, installation, programming, and commissioning of the new facility’s 292 rooms. The spec included AV equipment, facility-wide IPTV, sound-masking, and paging systems.
Although this was a government project, C3EL worked alongside and collaborated with the commercial general contractor that constructed the ten-story building.
“It was late August 2019 when we were approached by our prime contractor as one of many companies that were to bid on the project,” said Lavar McDowell, VP of business development and sales at C3EL, and a senior non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Reserves.
“The design was done by a consultant for the government. They gave us the high-level design, the list of materials, and scope of work, and asked us if we could bid on supporting the project from a full turnkey standpoint, including design validation, engineering programming, installation, integration, as well as commissioning and training,”he said.
C3EL was in the process of moving offices when word came that the FCC needed services and had a short suspense timeline of fewer than two weeks in which they had to put a bid in to the government, said McDowell.
“We hunkered down, also dealing with Hurricane Dorian over Labor Day weekend, and produced this proposal to be able to submit through our prime contractor for submission to the government,” he said. “In five days, we turned around what would normally take several weeks, if not months, putting together a thorough quote and providing all the answers they needed.”
That intensive scramble to produce a thorough bid worked out for C3EL, putting them at the head of the pack. “They were impressed by our competitive bidding process and communication,” said McDowell.
After winning the job and several iterations of reviews, McDowell and his team discovered that the initial documentation wasn’t fully complete, causing the team to have to make modifications to the proposal.
At that point, they received an award and went into the design validation period, which took 45 days to complete.
In the process, with the design being now two years old since the building was first designed, C3EL had to make sure all the equipment was still available and up to date and change out some of the materials to meet FCC’s requirements for the latest technology.
C3EL did the design validation in December 2019 through January 2020, and once they got the design approved by the government, they started the procurement process and began receiving materials in February 2020 at their 6,000-square-foot secured warehouse facility in Tampa.
“We took a unique approach to system design,” said McDowell. “We created a lab environment in our warehouse, preconfiguring the racks and testing them in the lab, then building custom crates and shipping the racks up to D.C.
“The construction was not done at that time, so this approach allowed us to work remotely on our scope of the project without interrupting or waiting for the general contractor to finish their portion of the project. This expedited our progress on-site,” he said.
“When we got there, we just had to do the layer-one cabling and installation of room peripherals,” said McDowell. “The rest was a plug-and-play installation, testing, configuration adjustments for the room environments, sound-reinforcing improvements, and commissioning.”
In March of 2020, the term “work remotely” took on a new meaning as COVID hit the states. Because C3EL had carefully planned the project and preconfigured racks, their work was only minimally disrupted by the virus.
“In February, we had no clue COVID was even a thing. We were already working remotely and were on a tight timeline as well,” said McDowell.
When everyone went to quarantine, C3EL was able to keep minimal staff employed working in Tampa and had already deployed its first team to D.C. towards the end of February. Of course, there were some delays at the supply level and the general-contractor level due to the pandemic, which had a ripple effect through to subcontractors working on-site.
“We had to really press into our suppliers and reach out to other suppliers to procure some of those materials that were affected,” said McDowell. “COVID was a layer that affected the entire world, but we were still able to keep a project scheduled and keep everyone employed and healthy.
“C3EL was able to trudge onward, adjusting for the schedule of materials, while getting used to wearing masks and social distancing across ten stories and hundreds of thousands of square feet,” he said.
A big piece of the puzzle that allowed C3EL to be so successful on the project was its use of D-Tools System Integrator software.
“We outgrew the solution we were using prior to this opportunity and were in the midst of transferring over to the D-Tools platform,” said McDowell. “For a very large project like this, it’s frustrating for our design and sales staff to have to price out materials and wait for a PDF to print with 2,000 line items.
“We needed a software solution geared toward AV, and we fell in love with the concept of D-Tools,” he said. Particularly, McDowell liked the ability to have his sales team, design team, and operations teams work out of the same system for increased efficiency.
“Now, when we are working on a proposal, we can import pricing from different vendors or go off pricing pre-built into D-Tools software versus going back to an excel spreadsheet,” said McDowell.
“COVID has actually propelled our business forward, and we had to hire like crazy to keep up with the work that is coming in,” said McDowell. He notes that D-Tools online training has also been a boon to his business in this respect, because he requires every employee to go through the training.
Not only did C3EL win the project install and integration, but they also were awarded as a subcontractor to provide the AV Support Services at FCC with several members now officially on-site.
“Our past performance when doing the install and having the continuity was very attractive to them,” said McDowell. “After all, who better to maintain the systems than the team who designed and installed them?”
McDowell is looking into using D-Tools software as part of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) and warranty support. The team will be developing all the FCC training materials, systems operations guides, quick-reference sheets, and will provide training to 15 FCC resources.
As part of the AV installation project, C3EL will be the contractor that will manage all warranty actions and return merchandise authorizations (RMA) on behalf of the FCC during the first twelve months of systems operations.
People and Places
Yamaha Names Preston Gray Director of Marketing for Professional Audio
Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) has named Preston Gray as director of marketing for Professional Audio, responsible for Yamaha and NEXO professional, commercial and live sound products as well as audio workstation tools from Steinberg Media Technologies.
Gray will focus on expanding the company’s total systems approach, providing sound engineers, system integrators and designers with unified solutions that cross multiple product segments and create more efficient audio workflows.
He was previously field sales engineer manager for Yamaha Commercial Audio and NEXO products, managing a team of field sales engineers who provide Yamaha Commercial Audio and NEXO channel partners with pre-sales and technical design support, while closely aligning with their business activities.
OfficePro Lands Mike Doolittle as Vice President of Client Engagement
OfficePro announced this week that audiovisual industry veteran Mike Doolittle is joining its team as VP of client engagement.
Doolittle spent more than a decade working at InfoComm International as the director of exposition sales and membership programs. He most recently served as the director of exposition sales and services for a large trade show industry management company.
AVIXA Women’s Council Expands Global Presence
The AVIXA Women’s Council this week announced the addition of a new local group in Hong Kong.
The AVIXA Women’s Council was formed in 2015 and today has 47 local groups around the world with more than 860 members. With the addition of Hong Kong, the council now has seven local groups outside of the United States.
The formation of the Hong Kong group is led by Joy Balboa, regional marketing manager for Vega Global, and Heather Li, director of digital workplace solutions for Vega Global.
