April 2006

Features

HD Technology Trends

By Jay Ankeney

With more than 20 million HDTV screens sold to the domestic home market by end of 2005, most of us have experienced the advantages of high-definition television. But in the corporate enterprise communications arena,…

Technology Showcase:
AV Room-control Systems

By Bennett Liles

With the convergence of IP and AV firmly established, the list of companies offering solutions in the area of IP-controlled management of AV assets is expanding. There are a variety of creative approaches to controlling, configuring,…

Technology Showcase:
Videoconferencing Room Systems

By Jay Ankeney

The concept of the videoconference is as old as telephony itself. Many early sci-fi films depicted the technology before it became a practical reality….

Installation Profile:
Optimal Media for Optimal Health

By Daniel Keller

On any given day, thousands of visitors make the pilgrimage to Orange County, Calif., armed with a checklist of must-see destinations. There’s Disneyland,…

Reviews

Yamaha M7CL

By John McJunkin

The time for digital live mixers is here, and the options currently available are reminiscent of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The Papa Bear digital console is big and sophisticated, but pricey. The Mama Bear digital console is inexpensive, but a little lacking in some key areas. The Yamaha M7CL is the Baby Bear digital live sound console — just right….

Inscriber InfoCaster 2.0

By Jeff Sauer

Imagine the concourse of a sports arena or megaplex theater lobby with food counters, arcade attractions, and souvenir stands. Today, dynamically changing…

Columns

AA (Acronyms Anonymous)

By Mark Johnson

Many abbreviations and acronyms have found their way into everyday conversation in society today. Sometimes this is for the sake of brevity (the soul…

Picture This: The Content of Digital Signage

By Jeff Sauer

Over the past few months, Sound & Video Contractor has reviewed a few relatively simple digital signage solutions (including Chyron’s ChyTV, Focus Enhancements’…

Associations Focus: Recognizing Industry Achievement

INFOCOMM INTERNATIONAL 2006 MARKET FORECAST SURVEY For the fourth year in a row, InfoComm International has issued a market forecast survey designed to…

IT Trends: Content Management

By Brent Harshbarger

Back in the ’70s, they put a new identification plaque on the door of one of my favorite rooms at school. Three simple letters, IMC (standing for Instructional Media Center), replaced the name “library.” The IMC was no longer just a place to get books. It now included media items such as round, black vinyl disks called records, albums, or LPs. You could get films, film projectors, and filmstrip. The IMC also had microfiche to look up old magazine articles, and a real card catalog to find all of this cool…

POV: Seeking Standards

By Frank Damiano

When I was appointed independent programmers liaison to the Manufacturers Council for InfoComm International in 2005, my first order of business was the…

Departments

The Buzz: Install of the Month:
Medica Health Plans Minnetonka, Minn

By Wendy Meincke

With an automated phone system, a slip of the finger can take you in mysterious directions, and the only recourse is to find your way back to the main…

The Buzz: Newsmakers

Koss Corporation has promoted Jennie Mead to the newly created position of creative director. Arvin Perrie will be joining Audio Visual Innovations (AVI)…

The Buzz: 20 Years Ago in
Sound & Video Contractor

By Mark Johnson

The April ’86 issue was all about teleconferencing. The April ’06 issue is all aboutconferencing. It’s interesting to compare how far technology has taken us in the past 20 years. W. Douglas Wilkens headed up the ’86 issue with “Introducing teleconferencing,” providing background information on the concept of teleconferencing, setting up the contributed articles by Al DeGenova (Selling teleconferencing), T.W. Cape (Teleconferencing and echo reduction),…

The Buzz: Contractor’s Web Watch

Berlin microphone manufacturer Neumann has relaunched its website with a distinguished new design featuring optimized user navigation…

The Buzz: Industry News

CEDIA is expanding its CEDIA University certification review and exam programs through a partnership with four member…

The Buzz: Upcoming Events

April 8-9 Expo Tu Casa HoustonHoustonwww.expotucasausa.com 9-11 Buying and Selling eContentScottsdale, Ariz.www.buy-sell-econtent.com 22-27 NABLas Vegaswww.nabshow.com…

Correction

Cabletime was inadvertently omitted from the Technology Showcase Network Video Appliances in our March issue (p. 52). For further information on products…

What’s New

What’s New:
Video Technology