August issue of AV Technology

1. 5 Steps to
Building
A World-Class
Boardroom
avnetwork.com|July/august2014|vol.7no.6
The Tao of Poe: Power over eTherneT Promises av wiThouT a Plug. so, whaT’s The caTch?
T h e A V r e s o u r c e f o r T e c h n o l o g y M A n A g e r s A n d u s e r s
Are You
With it?for AndreW SimmonS, AV & it
conVergence iS An eVerYdAY reAlitY.
diSCovering
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MULTIPURPOSEROI
teChWiShliSt
whaTaREav&IT
ManagERS bUyIng?
trendCASting
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SySTEMS PULL ‘IT‘
aLLTOgEThER
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or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. ©2014 Crestron Electronics, Inc. AD2014_05
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4. TheContents
J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com4
6 Collaboration is the new blaCk
THE FEED
8 top 10 e-Mailed news stories
Blog Bits and AVTweets
10 analyzing infoCoMM
Get Smart: Educational offerings
Big Ideas
12 ask professor phil
Does RTP really matter for network video?
13 the edge in ed teCh
Debating private cloud vs. public cloud servers in
higher education.
14 who’s Viewing who?
Executives are demanding deeper analytics on
webcasting efforts.
THE DRILL DOWN
16 J2k CoMpression in eduCation
MEET YOUR MANAGER
30 Q&a with tiM daVis, JaCobs Media
32 Q&a with andrew siMMons, raVen
industries
Awards
40 infoCoMM 2014 best of show awards
PRODUCT FORUM
53 hands-on reView: toa aM-1 MiC systeM
Guide
55 / A1 guide to Multipurpose spaCes
AV IN ACTION
34 engaging history
36 historiC upgrade
38 new teCh, new energy
THE GOODS
71 new protean produCts
HOW IT’S DONE
73 san Vs. nas: point/Counterpoint
74 how to Manage edid More effiCiently
Features
18 the tao of poe
Power over Ethernet can power AV
devices without a plug, potentially
rewriting how buildings are wired.
But, there’s a catch.
21 Collaboration CurriCuluM
Tech managers in higher ed should plan to
support more active learning environments.
24 fiVe bullet points
for building a better
boardrooM
Be prepared to have your budget limits
tested.
28 roCk on
How ‘Hedwig and The Angry Inch’ sound
designer Tim O’Heir got Broadway to rock.
On the cover: Planar’s 4K-ready display line.
Main cover photography by Lauren Neff 32
18
24
AV Technology (ISSN 1941-5273) is published monthly except combined February/March and July/August
by NewBay Media LLC, 28 East 28 Street, New York, NY 10016. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY
10199 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to AV Technology, PO Box 8692,
Lowell, MA 01853-8692

6. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com6
Perspective
Collaboration
isthenewblaCkIn commercial facilities, technology managers play a cen-
tral role in how people collaborate—a role that is far from
straightforward as technologies evolve, user profiles change,
and disciplines merge.
On the positive side, a new solution like a videoconferenc-
ing bridge can help navigate competing formats and complex
controls.
On the negative side, tech managers must now worry
about much more than mics, displays, and peripherals. They
must ensure adequate network bandwidth, not just for the
conference room or lecture hall, but all remote participants in far-flung zip codes. And they
must understand how a new technology in the mix might impact unified communications,
including video on the network and related functions. This, in turn, requires coordination
between AV and IT staff for tasks that were previously outside the scope of traditional audio or
video operations. Simply put, in 2014, technology
pros are wearing more hats than ever.
In this month’s issue, we go straight to the source
for collaboration trends and IT/AV convergence in
our cover story, “Meet Your Manager” (page 32), a
Q&A with Andrew Simmons, a senior IT technician
at Raven Industries in South Dakota. In this insight-
ful interview, Andrew shares his experience as both
an AV manager and senior IT decision-maker.
Our feature “Collaboration Curriculum” (page 21) explores how to tech managers in higher
education must be prepared to support more active learning environments. We asked our
sources: How are collaboration and active learning defined in your organization?
In “Five Bullet Points for Building a Better Boardroom” (page 24), Bates College tech man-
ager Gary Russell states that to create the boardroom that meets everyone’s needs, get ready to
have your budget limit tested.
On page 18 we get Zen with the “Tao of POE” (Power over Ethernet). Writer Brian Nadel
drills down into this category to outline the specs and quirks of Power over Ethernet in com-
mercial facilities. POE can power AV devices without a plug, but there are limitations.
We love hearing your feedback on our columns, features, and system profiles. We invite you
to snap a picture of your AV in action or your hybrid AV/IT department. Tag us on Twitter or
Facebook to share your collaboration story.
FOLLOW ME ONLINE
mdouaihy@nbmedia.com
avnetwork.com
avnetwork.tumblr.com
twitter.com/AVTechnologyMag
/pub/av-technology-magazine/27/753/2a4
avnetwork
July/August 2014 vol. 7 no. 6
Editorial
Margot Douaihy Editorial director
MDouaihy@nbmedia.com
Tim Kridel Contributing Editor
James Careless, Phil Hippensteel, Carolyn Heinze, Brian
Nadel, Gary Russell, Adam Stern, Steve Vonder Haar,
David Zuckerman
Contributors
Joey D’Angelo, Gary L. Hall,
Phil Hippensteel, Jan Ozer, Paul Parrie,
Joe Schuch, Ronnie Anne Spang, Steve Vonder Haar
aV technology advisory Board
SalES & MarkEting
Sue Horwitz Publisher
323-933-9485, sue@audientmarketing.com
Stan Kashine national Sales Manager
516-626-2813, skashine@optonline.net
art & ProdUCtion
Nicole Cobban Senior art director
Walter Makarucha, Jr. associate art director
Farrah Aponte Production director
FAponte@nbmedia.com
CirCUlation
Meg Estevez group director, audience development
Michele Fonville associate Circulation Manager
Telephone: 888-266-5828
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Paul Mastronardi Chief Financial officer
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Robert Ames VP of digital Strategy & operations
Denise Robbins VP of audience development
Anthony Savona VP of Content & Marketing
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PRiNTED iN THE uSA.
2 Color - Pantone 1797 / Black
1 Color - 100 Black / 40 Black 1 Color - 100 Black
“In 2014,
technology pros
are wearing more
hats than ever.”

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8. Thefeed10. Weighing in: david labuskes responds to the “Booth Babe”
dilemma
InfoComm president David Labuskes denounced the use of “booth babes,”
adding that the practice “creates an environment that is unwelcome for some
[and] that perpetuates ‘old school thinking.’”
9. 100-Strong: the hdBaset Alliance hits Member Milestone
The cross-industry group tasked with promoting and advancing HDBaseT
technology now has more than 100 members, including Sony, Philips,
Christie Digital Systems, Panasonic, Polycom, Kanexpro, & Aten.
8. train on: Biamp Systems expands training Program
Offered through the Biamp Education Experience, new in-person certifica-
tion courses are available, as well as YouTube and webinar courses that
include a series of “Audio 101” courses.
7. Across the Pond: datapath Strengthens north American Presence
Datapath, the uK-based maker of computer graphics, video capture, & video
wall display technology, has increased their North American presence. Their
growth is due to a multi-part strategy: a new Datapath office in Philadelphia;
increased sales of the flexible Datapath x4 display controller; appointment of
a new sales member, Brian Gremminger; and new additions to their distribu-
tor portfolio—MCA and TMB in America, and IAVI in Canada.
6. Buy in: Whitlock Acquires Business ops of Xerox Av
Whitlock has acquired select business operations of Xerox Audio Visual
Solutions from Global Imaging Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Xerox.
Read more about the deal on www.avnetwork.com.
5. google it: Why is google Courting Av Professionals?
The presence of Google at InfoComm had flown under the radar as the tech
giant made a last minute push to send a representatives to Vegas. But they
weren’t there to sell their technology; Google was there to mine for talent.
4. new leadership: nanolumens Appoints new executive vP
Gary Feather, former Senior Vice President of LED Lighting at Sharp
Electronics, has joined NanoLumens as executive VP of operations.
3. on the road: live with newBay’s nYC rental roadshow
The July 23rd Rental Staging Roadshow in New York featured new pre-
sentations on live event safety and the latest 3D projection mapping, from
the industry’s top players including Moment Factory, Worldstage, and more.
2. in Memoriam: 9/11 Memorial uses Av to Share loss & legacy
The long-anticipated National September 11 Memorial & Museum has
opened in the footprints of the World Trade Center in NYC. Electrosonic
provided extensive AV systems for the museum, which is primarily located
about 70-feet below ground and offers an emotional visitor experience.
1. how ‘Casual Sexism’ hurts the Av industry
For all of the women in the industry, the use of “booth babes” sends a mes-
sage: that they remain outsiders.
BLOG BITS / AVTWEETS / JOB BOARD
“Since returning from
InfoComm 2014,
I’ve read a lot about
#AVSelfies, booth babes,
absentee exhibitors, and
the ‘problems with 4K’.
But I’ve seen little written
about the success or
failure of the show from
an audio visual business
perspective and I think
its time someone talked
about why many of us
were there. We flew ten
people to Las Vegas this
year; fed and housed them,
paid for their courses, and
the astonishing number
of taxi chits accumulated
crisscrossing the Strip
to the many ‘free’ vendor
events. Was it a lot of
money? Sure. But not
nearly as much as it cost
the company in lost billable
hours and productivity
during one of the busiest
months of an integrator’s
year.”
—Brock McGinnis
“Both Jan Sandri and
Cory Schaeffer have
demonstrated extraordinary
levels of professional
knowledge, while taking
time to improve the
industry and better the
lives of others. InfoComm
is pleased to celebrate Cory
and Jan’s achievements.”
—David Labuskes
BLOG
BITS
@aVtechnologyMag
What if all municipal
building codes required
loudspeakers in every room?
“State of the Possible” by
Joey D’Angelo
@goCertify
What are you waiting for?
CompTIA is offering new
CertMaster training tools
http://ow.ly/ywWK7
@aVtechnologyMag
Read why IT distributor
SYNNEX won ‘2014
Americas Distributor of the
Year’ at the Lifesize Americas
Partner Summit
eduwire.com Jobs
Board for tech
managers & technicians
Join the aV technology
Magazine eduwire.com
Jobs board for all the
latest it & aV career
posts. here are available
jobs.
• Online AV Multimedia
developer, university of
san francisco
• Unified Communications
sales specialist, london,
united kingdom
• District Director,
information technology,
Coast Community
College district, Costa
Mesa, Ca
AV
TWEETS
Visit avnetwork.com for all the breaking
news that tech managers need to know.
EMAILED NEWS STORIESy
Top10
J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com8

9. Infinite Ways to Collaborate
© 2014 Kramer Electronics, Ltd. All Rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
CONNECT COLLABORATE ENGAGE
N O W T H E R E ’ S A W A Y T O M E E T S M A R T E R
Introducing the VIA Collage, the meeting tool that allows you to connect, collaborate, and engage at the
click of a button. VIA Collage is a shared workspace for team collaboration that lets you connect wirelessly,
collaborate easily, and engage everyone in the room in the work you’re doing. It provides a common
platform for all those laptops, smartphones, and tablets in real time on one digital canvas. Your group
work gets done on the spot.
Ideal for smaller huddle spaces, Kramer brings you the
cost-effective VIA Connect Hub. Wireless presentation
has never been so easy and effective.
For further product information:
• www.kramerus.com • Toll-Free: 888-275-6311
• E-mail: info@kramerus.com
International customers, visit www.kramerelectronics.com
for your local distributor.

10. TheFeed
news analysis / get smart
J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com10
News Analysis
Highlights & Trends from
InfoComm 2014
By Alex Mayo
Editor’s Note—Our colleagues at
NewBay’s SCN provided insightful cover-
age of InfoComm 2014. This analysis was
written by Alex Mayo of Shen Milsom &
Wilke. Read Alex’s full report in SCN’s
July edition and www.avnetwork.com.
More Robust Data Reporting and Analysis
with “internet of things” headlines abound, it’s encouraging to see the industry make
strides in workplace management through software and hardware solutions. it puts
aV in an interesting space as manufacturers develop new solutions to compile com-
plex reports from singular data points gathered from the operation of an aV system.
as a consultant, this means we can now guide our clients in experimenting with
different aV solutions and receiving real-time feedback from as far as multiple sites,
or as close as neighboring rooms in the same building. we’ll see a much tighter feed-
back loop, from an occupant’s use habits to human resources and space planning
departments within technology-driven companies.
Collaboration Sheds Its Buzzword Status
Using evidence from the same sort of data analysis above, the rise in smaller huddle
space rooms in commercial architecture is more apparent. this year infoComm hosted
a larger collection of small collaborative solutions.
Designers might be threatened by the lack of space for traditionally sized aV
equipment in these smaller rooms. still, here are a few products that i’m interested in
testing out for their use in small room conferencing and collaboration:
n the audix m3 tri-element ceiling mic.
n as trends point to smaller rooms, the physical footprint of each piece of vis-
ible equipment becomes even more important in creating a well-designed room. with
this in mind, i was impressed with Vaddio’s roboshot Conference & Broadcast PtZ
cameras.
n amX’s addition of conferencing to enzo, proves they are aware of these trends;
a point echoed in their offering of rms enterprise solutions. their DVX line of pre-
sentation switchers received a smaller sibling in the 4x2 format, which in my opinion
is a smart pivot for a device-line that is becoming less essential in smaller rooms.
HDBaseT & IP Based Transport
i expected this show to be a war between HDBaset and the plethora of iP-based video
and audio solutions being offered. after spending considerable time with the thought of
these two ideologies being in competition, i can now see a balance of the two in future
designs as they begin to more clearly reveal their strengths and weaknesses.
as many manufacturers begin to show comfort with the Valens chipset — enough
to begin pushing it to 4K resolution — HDBaset can be seen as a clear transport of
choice in contained room systems, while delivering an exceptional quality of digital
audio and video.
Digital Video Expo
September, 2014
los angeles, Ca
www.dvexpo.com
156th SMPTE Annual
Technical Conference &
Exhibition
October 20-23, 2014
loews Hollywood Hotel
Hollywood, Ca
www.smpte.org/atc2014
InfoComm Connections
October 22-23, 2014
Philadelphia, Pa
www.infocomm.org
2014 DPAA Digital Media
Summit
October, 2014
new york Hilton
www.dp-aa.org
Integrated Systems Russia
October 29-31, 2014
moscow, russia
www.isrussia.ru/en/isrussia/
index.php
get
SMART

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12. Dear Professor Phil,
We use IPTV in our school to deliver
video obtained from feed provided by
our cable company. A technician from
that company and I began discussing
the format of the transmitted informa-
tion; he told me that they don’t use RTP
(Real Time Protocol) in the core of their
network like we do in our school. He
said it just adds unnecessary overhead.
I thought the RTP carried the timing
information. Is he right? Is it possible to
eliminate the use of the RTP?
—Ben, Chicago, IL
Ben,
Yes, it is. I assume you are talking about
the use of the mpeg transport structure
which is common in nearly all IPTV
deployments. Here’s a quick review of
that mechanism.
In the simplest case, three inputs feed
the transmitted stream: audio, video and
stream metadata. Figure 1 shows this.
Each input is segmented into 184 byte
blocks to which a four byte header is attached. In the case
of audio and video, this header contains
• a byte to indicate the beginning of the header
• a PID (program ID)
• a continuity counter
• an optional adaption field
The program ID binds the audio and video to each
other and shows their relative position in a stream that
may represent many channels. The continuity counter
is simply a number that sequentially increments from 0
to 15 and then repeats. This will be of some help if the
packets get out of order. It’s the adaption header that
contains the time stamp called the PCR (program clock
reference). This optional field must be transmitted at
least ten times per second. Keeping in mind that it will
usually take thousands of 184 mpeg blocks to decode
a single frame representing 1/30 of a second, the PCR
adds very little overhead. The other information carried
within the adaption field is the PAT (program allocation
table) and the PMT (program map table). These are lists
of the current programs and corresponding PIDs. That
is, the PAT contains a table saying program x is on PID
nnn, program y is on PID mmm, and so forth. Then the
decoder looks for the corresponding program map table
and that PMT shows how the audio and video are identi-
fied. As an example, Channel 2 from the cable company
might be listed in the PAT as using PID 00800. Typically,
the corresponding PMT might show the video to be
using PID 00801, left channel audio using PID 00802
and right channel audio using PID 00803.
Phil Hippensteel, PhD, teaches at Penn State
Harrisburg and regularly contributes to AV Technology.
Email your tech questions to pjh15@psu.edu.
bigideas
J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com12
ASk
ProfeSSorPhil
DOES RTP REALLY MATTER FOR
NETWORK VIDEO?
By Phil Hippensteel
Video
Encoder
184 184 184184184 184
…
MPEG
header 184
MPEG
header 184
MPEG
header 184
…
Audio
Encoder
MPEG
header 184
MPEG
header 184
184 184 184
MPEG
header 184 MPEG
header 184
……
Transmitted Stream
Figure 1: The MPEG
Transport Structure

13. here’s broad agreement on the key benefits of virtual servers—scalability,
improved resource utilization, reduced operational costs, instant provi-
sioning, and the ability to quickly expand the server base. But there is
no “one size fits all” consensus around private vs. public cloud servers.
For educational institutions, the selection of a public vs. private
cloud turns upon a number of factors. When considering a move to the cloud, orga-
nizations must evaluate these two functionally similar technologies and assess the
appropriateness of each for their needs.
They should look at the specific applications and processes they want to transition
to a cloud-based infrastructure, and factor in security, compliance, cost and scalability
before deciding which of the two options aligns most closely with their strategies.
Some schools might determine that specific applications and processes require a private
cloud, while others can live in the public cloud.
The primary consideration for any educational institution when choosing between
a private or public cloud solution remains security. With private cloud deployment,
access can be actively restricted internally and externally, and firewall technologies can
be implemented to protect against external threats. At first blush, a private cloud might
seem to provide a better choice for organizations that
want to enjoy the benefits of virtual servers without com-
promising security policies or overall system flexibility.
But a closer look reveals that, implemented correctly,
the public cloud can be as secure as the most effectively
managed private cloud implementation. While security
is an issue in the public cloud, there are new and effective
ways to mitigate risk. Before transitioning to cloud server
hosting, check the service provider’s profile and history,
and obtaining reference customers in their industry.
To achieve maximum security in a public cloud server
hosting environment, look for intrusion detection and
prevention systems (IDPS), which are designed to pre-
vent attacks and extend far beyond traditional firewalls.
The better public cloud providers also embrace the con-
cept of “application-consistent backup” as the optimum
restoration method in the event of data loss.
Adam Stern is founder/CEO of Infinitely Virtual (infi-
nitelyvirtual.com). Read more of his column on avnet-
work.com. Follow Adam on Twitter: @iv_cloudhosting
bigideas
theedgeinedteCh
DEBATING A PRIVATE VS PuBLIC CLOuD.
By Adam Stern
T

14. ielsen ratings are so yes-
terday.
At least, that’s the
case in the corporate
video market, where audience analyt-
ics goes far beyond counting the num-
ber of eyeballs tuning into an event.
Such a metric may mean everything
in the world of television, where aggre-
gate audience totals compiled by The
Nielsen Co. dictate the fees charged to
companies seeking to place advertis-
ing. But they only scratch the surface
of describing the impact that online
video can have in day-to-day business
communications.
Executives not only want to know
the size of their audience. They want to
know more about exactly who is tun-
ing into their videos, as well, according
to a survey of 1,007 executives con-
ducted by Wainhouse Research in the
fourth quarter of 2013.
At organizations that spend more
than $50,000 a year on
streaming and webcasting
technologies, 13% say that
they absolutely, positively
will not deploy stream-
ing solutions that do not
“track who views video” The
percentage of respondents in
this group describing viewer-
ship analytics as “very impor-
tant” topped 50%. Combined,
that makes for almost two-thirds of
organizations with substantial budgets
describing analytics as a “must have”
or “very important” in the streaming
purchase decision.
So, it’s safe to say that viewer-
ship analytics are a big deal. Now
the question we should be asking
ourselves is what type of analytics
capabilities should we be looking for
from a streaming solution. Here’s a
partial list of the viewership informa-
tion that your organization should
be collecting—and analyzing—from
your webcasting efforts:
• Registration Information: Web
video platforms allow you to start
with the basics. Ask for a viewer’s
name and contact information before showing
them the content they requested. Once the iden-
tifying information is collected, the doors open
wide for more advanced analytics options. On
streaming platforms deployed behind the cor-
porate firewall, recognize that user information
also can be obtained and logged by capturing
data from the corporate directory.
• Viewership by Geography: Even if one doesn’t
collect viewer ID information up-front, methods
still exist for learning a bit more about your
audience. Data embedded in users’ IP addresses,
for instance, can be used to determine the gen-
eral location from which they are watching. This
information can be aggregated to provide hints
on how a presentation is playing to viewers in
the Midwest, for instance, compared with those
on the West Coast.
• Identify the Video Point of No Return: Viewers
can teach us lessons by voting with their eyeballs.
Use viewership tracking tools to identify the exact
point where individuals stop watching your video.
Such data can help you figure out the elements of
your event that are boring to viewers – input that
can help you create more engaging presentations
on your next attempt.
• What’s on Viewers’ Minds? Most streaming
platforms make it possible for viewers to submit
text-based questions during a live event. These
platforms also will track who asked a specific
question and when they posed the query. A post-
event report can link these text questions with
registration information provided by viewers
up-front, making it possible for presenters to
follow-up with viewers after the end of the
event to address questions not handled during
a live presentation. For organizations leverag-
ing webcasts as lead-generation opportunities,
the ability to answer viewer questions provides
bigideas
14
But, take the deeper analytics to heart and put
them to use, and then you’ll be ready to answer
the question the chief invariably will ask a
couple months after the cameras shut off: “did
the webcast make us any money?”
Who’S vieWing
Who?
EXECuTIVES ARE DEMANDING DEEPER
ANALYTICS ON WEBCASTING EFFORTS.
By Steve Vonder Haar
J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com
N
ANDREY POPOV/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK

15. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com 15
a legitimate avenue that sales representatives can use to engage
prospects in further dialogue.
• Data for Marketing Integration: Perhaps the holiest of grails for
online video marketers is to be able to take the data collected during a
webcast event and weave it together with information already collect-
ed on an existing prospect or customer. As a result, significant value
is created when webcast analytics can be fed into existing customer
relationship management software solutions, such as Salesforce.com
or Marketo. When a prospect attends a corporate webcast, sticks
around for an entire presentation and even asks questions during the
event, all that information
can be noted in their CRM
profile. That data can then
be used to better “rank”
prospective customers in
terms of their interest in
a product, allowing orga-
nizations to focus selling
efforts on those customers
most likely to buy.
Even with all this information at your fingertips, you should always
be ready to answer the first question that will come out of your boss’s
mouth at the end of an online event: “How many people attended?”
That is human nature. We all love to hear about the Nielsen ratings.
But, take the deeper analytics to heart and put them to use, and then
you’ll be ready to answer the question the chief invariably will ask a
couple months after the cameras shut off: “Did the webcast make us
any money?”
Steve Vonder Haar is a senior analyst with Wainhouse Research and
can be reached at svonder@wainhouse.com.
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16. s universities and K-12 schools look to optimize the educa-
tional experience through sharing audio and video content
across campuses and remote facilities, high-quality media
transport is essential. However, transporting live video con-
tent comes with significant cost and technical challenges.
The price to lease connectivity or build a private network capable of trans-
porting uncompressed video between remote sites is prohibitive except
in the case of direct fiber. The solution is to compress the video prior to
transport which requires significantly less bandwidth on a given network.
This comes with a few technical challenges, including configuring and sup-
porting complex compression equipment and the resulting latency or delay
that can make interactive communications difficult.
Until recently, most organizations relied upon MPEG standards for
video compression. This includes MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AVC, and H.264.
While MPEG is advantageous for many applications, J2K (JPEG 2000)
compression has become the ideal solution when high quality and low
latency are important considerations. This article covers the benefits J2K
provides to the education market, and reviews the wide range of applica-
tions it supports.
what is J2k?
J2K is a well- eveloped and deployed standard released in 2000 by the Joint
Photographic Experts Group. Through the use of discrete wavelet trans-
form, J2K achieves very high image fidelity when used at low compression
ratios of less than 15 to 1(i.e. large compressed file sizes) or about 100Mb/s
for an HD-SDI signal.
J2K is different than MPEG compression in many ways, including the
fact that it provides independent compression of each frame versus Group
of Pictures (GoPs), has the ability to produce both lossless and visually loss-
less compressed video signals, responds better to poorer quality networks
or fault tolerance, and simplifies editing of the video.
lower latenCy and fault toleranCe
J2K uses standard frame-by-frame compression (also called Intra-frame
only) which helps to minimize the end-to-end delay in transporting
audio and video. Since each frame is individually encoded versus groups
of frames there is no need to buffer multiple frames in either the
encoder or the decoder, as a result end-to-end latency is less than
three frames.
On occasion, errors or lost packets occur in transmission of
video over a network. How the decoder reacts to these uncorrected
errors can significantly affect video quality. MPEG is a block-based
compression system and displays errors localized to specific areas
of the video image. These errors often appear as rectangular blocks
of distorted or missing picture data, a phenomenon called “macro
blocking.” J2K wavelet-based compression displays errors as an
overall softening of an image, with high-contrast edges within the
image becoming somewhat blurry. For severe degradations, where
most or all of the compressed image data is missing from a bit
stream, advanced J2K decoders simply repeat the last valid frame
of video, thereby effectively concealing the lost frame. The result is
robust fault tolerance and a much more user-friendly masking of
transmission errors.
The ramifications for schools and colleges utilizing J2K in
delivering high-definition video for synchronous virtual classrooms
are huge; eliminating delays and degradation improves instructors’
effectiveness and increases student attentiveness and interactive
participation, and with little to no delay, the interaction between
professors or teachers and their students becomes more natural.
high Quality iMages and sound
J2K provides outstanding video image quality bit rates between
80 to 150 Mbps range for HD video. This is due in large part to
the properties of wavelet compression, as well as to the use of
theBenefitS
&SPeCSofJ2k
CoMPreSSion
ineduCAtion
APPliCAtionS
By Richard Dellacanonica
A
J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com16
Thedrilldown
At the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art &
Planning, Dan Dugan, the University’s equipment applications specialist,
manages a diverse AV setup for the department’s most popular 200-seat
auditorium. Here, faculty and graduates needed to display a variety of
images, everything from a 4 x 6 printed photograph or a video segment on
an historical piece of architecture, to the teacher’s personal laptop displaying
the latest graphic arts software. Featured technology in this application are
AMC control solutions and the Pointmaker collaboration tool.

17. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com 17
4:2:2 color sampling and 10-bit color resolution.
Together these factors deliver a visually lossless
signal that is comparable to the original camera
output signal. In addition, all of the embedded
audio signals are transported without compres-
sion, delivering perfect fidelity to the audio
source signal. Utilizing J2K educational institu-
tions can maintain a superior video and audio
quality essential to keeping individuals, class-
rooms, and other distant audiences captivated.
“its ease of use and sup-
port make J2K ideal for
environments where
rapid deployment
and redeployment are
required by non-com-
pression experts.”
ease of iMpleMentation
Implementing a J2K solution is relatively easy. All
a facility needs to do is supplement their existing
MPEG solutions with J2K systems, as both use
DVB-ASI and SMPTE 2022 standards for trans-
porting the compressed signals. The J2K signal is
just another video stream in an existing transport
infrastructure. In addition, the recently released
Video Services Forum TR-1 for J2K Interoperability
makes J2K an even more attractive alternative to
MPEG compression.
ease of use
J2K encoders and decoders are surprisingly sim-
ple and flexible to configure for use. Typical
systems offer just a few options for device con-
figuration, from compression size to number of
audio channels, making training, installing, and
maintaining equipment much easier. J2K-based
video transport systems are ideal in educational
environments where oftentimes installers and
support personnel do not have extensive experi-
ence with video and audio.
editing/post produCtion
Another key J2K benefit is that its use of stan-
dard frame-by-frame compression makes edit-
ing straightforward. This is in sharp contrast to
MPEG which uses GoPs that complicate edit-
ing and switching by limiting them to only
the intra-coded frames that include a complete
picture. Frame-by-frame editing and switching
is particularly valuable for live events such as
commencements or sports games where multiple
cameras may be used to focus on key individuals,
teams, or audiences to provide a more dynamic
broadcast.
Cost-effeCtiVe
J2K equipment is a cost-competitive solution for
high-quality contribution quality media trans-
port. J2K encoders and decoders are very afford-
able, and usually a simple plug-in to media trans-
port chassis. This is in contract to MPEG solu-
tions where complex, high-quality 10bit 4:2:2
MPEG encoders are very expensive and decoders
are slightly less. Factoring the two together, a J2K
solution is considerably less expensive than con-
tribution quality MPEG solutions for one-to-one
encode/decode applications. In addition, J2K is
easily transported over inexpensive IP networks
using the new generation of MPLS.
Richard Dellacanonica is the president of Artel
Video Systems (www.artel.com). Read more of his
work on www. avnetwork.com.
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18. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com18
If I told you that you could run a variety of networking,
audiovisual and computing devices throughout your
facility without clunky plug-in power adapters here and
there, there’s a good chance you’d probably say that I was
a hopeless dreamer or ready to be institutionalized. I may
not be perfectly sane, but as unlikely as it may seem, this
is exactly what the Power over Ethernet standard is all
about: supplying electricity to connected devices without
an outlet or adapter in sight.
“Routing electricity over data lines is not such a big step forward for net-
working,” Peter Newton, senior director of Netgear’s Commercial Business
Unit, which includes Power over Ethernet equipment. “After all, the phone
company has been doing it for years. POE does make it much easier to put
the equipment exactly where you want it because you don’t need to have an
AC outlet nearby.”
While Power over Ethernet is its official name, it is more popularly known
as POE, and more formally institutionalized as the IEEE 802.3af spec in
2003 and then updated and expanded as the 802.3at standard in 2009. The
beauty of POE is that it can transmit enough power over regular old net-
working cables to run a variety of gear—from switches and access points
to security cameras and video converters.
In other words, this technique can help put LAN gear exactly where
you want it, not just where there’s an AC outlet. Because of this, it has
tremendous potential to rewrite how buildings are wired and used.
POE is perfect for situations like putting a WiFi access point in an
unobtrusive place (like above a drop ceiling) or adding a network
switch in an inconvenient area (such as in a boiler room). It’s per-
fect for powering and connecting things like IP-based intercoms
and emergency call boxes where it would be expensive to run both
power and data lines. It can even simplify the installation of video
coders that stream video over Ethernet cables or wall clocks that
use the Internet to synchronize their signals because the data and
power travel over a single cable.
how poe works
As is the case with just about any network technology, getting the
most out of POE is as much an art as science. Here are the basics
of how it works.
The beauty behind POE is that the same four sets of twisted wires
that carry Ethernet data can also transmit enough electricity to run an
assortment of connected equipment. This can do away with all the
unsightly plug-in power adapters that crowd
IT rooms and server closets at most businesses
thetAoof PoePower over Ethernet can
power av devices without
a plug, potentially rewriting
how buildings are wired.
but, there are limitations.
By Brian Nadel
“Poe can transmit enough power
over regular old networking
cables to run a variety of gear—
from switches and access points
to security cameras and video
converters.”
Making the most out of a
Category 5 cable (Cat5)

19. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com 19
and schools.
Standard POE set ups use four of the cable’s eight wires to move the power
as well as data. While the way wires 1 through 3 and 6 work are unchanged,
wires 4 and 5 carry the positive portion and pins 7 and 8 carry the negative
portion of POE’s electrical flow.
It is able to deliver direct current power at a maxi-
mum of 57-volts that maxes out at 15.4 watts for the
802.3af spec while the newer 802.3at variant can supply
up to 25.5 watts. That’s more than enough for an access
point, VOIP phone, remote LAN switch or other gear.
While POE is a good way to power remotely located
gear in a facility, it has its limitations; that’s where pro-
prietary power formats come in. For instance Cisco’s in-
house power spec can break through the 25.5-watt power
barrier to deliver more power to where it’s needed.
Be warned, though, this and other proprietary set ups
aren’t standard and aren’t compatible with each other
or 802.3 af or at based POE equipment. For instance, Cisco’s 6000 family of
network switches routes power over the 1, 2, 3 and 6 Ethernet lines, which
doesn’t conform to the 802.3 af and at standards. In other words, the gear
won’t work with a standard POE network.
The beauty is that if they’ve been designed to the 802.3 af/at spec and
installed properly, the POE equipment should be interoperable, mean-
ing that you can mix and match products from a variety of companies.
For instance, instead of an all-Cisco show, you can select best of breed
by mating a POE Axis Switch with a surveillance camera from D-Link,
or vice versa.
Regardless of whether you use a proprietary standard, the af or at
spec, the technique is sensitive to the type of cabling used. For example,
it works best with recent Cat-5 or -6 cables, although lower power devices
can be accommodated over existing runs of Cat-3 cabling but at lower power.
This spec can literally put power for these devices out of sight. This is
particularly the case for VoIP phones, where you don’t want to have to use a
power adapter to run the phone and with IP surveillance cameras, where
it can be more easily hidden if there’s no extra cord coming out of the
device that needs to be plugged in.
On the downside, the POE equipment is slightly more expensive
compared to off-the-shelf Ethernet gear. It has a big pay-off, though,
when used in a new or retrofitted facility. That’s because installation of
gear is simplified by the one-cable approach to power and data delivery.
You can also often reduce the number of AC outlets you have to design
into a building because the facility’s networking cables can carry some
of the power distribution burden.
In other words, fewer outlets can translate into a smaller building or
renovation budget. “This can actually cut construction costs,” added Netgear’s
Newton. “It’s being built into every new construction project.”
power in, power out
To add power to an Ethernet device, first off, you need to have what’s called a
Power Sourcing Device (PSD). More commonly known
as an injector, a PSD is a simple device that connects the
Ethernet line to an AC electrical outlet and sends the
necessary power through the cabling.
The PSD end of the power equation comes in two
types. It can be built into a network switch or be a
separate module that plugs into a wall outlet and the
network.
If you go the integrated switch route, this means that
you can have a POE network without really doing any
extra heavy-duty network design work. For example,
Netgear’s family of ProSafe switches can add power to
any network. “Using a switch as a way to inject power into a network can
simplify setting up Power over Ethernet,” according to Newton of Netgear.
Once you have mixed power and data in your LAN, there are some extra
benefits that accrue. For instance, Netgear’s ProSafe switches can automati-
“While Poe is a
good way to power
remotely located
gear in a facility, it
has its limitations;
that’s where
proprietary power
formats come in.”
Netgear’s GS116
The AXIS P7214 4-channel video encoder with H.264

20. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com20
cally turn specific devices off at a certain
time of the day to save power.
At the other end, you need network-
ing appliances that can pick the power
off of the Cat-5 or -6 cables and use it.
In the parlance of Power over Ethernet,
these are called Powered Devices (PD).
They not only need to conform to the
802.3 af or at standard but by definition
need to be low-power devices.
At the moment, there’s a pretty good
variety of POE appliances on the mar-
ket, including:
• IP security cameras
• VOIP phones
• Wireless access points, switches
and routers
• LAN Intercoms or emergency call
boxes
• Point of sale kiosks
• Internet synchronized clocks
• Keyless electronic door locks
• Remote lighting controllers
Video encoders that convert, compress and route video signals over
Ethernet cables throughout a facility are also fair game for incorporating into
a POE digital landscape. Take the Axis P7214 video encoder as an example.
It is small, can deliver multiple streams over IP cabling and can be powered
by its Ethernet data cable. In fact, the unit uses only 8-watts and works with
802.3 af or at POE-based networks.
A surprising new area for POE equipment is small screens that can be
used for marketing efforts at stores, info screens at schools or boardroom
AV control. The IAdea XDS-1062 Digital Signboard is a full mini all-on-one
that has a 10.1-inch touch-screen display. Rather than needing a separate
power adapter and an AC outlet, the system can run entirely on a POE-based
Ethernet connection.
As POE becomes more and more popular, the list of powered devices will
continue to grow and can encompass a wider assortment of gear that goes
beyond plain old video, communications and LAN equipment. In the com-
ing months and years, look for ideas like self-powered video monitor screens,
thin client workstations and network scanners to start to become possible.
How about Ethernet-powered lighting? The use of LEDs for lighting ele-
ments reduces the power use enough that POE-based lighting fixtures are
starting to become possible. Philips recently demonstrated an experimental
lighting system at the Light + Building show in Frankfurt. It not only runs
purely on Ethernet power, but the fixtures are fully connected to a network
and you can do cool tricks. My favorite is full remote control for lighting in
commercial locations, like an office or store.
When it comes to lighting with LEDs, 25-watts is a lot of power and can
provide more than enough light for an office or cubicle. More to the point, it
is much more efficient than even the best incandescent or fluorescent lights.
“The potential savings on a building’s operational costs will be signifi-
cant,” said Jeff Cassis from Philips Lighting, “given that heating, cooling and
lighting together account for 70-percent of a building’s energy usage.”
power “lite”
Still 25 watts is a pittance for most electrical devices. While we won’t likely
see a POE toaster, nor should we, more power may be on the way. One big
way to boost the power output of POE is to make better use of the available
cabling available. Right now, the spec is limited to using only four of the 8
wires in an Ethernet cable. The next generation of POE gear might be able
to use up to 4-pairs or eight individual current-carrying wires. This could at
least double the cable’s ability to move current, according to those involved
in extending the spec.
“A 4-pair approach would result in increased efficiency, since the use of
additional pairs results in lower channel resistance,” observed David Law,
chairman of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group and Distinguished
Engineer at HP. His team is in the early stages of identifying how to boost
POE’s abilities.
Breaking through the 25.5-watt barrier is key to the group’s work because
it could open powering more devices via networking cables. “Enabling appli-
cations beyond 25.5-watts will extend this convenience to other products,”
added Chad Jones, who is heading the IEEE committee that is looking at
creating 4-pair power over Ethernet spec. If their work succeeds, it could bring
about a brave new world of Ethernet-powered devices.
All this power can be put to good use in a modern connected facility, like a
church, school, or office building. Imagine small LED projectors that not only get
their data but their power over a networking cable or self-powered network printers.
That can put data in its place: everywhere.
Brian Nadel is a regular contributor to AV Technology magazine.
“imagine small led projectors that not
only get their data but their power over
a networking cable or self-powered
network printers. that can put data in its
place: everywhere.”
A Power Over Ethernet adapter from D-Link

21. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com 21
“It’s not only that folks are coming to
campus with BYOD; now it’s Bring You
Own Everything, really,” said Malcolm
Brown, director of the EDUCAUSE
Learning Initiative, a community of
institutions working to advance higher
education through technology. “The
challenge is herding all of these cats,
because now you have a proliferation
of platforms and capabilities, and also:
how do you take advantage of this in
the teaching and learning space?” He
urges colleges and universities to focus
less on the negative effects of BYOD—
students checking their email during
lectures, for example—and more on
the benefits it has to offer. “You can’t
keep the network out of the classroom
and you can’t keep these devices off
campus. What you can do, obviously,
is you can say, ‘for certain critical things
we can support these sorts of devices
and not those,’ and things like that.
It is a bit of a challenge, but there are
Collaboration
Curriculum
Tech managers in higher education should plan to support more
active learning environments.
By Carolyn Heinze
A recent study conducted by EDUCAUSE found that a majority of undergraduates own two to three Internet-enabled
devices, and the more of these devices they own, the more they’re inclined to see the advantages of applying technol-
ogy to their education. For those tech managers that are still gunning against BYOD, this suggests—strongly—that
they’re fighting a losing battle.
30 Vaddio cameras used in Elon University’s
Elon School of Health Sciences in North
Carolina foster peer and faculty engagement.
Elon University illustrates the trend toward
more active learning and collaborative
environments.

22. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com22
opportunities there, too, in terms
of these devices as enablers and not
just impediments.”
This is an especially important
point for colleges and universities
that are exploring active learning,
which the University of Minnesota’s
Center for Teaching and Learning
defines as students engaging in their
studies “through reading, writing,
talking, listening, and reflecting,”
rather than more traditional forms
of instruction, where the prof is the
one who does most of the talking.
Last summer, the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative
launched a beta version of its Learning Space
Rating System, which is made up of close to 50
criteria upon which classroom design can be
assessed for its readiness for active learning. The
system is comparable to the U.S. Green Building
Council’s LEED model, which is used to rate the
level of sustainability and environmental friend-
liness in the construction process.
“The recognition that active learning is better
for learning than a more passive learning mode—
we’ve seen that begin to inform classroom design
and classroom outfitting,” Brown said. “We’re
seeing designs that are trying to anticipate, or
build into them, active learning engagements.”
He points to the increasing interest in mobile
projection, which enables anyone with a capable
device to project content to the entire class,
as an example. “[It makes] the class more par-
ticipatory—in a sense, more democratic—and is
something, I think, that is representative of the
direction in which things are going.”
Along the same lines, Gina Sansivero, director
of FSR Inc., a manufacturer of collaboration tools,
switchers, and control products headquartered in
Woodland Park, N.J., has noticed a definite shift
away from interactive learning through the use
of interactive whiteboards, toward collaborative
learning, which allows for increased participa-
tion. “Where you have some sort of interactivity
with an interactive whiteboard, you generally,
more often than not, have one or two users up at
that screen,” she said. “With collaboration, you
have four, five, 10 users at a time able to work on
a single project and then sharing that work with
the other students, either within a classroom or
on different parts of the continent, or the world
in some cases, depending on how their distance
East Meets West
A fully equipped teaching and production facility for both students and the community at large, the newly
opened 120,000 square foot Emerson College Los Angeles features a screening room, an audio/video
mixing suite, classrooms, faculty offices, and a residence hall. Waveguide Consulting’s Los Angeles of-
fice headed up the design for the audiovisual and structured cabling systems. David Gales, principal and
director of California Operations at the firm, explains that the concept of the “connected classroom” was
relatively new to Emerson, which previously only had to contend with communications between the build-
ings on its main campus in Boston, MA. “Now that they’ve moved in and are operating here, they have their
videoconferencing and distance learning classroom, and they use that to link to Boston,” he said. “They
also do a lot of videoconferencing between Boston and L.A. on an administrative and operational level––
because their administrative and operational activities have been elevated to a much bigger scale, they use
the connection for that.”
“You can’t keep the
network out of the
classroom and you can’t
keep these devices off
campus.”
“With
collaboration, you
have four, five, 10
users at a time able
to work on a single
project and then
sharing that work
with the other
students.”
When GateWay Community College in Phoenix, AZ, decided to build a new Integrated Education Building and remodel its Maricopa Skill
Center campus, one of the goals was to equip classrooms with new technology that would allow students and faculty access to digital AV
and HDCP content in a simple-to-use configuration. Kramer Electronics products were used widely in the deployments.

23. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com 23
learning is set up. Collaborative learning has
really become a punch list item for those higher
ed. institutions; it’s something that they know
they need if they don’t have it already.”
While David Gales, principal and director of
California Operations at Waveguide Consulting
Inc., an audiovisual and communication technol-
ogy consulting group headquartered in Decatur,
Ga., concedes that students expect technology
to be part of the instruction and learning pro-
cess—and that technologically advanced
facilities will have a competitive advan-
tage—he also believes that there will still
be room for more traditional models.
“There are some who say the physical
campus is going to go away, or it will
become greatly diminished. I really don’t
see that happening,” he said. “I think
these technologies that can educate peo-
ple online without the physical campus
or the physical presence of an
instructor are valuable for a
certain segment of the market,
but not for everybody.” He cites
a recent visioning project that
he and his team conducted for a
community college, which included
interviews with students: “Quite a few
students said, ‘Look, I don’t want all of this
online, remote, flipped classroom stuff. I want
to come to a class and I want a
structured environment with a
teacher teaching me.’ So there is
a student population out there
that needs the structure, that
needs the social connections, that
needs the resources of a physical
campus, and I don’t think that’s going
to go away.”
Carolyn Heinze is a freelance writer/editor.
Capital
Conundrum
while technology generally needs to be
upgraded every three to five years, the
budgeting models that many colleges and
universities apply don’t always accommo-
date this––especially when funding for these
systems come from capital improvement
projects, which are sometimes as long as 25
years apart.
“what happens is the technology gets old
and starts to fail, and it becomes challeng-
ing to keep it up to date,” said david gales,
principal and director of California opera-
tions at waveguide Consulting inc. what’s
more, there is often a big difference between
how advanced the technology is in one
building on campus, versus the building next
door. “and now you have this huge disparity
between what was done five years ago and
never updated, and what’s new in the latest
building. the funding systems and the legacy
organizations have not really evolved in a lot
of institutions to keep up with what the new
model needs to be.”
AUDIO AND CONTROL DATA AT THE START OF THE SIGNAL PATH.
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eduCause
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fsr inC.
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waVeguide
Consulting inC.
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info

24. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com24
5tips for Building a
Better Boardroom
be prepared to have your budget limits tested.
By Gary Russell
As a veteran AV integrator and tech manager in higher education, I can usually prepare a room for upgrades and over-
hauls without taking too much time or sweat working out the details. When tasked with working with our designer
and brainstorming ideas for renovating our executive boardroom, we realized the old school projector, screen, table
microphone system were not going to get us into the modern, functional, multi-use space we were envisioning.
Oregon-based Planar Systems has expanded its 4K product offerings with new displays ranging
in size from 28-inches to 98-inches. The new Ultra HD resolution Planar EP-Series LCD
displays come standard with the features required for commercial-grade applications., such
as boardrooms. Also available in touch versions, Ultra HD Planar EP-Series displays bring
interactivity to the 4K immersive experience.

25. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com 25
Ten years of hard use with minimal upgrades to
the actual space, meant that all of our facility trades
would have to be called on to produce our intend-
ed finished product. Plaster repairs and unused
wall boxes would have to be covered. Old chalk
boards and wall mounted coat racks would have
to be removed and holes patched. The windows
had motorized shades that I had never seen work
in my five years working on campus. Repair costs
for them was two-thirds the cost of purchasing
new ones. Low-cost, manual, bi-folding
blinds replaced the old ones and the color
options were endless. We took advantage
of the fact that the carpet was going to
be replaced and had more pipes run to
the table location. Power at the table was
needed to accommodate our new system
design. Camera locations around the room
changed and, so to did the lighting scheme
for teleconferencing and video calls. In
order to shave some costs, new sides and
top panels for the existing rack were built
by DL Carpentry Inc., Poland, Me. The
custom color was a perfect match with the
new $12,000 conference table.
Budgeting for this kind and scale of
renovations to the building infrastructure
is hard to plan for. Knowing to what level
you are willing to take your boardroom
project up front will help avoid disap-
pointment when the money runs out half
way through.
know the intended usage
before you start
I pictured our new college President having
meetings with visiting dignitaries and board
members and faculty sharing breakthroughs
in their respected fields of knowledge. After
several meetings with department heads,
faculty, staff and many other interested parties, we
found that the equipment list was growing at an
alarming rate. Room design would have to allow for
teleconferencing, audio conferencing, Skype calls,
job interviews, staff and faculty presentations and
training sessions, as well as class capture capabilities
for Peer Writing classes. Pre-employment interviews
for faculty and staff are being conducted in the new
space now, saving time and money for all parties
involved. Getting input from several departments
and sectors of the college was very time consuming,
but paid huge dividends. We are able to meet the
needs of nearly all requests so far.
establish a set tiMeline for
proJeCt Managers
Like most other conference spaces of this type on
our site, it is booked and in use continually. Limited
space and not having another place on campus
to do conferencing meant that our time frame for
“We realized the old
school projector,
screen, table
microphone system
were not going to get
us into the modern,
functional, multi-
use space we were
envisioning.”

26. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com26
completion was very tight. Project management and
facilities work crews had to be held to a strict time
line that could keep the project moving forward. AV
personnel explained in detail, the expected results
and passed on important information regarding
wiring changes, cameras, monitors, speaker and
lighting locations. Electrical and data requirements
had to be met to allow for wall patching and paint-
ing. Until the lighting for the conferencing aspect of
the job was in place, all the finished, repaired sheet
rock work passed inspection.
ADDRESS ANY UNEXPECTED ISSUES
ASAP
Unfortunately, once the walls were lit, imperfec-
tions in the wall repairs were apparent; more
sanding and painting was needed. These are the
type of things that can’t be predicted, but must
be addressed. That particular wall was behind the
head of table and on camera all the time. This is
when “good enough” just isn’t good enough.
HAVE YOUR DESIGN PLAN AND
EQUIPMENT LIST
A completed design plan and equipment list will
help mentally place equipment in the system and
help locate where pieces and parts will reside. The
documentation should give equipment brands
and locations for mounting and installation.
Integrators will also need distances and dimen-
sions to locate monitor mounts, cameras, speakers
and any other associated equipment.
Equipment for the new boardroom will more
than likely have to reside in the space, due to users
needing access to things like the computers disc
drive, DVD player and capture devices USB ports.
Rack design and layout is critical unless you want
to have a big, cumbersome standalone rack. Racks
of this type do not often work well with board-
room furniture and conference tables. Think small
and plan wisely. Transmitters for AUX inputs and
keyboard/mouse combos can be tucked away in
table legs to help hide wire and save rack spaces.
BE PREPARED & EXPECT CHANGES
After building our new boardroom at Bates College,
we found that there were users who were in need of
a camera facing the front of the room. They wanted
to practice interviewing and record the results to
critique themselves. Another camera was added
to the system. When the room was in the Skype
or teleconferencing mode, lighting was harsh and
caused the camera video levels to be to high. The
previous lighting layout was not setup for a table
of this size and had to be repositioned. Most of the
presets in the lighting controller were also reset. The
Crestron V15 control panel was used at the head of
table location for complete system control and also
doubled as the computer monitor, saving space
and clutter on the table. We have Crestron Capture
HD and DMPS-300, Sony EVI-D100 cameras, the
Vaddio Conferencing Bridge, and LG monitors.
It was at this time that we realized the program-
Bates Boardroom
At a Glance
Crestron Capture HD
Crestron DMPS-300
Crestron V15 control panel
LG monitors
Motorized shades
Sony EVI-D100 cameras
Vaddio AV Conferencing Bridge
Wishsome
day YOU
WILL
your stuff used
SONIC SHOCK
alarmsanti-theft
our
stuff
122db
117db
SONIC
SHOCK
alarms
anti-theft
www.sonicshock.com

27. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com 27
ming for the system needed major changes to keep
up with the modifications done to the system.
Separate pages were added for picture-in-picture
(PIP) window size and position. A page was added
for the two cameras and their presets. A lighting
page with presets for conferencing, Skype, capture
recording and streaming, and several meeting and
function presets. A monitor page was also added to
allow tech savvy users to route signal to the three
monitors. A Skype button, teleconferencing button,
audio conference button, Peer Writing button and
Meeting button all reside on the initial start up page
that automates room functions. For example, the
Skype button turns on all of the monitors giving a
view of the far end in the large, center monitor. The
left monitor shows what the far end is going to see
and the right monitor has the computer image for
notes or to be used as a poor mans teleprompter.
Lighting presets are initiated and audio levels go
to predetermined presets. For most situations, one
button push gets the ball rolling for even the most
technology challenged people on campus.
When thinking about building a better board-
room, take the time to ask questions and get input
from varied groups and stake holders. Be sure
everyone is aware of your time line and expecta-
tions of the system when it is done. Don’t get
discouraged if, in two months, you are back in
the room kicking up a little dust and driving your
programmer crazy.
Gary Russell is an AV engineer for Bates College
in Lewiston, Maine. He has more than 30 years of
experience in varied AV related trades, including
installation, mobile production, bench repair,
Airbourne Video Specialist USAF. He has his CTS,
CTS-I, and Crestron DMC (T.E.D.) certifications.
Middle Atlantic Products is expanding its C5 Series Credenza to address new trends in commercial interior design, such
as executive boardroom design. The Credenza’s Frame to Furniture design complements the installation workflow with
foundational frames that are in stock. The frame is paired with a custom furniture finishing kit that is manufactured to order
and shipped separately to the jobsite.

28. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com28
It’s a remarkable achievement, but then O’Heir
was made for the gig. An off Broadway hit and then
a cult classic film before coming to Broadway this
year, Hedwig tells its story—about a transgendered
singer who suffered a botched sex change opera-
tion—entirely through rock songs. And while O’Heir
is a Broadway rookie, he has serious rock bona
fides. He began his career at Boston’s legendary Fort
Apache Studio recording bands like Sebadoh, Come,
and Superdrag before moving on to bigger-budget
projects like the platinum-selling debut from All-
American Rejects, and more recently film scores and
soundtracks.
O’Heir’s involvement with Hedwig actually dates
to 1999, when the show’s composer, Stephen Trask,
hired him to engineer the film soundtrack. O’Heir
and Trask would continue to work together on
film projects, and when a long-discussed Hedwig
revival finally became a reality, Trask again called on
O’Heir. Although “there were conversations” among
the show’s financial backers about O’Heir’s lack of
theater experience, a non-Broadway perspective was
exactly what Trask required.
“Stephen wanted me in,” O’Heir says, because the
composer wanted “to get away from the Broadway
sound.”
translating roCk to the stage
The songs themselves do some of the heavy lifting,
with musical director Justin Craig’s arrangements
drawing on influences like ‘70s and ‘80s glam and
punk rock. Still, with Hedwig’s backing band, The
Angry Inch, on stage throughout and performing
every note live, it was essential
to Trask and O’Heir that the audi-
ence experience the sound as they
would at a rock show, without a
slick Broadway polish.
At the same time, O’Heir says,
“we didn’t want to scare anyone
away.” That meant applying a level of control you’d
never find at a club. The result is akin to a live-in-the-
studio recording: a performance with the raw energy
of a rock show but the precision engineering “that you
need on Broadway.”
Achieving the sound required O’Heir to bridge the
aural gaps between rock and Broadway. For example,
he says, “on Broadway, the EQ is like a smiley face.
They pull all those mids out, so it sounds pleasant.
But Hedwig needed to sound like a rock show—we
needed it to rip, so we needed those mids in there.”
The vocal mix presented another challenge. In
O’Heir’s world, guitars eat up sonic space, and “the
vocals sit right in the mix the whole time.” Lyrics are
frequently indecipherable, and that’s okay.
“In a rock mix, it’s not so much about the intel-
ligibility of the lyric as it is about the delivery and the
emotion,” he says. Not so on Broadway. Because the
lyrics have a narrative function, intelligibility is para-
mount. Broadway mixes treat the music as a bed with
the vocals riding on top—not very rock ‘n’ roll.
“I had to get the vocal sitting right there in the
mix,” O’Heir says, “not way above the music, which it
is in most Broadway shows, but still have the articula-
tion and the intelligibility.”
Setdesignmadethetasksimple.Because Hedwig is
staged like a rock show, the vocals are mostly sung
through wired, handheld mics. (O’Heir used relatively
affordable Sennheiser 903s, because of the physical
nature of the performance.) Needing only a few vocal
effects, O’Heir had a clean signal running right to the
desk.
“Less is more here,” he says. “Everything is very
direct. We’re not using omni lavs and that takes a lot
of the room sound out of the way so that we have a
direct line to the mic pres.”
CleVer stageCraft
Getting the right guitar sound, on the other hand,
required clever stagecraft. In keeping with the rock
show set design, the guitar players use onstage amps—
two Vox AC30s and one Vox Blackstar. Getting the
right tones meant cranking the amps to full volume.
To avoid blowing the doors off the theater, O’Heir’s
team removed the speakers from the amp cabinets
and placed them in custom-built isolation boxes,
then mic’d them. This allowed O’Heir to harness the
full power of the amps with studio-level control.
“[The amps] are being mic’d like you would in
the studio. I’m using Neumann KM184s and Royer
122s—proper, professional studio mics.”
Meanwhile, the cabs themselves were retrofitted
rockon
how ‘hedwig and The angry Inch’
sound designer Tim O’heir got
broadway to rock.
By Dave Zuckerman
Tim O’Heir couldn’t have asked for a better start to his theater
career. The veteran producer/engineer earned a Tony nomination
for his sound design on the acclaimed revival of hedwig and the
angry Inch despite having never worked on Broadway before.
In the Tony-award winning Broadway production, Lena Hall (left) stars as Yitzhak
and Neil Patrick Harris (right) stars as Hedwig in Hedwig and The Angry Inch.
PHOTOBYJOANMARCuS

29. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com 29
with monitor speakers playing back the mixed guitar
tones, so the audience hears only treated sound com-
ing from the amps onstage.
Though he was never short on confidence, O’Heir
knew enough to build a team of more-experienced
Broadway hands. Established sound design-
er Kai Harada, house mixer Bob Etter, and
production sound engineer Phil Lojo boast
decades of cumulative experience and resumes
that include hits like The Lion King, Wicked,
and Rock of Ages.
learning curve
While he’s quick to sing their praises, O’Heir
admits it wasn’t always easy to convince sea-
soned Broadway vets to do things his way. For
one thing, O’Heir favors an active, hands-on
approach to mixing that isn’t common on
Broadway. Adding to the difficulty, O’Heir
had, on the advice of a friend, opted to use
Midas Pro series consoles for the FOH and
monitor mix, rather than the Avid and DiGiCo
set-ups popular on Broadway. O’Heir chose Midas for
their mic pre amps, digital models of classic analog
pres. But the gear was unfamiliar to his crew, and, he
acknowledges, the desks “aren’t built for these kinds
of shows.” All in all, “the learning curve was steep.”
But O’Heir contends you can’t argue with results.
“The most important thing was the sound of the
board, not the ergonomics. And it sounds fantastic.”
O’Heir also insisted on an unmitigated drum
sound. That meant absolutely no gates in the mix, a
stance met with disbelief by his new colleagues.
“I wanted the drums to be fresh and live, warts
and all. And this is something where I was looked at
like I had three heads.”
As it happened, the circa-1907 Belasco Theater’s
pre-amplification acoustics carried the drum sound
so well, O’Heir had to cut the drums from
the speakers feeding the balcony. In fact, the
123-speaker array, threatened to overwhelm
the space once the band began rehearsing there
in earnest.
“For the first week or so I was constantly
running around—upstairs and downstairs,
mezzanine, balcony and orchestra—to make
sure the balance was happening,” O’Heir says.
But thanks to Harada’s expert work on the ini-
tial design, making the necessary adjustments
was easy.
Ultimately, O’Heir and crew delivered the
sound he and Trask had sought from the
beginning.
“And as far as I’m concerned,” O’Heir says,
“we didn’t compromise one bit. It’s exactly
what we wanted.”
Brooklyn-based Dave Zuckerman is a regular con-
tributor to AV Technology magazine.
The Connectrac® In-Carpet Wireway provides a proven power and IT alternative to
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Sound designer Tim O’Heir photographed at Mission Sound where the
cast recording of Hedwig was conducted.
PhotobyLaurahanifin,2014

30. AV Technology Editor: What is your knowledge of AV technology and
operations?
Tim Davis: In terms of video, we do a lot with AV for presentations
and research (both gathering data and in presenting it). We use pro-
sumer level HD cameras and microphones for ethnographic research.
We’ve done a number of large projects where we essentially “live with”
study participants for hours on end. As such, we lean towards smaller,
less intrusive cameras.
We utilize Adobe Premiere Pro for in-house video production (occa-
sionally Final Cut), and typically present via PowerPoint with embedded
HD video.
In terms of streaming media, we utilize various services for our
own materials, notably Vimeo, for streaming video/audio. At our
scale, the cost and quality is quite satisfactory.
In terms of audio, we work with many broadcasters who provide
audio streams, and with some pure-plays that are streaming only. We
consult with them on stream quality, embedded features (such as artist/
title, rating songs and audio and visual advertising). We are acquainted
with a significant number of CDNs we’ve worked with and evaluated
in order to make suggestions for our clients relative to their situations.
Do you manage AV systems in your facility/facilities?
Our in-house AV is fairly simple — a projector, large TV screens and
laptops. The majority of Jacobs Media’s presentations are on the road,
so we are reliant on client and facility AV equipment. As such, we carry
quite a few adapters, cords, cables, etc. in order to be able to match
up to a host’s setup.
Are you planning on buying new AV equipment?
At present, we aren’t looking at equipment beyond upgrading laptops
and computers. We do stay current on the software side, however,
by keeping up to date with the latest versions of non-linear
editing packages.
How familiar are you with AV/IT convergence; i.e., are you
familiar with AV over IP systems? Does this interest you?
Although we do quite a bit of our presentations on the
road, we do a fair amount of remote desktop presenting. We
engage with Citrix and utilize GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar and
GoToTraining for online presentations and workshops.
The cost and time savings for travel is considerable, and the
ability to bring different groups together at the same time for
larger industry-focused presentations is a big plus. We’ve tried
various platforms, and continuously evaluate the various services.
The growth of these platforms in terms of servicing more
than just slides and documents is encouraging. The growth in
their ability to support AV material has blossomed over the last
year, and with the increased quality of presentation of video,
specifically, it’s opening new doors and creating some cost
savings. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s improving almost monthly.
What technology trends are you most interested in this year?
AV over IP is a fascinating area. For small businesses without full-
scale CDN platforms or dedicated bandwidth for sharing content
online — especially HD material — this has been a problem area.
I’m hopeful that it will continue to grow and improve to
the point that it can essentially replicate “being there in
person” soon. What Citrix, WebEx and some others
are doing is impressive for smaller organizations.
File sharing with services like DropBox has
also created new opportunities. It’s a very flex-
ible platform and in some ways always us to use
FIRST-PERSON PERSPECTIVES
FROM LEADING TECH MANAGERS
tiMdAviS
DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL OPERATIONS, JACOBS MEDIA,
BINGHAM FARMS, MI
J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com30
Meetyourmanager
www.jacobs
media.com
www.jacapps.
com
info

31. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com 31
them as a CDN for certain projects. Collaboration
with streaming media is a powerful tool. And while
some of the things we use these services for may not
be what they had in mind initially, being creative
with them is the key to discovering new ways of
delivering AV over IP.
The other areas of great interest for us, since
one of our larger areas of focus is on radio broad-
casters, is the digital dash in cars and mobile apps.
Ensuring that radio stations maintain their place
in the center stack of cars is critical, and Jacobs
Media has been leading the charge into this area
with our DASH Conference (www.dashconfer-
ence.com) which brings leaders in automotive
together with broadcasters.
Additionally, Jacobs Media created jacAPPS,
our app development arm that has created over
850 apps for a variety of clients, but has done a
tremendous job with radio apps. Mobile devices
are a tremendous growth area for interaction
between customers and clients. It’s also a key
area for online presentations that we take into
consideration. With participants now attending
on smartphones and tablets, being aware of the
limitations with these devices is the key having
presentations work seamlessly for all attendees.
More info
InfoComm 2014 Product Highlights
altineX Muse: a gaMe Changer?
the what: Altinex is offering its Muse HDMI+Power+IR Transmitter and Receiver with the abil-
ity to power a display with up to 150 watts of power and carry hdMi, rs-232, and ir control
signals up to 300 feet over a single, low-voltage, unshielded Cat-6 cable. Muse essentially
enables aV pros to eliminate the worry of electrical outlet placement. Muse consists of the
Mu400-111 transmitter and the Mu500-112 receiver. the output of the Mu400-111 trans-
mitter is monitored for power consumption and when power is exceeded, the output is turned
off to protect the system. Muse is designed to withstand direct shorts both on the low-voltage
side and high-voltage side. www.altinex.com
dVigear’s hdMi and dVi tps eXtenders
support 4k & More
the what: dVigear’s new hdMi and dVi tps extenders enable extension of 4k (uhd) signals
up to 330 ft. and 1080p signals up to 600 ft. over a single Cat-X cable. these extenders sup-
port multiple signal connections over a single Cat-X cable, including: hdMi or dVi, rs-232, ir
and ethernet. they can be remotely powered from either the transmitter or receiver, or from
dVigear’s MXp series digital matrix routing switchers. www.dvigear.com

32. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com32
AV Technology Editor: What is your knowledge of AV technology and
operations?
Andrew Simmons: I have served the AV industry for more than 10 years
and the IT industry for six years. It’s been amazing to see how fast these
two industries are quickly merging together.
As a senior-level IT Technician, I am responsible for the success of
our AV technologies.
More and more companies are discovering the benefit of technol-
ogy—which has led to a rise in frustration for those very same
users. Those who wouldn’t dare touch a conference room in
years past are now frustrated that the conference room can’t do
more for them.
That’s a great problem to have, but it also presents challeng-
es for IT departments as they try to meet budgets and utilize
network resources efficiently.
Do you manage AV systems in your facility/facilities?
Andrew Simmons: Yes, I currently manage and oversee our
Audio/Video systems at our headquarters, located in Sioux
Falls, SD. I also support our many satellite offices located
throughout the United States that also have AV equipment.
The satellite locations do a great job at self-supporting their
equipment, but we step in for any critical issues or projects that
may arise.
Are you planning on buying new AV equipment? If so, what?
Andrew Simmons: I am always looking at new technology
FIRST-PERSON PERSPECTIVES
FROM LEADING TECH MANAGERS
AndreW
SiMMonS
SENIOR IT TECHNICIAN, RAVEN INDuSTRIES,
SIOuX FALLS, SD
Meetyourmanager
LAuRENNEFF

33. that can be implemented into our system.
Looking ahead to the future, I do expect to
purchase additional equipment to support
our needs.
Our biggest need is an affordable “on-
prem” videoconferencing solution that allows
us to monitor traffic to our satellite locations,
adjust bandwidth as needed, and offer our
customers the best possible experience when
collaborating with our satellite locations.
There are many cloud solutions out there
that offer some amazing opportunities, but we
have quickly reached a crossroads in enterprise
video in which senior and executive manage-
ment are demanding more quality and better
reliability. I look forward to where the industry
is going and what equipment will become
available in the next 12-24 months.
How familiar are you with AV/IT convergence?
Andrew Simmons: AV/IT convergence is some-
thing that I experience on a daily basis.
When I started at Raven Industries a few
years ago, AV and IT couldn’t have been further
apart. In a few short years, our IT department
has been tasked with supporting almost every
audio and video solution that has been pre-
sented to us.
Many enterprise level businesses are most
likely hitting the same challenges that we face
—where does AV support fit within the IT.
Department? Is it a dedicated AV professional
with knowledge of basic IT systems and trou-
bleshooting? Do more companies outsource
to local AV vendors for their work?
There is a fine balance between IT and AV,
and the companies that are prepared to han-
dle both will be better positioned for success.
I have been able to adapt my original role as
an IT Technician to a senior level position that
manages all AV needs, as well as larger IT proj-
ects. By having this role, we are better able to
support our Networking/Infrastructure group
and provide better service to our employees
and customers.
What technology trends are you most inter-
ested in this year?
Wireless display is taking the industry by
storm, and I feel that the providers that are
first to market will have incredible success.
There are many studies that suggest that by
the year 2015, mobile use will surpass desktop
use. Employees and customers are demanding
to be connected everywhere they go regardless
of what business they walk into.
The biggest roadblocks are very simple tasks
such as connecting a mobile device wirelessly
to a conference room display or TV. The recent
announcement of Apple’s Airplay service could
be a huge game changer by providing a peer-
to-peer connection without reliance on the
corporate network.
Bad video is not acceptable anymore—and
companies are quickly making decisions based
on these factors. We must develop better video
solutions that optimize bandwidth and can
cross the WAN without interruption.
Netbiscuits.com predicted that 2014 will be
the year that “Poor experiences will be pun-
ished by customers.” I couldn’t agree more;
our managers and engineers are challenging us
daily to provide better tools and more effective
ways to collaborate in the workplace.
I still see the trend of traditional room sys-
tems being able to integrate with cloud-based
solutions to allow for maximum communica-
tion. Cisco has done an incredible job with
this in the marketplace. They have been able to
seamlessly provide integration between their
Tandberg system and their cloud-based solu-
tion, Webex.
This is absolutely the trend; more providers
need to offer better solutions. We must be able
to connect the traditional conference rooms
that are still being used every day to the mobile
workforce that continues to grow.
Andrew Simmons is a senior IT technician
with Raven Industries in Sioux Falls, SD. If you
would like to nominate an outstanding IT or
AV candidate for the Meet Your Manager sec-
tion, email mdouaihy@nbmedia.com.
“this is absolutely the
trend; more providers
need to offer better
solutions. We must
be able to connect the
traditional conference
rooms that are still
being used every day to
the mobile workforce
that continues to grow.”

34. he U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) is the nation’s record keeper. It has implemented
touch-table and video wall technology in the new Records
of Rights exhibit at the National Archives Museum to give
visitors access to hundreds of documents, images, and videos from NARA’s
holdings so Americans can learn about the evolution of, and the struggles
for, rights and freedoms in the United States.
The touch table technology at NARA is a powerful communication and
educational tool driven by Planar’s Clarity™ Matrix LCD Video Wall System.
This same technology is used in a growing number of museums and
libraries throughout the U.S. Among these are The Lyndon Baines Johnson
Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, The George W. Bush Presidential
Center in Dallas, Texas, and The World of Little League’s Peter J. McGovern
Museum in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The NARA implementation exem-
plifies the benefits and capabilities now enjoyed by visitors to each of these
important institutions and the ways these technologies make each library
or museum more appealing, more operationally efficient, and more able to
achieve visitor-attraction goals and objectives.
uniQue teChnologies enable
reCords aCCess and sharing
While the touch table in the Records of Rights
exhibit at NARA is unique in its own right,
the experience is heightened by its integra-
tion with the Planar Mosaic Architectural
Video Wall, a display solution pioneered by
Planar that provides a dynamic new way to
deliver art and information. In NARA’s case,
Planar Mosaic is a vertical electronic canvas
that depicts large-scale versions of content
that visitors have selected at the touch table,
which is formed from an array of Clarity
Matrix (MX55HD) displays. “Clarity Matrix
and Planar Mosaic are a powerful combi-
nation,” says Daniel Falk, Exhibits Project
Manager, National Archives and Records
Administration. “They allow more people to
simultaneously access and share information in ways that are not
possible with a physical exhibit. Also, these are robust, commercial-
grade displays that can function reliably 365 days a year and stand
the test of use by the million or so visitors that will come through
the gallery throughout the year.”
engaging interaCtiVity and inforMation
display
With the guidance and assistance of systems integration partner,
Design and Production, Inc. (D&P) of Lorton, Virginia, NARA
selected the Clarity Matrix displays as the platform for the interac-
tive touch table in the David M. Rubenstein Gallery. The six-wide-
by-one-deep (two 3 x 1) arrays of displays makes up the 15-ft. long
table, whose custom, multi-touch capability allows visitors to select
from a rich digital library of records. Visitors can explore the records
using touch, swipe and other familiar gestures, and then push the
record to the Planar Mosaic displays on the walls near the table.
“The interactivity of the table creates interest, especially among
students and younger visitors, which is heightened when they can
move it to the Planar Mosaic displays. Once on the display walls, the
record can be seen by everyone nearby for the purpose of sharing,
discussing, or just further exploration and enjoyment,” Falk says.
features that deliVer powerful, praCtiCal
benefits
In selecting Clarity Matrix and Planar Mosaic, D&P points to key
features that cemented the decision. Among the most important
is the off-board electronics design of both products. With this
unique Planar capability, components such as power supplies and
avinAction
engAging
hiStorY
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND
RECORDS ADMINISTRATION RELIES
ON TOuCH TECHNOLOGY TO BRING
VIEWERS INTO THE EXPERIENCE.
By AV Technology Staff
T
J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com34
Second Story, part of SapientNitro, NARA

35. J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com 35
controllers are located away from the table and
video wall, thus removing heat-inducing elements.
“This inherently provides important benefits,” says
D&P’s Dale Panning, Senior Systems Engineer.
“The design reduces noise which enhances the
visitor experience and precludes the need for
additional cooling. It also makes both the Clarity
Matrix table and Planar Mosaic video wall really
reliable, which translates into higher uptime and
lower maintenance and service issues and costs.”
A second important feature has to do with
the alignment of displays in both the table and
video wall. The Clarity Matrix MX55HD displays
in the table have a tiled bezel width of just 3.7
mm, which creates a virtually seamless image that
is unlike any other in the industry in both thin-
ness and image quality (brightness is 800 nits and
resolution is 1920 x 1080). “And even with bezels
this thin, we could still install almost invisible
spacers between each display to support a custom-
made 3/8” glass panel that covers the entire table.
This glass protects the displays but still affords the
interactive experience,” Panning adds.
In the case of the Planar Mosaic, each of
the two arrays includes
two 22” square tiles
(AD22 - Salvador)
and four 46” rectangle
tiles (AD46 - Pablo).
“These displays are
mounted in a primarily
vertically-staggered arrange-
ment that is both architecturally
appealing and interesting for the visitor,” Panning
says. “Further, while content selected at the touch
table currently is shown on the full six-panel array,
Planar Mosaic is designed such that individual
pieces of content can be assigned to any desired
display, a feature the museum expects to take
advantage of in the near future.” Lastly, Planar
delivered on support and service. “Unlike most
manufacturers, who might get to you in sev-
eral days or more if you have a problem, Planar
is always immediately available on the phone,
and they offer guaranteed two-day delivery of any
display should there be a failure, but we haven’t
had any,” Panning says. “In terms of support to the
integrator and the end user, Planar is heads above
anybody else in the industry.”
Uncompromised
Quality
Full Compass offers a wide range of video cameras
and accessories from leading manufacturers
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systeMs
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info
The World of Little League’s Peter J. McGovern Museum in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Courtesy of Cambridge
Seven Associates, Inc. as Architect/ Exhibit Designer and Kwesi Budu-Arthur, Photographer.

36. rown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH), the oldest privately
held financial institution in the U.S., recently consolidated
their three Boston offices into an historic building in
Boston’s Financial District. While a desire to commit to their
Boston roots was a key motivator, a transformative building renovation that
began in 2011 convinced the company to take a long-term stake in the his-
toric building. A spacious segment of the Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH)
tower’s 7th floor has provided the
company with a versatile new space
in which custom video content can
captivate and inform both BBH asso-
ciates and clients.
The BBH portion of the Post
Office Square building saw a mul-
titude of bold architectural and
interior upgrades during the renova-
tion. In fact, Dyer Brown Architects
and Habjan Architecture & Interior
Design, the architectural firms
responsible for the new structural
and environmental design, won an
IIDA New England Interior Design
Award in the “Best Office Over
80,000 SF” category for their work.
The impetus for transforming the
7th floor atrium into a collabora-
tive workspace came from BBH’s
desire to bring together the many
different BBH teams that were now
consolidated within the new head-
quarters. “BBH’s previous locations
were spread out and disjointed,”
explained Michael Dow, SVP at BBH.
Dow continued, “The atrium space
creates the opportunity to bring the
majority of the firm together for
discussions, celebrations, and other
avinAction
hiStoriC
uPgrAde
BOSTON COMPANY WANTED TO
INTEGRATE FORWARD-THINKING
TECHNOLOGY WHILE HONORING
ITS ART DECO ROOTS.
By AV Technology Staff
B
J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 | avnetwork.com36
Supporting collaboration and balancing
high-tech needs with nuanced Art Deco
design were critical in the BBH renovation. A
DPI TITAN 1080p Quad 3D was selected to
illuminate a 10- x 17-foot custom screen by
Stewart Filmscreen. Content is managed
by a Crestron 16x16 Digital Media switcher.