Web is a Vast Resource Library for Corporate AV Managers

Apr 28, 2005 8:00 AM

Did you know that “ambient light affects contrast by turning rich, deep burgundies and hunter greens into pastels?” Or that a 72-point type font on your computer screen should be readable from 10 feet away?

Those are a couple of tidbits from Roadtools.com, one of a growing community of information sources using the World Wide Web to put large amounts of technical info and AV improvement tips in the hands of corporate AV users. No website will take the place of a committed, proactive AV integrator, and few if any sites promise to enable you to design your own facility. Yet for the typical client with plenty of questions but limited information resources, the Web can be a happy browsing ground.

At the International Communications Industries Association website, for example, visitors can explore an extensive library of white papers, tutorials, glossaries, and recommended books. An example, drawn from the tutorial "The Essential 10 Video Tips," suggests that you “know what bothers you the most.” The article notes that different people are irritated by different flaws in projected video, and knowing your own turn-offs is a vital first step toward achieving an image that will please you.

MacDevCenter has its own "Top 10 Digital Video Tips,” including simple ways to combat lens flare, avoid backlighting, and save money by scouring your local hardware store for simple, functional clamps and other supplies. Do you know how (or for that matter, why) you should “black the tape” before shooting video? The answer is here.

“How to Make a Corporate Video” is a free e-book available from the U.K.-based Rossiter & Company. It’s about a 500K download, and the company promises it’s “clean.”

What are component and composite video inputs, anyway? The answer is under “Presenter Resources” at Boxlight, along with plenty of other short articles on both technical topics and ways to improve AV presentations.

Better presentations are also the mission at Presenters University, sponsored by InFocus. Here you’ll find lots of downloads, free templates, PowerPoint tips, discussion threads, and an “Ask the Professor” forum in which corporate users post such queries as “How can I convert a PowerPoint presentation to video?”

InFocus has loaded a substantial amount of educational material on its own website, including guidance in how to compare and evaluate projectors and understand such issues as lamp life.

Epson sponsors a site called Presenters Online, which offers tips for better presentations, basics about projector technologies, and advice on planning the content and style of your presentations. The site also offers clip art, royalty-free images, and a list of links to additional information sources on the Web.

Projector Central is an internet dealer of AV systems, and at the company’s website you’ll find a commentary section that includes basic guides to AV topics, reviews of recent trade shows, and articles on a variety of technical issues. Visit Projector Central if you’ve been mulling the question, “Your Screen: How Big Should It Be?”

These are just a few examples from a huge and growing community. Of course, most corporate video users will get their best advice and support from a qualified AV dealer or integrator. But more knowledge is always a good thing, and the World Wide Web teems with organizations putting their information at users’ fingertips, all sharing the same ultimate goal: Better results from your AV initiatives.