AV issue 10

CHANNEL 7 SWITCHES ON SHINING A LIGHT ON THE MEDIA CITY SOUND STAGES

TRAPPED!: SOVEREIGN HILL’S LATEST GRANDMA2: HANDS-ON REVIEW OF MA’S LATEST HIGH PERFORMANCE: QPAC’S WORLD-CLASS REFIT

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Mitsubishi Electric Australia Pty Ltd, 348 Victoria Rd Rydalmere NSW 2116 www.MitsubishiElectric.com.au ph: (02) 9684 7777 fax (02) 9684 7208

Proud partner of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image

RELIABILITY YOU CAN DEPEND ON FOR YEARS. 4 Year Projector Warranty* 1 Year Lamp Warranty** 1920x1200 WUxgA Resolution 6000 Lumen Brightness 10,000 Hour Maintenance Free Filter 6 Lens Options

Epson, the number one in projectors world wide introduces the EB-Z8000WU projector.

A large venue’s new best friend in Big, Bright, HD Images.

EB-G5100

EB-G5200W

EB-G5350

EB-Z8000WU

For information on our range of projectors call 1300 130 194 or visit epson.com.au *4 years or 10,000 hours. **1 year or 750 hours.

06

Editorial Unified Theory of Everything

What the proponents of UC seem to have overlooked is just how tiny their vision of network domination really is. Because they are only familiar with a few data types and seem to be looking only at the standard business equipment found around an early 21st-century office, they have left the AV industry to walk into an enormous field of opportunity.

An AV version of UC could easily encompass everything from the digital signage in the foyer, the lunch room and the conference room, to the air conditioning, building security, lift communications, building management, lighting, audio, entertainment, handheld devices and of course all of the usual telecommunications and messaging applications. Since we began publishing – ten issues and nearly two years ago – we have been reporting on projects with most of the parts to the UC puzzle already solved and operating.

Perhaps someone in the AV industry needs to draw some of these threads together and start to offer truly unified communication systems to the entire community.  Andy Ciddor, Editor Get in touch with AV and share your idea and stories of innovation. Better still, submit them into the AVIAs (Audio Visual Industry Awards)!

Contact AV’s Editor, Andy Ciddor at andy@av.net.au

for th

e audi

ovisu

al prof

essio

nal

The Internet Protocol steamroller has pretty much flattened the last small obstacles in its path to world domination. We may still kid ourselves there are other protocols around doing all kinds of important things like video and telecommunications and messaging and telephony and television and radio, but if you grab the tool and lift up the floor panel, manhole cover or access hatch, you’ll find IP lurking under there somewhere. It may or may not be a bad thing, but it’s certainly gone past the point of no return, so it’s time to get over it and start to exploit the possibilities.

The AV world was by no means the last bump under the wheels of that steamroller, but we’re in the unique position of being a very multi-disciplinary industry with fingers in a vast range of technological pies. Since the network folk have been so kind as to plumb in every kind of data we could ever want – whether it’s DMX, RS232, video, HTTP, audio, comms, or raw untreated UDP – it would be downright churlish of us not to use it.

One of the over-hyped marketing phrases at the senior executive level in recent times has been <Unified Communications> (UC), which appears to be code for the Big Software people making a grab for the corporate network, including emails, SMS and fax gateways, desktop video conferencing, instant messaging and all forms telephony. On the other hand, the Big Telecomms people use UC as code for them taking over pretty much the same parts of the corporate network.

Not just a magazine www.av.net.au AV Industry Jobs Board: the best place to hire & be hired

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MEDIORNET

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Samsung Commercial Plasma Displays

Take a closer look Samsung is now Australia’s and the world’s top selling brand of Commercial Large Format Screens**. Our comprehensive range of LCD and Plasma displays totals over 50 models, designed to meet the diverse applications for Digital Information Display.

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• Lower power consumption without compromising image brightness or quality.

• 3 year Commercial Warranty for peace of mind • Full HD in 50 and 63 inch models • Available in 42”, 50”HD, 50”FHD and 63”FHD Models Samsung’s new Plasma range… performance and reliability in commercial applications. **(source DTC Figures Qtr 3 YTD 2009)

Call your authorized Samsung Distributor for more information. The new pricing may surprise you!

moving with technology

WORLDS BEST TECHNOLOGY

Ph: 1300 362 363 www.wbtd.com.au sales@wbtd.com.au

Ph: 07 3866 5000 evan@xitd.com.au

Ph: 03 9541-8841 sales@westan.com.au www.westan.com.au

www.samsunglfd.com Ph: 1300 666 099 sales@idt.com.au www.idt.com.au

Crew Stephen Bruel is a freelance entertainment technology journalist. Through his company The Note Pad, he contributes to international pro audio and music industry magazines, as well as providing marketing communications services for clients.

Holding qualifications in music, journalism and marketing, he has held marketing roles with pro audio manufacturers and worked as an audio engineer and musician. He currently also teaches music production and entertainment business management studies at college.

Advertising Office: (02) 9986 1188 PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086

Editorial Office: (03) 5331 4949 PO Box 295, Ballarat, VIC 3353

Editor: Andy Ciddor (andy@av.net.au) Publication Manager: Stewart Woodhill (stewart@av.net.au)

After finishing a Computer Science degree at the University of WA, Blake Garner decided stage lighting was much more fun and threw away financial security and the previous four years of his life to study lighting at the WA Academy of Performing Arts. Keen to apply computer technologies to improve the flexibility of lighting systems, Blake has now joined Jands as its Lighting Applications Engineer.

Editorial Director: Christopher Holder (chris@av.net.au) Publisher: Philip Spencer (philip@av.net.au) Art Direction & Design: Dominic Carey (dominic@alchemedia.com.au) Additional Design: Leigh Ericksen (leigh@alchemedia.com.au) Sub Editor: Lisa Clatworthy Circulation Manager: Mim Mulcahy (subscriptions@av.net.au)

Paul Collison is a freelance lighting designer based in Sydney. He has a purple suitcase that is more a home than his house and has an addiction to a decent espresso and a good Eggs Benedict on crispy bacon, not ham. Armed with these vices he takes on the world of lighting design and operation on special events, both domestically as well as overseas.

Normally adept at writing six or seven lines in an email, Paul is making a laughable attempt at adapting that style to articles in AV magazine.

alchemedia publishing pty ltd (ABN: 34 074 431 628) PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 info@alchemedia.com.au All material in this magazine is copyright Š 2010 Alchemedia Publishing Pty Ltd. The title AV is a registered Trademark.

Apart from any fair dealing permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. The publishers believe all information supplied in this magazine to be correct at the time of publication.

They are not in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. After investigation and to the best of our knowledge and belief, prices, addresses and phone numbers were up to date at the time of publication. It is not possible for the publishers to ensure that advertisements appearing in this publication comply with the Trade Practices Act, 1974.

The responsibility is on the person, company or advertising agency submitting or directing the advertisement for publication. The publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, although every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy. 22/3/10

Luis joined Auditoria after completing his Masters in Design Science at the University of Sydney in mid 2008 and deciding that after studying for 10 years it was about time to get a real job. His tasks at Auditoria include audio visual design and documentation, electro-acoustic modelling, attending trade shows and picking up the mail. He has a keen interest in most things related to audio and acoustics (though he finds underwater and environmental acoustics pretty boring).

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Harris Movement Engineering (HME) Unit 1, 35 Birch Street Condell Park NSW 2200 t. (+61) 2 9708 6614 www.harrismovement.com.au

STAGING INTEGRATION CONTROL

Issue 10 REGULARS NEWS News from the AV world. Includes a preview of IML’s Connector and QSC’s Q-Sys.

16

INFOCOMM NEWS Regional news from InfoComm.

64

TERMINATION Back to spool for a format lesson.

66

FEATURES

28

SILVER LINING QPAC celebrates its 25th with a $35m refurb.

28

FULL IMMERSION Memories flood back at Sovereign Hill’s newest attraction, Trapped.

34

SEVEN KEEPS IT SIMPLE Something very old and something very new in ATN7’s new drama facility.

38

DECK THE HALL Sydney Town Hall’s $40m lower hall makeover.

42

REVIEWS

34

42

MA LIGHTING GRANDMA2 Much anticipated next-gen lighting console.

48

SYMETRIX 780 AUTOMIX MATRIX & 788 ROOM COMBINE Signal processors for audio installations.

52

TUTORIALS DMX OVER ETHERNET It’s finally coming to a system near you.

56

VIDEO COMPRESSION Putting the squeeze on video.

58

DIGITAL AUDIO PROTOCOLS (PART 3) Moving audio over digital networks.

60

ASPECT RATIOS The maths of aspect ratio calculation.

65

38

48

52

THE FUTURE-PROOF DSP THAT SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE. AES/EBU TDIFTM

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MADI

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Yamaha’s DME Series open-architecture digital signal processors are the go-to solution for audio system designers and integrators around the world. That means that if your audio network speaks a certain language, we do too.

DME On Demand With DME On Demand, full-day training on Yamaha’s DME processors is available year-round by appointment.

To make an appointment for Yamaha DME On Demand training, call (03) 9693 5272 or email jason_allen@gmx.yamaha.com

MY expansion cards ensure that Yamaha’s extensive range of DME Series programmable DSPs, digital mixers and TXn Series power amplifiers are always compatible with the widest variety of audio formats.

So, if your audio network changes format, your Yamaha installation will be able to adapt by simply adding the required expansion cards.

No matter which protocol you use, we’ll have the DSP to fit your audio network’s needs for years to come.

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For more information on Yamaha’s digital mixers and processors, as well as Yamaha and third-party MY cards, visit:

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016

NEWS

3

2

1 1/CLASSIC COLUMNS

2/CASIO GETS GREEN LIGHT

3/GETTING CLOSE TO THE WALL

No, you haven’t picked up an old Tandy catalogue by mistake. JBL tell us that years of extensive research by Harman engineers has breathed new life into a classic concept: the passive Line Array Column Loudspeaker.

Its new Constant Beamwidth Technology is a ‘breakthrough in pattern control consistency’, utilising analogue beam steering and amplitude shading to deliver ‘consistent vertical coverage without the narrow vertical beaming and out-of-band lobing’ typical of passive column speakers. Designed specifically for acoustically challenged venues that would typically use larger point-and-shoot speakers, there are four new products in the range: the CBT50 LA and CBT 100LA that cater for small to medium rooms, then for larger venues there’s the eye-catching CBT 70J with its 16 tweeters and four 127mm woofers. If you want more bass the CBT 70JE can add another four 127mm drivers.

Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or info@jands.com.au

As a wise frog once said: it’s not easy being green.

Apparently it isn’t simple projecting green either – without being not green. Confused? Casio is claiming to have solved the problem of producing 2000-plus lumen projectors without using high-pressure mercury lamps that ultimately pose an environmental hazard.

Casio’s Green Slim eco-friendly projectors lineup use a combination of laser, fluorescent and LED technology to output a hybrid, high-brightness light source that also reproduces sufficient green light, something previously considered difficult. The result is highlyvisible projection in well-lit rooms, full brightness within eight seconds of power-up, no cooling time required after switching off and an approximate lamplife of 20,000 hours. Green Slim projectors will include a model that can accommodate WXGA Real display at 1280 x 800 (16:10), stand-alone units that can project without a PC by sourcing data directly from any standard USB device, and some models will offer wireless connectivity.

Shriro Australia: 1300 748122 or www.casio-intl.com/projector

Epson’s latest ultra short-throw projector is an interactive model that doesn’t require an interactive whiteboard. The EB-450Wi also comes with a custom wall mount that places the lens a little more than the length of the unit itself from the projection surface and still provides images from 59-inch (1500mm) to 96-inch (2440mm) diagonal in native WXGA. Aside from the aesthetics of not having a projector hanging from the ceiling, the high angle of the beam reduces shadows caused by presenters standing between the light source and the image. By using an included infrared pen with similar properties to a normal computer mouse, any display becomes fully interactive and it doesn’t have to be onto a specialised reflective surface like a screen – any flat, white area will do. The projectors can be fully networked to monitor usage and help maximise lamp-life. Data projected is Web 2.0 friendly and the open architecture allows users to interact with virtually any software, digital media file or e-book.

Epson: (02) 8899 3666 or www.epson.com.au

NEWS IN BRIEF

Extron Electronics has acquired the Product Engineering and Development Division of the Electrosonic Group. The deal includes all Electrosonic products, including the VN Matrix line of Video and Graphics over IP Encoders and Decoders, the HDFrend line of HD Video Players, and the VN Quantum line of Multi-Image Display Processors.

However, the systems engineering, integration and service business is not part of the acquisition.

RGB Integration: 1800 398766 or www.rgbintegration.com

Audio Products Group have signed an Australian distribution deal with Massachusettsbased company Revolabs, a manufacturer of wireless microphone systems for a wide range of applications including broadcasting, financial services, education, medical, legal and houses of worship. Under the agreement APG will also provide training, service and customer support for Revolabs products.

Audio Products Group: 1300 134400 or www.audioproducts.com.au

Digital signage specialist, Dynamic Visual Systems, has partnered with CoolSign to become Australian distributors of CoolSign’s digital signage software. Dynamic Visual Systems is a part of Digistor which has over 20 years experience in delivering solutions for digital media creation, management, storage and delivery.

CoolSign is a company focused on delivering world-class software for the digital signage industry.

Dynamic Visual Systems: (02) 9906 4556 or www.dynamicvisualsystems.com.au

Klotz Digital has been acquired by UnitedScreens Media, including putting in place agreements securing the future financial support of Klotz. Andreas Gruettner has been appointed as the new CEO, taking over from Thomas Klotz, who has resigned from his position. Klotz Digital manufactures a variety of digital audio mixing consoles, the Vadis AudioMedia Platform, and Varizone systems for music distribution, paging and safety announcement.

Klotz Digital: (02) 9911 3700 or www.klotzdigital.com

Lighthouse Distribution has announced it has cut its distribution ties with Clay Paky in Australia and New Zealand.

Clay Paky is a well-known and respected manufacturer of professional lighting products, however, Lighthouse Distribution has decided to focus on its own core products, the DTS, designLED and ChamSys brands. At this point in time no new distributor for Clay Paky has been named.

Hills SVL: (02) 9647 1411 or www.hillssvl.com.au

4 4/PIPED PROJECTION Even considering all the clever ways we can push data through cables, this is still pretty neat. The folks at Projectiondesign in Norway have previewed the FR12 Remote Light Source projector, which is a projector head comprised of a lens and all the hardware needed to point, swivel, zoom and focus it, attached remotely to a completely separate light source. A 19-inch rackmount unit provides the lumens through Projectdesign’s own Liquid Light Guide cable from up to 30 metres away.

The immediate advantages are that the maintenanceheavy component of the projector – the lamps and cooling systems – can be placed somewhere handy, plus all the unwanted noise and heat can be confined somewhere that doesn’t bother anyone. Installation of a more compact projector head will be much easier.

Projectdesign say their forward thinking is so innovative they’re comparing themselves with other Norwegian greats like Amundsen, who merely walked to the South Pole before thermal undies were invented. Don’t know about that, but they’re certainly thinking outside the box – or the projector casing, at least.

Amber Technology : 1800 251 367 or display@ambertech.com.au

Panasonic provided a look at their 3D television ahead of the new technology’s introduction later in the year. The company gave the demonstration on a 50inch 3D full HD Panasonic Viera plasma prototype – one of only a handful in the world. Panasonic will soon announce pricing and availability of the first models likely to be available by mid 2010.

Panasonic: (02) 99867400 or www.panasonic.com/3D

When Philips acquired Selecon last year, the company joined Vari-Lite and Strand Lighting in the newly formed Philips Entertainment. Now Philips Entertainment has appointed Bytecraft Entertainment as its Project Partner. Bytecraft will be responsible for Strand Control projects and have access to all the Philips Selecon entertainment and display lighting lines.

Conversely all the Philips Selecon dealers can source much of the Strand Lighting product ranges.

Selecon: www.seleconlight.com

VIOSO Presenter Pro software is designed to take the pain out of video projector setup menus by creating a PC-based GUI interface that adjusts the image, bypassing the projector. Attach a camera to your PC and a combination of scanning software and texture mapping will evaluate the desired projection surface and makes allowances for bumps and blemishes… building fascias and rock walls, included.

ITI-Image Group: (02) 9477 5709 or www.avstumpflaustralia.com

018

NEWS

2

1

3 1/GEFEN SIGNS UP

2/BREAKING NEWS

3/IF YOU GET THE JITTERS…

Gefen’s High Definition Digital Signage Player is a compact, stand-alone media player to automate signage programming being fed to any connected displays. Links to the HDDSP are via a remote Ethernet IP or directly through a USB slot. Data is stored on an 2GB flash drive and users can upload video in multiple formats, background music and scrolling text, then customize how the content is shown with an included software package. Playlists can be scheduled using a calendar function that’s compatible with Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 software. The HD Digital Signage Player works with all popular video formats, jpeg files and MP3 audio files. Video output is either HDMI or VGA and a 3.5mm stereo audio output can route sound to a separate system. As you can see, the HDDSP is little more than a black box and if it’s installed close to an otherwise inaccessible display, such as a wallmounted monitor, an included IR remote control will save the day.

Amber Technology: 1800 251 367 or gefen@ambertech.com.au

Love it or hate it, a lot of news content these days is sourced direct from YouTube, Skype or the browser window of choice. Eye-witnesses to the latest tragedy tend to whip out their mobile phone for a quick video, before thinking about calling 000. None of which is ideal media for broadcasting. The Matrox Convert DVI is primarily designed to easily re-process data for mass distribution through a PC-based GUI along with everfamiliar drag ’n’ drop operations. Premium features include: a flicker reduction filter, an underscan mode, customisable presets with user assignable hotkeys, password protection and a stand-alone mode. System audio can be embedded in the SDI signal. The Matrox Convert DVI isn’t just for newshounds, it will convert file types into formats compatible with NLE software like Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas and act as an interface to drive projectors and large displays. Price: $1499.

New Magic Australia: (03) 9722 9700 or www.newmagic.com.au

Phabrix, based in the UK, seems to have a real winner on its hands – and in everyone else’s hands – with its new Phabrix SxE Eye and Jitter hand-held tester. Your peers will be impressed when you pull this space-age gadget out of your pocket. Apparently unique as ‘the world’s only portable eye and jitter instrument capable of measurements to laboratory accuracy’, the SxE has already been taken up by the likes of ESPN, SKY, BBC, Snell, Tandberg and others. The core device contains a generator, analyser and monitor with support for 3G-SDI, HD-SDI and SD-SDI. Using a simple button-press control and colour-coded menu system, each of the different instruments can be quickly selected. Specific setup preferences can be saved into the memory ready for use on repeat tasks. Feedback is interactive, clearly displaying eye and jitter diagrams with filter selection for timing and alignment measurements on a 4.3-inchsized 16:9 colour TFT screen. The SxE can be upgraded if required.

AV Group: (02) 97645911 or www.avgroup.com.au

NEWS IN BRIEF

Barco has acquired the products, IP rights and know-how of Element Labs, an LED video systems company based in Santa Clara, California. The Element Labs products will complement Barco’s existing high-end product range and, as a provider of LED, projection, image processing and lighting products, allow Barco to serve customers with a wider range of budget levels in the media and entertainment market.

Barco Systems: (03) 9646 5833 or sales.au@barco.com

Wireless Solution Sweden has a new wireless DMX control system. The new Generation 4 (G4) BlackBox is able to repair corrupted data by running on dual band and creating a backup duplicate of the signal. W-DMX G4 faithfully recreates the DMX signal at the end of its wireless link including the DMX frame output of mark after break, inter-slot timings and slot count parameters.

W-DMX supports RDM and a full range of Ethernet protocols.

Wireless Solutions: www.wirelessdmx.com

A consultancy firm on all things green and environmental, Advanced Environmental has had a name-change and is going through a rebranding process to coincide with the opening of two new offices in Brisbane and London. Now called Built Ecology, the new branches add to offices in Sydney, Melbourne and San Francisco. Built Ecology is a division of WSP Lincolne Scott.

WSP Lincolne Scott: www.wsplincolnescott.com

NextWindow manufactures optical overlays that convert any standard display into a touchscreen, providing full mouse-like functionality. Users can click, drag, double-click and right-click simply by touching the screen. The new 2700 Touch Overlay is designed for public use, such as directories located in shopping malls or in the classroom. Added proprietary multi-touch features enables users to pan or zoom images.

Image Design Technology:1300 666 099 or www.idt.com.au

Version 1.2 of ArKaos’ MediaMaster media server software supports Quartz Composer (Mac only) and within the Flash Animation Player support for Actionscript3. MediaMaster is ArKaos’ pro tool for creative projection and LED use within video design. Another major addition is the ability to both mix the audio track from movies and to control the global audio volume via DMX, meaning a DMX control desk can now act as an audio mixer.

Show Technology: www.showtech.com.au

4 4/LOOK ME IN THE EYE & SAY THAT Image Design Technology has launched two products from California-based Digital Video Enterprises, a developer of videoconferencing systems and telepresence. The Executive Telepresence System uses a 40-inch (1016mm) monitor screen while the Huddle Room 70 has a frameless 70-inch (1778mm) display. The concept is to emulate real eye-contact with the people on-screen and to do this DVE has optically embedded a camera in the displays rather than above or to one side.

The ETS is suitable for one-on-one conferencing with the unit placed on the other side of a desk. The Huddle 70 can portray two people sitting side-by-side and while it’s certainly portable, a better solution might be to turn any small office into a permanent conferencing suite. Vision for both is in high-definition to enhance the illusion that everyone is in the room. The introduction of new, more efficient codecs should prevent your ISP of choice spoiling the fun by running out bandwidth.

IDT: 1300 666 099 or www.idt.com.au

TiMax SoundHub’s S-Version audio showcontrol software is aimed at theatre and live events sound designers. New features include multitrack timeline cue programming, clip editing, looping and volume-profiling plus waveform-based pan programming. Also from TiMax, is the Tracker real-time location system for tracking presenters and performers. No more spotlights hitting an empty stage.

ATT Audio Controls: (03) 9379 1511 or www.attaudiocontrols.com

Version 4.0 software of Soundcraft’s Vi Series is on the way. Users can look forward to user-configurable fader layers, crossfades between snapshots and along with a few other tweaks a number of ‘under-thebonnet’ optimisations which speed up the operation of layer changing and other functions.

Registered Vi Series owners will be automatically notified of the software availability.

Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or www.jands.com.au

020

NEWS

4

1 2 3

5

6

3

1/CHOOSE YOUR FAVOURITE SHADE OF WHITE

2/MORE MONITORS FROM MARSHALL

3/SMART PROJECTION

The ALC4 LED Cyclorama light uses four advanced RGB+White LED light sources delivering the equivalent of 1250W of halogen power for an actual power consumption of 160W. Capable of providing over 1 million shades of colour, including pure yellow and soft ambers, the ALC4 has seven user-selectable white light presets from a warm 2700K to Daylight 6500K. The LED module is colour-tuneable (RGBW) and the light is combined in a mixing chamber. This results in a homogeneous light output from the module, eliminating coloured shadows or separately visible colours. The system can be controlled by DMX in different modes, in particular a colour-tuneable RGB mode or in a white-tuneable CCT mode. Both DMX and Powercon 220V connectors are provided for daisy-chaining. The fixture can be used not only for cyclorama lighting, but also for fill lights and washes. The ALC4 can be floor mounted or hung.

LSC Lighting: (03) 9702 8000 or info@lsclight.com.au

Marshall Electronics (no, not the guitar amp people) has upgraded its P-Series seven-inch Portable Field Camera Monitors to an XP-Series. The new models add extra features, but the company is maintaining the current pricing. All monitors now include a caste metal front panel, adjustable backlight and markers, manual gamma adjustments, Image Flip, ¼”-20 mounting on all sides, HDMI Auto Colour Space and Ratio detect (on the V-LCD70XP-HDMI) and a more robust power switch.

There are three current models in the new XP series. All offer high-res screens measuring 800 x 480 pixels and a wide variety of screen formats. Users can adapt up to nine different battery configurations for operation in the field. Connections for each are YUV and Composite video inputs on BNC connectors with looping outputs.

The main difference between the various types is given away in the model names – you can get added HDMI or 3G SDI capability.

Videocraft: (02) 9436 3050 or Melbourne (03) 9888 8511 or www.videocraft.com.au

Mitsubishi Electric Australia has released a portable full HD projector with a native 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, 4000 ANSI lumens brightness and compact 3.8kg design. The FD630U has an RJ45 port to remotely manage the projector from a laptop or PC via a LAN and also allows a new Visual PA2 feature, which provides an instant pre-recorded messages display and voice announcements to be sent simultaneously to all projectors connected on the LAN – think emergency messages. The software is also capable of interpreting messages input via a keyboard and converting it to a verbal announcement. A built-in 10W speaker broadcasts the audio without the need for an external speaker. Additionally, the ‘Audio Mix’ feature gives the FD630U the ability to output audio from two separate devices with independent volume control of each audio input. The FD630U is also equipped with a 1.5x high powered zoom lens.

Mitsubishi Electric Australia: (02) 9684 7233 or www.mitsubishielectric.com.au

4/RACK ‘EM UP

5/A STANDING OVATION

6/SMART AS A FOX

Most recognised standards are under some kind of threat from improving technology, but the humble 19inch rack size still seems firmly entrenched for a few years to come. Jands has brought out a new range of professional racks in three sizes – 27RU, 39RU and 46RU with depths of 600mm, 800mm and 1000mm available. Not surprisingly, these are designed for heavy duty installations with fully-welded, 2mm mild steel construction. There is provision for castors to be fitted, but why anyone would contemplate shifting a full 46RU rack any distance is a mystery. You’re more likely to use the bolt-down holes provided in the base. Cable trays and plastic covers to conceal wiring are standard as is adjustable rack stripping. Other accessories are available and all the racks come in – no prizes for guessing – powder-coated black.

Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or info@jands.com.au

Good news, you no longer have to put a stack of telephone books behind your lectern to cater for those vertically challenged speakers. Konig & Meyer (K&M), better known for its mic and music stands, has applied some 21-century thinking to an age-old design and come up with the Ovation lectern. The height of the table can be adjusted, as can the angle. However, a portion of the tray always stays level for drinks, laser pointers and such. The slim new design doesn’t give nervous presenters anywhere to hide but at 15kg it remains stable. There’s a standard model and a Pro version, the latter offering a pair of XLR, acoustically isolated connections. Optional extras include a flexible reading light, promotional board, a custom-fit padded cover for carrying it around or a hard road-case. Unfortunately, it doesn‘t come with a large sticker that says: ‘Don’t fiddle with the mics!’. Price: from $1960.

The Resource Corporation: (03) 9874 5988 or sales@trc.com.au

Extron Electronics has announced the release of the FOX 4G Matrix 320x, a modular matrix switcher providing complete, end-to-end digital AV signal transmission and routing over fibreoptic cable in very large environments such as university and corporate campuses. It is expandable from 16 x 16 up to 320 x 320, and supports digital switching at rates up to 4.25Gbps.

Features include: hot-swappable I/O boards, real-time system monitoring and redundant, hot-swappable power supplies. Standard matrix switcher features are also available including I/O grouping, rooming, and memory presets. The real-time monitoring system provides selfdiagnostics of the I/O boards, fibre links, power supplies, internal fans, and other general functions of the switcher.

It can be remotely configured and operated through the RS232 serial control port, IP Link Ethernet control and the optional MKP 3000 X-Y Remote Control Panel.

RGB Integration: (08) 8351 2188 or www.rgbintegration.com.au

Hitachi.

Number

one

in ultra short throw.

o P o P o P o P o P o P

Vastly reduced screen shadowing Eliminates eye glare for better communication with your audience Screen bigger pictures in the smallest spaces True to life colour and sharpest detail Reduced projector fan heat and noise World leader in Ultra Short Throw Projectors*

The astounding Hitachi CP-A100 projector has a dramatically short throw distance, producing a 60â&#x20AC;? image just 9.6cms from the screen. This means vastly reduced shadowing and no presenter eye glare, leaving you to present in comfort and style!

Check out the full range of Hitachi ultra short throw projectors, including the new widescreen CP-AW100N. *Source: Global Sales Figures, Futuresource Consulting - December 2009

To find out more about short throw technology and for your chance to win a Hitachi LCD data projector, visit www.ultrashortthrow.com.au

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For more information on Hitachi LCD Projectors or for your nearest authorised dealer please visit www.hitachi.com.au or call usForonmore 1800 HITACHI. information visit www.hitachi.com.au or email dps@hitachi.com.au

For more information visit www.hitachi.com.au or email dps@hitachi.com.au

Celebrating 100 years of the Hitachi Group

022

NEWS

IML Connector Things have got personal in the world of meetings PA. Text:/ Andy Ciddor

It’s not often appreciated that the reinforcement of ordinary speech from untrained speakers is among the most demanding of PA applications. When we listen to a song, if we miss a syllable or two, we can probably fill in the blanks from memory. But when somebody is speaking, we generally don’t know the lyrics, so we have to hear everything that’s being said; without echoes and delays. And it really helps intelligibility if what we hear is in full lip-sync with the speaker or their image on a screen. At the pinnacle of difficulty for spoken word reinforcement systems is the seminar or open forum. Not only does the speech come from the presenters at the front of the room, but questions and contributions may come from any point in the room and must be intelligible at every point in the room.

FANTASY PA Let’s sketch out the specification for an ideal PA system. It would have absolutely perfect coverage, delivering ideal listening levels to every member of the audience. It would have zero delay to every ear in the room, and would have flat frequency coverage across the entire listening spectrum. You may have read your share of brochures promising just such a system, and you may even have spent money discovering that some of the laws of physics stubbornly refuse to yield to wishful thinking.

If you’ve given it much thought, you’ve probably worked out that the nearest you’ll ever get to this ideal PA is to hand every member of the audience their own pair of high quality headphones with a volume control. Every other PA you ever build will be a compromise. Whether it falls short in the areas of consistent levels, time alignment, reflected images, time delay or phase alignment, no big-bang (large source) PA really gets it all right for every listener in the house.

And yet, when it comes to meetings, presentations, and forums, we persist with the time-honoured tradition of plonking a couple of plastic speaker boxes on sticks at the front of the room then, passing around a couple of hand mics

with generous pickup patterns. We then leave the whole system in the hands of the least-expensive (i.e. least experienced) operator we can find, on the shortest call we can get away with, ensuring that they have no briefing about the format of the job or who will be speaking and when. And of course the operator’s copy of the rundown is at least three revisions out of date.

DISTRIBUTED PA ON HAND UK-based IML has been attending meetings with its interactive meeting equipment for many years.

Some of you will have worked with IML already at AGMs or other corporate gigs. Its equipment is used throughout the world where meetings require the participants to interact through sharing opinions, asking questions or voting. It currently provides the Communicator, a complete wireless-based handset system with a small text screen for live interaction with Powerpoint-style screen presentations, voting in polls or on meeting proposals and for submitting questions to the meeting from a mobile phonestyle keypad, using an SMS-like interface. Although meeting audio isn’t in the job description, IML couldn’t help but notice how it was being done, and wonder if there was another way.

When IML started the development of its next generation of wireless devices for meeting interaction, it considered a substantial range of potential applications that could be incorporated into a handheld device with a decent communications bandwidth, a powerful CPU and a reasonable amount of memory. It ransacked the list of capabilities of every handheld device available and crammed most of them into its new ‘Connector’, a sleek handpiece some 80mm x 118mm x 26mm thick and weighing only 200g.

Along with the eight, 7kHz-wide speech channels intended for remote listening through the headphone port for simultaneous translation and hearing augmentation, IML included a high quality 32mm speaker and a 1w amplifier, thus providing a personal loudspeaker for every member of the

audience. While IML is touting this capability as ‘Portable PA’, I’m of the opinion that ‘Distributed PA’ is a more accurate description. Whatever name it goes by, this is the beginning of a new way of approaching meeting sound. For speech and meeting presentations this is going to be more than just ‘good enough’, it has every member of the audience a short distance from lip-synced clear speech at sufficient levels for intelligibility. The Connector also contains a hypercardioid electret microphone designed for clear speech pickup when the handset is held where you would need it to read the screen. Of course, the handset mutes the speaker when the user is asking a question, but the system is smart enough to know if the question is going live into the PA and mutes the speakers on the surrounding handsets to avoid any possibility of feedback.

MEETING DEMAND Audio is only a fraction of the Connector handset’s capabilities. Connected to the system base station via a wireless link with a 100m range, it has a 2.4-inch (60mm) 320 x 240 OLED colour screen, a backlit qwerty keyboard, independently-backlit voting keys, an RGB tally light, independently-backlit volume and push-to-talk keys, and an independentlybacklit trackball. Other capabilities include a rumbler for tactile feedback and silent alerts, a USB2port, a lightlevelsensorand a 3D accelerometer that senses both movement and orientation. It also has a slot to read the public ID information from your chipped EFT card to verify who is using the handset.

When I looked at the technical specification (available from the AV website) I was excited by the application possibilities for such a device when it runs on a Windows CE platform with so many development tools. We’re going to see (and hear) a lot more of the Connector when it becomes available here later this year.

IML: www.imlworldwide.com/beyondvoting

Teachers’ favourite The Sanyo PLC-XE50A ultra short throw projector ticks all the right boxes for Australian teachers.

80" image from just 8cm distance (it’s the world’s shortest throw LCD projector)^ Flexibility of wall mount or floor or tabletop projection Reduced power consumption: less than 1 Watt in standby mode Produces bright, clear images even in well-lit rooms* Robust design with protected mirror and no external buttons Anti-theft education-only orange cabinet Lamp $249.00 RRP ^ As at 15th February 2010. * XGA resolution 1024 x 768; 2,000 ANSI lumens

For more information on Sanyo’s range of projectors call 1300 360 230 or visit www.sanyo.com.au

BLDD831

^ As at 15th February 2010.

Side view

VIDEO CONFERENCING

&TELEPRESENCE Integrate 2010 will host a one-day conference to expose new developments and the integration of video conferencing.

Who’s it For?: Regardless of whether you’re a CIO/CEO on a fact-finding mission; an integrator installing VC; or you’re a Technology Manager looking for the right VC system, this day-long conference has you covered. The course focuses on video conference environments, where the room makes all the difference between a great experience and a marginal one.

Collaboration: Interest in Video Conferencing and telepresence generally is running white hot and this one-day conference is perfectly timed to provide CIOs, Integrators and Technology Managers with the information they need to stay ahead of the game.

Unified Communication: The classes will highlight the importance of properly designing the environment and will discuss the audio and video technology behind the room. Topics will include sightlines, camera angles, lighting, display sizes, audio reinforcement and some basic networking issues. This session includes InfoComm Academy’s VID214 ’Video Conferencing‘ program and provides eight renewal units (RUs) toward InfoComm certification renewal.

Stop Press: The day will feature a keynote address from CISCO’s Peter Wynne Hughes, General Manager Communications & Collaboration for Australia & New Zealand. In his keynote, Hughes will articulate Cisco’s video and collaboration vision and strategy.

Places are strictly limited so bookings are essentials.

Email: seminars@integrate-expo.com or book online, go: www.integrate-expo.com and follow the links.

Certification Renewal Units CTS: 8 CTS-D: 8 CTS-I: 8 Max: 8

24th - 26th August 2010 2010

Hordern Pavilion & Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park, Sydney, Australia

www.integrate-expo.com

®

026

NEWS

QSC Steamrolls into Installed Sound Text:\ Christopher Holder

QSC, not content with bestriding the power amp world like a Mega Watt colossus, has turned its gaze to installed sound. After years of R&D and millions of dollars, QSC has unleashed Q-Sys, which on the face of it, will give Media Matrix and Biamp some sleepless nights.

Q-Sys is a new platform designed to encompass everything from the audio input to the loudspeakers.

In the initial release QSC has the Core and the I/O Frame with more components and peripherals to come (such as the Page Station).

The Core is available in three sizes and acts as the central brain of the system. Q-Sys might be packed full of digital signal processing (matrix mixers, compression, ducking, test and measurement tools, EQ gates etc) but the Core isn’t DSP-based. It’s actually a DOS box… erm, I mean, it’s a very powerful device based on a Intel quad Core processor. Internal processing is 64-bit for plenty of headroom. Even the smallest of the Cores will provide up to 256 channels and mixers can provide up to 512 input/output channels.

The grunt work might all be done in the Core(s) but the I/O Frames can be located remotely. Each Frame can house up to four I/O cards for a total of 16 ins and outs in one device. There are a variety of

NEWS IN BRIEF

AKG’s Perception Live series consists of four new vocal and instrument microphones. The P3S and P5 vocal microphones (cardioid and super-cardioid respectively), and the new P4 is an instrument mic designed for use with drums, amps, and wind instruments. The P2 rounds out the series, designed for low frequency instrument miking.

Audio Products Group: (02) 9578 0137 or jlee@audioproducts.com.au

card flavours to choose from; analogue and digital.

System redundancy has been addressed on a number of levels: logically, you can plumb in backup Cores and I/O Frames that will spark up the moment there’s trouble; amplifier redundancy is addressed via a backup DataPort amp which will act as a safety net for four amps on the network; while adding network switches and cabling will take care of network redundancy – Q-Sys will switch over instantly to the backup network when the other one is down.

Vice President of Systems Strategy, Rich Zwiebel, was cherry-picked by QSC to head the Q-Sys project. Rich has quite the CV. He devised the original Media Matrix and Cobranet. This being the case, the first comment Rich normally gets is “I hope you’ve got rid of the Cobranet latency”. The answer is a resounding “yes”. Q-Sys relies on Q-LAN, a proprietary, standards-based protocol that runs on Layer 3 Ethernet. And the latency? Less than 2.5ms from input to output with up to 10 network switch hops. If you have more hops, the signals stay exactly in synch but, the latency will increase.

Designing a Q-Sys setup has been made easy.

There are plenty of nice user interface features that help to easily pull a system together. Traditional

Digital Rapids has unveiled its new StreamZHD Live ABR encoder, a high-performance Adaptive Bit Rate streaming system, promising TV-like continuity and reliability on web and mobile devices. StreamZHD Live ABR encodes live HD/SD content and supports a range of data stream protocols from the likes of Adobe Flash Media, Apple iPhone, and Microsoft.

Adobe’s upcoming HTTP Dynamic Streaming will also be covered.

Adimex: (02) 9906 4556 or www.adimex.com.au

analogue-style metering has been forgone in preference to semi-circular level meters that make interrogating large matrixes a breeze. Does your system design have ‘issues’? A virtual test probe provides an RTA display of the signal at any point in the design. Very neat. If you want to have a play with the user interface then it’s well worth downloading the Designer software from the QSC website.

And as for the full smorgasbord of processing?

Again, it’s worth perusing the options on the QSC site, but there’s no shortage of processing. I like the signal injector, which allows you to, you guessed it, inject a signal anywhere in the audio path; I like the fact the Core will play .wav and .mp3 files; I like the ‘bouncy ball’ ballistics of the compressor; and I like how you can customise the GUI to explode key aspects of the processing and mixing with ease.

Initially, system designers will jump all over Q-Sys for the extra grunt – QSC currently has stolen the march on the opposition in that department and big-time/complex environments such as train stations, theme parks, parliaments and arenas will all benefit from Q-Sys’s brute power. But it’ll be the ease of use as well as the quality of the sound and processing that will keep them coming back for more. As for QSC’s plans for an ‘end to end’

Yamaha Commercial Audio is hitting the road with another LS9 School tour in 2010, this time across all Australian capital cities aside from Darwin. Don’t worry, it’s not a ‘school’ tour but public venue seminars for live sound technicians, theatre staff, concert tour operators, entertainment venue personnel... you name it, to get hands-on experience with Yamaha’s LS9 digital mixing console. Entry is by approved application only.

Yamaha Commercial: www.yamahamusic.com.au

Lake Processing’s LM26 loudspeaker processor is a 2-in/6-out device that provides compatibility with Lab.gruppen’s PLM Series systems as well as all Dolby Lake Processors and the legacy Mesa Quad and Contour.

The Dante-equipped LM26’s programmable EQ and delay functions allow reconfiguration for use as a processor and line driver for self-powered loudspeaker applications as well as for systems using separate power amps.

Audio Telex: (02) 9647 1411 or nsw@audiotelex.com.au

Meyer Sound’s CAL is a new series of self-powered steerable column array loudspeakers that offers ‘unprecedented control and low-profile aesthetics’. CAL features ‘unparalleled’ vertical coverage control and low-distortion sound. The vertical beam can be angled up or down 30° and can be configured with vertical beam widths from 5° to 60°. Multiple or split beams can be used as needed to fit the application.

Meyer Sound: 1800 463 937 or www.meyersound.com.au

installation solution? Well, QSC now has plenty of loudspeaker options and its DataPort-fitted amps are ready to roll. As for other components, I guess we’ll have to ‘watch this space’. Rumour has it that there may well be a QSC digital mixing console on the drawing board. And why not?

Technical Audio Group: (02) 9519 0900 or ar@tag.com.au

Projectiondesign’s upgraded ProNet 2.0 scalable network asset management software is designed for managing an unlimited number of projectors from a single site, using standard TCP/IP or RS232 communication.

It includes tools for accurate colour calibration, efficient network-based management and also ‘pixel-perfect’ blending and geometry correction when used with the company’s Multi-Image Processing System.

Amber Technology: 1800 251 367 or display@ambertech.com.au

Ampetronic has a hearing loop solution for tricky environments, including ticket windows.

Installing independent induction loop systems at each ticket window is made simple by the use of Ampetronic’s counter loop system, CLD1. The preformed loop supplied with this system has a spill field, which is smaller than the acoustic coupling between counters, so magnetic cross talk between adjacent loops is not an issue.

Hills SVL: (02) 9647 1411 or www.hillssvl.com.au

The Gefen 8x8 Crosspoint Matrix for HDMI 1.3 routes hi-def video at resolutions of up to 1080p with multichannel digital audio from any eight HDMI sources to any eight displays. The 8x8 Crosspoint Matrix eliminates the need to disconnect and reconnect HDMI sources, connecting to any HDMI-compliant display. Each source is accessible at all times by any display by selecting it with the included IR remote, or by using the RS232 port.

Amber Technology: 1800 251 367 or www.ambertech.com.au

028

FEATURE

SILVER LINING QPAC celebrates its 25th anniversary with a $35m refurb.

Text:/ Stephen Bruel

This year the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) celebrates 25 years of worldclass theatre, music, dance, and family entertainment. Opened in 1985, QPAC was designed to be Queensland’s cultural hub.

Original architect Robin Gibson designed the centre to be “…a true home which will not only satisfy the demands of the performing arts, but will also demand the contribution of artistic excellence by the performer, the performance and the audience.”

As a ‘second home’ to the Queensland Theatre Company, Queensland Ballet, Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Opera Queensland, QPAC comprises the 2000seat Lyric Theatre, the 1800-seat Concert Hall, the 850-seat Playhouse, the 312-seat Cremorne Theatre, and other areas for food and beverage, reception and conferences.

COLD SHOULDER TO WARM HAND

Changes in the way the building is used, coupled with technological advancements,

energy efficiency improvements, and a need to provide greater access for the public within and around QPAC, led to a $34.7m refurbishment project funded by the Queensland Government in 2009.

The refurbishments included acoustic enhancements, audio, visual and lighting upgrades, staging improvements and greater access and seating choice for patrons with mobility issues.

“Before the refurbishment, QPAC could be seen as a kind of walled fortress,” said QPAC CEO John Kotzas. “We could have performances in all venues, the whole place packed, and nobody walking past the place would be aware of what was going on. We now have better defined entrances and a more open feel.”

ACOUSTICS ON WHEELS

Marshall Day Acoustics was brought in to ensure the acoustic quality of the project.

Acoustics engineer Peter Holmes was

respectful of the original acoustic design and aware of what enhancements needed to be undertaken. “Gibson [the original architect] did a great job so we knew we had an excellent shell to work with,” Holmes said. “However, although originally built acoustically for a symphony orchestra, these days the Concert Hall is a multi-purpose space and needs to be flexible enough to accommodate an amplified performance.

We also had to consider the sonic qualities for patrons with mobility issues. ” To improve the acoustic flexibility of the Concert Hall, Holmes specified rear absorptive curtains to assist the existing sidewall absorption panels, all designed, manufactured, and installed by Jands. On rollers, the banners can be either controlled individually or deployed to preset positions to suit the acoustic requirements of a particular show at the press of a button.

The material used was a tan coloured wool with a faux woodgrain sewn into it to

FEATURE

029

The imposing Lyric theatre was refitted with seven new lighting battens, a demountable stage floor system and more flexible and acoustically-friendly seating.

complement the aesthetics of the room – 500km of cosmetic thread in total. The top rear curtain also features a cut-out to allow for stage visibility from the control box.

“There are two large rear-wall acoustic banners and 14 side wall units that can now be individually deployed to alter the acoustic characteristics of the room,” said Jands Project Manager, Peter Grisard.

“The primary challenge here was the fact that the rear banners were 16 metres long and curved.”

INTELLIGIBILITY TWEAKS

Holmes also saw problems with the construction of the stage shell and decided to curve the walls and shorten the length between them, resulting in moving the sound more efficiently out into the audience and providing better clarity for the orchestra. He also made adjustments to a curved concrete rear wall that had previously focused sound from the rear, creating a timing delay for

the performers, and generally reducing the intelligibility of sound in the room.

“A lot of acoustics is based on what the audience hears, whereas the focus should also be on the musicians,” said Holmes. “If the musicians cannot clearly hear themselves or other members in the group, this can hinder their performance.”

The original seating was replaced to improve both the wheelchair access areas and acoustics in the Concert Hall and Lyric Theatre. CEO Kotzas explained that a new aisle option now allows seating to be pulled out to accommodate wheelchairs, and place these patrons in an acoustically and visually desirable part of the performance space.

REVERB FULL V REVERB EMPTY

The acoustic improvements in the new seating entail absorption slots built into base of the seat cushion. As the seats tip up and face the stage when nobody is sitting in them, the sound absorption in the room

remains similar, whether or not the seat is occupied.

“The acoustics of a room change dramatically when it is occupied as opposed to unoccupied,” Holmes said. “You want to try and minimise the difference so that when an orchestra rehearses in an empty room, the difference in sound is not a huge leap to that attained with a full room.”

As the Lyric Theatre ranges in performance from opera through to spokenword theatre, Holmes had to create a space with less reverberation so a more direct ‘vocal’ sound could be produced. To achieve this, Holmes laid carpet on the floor and installed acoustically absorbent panels and banners in addition to the special seating.

SOUND CHOICES

The scope of the redevelopment works included improvements to the hearing impaired systems, but John Kelly, QPAC Manager Audio/Visual Services, had

030

FEATURE

Above: The Concert Hall now has energy efficient LED house and architectural feature lighting in addition to an acoustic makeover that includes acoustically neutral seating. Right: The base of a tilted-up seat is designed to have the same acoustic absorbtion as a seated person (and it doesn‘t cough in the quiet parts).

reservations on the recommendations.

“I resisted input from consultants to change two of the existing Sennheiser infra-red assisted listening systems to radio-based ones,” said Kelly. “Radio-based systems introduce frequency management, multi-pathing, and intermodulation issues. It’s also important to maintain consistency across all of our venues because it affords us the opportunity to share resources between venues.

Also the Sennheiser stethoset style listening devices use removable rubber ear-pieces, which we can sterilise between uses.”

The Lyric Theatre’s setup consists of a Midas XL200 40-channel console, Meyer CQ1 and CQ2 speakers for the left and right PA, Meyer UPA1P for the centre cluster, Meyer UPM1P and 2P as the delay speakers, Klark Technik DN360 EQs, dbx compressors, Lexicon effects units, and BSS Soundweb networked signal processors.

The Concert Hall audio setup is similar except for Meyer MSL4 speakers for the PA, Meyer UPM1P nearfield monitoring for the choir stalls, Dolby Lake processors, and a Midas Heritage 2000 48-channel console. A Studer Vista 5 SR digital live console is also available. The microphone list includes Neumann U87, TLM170 and KM184, Schoeps, AKGs, Schertler piano pair, DPA headsets and Shure Beta 87, SM57, SM58, and the Shure UHF-R wireless system featuring the wireless workbench software.

winning the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Award of Excellence.

“In the Concert Hall we replaced the 300W PAR56 houselights with LED fixtures, and replaced the 2.5kW Selecon Arena profile spots with the more efficient 80V (1.2kW) Selecon Pacific luminaires, resulting in an overall 62% reduction in power consumption,” said QPAC Lighting Manager, Doug Brimblecombe.

“Additional changes to backstage lighting and general building lighting, reduced power consumption in these areas by 85%.”

A total of 74 Pacific 80V Zoomspots (7.5º–19º and 14º–35º models) have now replaced their older (and much larger) Arena forebears, adding to the 24 x 80V Pacific Zoomspots that had previously been purchased. Those original Pacifics are still being driven from standard phase-control dimmers, but the 74 new units were supplied with DMX-controlled power supplies and are being powered from standard moving light-style power distribution panels.

The new FOH configuration includes the first 42 of Morpheous Lights’ PacificFader5 dichroic CMY colour changers, complete with optional dowsers and colour temperature correction.

Having so many fixtures with an effectively unlimited colour choice has simplified rigging and focusing, leading to considerable additional cost and time savings.

LIGHT THE WAY

RETURN OF GRANDMA

The refurbishment included major improvements to the energy efficiency of the building’s architectural lighting, culminating in

MA Lighting’s new grandMA2 (GMA2) platform was selected as the new lighting control system for the Concert Hall, with QPAC purchasing

a Fullsize for operation and a Light to back it up [see Paul Collison’s review of the GMA2 on page 48 – Ed]. While originally being run in grandMA1 mode, the consoles are now running with the stable release versions of the native grandMA2 system.

“We sometimes use the GMA2 in the Lyric Theatre or Playhouse as you can now import ASCII console data from older Strand 500 and similar consoles without any issue,” said Brimblecombe. “This includes all the chases and group selects as well as the multi-patch facility it didn’t have before. Now you can assign 20 dimmers to one channel. Whereas the corporate and rock ‘n’ roll world use the groups within the MA, theatre lighting designers want a channel rather than a group.”

STARTING WITH GENESIS

As part of the staging upgrade, QPAC Manager Staging, Tony Maher specified an ASM Genesis hoist control system driving 68 x ASM 400kg steel band hoists in the Concert Hall – again supplied and installed by Jands. According to Grisard, band hoists were chosen as they allow operators to use multiple single-point hoists in a synchronous network as opposed to multi-wire traditional hoisting systems, providing greater flexibility. A further 12 x one-tonne ASM chain hoists were installed for flying speaker cabinets.

“The ASM band hoist solution is unique and offers quiet and fast moving, accurate performance without the capital cost of the infrastructure associated with drum hoists,” said Grisard. “There is also no need for a

032

FEATURE

Left: The Concert Hall grid now sports 68 x 400kg band hoists, 8 x one-tonne and 4 x two-tonne chain hoists and 19 microphone winches.

Lower left: Some of the new rigging gear in action for what is most definitely not a symphony concert.

CONTACTS QPAC: www.qpac.com.au Marshall Day: (03) 9416 1855 or www.marshallday.com Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or www.jands.com.au Showtrek: (08) 8382 9398 or www.showtrek.com SSE: 1300 793 712 or stageengineering.com

dedicated winch room.”

New retractable seating (seven rows of 26 seats which occupied 7.3m of stage depth when fully extended) was also installed. All the seats are spring loaded to collapse automatically when retracted, a setup which allows one person to erect half a row at a time, then to stow all seats in a single automated operation.

“The new system enables technicians to do the same work from the stage with just the push of a button, providing a safer, easier, and more efficient work environment,” said Maher.

if a stage penetration is required, it is now a quick process to remove whichever sections are required [more details in ‘Theatre of Dreams’, Issue 5 – Ed]. A sprung floor is available when ballet companies perform on stage. Jands supplied 8 x one-tonne and 2 x two-tonne ASM chain hoists for sound rigs in the Lyric.

“The newly increased floor load capacity allows a greater range of elevated work platforms and forklift access to the stage, which in turn assists the technicians in setups and reduces health and safety risks,” said Maher.

SMART STAGE

RAISING THE BAR

In the Lyric Theatre, Adelaide company Showtrek designed and installed a brand new fully modular flexible stage floor system comprising 60 removable traps, each 3m x 1m, over the main stage area. This system is based on the one devised by Craig Gamble, and built by Showtrek for the Melbourne Theatre Company’s new Summner theatre. These traps have 7.5kPa distributed load and a 20kN point load, and

The lighting bars in the Lyric Theatre were also replaced to cater for the ever-increasing demands of theatrical productions. Specialised Stage Engineering (SSE) supplied seven 19m Protrac lighting battens from Prolyte of the Netherlands.

The all-aluminium battens consist of a 60mm x 110mm slotted box extrusion connected to a lower 48.3mm-diameter extrusion fitted with an integral Helm runner track to allow the batten

to also carry scenery or drapes. Each lighting batten is fed with 36 x 20A lighting circuits via 6 x six-way multicores terminated with standard Socapex connectors.

“SSE and the QPAC team collaborated to design a custom, modular cable tray system that straddles the upper profile of the Protrac bar,” said Brimblecombe. “The downstage side of the tray handles the Socapex looms feeding the bar, while the upstage side has two trays to separate data from power cables. Each tray fixes between the circuit outlets and is attached to the upper profile with a captive nut and bolt, allowing them to be removed if needed.”

QPAC’s extensive silver anniversary refurbishment has not only improved the operational capabilities of its venues and their accessibility to the public, it has also set the centre up for leaner running in a less energy-abundant future over the next quarter century. 

034

FEATURE

Full Immersion The memories come flooding back at Trapped, Sovereign Hill’s new light and sound experience.

Text:/ Christopher Holder

Sovereign Hill is in a privileged position: it’s on the international tourist trail.

Convoys of Chinese and more local visitors are bussed daily into the provincial Victorian city of Ballarat for an authentic goldfield experience. The tourists are inserted and extracted with military precision, allowing enough time to tickle a fairy penguin at Phillip Island and be back in Melbourne for the buffet and bed.

Sovereign Hill has earned its stripes. It’s a world-class attraction that’s been around for some 40 years. But like anything of this sort, you’ve got to stay fresh… you have to spend the dough to make it. Trapped is the latest ‘big thing’ to hit the Hill.

Trapped is a 20-minute light and sound show that recounts the Creswick mine disaster of 1882, where the nearby gold mine was flooded, killing 22. It’s a moving story made more personal by various accounts of the individuals involved. But it’s the audiovisual experience that’s the real star of the show here.

Trapped takes people through the mine via an inclined tramway to what feels like the depths of the earth; in fact, it’s actually housed within a sizeable shed at the bottom of the Sovereign Hill. Faux tunnels have been constructed where the story commences and moves people upstairs (thanks to the sound of a flood and a blast of air from the ‘cavein’) where the story is picked up from the perspective of the trapped miners. A threelayer Pepper’s Ghost adds considerable drama at this point. Next, punters are ushered into a blacked out theatre, where the real drama unfolds. Seven channels of audio, four projectors, dozens of DMX lighting channels, a diorama reveal, and a ‘pond’ that reflects the projected imagery, and a Creswick streetscape hanging from the ceiling, all make for an immersive experience.

SPRINGING TRAPPED

Under the direction of Think! Outside The Square (Think!OTS) led by creative director, Pete Ford, a formidable cast of audiovisual

pros were mobilised to produce, install, and integrate Trapped.

Andrew Dibble, Think!OTS: The main challenge of Trapped was dealing with the existing structure and the fact it had to be spread over two levels. The creative process was a long one, finding a way of moving people to the main theatre without it being disjointed.

Creatively, water was the main feature of Trapped. The blast of the cave-in is simulated by six ‘carpet driers’ blowing a fine water mist. In the No Way Back room with the Pepper’s Ghost, there’s lots of water pumped and reticulated from tanks under the floor. And in the main Face Room we decided on water acting as a reflector.

AV: I must admit that it wasn’t immediately clear to me that water was being used to reflect the models on the ceiling. Does the water offer practical advantages?

AD: Yes. We couldn’t get a mirror big enough, and keeping glass clean is problematic at Sovereign Hill with all the dust about. The water provides a perfect reflection. We conducted a few experiments in the design stage and discovered that the depth of the water was immaterial, you simply need a layer. So the pool in Trapped is less than 20mm deep. We also added a small amount of black dye to the water to ensure you couldn’t see the bottom of the pool and to improve the reflective qualities of the water.

AV: I noticed ghostly images of the dead coming through the water as well.

AD: That’s right, something I’ve not seen done before. Given the water is only less than an inch deep, the bodies are actually acrylic panels that sit under the water and are lit from underneath.

AV: The story is told by the faces of the protagonists, coupled with panned sound. Is that a simple projection?

AD: We project onto a mesh cut to the same shape as the face. The mesh provides that ghostly 3D feel. Projecting faces onto a solid 3D surface is nothing new, but the mesh adds a quality that suits the eerie nature of the production.

CONJURING WITH WIZARD

Wizard Projects out of the ACT was the integrator, taking the vision of Think!OTS and putting some technical flesh on the conceptual bones. We spoke to Wizard’s Andrew Leiper for more.

AV: What were the tricky aspects of the integration?

Andrew Leiper: The most fiddly aspect was syncing audio soundscapes to the audio and video between rooms. Audio for the main presentation, along with the video, comes from an Alcorn McBride Binloop – six of the Binloop’s CompactFlash card slots are loaded. So that’s perfectly frame-synced.

Elsewhere, in the tunnels and in the Pepper’s Ghost ante-room, soundscapes are triggered from a Fostex D2424LV 24-track digital recorder. But there are instances, as people move between areas, where tracks overlay.

We spent a lot of time ensuring the AMX control system was precisely triggering the playback of the devices.

AV: There are plenty of Dynalite dimmers in the machine room. Was controlling the lighting part of the AMX’s remit?

AL: Lightmoves installed the lighting. AMX sends RS232 control strings to the Enttec DMX Streamer to trigger the lighting sequences. So the DMX Streamer is doing the heavy lifting, streaming the recorded DMX data (originally generated by a Rosco Horizon controller) to the Dynalite dimmers.

AV: Was there any difficulty projecting the faces onto the mesh screens?

AL: The team did several takes, and for our part masking the lenses of the projectors was very important. Each Panasonic PT-D4000E has a dowser that we trigger open/shut with RS232. It means there’s no black raster from the projector, and we keep extraneous light down to a bare minimum.

AV GOLDMINE

Sovereign Hill has almost a kilometre of tunnels, and walking the labyrinth with

FEATURE

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LIGHTS ACTION 1 x Selecon Axial Zoom Gobo Projection 28 x Selecon Aureol Profiles 55 x Par16 50 x Sovereign Hill lanterns 200m x 100mm Cliplite (handrails, names) 20 x 100W QIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (under-floor lighting) 20 x LED flicker candles 40 x Raydz R4200 warm white prime lights 2 x Techart DMX LED controllers 11 x Dynalite DDLE802 DMX dimmers 2 x Dynalite DDRC1220FR relay controllers 1 x Enttec DMX Streamer 40 x Tridonic P511 LED modules

PERSONNEL Creative Direction Think!OTS: (03) 9695 7000 or www.thinkots.com Integration Wizard Project: (02) 6280 7790 or www.wizardprojects.com.au Lighting Design Phil Lethlean: 0418 393352 or lethlite@optusnet.com.au Lighting Installation Lightmoves: (03) 9707 2511 or www.lightmoves.com.au Sound Design Brian Laurance Sound: 0418 312244 or blsound@aanet.com.au Sovereign Hill Technical Services Manager Adam Reid: (03) 5337 1100 or areid@soveriegnhill.com.au

Face Time: Four Panasonic PT-D4000E units project faces onto mesh cutouts to promote an eerie look during the storytelling. The projectors have RS232 dowsers to keep ambient light down to a minimum. The audio system is a 7.1 setup with passive Tannoy DI5s, DI6s, and DI8s speakers (powered

by Biamp MCA multi-channel amps), along with a Tannoy TS10 powered sub. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no DSP between the playback devices and the amps.

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FEATURE

What A Blast: A big part of Trapped’s design is to keep punters moving upstairs through the space. Sounds

of a cave-in are part of that forward momentum accompanied by a rush of moist air – simulating the displacement of air from the cave-in. The blast is produced thanks to six carpet driers. The blowers are suitable because they’re instant and powerful. A fine mist is simultaneously triggered, all via DMX control.

technical services manager, Adam Reid is like patrolling the grounds of Taronga with the head zookeeper: keeping the various exhibits (some new and some old) fed and watered is an ongoing daily task.

In one machine room, Adam shows me an ancient Apple PowerBook controlling some aspect of a 15-year-old installation. Adam has managed to run the control software on a comparatively modern G4 but is loath to decommission the old-school lappy – after all, with the PowerBook he has some redundancy.

While I was inspecting Trapped, the crew were experimenting with the concentration of the black dye, and a dodgy connection was playing havoc with the centre channel of the Faces Room. A new ventilation system was part-way through its installation, as the high humidity mixed with the nature of the structure (a shed) was making the summer months oppressively warm. Dust gets into every nook and cranny of Sovereign Hill and projectors, in particular, take a hammering.

So what? Well, it brilliantly illustrates that a new ‘experience’ such as Trapped might represent a considerable up-front investment, necessary to stay fresh, but from an AV and maintenance standpoint, it’s an enormous ongoing commitment set to last at least 10 years, if not quite a bit longer. 

“We’ve not seen a three-deep Pepper’s Ghost before… why not?

Doesn’t it work?!”

THREE-TIERED GHOST Sovereign Hill likes a good Pepper’s Ghost and I imagine there was little conjecture as to whether Trapped would include one. But Think!OTS hates to be second or to revisit old ground, so decided to shake things up a little by devising a Pepper’s with a twist – in this case it’s a three-tiered setup. “It was one of those things,” noted Andrew Dibble. “We’ve not seen a three-deep Pepper’s Ghost before… why not?

Doesn’t it work?!” So Think!OTS devised a number of tests to get the angles right, which goes some way to explaining why the Pepper’s ‘tunnel’ slopes upwards.

A lot of work was also done experimenting with glass thickness. There’s a fine line between the glazing being thin enough to produce a strong image without shadows, and the glass being thick enough and therefore strong enough to support its own weight when installed at the requisite angle.

Traditionally, Pepper’s Ghosts combine a projector(s) and angled glass. But thanks to high-brightness modern flat panels, there’s no reason why an LCD can’t be used. Which is exactly what Think!OTS has done in this case. The LCDs provide the space saving required, and have proven to be a good alternative.

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The basic principle of the Pepper's Ghost: An out-of-sight image of the ‘ghostly apparition‘ is partially reflected from a sheet of glass that is not immediately visible to the audience, who see through the ‘ghost‘ to the solid objects behind the glass.

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FEATURE

Seven Keeps it Simple Slick, sophisticated, and huge – that’s the new TV lighting rig at Seven.

Text:/ Tim Stackpool

The lighting rig at Seven Network’s two new drama studios in the Australian Technology Park’s Media City facility is arguably the most sophisticated and largest television lighting haulage operation in Australia. It’s an easy claim to back, considering the 48 dimmer racks, 96 hoists, and matching lighting battens that form part of each studio’s installation. The whole system is the result of the combined expertise of Seven’s engineering department and Jands Electronics, which won the contract for the project. Part of a four-studio complex at Media City, the two studios were constructed primarily to meet Seven Network’s commitment to local production. As such the facility is purpose built for the network’s present requirements, although a certain level of future-proofing adaptability is in-built.

ALL THINGS TO ALL ENGINEERS

“The key element of the brief from Network Seven was simplicity and ease of maintenance,” reveals John Buckley, who managed the project for Jands. “It would have been possible to have installed a more sophisticated batten control system with additional capabilities such as memories and presets, for example, but that would also have increased the need for training and management of staff operating the studios day to day.”

Designed for maximum flexibility, the new studio’s basic building was constructed so a client can fit it out to suit their production needs. For Seven’s production of television dramas, specific operating principles allow for fast and efficient set and lighting turnovers through a floor-operated system.

This system allows bars to be loaded in the fully-extended position down on the studio floor and then raised to clear the space for the arrival of sets and scenery.

Each studio is fitted with 96 of Jands’ brand new SLX 100 hoists. Built in partnership between Jands and ASM Steuerungstechnik of Germany, this dual-band hoist has a lifting height of eight metres and a load capacity of 100kg.

Seven provided all the lighting fixtures from its now-closed Epping facility, which included riches from 50 years of production. The oldest fixtures on site were used for Rip Tide in the early 1960s. Mostly, however, the network elected to transfer the Quartzcolour fixtures that had been purchased when Australia converted to colour television in 1974. “There was an enormous inventory of fittings to choose from, based largely on the fact that when colour TV started, illumination was typically 1500 lux compared to more like 800 lux today,” explains Buckley. Initially, each studio has been provided with 380 tungsten fittings ranging from 1kW to 10kW; both fresnel spots and softlights.

While not strictly having to be all things to all producers, the challenge of versatility did need to be addressed. The project was specified to deliver a base capability, plus an overlay for the many and varied users. With this in mind, there were always going to be challenges of time, capability, and cost. To overcome these hurdles, the Media City and Jands project team had to marry the project to an existing master building project through the builder, Watpac.

Jands provided all the Seven Network requires to satisfy present needs, while

JUST THE FACTS Dimmers 48 x Jands HPX Custom Dimmer Racks c/w 4 x 2.5kW & 4 x 5kW dimmer channels.

Lighting Control Compulite Micro 4D (relocated from Epping facility) Hoists 96 x Jands SLX 100 Band Hoists Lighting Battens 96 x 4-circuit lighting battens, 2 x 10A and 2 x 20A, plus future wiring for Ethernet and composite video/ SDI. Hoist Controls Remote control of up to 24 hoists as a group together with linking capacities to allow several hoists to be physically connected together.

Compliant with AS1418 including RF spotters pendant.

Tracks 125m Jands JH Track as boundary track against the wall in each studio.

Drapes 125m of 100% fullness drapes in Studio 3 with existing drapes used in Studio 4 (recovered from Epping facility).

Power Infrastructure 3 x Vass 250A buss ducts in each studio with 50A 3-phase drop boxes for each dimmer rack – 750A capacity each room.

50A 3-phase drops on each studio wall for floor electrics and effects.

Technical Power Single-phase RCD-protected technical power on each wall for video and audio power separate from lighting power distributed from discrete switchboard with technical earth available.

DMX Distribution Dual universe DMX feeds to Jands DD8 splitter located in each studio, spur feeds to each run of lighting hoists and loop through system at studio floor level.

Luminaire Storage Perimeter hanging racks for storage of excess luminaires and lighting accessories.

Back to the future at Media City. ATN7‘s brand new drama studios feature state-of-the-art dimmers, hoists and lighting battens alongside battered 1970s Vinten camera pedestals and rusty 1970s luminaires.

FEATURE

Photographer: Steve Back (steveback.com.au)

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FEATURE

Photo: John Buckley Above: Jands HPS dimmer (the studio version of the HPX), 4 x 2.4kW channels, 4 x 5kW channels, 2 x 10A non-dims and 2 x hoist power supplies. Right: The new winched batten and dimmer system carries its historical load of Quartzcolour Antares, Castor, Pollux and Polaris luminaires together with some equally ancient pantographs and BBC hook clamps.

future-proofing the system, allowing it to be modified when the need arises.

Along with techs from Seven, two mechanical crews from Jands and two electrical subcontractors – Lancet Electrical for controls and Bass Electrical for power reticulation – made up the team, with technical wiring assistance from Image Devices. Acoustic advice came from Marshall Day Acoustics. In all, 35 staff were inducted for the project, including engineers and project management staff. Jands had a crew peak of 16 staff on site for about three weeks.

As always, external and internal teamwork was key to the overall success of the project.

Expertise at operational, mechanical, and engineering levels in setting the framework for the design was provided by Seven. These skills then had to be integrated with the brief to give Jands a clear scope of works that remained constant throughout the project. In essence the client and facilitator both knew what was required and how best to achieve it.

STRAIGHTFORWARD PHILOSOPHY

Within the framework of the design, the hauling equipment and battens have been tailored to meet a number of needs. Uniquely, the distribution of power, AV, and DMX/Ethernet control across the battens, catwalks, and dimmers uses localised distribution rather than centralised dimmer rooms and patching. The major benefit of this approach is the reduction of critical failure points and operational risk.

An added benefit is that the placement and spacing of the battens and catwalk-mounted winch controls have been kept simple. Users can be trained without complicated induction, training, and maintenance routines. Seven believes the cost of ownership as well as ongoing training and support costs of the system will be a major benefit to the Media City site.

Mal Tennent, Seven’s Administrative Manager agrees that the straightforward rigging philosophy delivers significant operational efficiency. “They enable us to be able to speed up overnight set turnovers with the ability to link one, two or up to 25% of the battens together at any one time. The grouping function also enables us to attach 1.8m braces between two battens to provide additional lamp platforms,” he said.

Initially, Tennent was concerned that mounting the dimmers onto catwalk braces may cause noise problems. “However, the mechanical design is such that they run silently and have not caused any problems for audio,” he adds.

Of particular note was the scale and short duration of the execution phase. “There were a number of issues that could have jeopardised the outcome,” John Buckley says, “but these were identified and managed by the project team. The specification of the studios includes NR25 sound isolation on a suspended slab, super flat floors, and high-volume, low-noise air conditioning. The project builder, Watpac had good reason to be proud of the finished product as it won a Golden Trowel Award for the flatness and run-out (or lack thereof) for the studio floors. Watpac spent about five months developing and testing the awardwinning process.

In essence, all agree the project has delivered both an efficient skeleton and an operational frame that is agile and capable for the future of television production. As the Seven Network told AV: “When design principles for television are reviewed, the most beneficial ones are those that deliver a system that can hold its own in a number of operational challenges.

The Media City installation will stand the test of time.” 

SLX100 HOIST Lifting Speed: 12m/min (0.2m/sec) Max Lifting Height: 8.0m Lifting Capacity: 100kg @ 8m Motor Type: 4 Pole AC Asynchronous Motor Power: 0.55kW Limit Switch: Rotary 4 pole Safety Certification: BGV-C1 Overload Method: Cut-out switch per band Dimensions (mm): 300(D) x 500(H) x 3000(L) Mass: 75kg Power Supply: 230VAC 50Hz 3A Motor Control: Electronic inverter Hoist Control: External switch contact with fault & limit LED reports

SLX 100 hoist lifting wired lighting batten

Photographer: Steve Back (steveback.com.au)

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FEATURE

Deck the Hall Sydney Town Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lower hall is refurbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ed and ready for action.

Text & Images:/ Tim Stackpool

In the grand tradition of the LowerTown Hall as a centre of civic life throughout the former British Empire, Syndey's historical Peace Hall stands ready again, fully refurbished, to host 21st century-standard exhibitions, flower shows, craft fairs, polling booths, charity bazaars, Mayoral receptions, rug and CD going-out-of business sales, dance classes, product and policy launches and gumtree-waving naturalisation ceremonies.

FEATURE

It’s taken 23 months and almost $40m, but the refit and refurbishment of Sydney Town Hall’s lower hall is now complete. It has turned the city’s most recent heritage-listed building into not only one of the ‘greenest’ civic buildings in the metro area, but also the two halls located within the complex now form one of the most advanced and versatile performance and display spaces you could hope for. In a massive undertaking, the floor of the lower hall, sometimes referred to as the Peace Hall, was completely removed, while significant excavation was also undertaken on the lower ground levels. While the heritage restrictions might have made some AV consultants run for cover, the challenge was all in a day’s work for David Becker’s team at Point of View (POV), audiovisual systems designer Robert Joseph,

and Paul Cavallaro from TCP. “You have to tread very lightly,” Joseph told AV. “For us it’s always about a very, very close communication with the rest of the design team to make sure it all sits comfortably within the rest of the space, and becomes almost transparent.” POV designs are famous for being as beautiful as they are practical. With projects that stretch from Sydney to the Middle East and back again, POV drew on its experience with projects as diverse as lighting designs for bars and restaurants, to theatrical and conference venues in order to create a space that is both versatile and fit for purpose.

IN THE LOOP

The systems installation integration was undertaken by TCP, under the management of

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Paul Cavallaro. TCP was responsible for the installation of the audio, intelligent lighting and digital signage infrastructure throughout the site. The project took 10 months from initial tender to walk out, with the only challenges those expected from such a building.

“Everything was fairly clear cut from the consultant’s design,” Cavallaro said. “There were changes made to the design of the hearing augmentation to adhere to the heritage building’s site constraints. As the AV contract was awarded well after the builder was in full swing [surprise, surprise – Ed.], it made the Ampetronic hearing augmentation install extremely challenging. After numerous site meetings and design changes the loop design was implemented.” Additionally, Cavallaro especially acknowledges the assistance given by

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FEATURE

The Peace Hall refurbishment project is a shining example of upgrading a heritage building to meet contemporary expectations of presentation standards without unduly compromising either the opertional requirements of the building or its historical aesthetic. Lighting, sound, communications, HVAC, power distribution and audiovisual facilities are far from invisible, but nevertheless don‘t overwhelm the character of the building.

Thomas Kelly from Hills SVL, tirelessly working to meet the requirements of the hearing loop.

In terms of connectivity, TCP designed and installed detailed custom rack panels and field plates to accommodate a wide range of functionality. The distributed sound system provides excellent coverage and frequency response across the space, while preserving the aesthetics of the hall, resulting in highperformance, intelligible sound regardless of where you are in the room. Level can be controlled using simple and intuitive aluminium brushed keypads, which allow easy selection of the source (or sources) as well as volume control for each area. TCP System Engineer John Wong undertook extensive design and planning for all custom rack and field panels, cables schedules and schematic drawings.

Meanwhile, TCP’s Commissioning Engineer Ging Tallada spent hours taking care of the endto-end testing. Martin Thorpe, TCP’s Audio Engineer, undertook the EASE modelling and digital signal processing and implementation.

AWFULLY VERSATILE

Sydney Town Hall attracts a wide variety of clients – from major corporates to school recitals. As such, POV’s design had to consider making the space useable, regardless of the type of client, or the level of production. “In a venue such as this, the stage can be anywhere,” Robert Joseph observed. “Not only that, but it can change – not just from day to day, but from lunchtime through to dinner.” As such, POV created an emphasis on AV infrastructure rather than on particular gear.

“For example, we could have installed theatre lights, but theatre lights come and go – there’s a whole lot of LED lights coming out on the market, and they weren’t around two or three years ago – so if we’d done the job three years ago our spec would be largely redundant by now. Rather, our job is to assist clients to easily bring all those things into the venue. And as the market learns about the space, it’ll decide it that handle can certain tasks – we like to hear: ‘oh the Town Hall’s really flexible, it can do this and that and the other, much more than I expected it could’. After all, this isn’t a boardroom or a meeting room with a very specific purpose, where you can build-in very specific technology.”

For this reason, POV’s perspective resulted in an ‘open’ design with matching ‘open’ architecture. POV designed a space where the stage can be set wherever the user desires, and microphones can be plugged in wherever required and operated from anywhere in the room. A full DMX infrastructure complements the FOH hardware.

“There is AMX control,” reports Joseph, then adds: “but because it’s a performance venue, we have to assume there’s someone there to assist in setting and configuring the room – like a convention or banqueting space and less like a boardroom where anyone can come in and switch it on. And the users range from very serious corporates for a product launch or sales seminar, through to party applications where you might want to have people up dancing. The requirements will be very different. So what we try to do is develop an infrastructure that supports all those types of requirements, given

that there’s inevitably going to be some level of setup. When you walk into the room it’s just blank – there’s just a blank floor, there’s nothing there.”

IN FOR THE LONG HALL

Consideration was given to the notion that the City of Sydney expects to maintain the current installation for a minimum of 10 years with a likelihood of extending beyond that.

For POV, it was a case of trying to envisage what future requirements might develop. “We look at these venues as theatre spaces, where a theatre is really some type of black box until somebody comes along and turns it into some magic wonderland,” Joseph told AV. “In this particular project, because it’s a timber floor and everything’s exposed, I’m really proud of how we integrated in with the heritage aspect of the building and how the cabling is all but invisible – we took a considerable amount of time working very carefully to ensure all that stuff was hidden but available to anyone.”

Melissa Bajugi, the venue’s Manager agrees: “Sydney Town Hall is once again a world class performing arts venue with state-of-theart facilities for the comfort and enjoyment of patrons and visitors.”

In fact, the Sydney Town Hall is now a grand, technologically-savvy venue that has the versatility required of the city’s eclectic event producers. This is due to a well-considered infrastructure design and implementation that ultimately recognised and took advantage of the heritage value of the space rather than seeing it as a hindrance. 

JUST THE FACTS Level 1, Peace Hall 20 x JBL Control 25AV speaker 3 x Australia Monitor SY-800V 375W RMS (100V) amplifier 14 x Custom lighting bars (TCP) 1 x Ampetronic ILD1000G Audio Induction Loop Driver 1 x Ampetronic SP5 Phase Shifter & Metal Loss Corrector Custom Control, DMX and Audio wall plates Level 1, Foyer & New Lobby 7 x Tannoy CMS501 ceiling speaker 4 x JBL Control 25AV speaker 2 x Australia Monitor SY-800V 375W RMS (100V) amplifier 1 x NEC LCD3215 Multisync 32-inch LCD panel 2 x NEC LCD4215 Multisync 42-inch LCD panel 3 x Magenta MV500A twisted-pair receivers 1 x Biamp volume control wall plate Quantum Sphere brackets Peace Hall, Equipment Room Jands rack frames and cable support trays 3 x Jands power rails 1 x Biamp Nexia SP speaker processor 1 x Biamp Nexia CS digital signal processor Custom audio patch panels Digital Signage Control System 3 x Pioneer Computers DreamVision Mini PC (as media players) PADS Digital signage manager/server/designer software

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$6.95 inc gst 2009 issue #6 for the audiovisual professional

AWM IS ACE!: PETER JACKSON’S WWI DOGFIGHT REALISED HOT PRODUCT: DANTE – WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS?

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2009

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AV AWARDS: GET ON YOUR BIKE Right. The time for talk is over, and the time for action is upon us.

We are now accepting nominations for the inaugural AVIAs. The whats?. That’s right, the AV Awards have been officially christened the AVIAs (Audio Visual Industry Awards). I trust you like the new logo – we’re rather pleased with it.

Judging Panel Decided: After considerable deliberation, a full bench of six industry professionals have been appointed to act as a judging panel for the AVIAs. The six judges have been anointed with the assistance of the three industry associations the AVIAs have partnered with: InfoComm, AETM and ALIA. Categories: Best Installation $1m+, Best Installation Under $1m, Best AV Production, Best Use of AV in Post-Secondary Teaching, Best Use of AV in K-12 Teaching, and the Innovation Award.

Submissions: It’s now high time to ready your submission. We trust the AVIAs will be quite straightforward to prepare for. There will be a entry form and submission guideline on the AV site (av.net.au). The online form has a checklist.

Each submission will attract a $100 fee. But the form will walk you through the process in a step by step manner.

Criteria – How to Win: The watch word is ‘innovation’. Are you proud of the solutions you’ve devised; the way you’ve exceeded client expectations via the innovative application of technology and system design? Focus on these aspects.

Never Done This Before?: That’s okay. We’ve tried to establish these awards such that good ideas and design wins out, not the companies with the biggest marketing clout. Don’t make your submissions speak like a sergeant in the dock of a murder trial; speak to the panel like you would if you were discussing the job over a coffee or a beer. Grab its attention, cut to the chase, don’t expect the panel to sift through a bunch of semi-relevant bumf to find the kernel of innovation…

Deadline: You have until the end of June to get your submission in. That’s close of play, Wednesday June 30, 2010.

INTRODUCING THE JUDGING PANEL Scott Allan: is a stage lighting designer based in Melbourne and the Technical Manager for the Arts Faculty at Deakin University. He is a professional member of the Association of Lighting Designer’s and the Australasian Lighting Industry Association, and has twice attended the Broadway Lighting Design masterclass series at NYU. Scott has worked on many creative installations, including Motion Lab and the Phoenix Gallery, and has a solid knowledge of integrated lighting, media and control technologies.

Tim Hall: has been involved in the entertainment and AV industry for over 25 years. Starting from a amateur theatre background this developed into a professional career predominately in the lighting design and production management disciplines. Professional projects include concert touring, corporate events, theatre, exhibition, architectural, retail and television areas. Since 1998 Tim has been Managing Director of Resolution X in Melbourne.

Patrick Lee: is the AV Technology Planning Manager for Monash University and is directly responsible for designing and refurbishing all spaces across the University that involve audiovisual, video conferencing, audio conferencing and digital signage equipment. Patrick is the current vicepresident of the AETM and is a member of InfoComm and TEFMA. Patrick has previously worked for companies such as Unisys, Centrelink and the ADF and has a BE from UNSW.

Derek Powell: is a technology specialist with the University of Queensland, in charge of Teaching Technology Support across three campuses. In a 35year career he has worked in broadcast TV, event AV, hire and the education sector. He takes an active role in the AV industry nationally as President of the Association of Educational Technology Managers (AETM). His special interest is in the relationship between pedagogy, space and technology as applied to the design of tertiary teaching and learning spaces. He has written more than 60 articles on AV subjects in the popular press, magazines and journals.

Pete Swanson, CTS: leads Lincolne Scott’s AV consultancy business and has spent over a decade in the world of AV integration including as a contractor with Electrosonic and as an AV designer in the UK. He is passionate about improving the AV industry and has found an outlet for this passion in his work with InfoComm, where he is currently Chair of the Asia-Pacific Region Council and a member of the Performance Standards Planning Committee.

Paul Van der Ent, CTS: runs Wizard Projects, and with 30 years experience understands the needs of a wide variety of businesses and government enterprises. Paul is accomplished in both the electrical and electronic trades and is a licensed Electrical Fitter and Mechanic Special Class in three states and a licensed electrical contractor in the ACT. Paul has also attained CTS (Certified Technology Specialist) certification credentials from Infocomm International and regularly lectures for Infocomm Australia.

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For more detail on how to enter, the categories, and other hints and tips on how to win, go: av.net.au/avias

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REVIEW

MA Lighting grandMA2 Happy families? MA Lighting had this in mind with the launch of the grandMA2.

Text:/ Paul Collison

The first time I heard Dark Side of The Moon, the Pink Floyd album, I didn’t understand it. It was different to anything I’d heard before. There were strange sounds, odd time signatures, and weird phrasing to the point where I wasn’t sure if I would like it or despise it. It took a few listens before I could even begin to comprehend the brilliance of it all. It took many more listens before I really began to understand it. Now, some years later I can still be surprised by a new layer I’d not heard previously, or enjoy something I’ve heard over and over again. My experience with the second incarnation of MA Lighting’s grandMA platform has been similar.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know that the grandMA lighting control system from MA Lighting took over the world of lighting control early into the noughties.

With its ability to control more lights, more easily than most lighting control systems on the market at that time, grandMA fast became popular, crossing over into domains usually held for more traditional control platforms.

After gaining much of the worldwide market share and the respect of the lighting community, grandMA came to the same crossroad as others before it. Software development was being severely limited by decade-old hardware specifications. So in 2006, Michael Adenau, founder of MA Lighting, realised the first concepts of a lighting control system that was to build on the success of grandMA and take the company’s flagship product into the next decade. At Pro Light & Sound in Frankfurt 2008, the grandMA2 was unveiled to the world.

Now, in 2010, grandMA2 really is here.

LOVE CONQUERS ALL

My initial scepticism has given way to a fullyfledged love affair. Having grit my teeth through alpha and beta testing and struggled with a new hardware layout including new knobs and buttons, I can now see a console that is still far from complete, but fast becoming a reliable and

efficient alternative in the competitive lighting control market.

First let’s take a look at the hardware. Like most things German, the GMA2 (as it is so creatively dubbed!) is built like a tank. A solid and industrial-grade casing ensures you can transport your beloved without fear of damage.

Gone are the interesting angles from GMA1 in favour of a more cost-effective squared-off case.

The control surface seemingly floats off the table giving, what is a big console, an impression of a sleek faceplate. This comes at a cost though. The control surface does sit somewhat high off the surface your console is resting on. Finding the right chair and table combination that allows you to work comfortably behind a GMA2 can be a challenge.

A stepper motor controls the monitor wing.

There is some contention out there as to whether this was a good idea or not. The reality is, it is cheaper to manufacture than the hydraulic in GMA1, but most importantly it’s a cooler way to tilt the glossy 15-inch touchscreen(s) into view.

GLOSSY SCREENS

The glossy screens are not ideal outdoors in daylight, but indoors in a theatrical environment, they are fine. The three models – Fullsize, Light, and Ultra Light – come with three, two and one 15-inch screen(s) respectively. The latter two surfaces occupy exactly the same footprint.

Each console also comes with a command screen in the form of a multi-touch nine-inch display. This is located near the command keys and under the encoders. The multi-touchscreen may be a little bit of overkill, given its location on the board, but it can be handy. Many features proposed for this screen are still under development. Time will tell if this screen is ever fully taken advantage of. Given the extreme rate of patenting with multi-touch gestures, we may not see many familiar moves implemented in the software.

In response to the theatre market, the familiar snappy grey buttons that have populated MA

Lighting consoles for decades are gone. They are replaced with ‘silent’ buttons similar to that of the Hog II series of consoles. This will surely make the rock dogs unhappy. That ‘clicky’ button really made sure you knew that you had hit the cue. Having said that, any user who has found the need to hit some command keys in a silent environment such as a theatre will be ecstatic. Every key on the console is backlit and globally dimmable, thus finding keys in the dark is much easier. Unfortunately, there is no light defining where the buttons actually are, but given some time behind the surface, the label is a sufficient way to locate a key. I’ve actually found that I am now running my desk lamps at close to 5%, barely a glow, as the backlit keys offer just enough light to get around.

FADER AUTOMATION

Automated faders are still there with the all-important grand master fader now also fully motorised. This is very helpful when you have multiple consoles in a network.

Conductive plastic tracks make the faders more durable, with a soon-to-be-added locator feature coming as a bonus. Simply place your finger on the fader and the appropriate LCD box containing your executor information will change in appearance, meaning you can quickly confirm you have the right fader under your finger. Unlike its predecessor, the GMA2 has two motorised 100mm A/B faders, which can be assigned various functions depending on your persuasion. Most importantly, all the motorised faders are almost silent, meaning you can change pages without the nearest 10 rows of audience turning their heads.

All encoders are magnetic, replacing the previously used pots. They are also much lower in profile. These two points lead to a much longer lasting and durable encoder.

On the Fullsize and Light, there are also integrated keyboard and storage drawer(s).

They’re ideal places to store USB keys and drives for additional storage areas.

049

REVIEW

“Having grit my teeth through alpha and beta testing … I can now see a console that is fast becoming a reliable and efficient alternative”

Console

grandMA

grandMA

grandMA

grandMA2

grandMA2

grandMA2

Model

Fullsize

Light

Ultralight

Fullsize

Light

Ultralight

Media Storage

Floppy, HDD, external file server, USB

Floppy, HDD, external Floppy, HDD, external file file server, USB server, USB

SSD, USB, File Server

SSD, USB, File Server

SSD, USB, File Server

Operating System

VX Works

VX Works

VX Works

Embedded Linux

Embedded Linux

Embedded Linux

A/B Faders

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Playback faders

20

10

10

30

15

15

Playback buttons

40

20

20

50

35

25

Built in Keyboard

Yes + virtual

virtual

virtual

Yes + virtual

Yes + virtual

virtual

Built in Trackball

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Number of encoders

4

4

4

4

4

4

Level Wheel

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Motorized faders

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Can you increase playbacks by adding a wing

only external DMX only external DMX Console Console

only external DMX Console Yes, 4x 15 motorized

Yes, 4x 15 motorized

Yes, 4x 15 motorized

Number of internal touchscreens

3x10inch

1x10inch

1x10inch

3x15.4inch, 1x10inch

2x15.4inch, 1x10inch

1x15.4inch, 1x10inch

Number of external screens

2

2

1 +Mirror of internal

2

2

2

Number of external touchscreens

0

0

0

2

2

2

Adjustable monitor wing

manual

No

No

motorised

motorised

motorised

Dimmable backlit buttons

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Number of Cue Lists

999

999

999

9999

9999

9999

number of decimal cues

3999

3999

3999

9999

9999

9999

Number of playback fader pages

128

128

128

9999 per user

9999 per user

9999 per user

Palettes, Preset Focuses

10 x 999

10 x 999

10 x 999

(10 x 9999) per user

(10 x 9999) per user

(10 x 9999) per user

Number of parameters standard

2048

2048

2048

8192

4096

4096

Number of parameters expanded

16384

16384

16384

65536

65536

65536

Ethernet protocols

MA-Net, Art-Net, MA-Net, Art-Net, Pathport, Pathport, Portall, Portall, Strand Shownet, Strand Shownet, ETCNet 2 ETCNet 2

MA-Net, Art-Net, Pathport, Portall, Strand Shownet, ETCNet 2

MA-Net, MA-Net2, Art-Net, , StrandNet, ETCNet 2,CAN, SACN.

MA-Net, MA-Net2, ArtNet, , StrandNet, ETCNet 2,CAN, SACN.

MA-Net, MA-Net2, Art-Net, , StrandNet, ETCNet 2,CAN, SACN.

Distributed processing

NSP

NSP

NSP

NPU

NPU

NPU

Network devices possible

32

32

32

224

224

224

Integral DMX universes/console

4

2

2

6/1

6/1

6/1

Ethernet DMX universes expandable

up to 64

up to 64

up to 64

up to 256

up to 256

up to 256

USB Port

2

2

2

2 at front, 2 at rear, 1 in 2 at front, 2 at rear, 1 in drawer drawer

2 at front, 2 at rear,

DMX In

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Motorised Faders

20

10

0

30

15

0

Integral UPS

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Support tools

DVD Tutorial

DVD Tutorial

DVD Tutorial

Help function

Help function

Help function

Weight

47kg

20kg

12.9kg

54kg

44kg

35kg

050

REVIEW

Far left: grandMA2 Light with two 15.4-inch touchscreens and 25 playback buttons.

Left: grandMA2 Ultralight with only one 15.4-inch touchscreen and 25 playback buttons.

Below: grandMA2 Replay Unit with one 7-inch touchscreen, no playbacks and no faders.

The rear of the console features two Ethercon Gigabit network ports, one for MA-Net and the other for Art-Net and other protocols. On each console, there are seven DMX ports, six out and one in; however the in port can be configured as a seventh DMX out port. The usual MIDI In/ Out ports are there along with real 3-Pin XLR connectors for SMPTE time code and audio inputs.

Two DVI-I Dual Link ports for external monitors are present, and the great news is, support for certain touchscreens will be integrated in future software releases.

As if all this wasn’t impressive enough, it’s in the software that GMA2 really starts to step away from its predecessor and main competitor.

The ethos of GMA2 is that every function of the console is available from the command line.

Put simply, if there is a button for a feature, the command can also be executed from the command line. This certainly isn’t revolutionary, but with grandMA it is. Because of the focus on network functionality, you can easily access the software of a particular surface in your network via the simple telnet protocol. This opens up a wide world of possibility with regards to custom interfaces and remotes that can be built for your network. Once you understand this simple protocol, any function or feature can be triggered by any device you care to imagine. Custom remote interfaces, boardroom control, network control, and even control via the internet is all possible via telnet.

The theatre market is something that has been a real focus for MA during development. Functions that Broadway and the West End desire like part cues have long been implemented in the software.

Strand Features such as Auto Mod and detailed reporting features are well on their way to fruition.

Already the UK’s Shakespeare Theatre Company is one of many theatres using GMA2 as its primary control system – proof there may finally be a control platform that could successfully cross the great divide between theatre and the rest of the lighting control community. Proven features such as monitoring cue information like fade and delay times via a laptop running OnPC that exist in Series 1, are all present in GMA2.

SMALL FACES

The GUI (Graphic User Interface) of the GMA2 is high contrast and much darker than other lighting control systems. Consequently the displays are much darker with highlights for the information you are after. This is significantly better than bright displays, which make your control area a glowing focal point. The darker displays are a little hard to get used to. Once you’re used to it though it is hard to go back. Having a darker control area is great. It’s amazing how much more clarity your performance space has when local light sources are reduced.

The GUI is, in fact, still under development.

It improves with every new software release, however it is still fundamentally raw. With the most important priorities being the implementation of functions, the development team have had little time to fully develop and refine the GUI. MA3D is the 3D visualiser offered by MA. This program has progressed in leaps and bounds as the GMA2 software has been developed. Fortunately this benefits older MA users; it has been developed to be dual-platform, working on both grandMA and GMA2 consoles. The advantage with using GMA2 is that now all the information regarding the 3D environment is saved in the console show file. In grandMA you had to manage an environment file as well as a console ‘show’ file. Features such as Blind and Preview are displayed in your 3D view without disrupting real time output. The best thing is, MA3D is free. As is OnPC2, which means that patching, training, pre-programming, can all be done offline without cost. There is no excuse for not being able to skill yourself with this software.

It has to be tough when you are trying to reinvent something that you have had so much success with.

MA has taken what is virtually the worldwide standard in lighting control and taken it a much needed step forward. I hear many people ask, ‘when will it be ready?’ The real answer is never: one of the glorious things about MA is that it is always under development. Just last month there were updates to the grandMA that added features. This is a console that was released in 1998. The safe bet is, even though finished is something the grandMA2 will never be; it will perpetually improved. 

CONTACT Show Technology: (02) 9748 1122 or www.showtech.com.au Prices range from approx. $35k for Ultralight to approx. $110k for Fullsize (includes Roadcase and GST)

KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY Compatibility with the first series of grandMA consoles is catered for. MA realises that many companies have invested heavily in Series 1. For this reason, every device in Series 1 is compatible in some way with GMA2 hardware or software. In a GMA2 network you can use your Network Signal Processors and 2-Port nodes in a sniffer mode to output DMX. If you purchase one of the newer Network Processing Units (NPU), you can run in both Ma-Net and Ma-Net2 expanding your network by 4096 parameters each time. GMA2 control surfaces can run in Compatibility Mode. This mode allows these surfaces to participate in a Series 1 network.

This works seamlessly once you get over the geographical differences between the two models.

It must be said that running in ‘Classic Mode’ feels kind of like running Windows on your new MacBook. It works and it’s fine, but it’s cheating.

Control and Display Systems Sales Hire and Integration

www.interactivecontrols.com.au

Phone +61 2 9436 3022 Fax +61 2 9436 3522

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL

052

REVIEW

Symetrix 788 Room Combine & 780 Automix Matrix Signal processing for real world audio installations.

Text:/ Graeme Hague

Symetrix Automix Matrix 780 with some of its remote GUI screens.

Symetrix’s Room Combine 788 and Automix Matrix 780 are signal processors aimed at automating room microphones, amplification, and zone audio distribution.

At first glance the models are very similar and, given a choice, you might find yourself scratching your head trying to figure out what’s best for your needs. Production Audio Services made it easy for me by sending both.

These units are designed as permanent installation devices. By that I mean, all the connections on the back, apart from the network and RSS232 ports, are detachable Phoenix plugs (essentially grub-screw terminal blocks). If you’re envisaging a situation where someone might occasionally want to scrabble around in the back and swap a few plugs, that’s not really going to happen.

The wiring is expected to be connected and rarely bothered with again.

Which immediately brings me to a minor quibble. Like many permanent-install devices

these Symetrix units have a Cat5 connection on the rear and a GUI interface with the intention that controlling everything is done through the client’s existing network. A local workstation accesses the Symetrix’s software and via a specific IP address performs whatever reconfiguring is needed. However not all organizations or staff are quite so savvy with technology and it’s not always a good idea to have such peripheral equipment permanently connected. Networks have a nasty habit of crashing and, password protection aside, idle fingers might stray upon this neat-looking sound mixer thingy on their work computer and before you know it, the managing director’s confidential meeting is being piped to the ladies’ toilet.

A network or USB connection on the front of the unit is the simple answer, providing the option that an IT or audio technician can plug in a laptop, tweak away as much as they want and once they’ve disconnected, the applied settings are safe. The device stays off

the network.

Another small concern is highlighted by Symetrix. Both the 780 and 788 models have provisions for attaching Adaptive Remote Controller wall panels (ARC) and these also use an RJ45 Cat5 connection. A full-page warning in the manual and stickers across the actual ports advise the operator that these ARC connections can output up to 24VDC and that plugging in your Ethernet cable by mistake might wipe out every network server from your office to Bangkok. There is a lot be gained from the standardising of cables and connectors, but it’d be comforting to see a little more fail-safe thought put into avoiding this potential disaster apart from a removable sticker.

Enough complaining.

POINTLESS PIGEONHOLING

First out of the box was the Matrix 780.

Like all the series, it’s a 1RU unit with small, front-panel LED indicators that don’t

REVIEW

053

FEATURE

Symetrix Room Combine 788 with some of its remote GUI screens.

really tell you much – the network GUI is the place to go. Likewise the simple menu access and selection buttons only provide a choice of muting any of the eight outputs and a master volume setting. To be fair, the 780’s wide matrix routing capabilities and comprehensive DSP features wouldn’t translate into a practical front-panel control anyway and it’s sensible for Symetrix not to even try. Hook up a PC and save yourself a lot of headaches.

As always, I had a good look at the manual before attempting too much (honest). You can’t accuse Symetrix of not identifying its target market. The introductory blurb states the 780 is “designed to do justice to sound where justice matters most”. I thought perhaps the copywriter had worked a little too late at night or maybe had a second job at Marvel Comics, but no, the intro went on to mention consistent sound in courtrooms, government chambers, corporate boardrooms, and houses of worship. I can think of a dozen other applications like schools, hospitals… so I thought it was a bit odd to pigeonhole the 780 like this.

Installing the accompanying software from an enclosed CD was simple and connection to my Vista laptop, since it was a direct Cat5 link, presented no problems. A wizard figured everything out and should deal with more complex networks as well. Boot up the virtual mixer and all the powerful routing potential and DSP features of the Matrix 780 are suddenly clear.

There are eight microphone/line inputs and a further four line-only inputs that can be assigned to any of the eight outputs. It has full matrix capability – anything can go anywhere. The DSP effects on the microphone channels have everything covered. On the Input there is a digital trim, separate phantom power, and a phase invert. A nice addition is a noise generator. If you are setting things up in an empty room, this will let you doublecheck that the various inputs are going where they should be, particularly to any recording media. Next is a ‘British’ EQ, a three-band parametric EQ flanked by high and low shelf filters. An additional rumble filter set at 75Hz is almost overkill.

The compressor plug-in is a standard affair with a choice of soft, medium or hard settings. The final DSP on the microphone inputs is an automatic feedback eliminator.

We won’t labour the point about the range of controls here, suffice it to say Symetrix has included some exacting parameters that should solve any feedback issues. At the same time the company is sage enough to remind users that AFC isn’t a perfect science and should be used along with, not instead of, good system design practice. The AFC has a Panic Limiter as well, basically a threshold setting that says, ‘If it’s this loud, it’s feedback you idiot!’ and things are shut down.

For individual DSP, the line inputs only get the EQ and an Automatic Gain Control (AGC), but they do have access to the Automix Gating processing, which can be

switched on or off. All 12 input channels can be given a priority level. Otherwise a master channel strip gives you global settings for gating sensitivity, NOM (Number of Open Microphones) levels, and the NOM count, plus a Last On selection. All these apply to every channel with the Auto turned on, so interestingly you’d have to pay attention to your initial mix settings to avoid any particular stand-out microphone (such as a lectern mic) dominating the Automix.

At the other end of the matrix, the eight outputs each have no less than an eightband parametric EQ plus high and low shelving (for some reason this isn’t ‘British’) and a delay setting for speaker alignment.

Finally there’s a limiter for each channel, too. Plainly, you’d have no excuse for poor tone with all this EQ processing available and DSP effects. Still, the Loudspeaker Manager, Limiter, and Output sections can be controlled by Smaart software, if you want. Talking of controlling, another wizard makes short work of configuring any ARCs attached. Files of every different set-up can be saved and loaded when needed from your PC network, while either global or selective presets are stored in an internal memory.

The more I looked, the more I was impressed by the Automix Matrix 780. I still want that front-panel network port though.

WORSHIP AT THE USER-FRIENDLY ALTAR

The Room Combine 788 is similar to the 780 in regards to inputs, outputs, and DSP

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Packaging the Message: The hardware might be affordable and in many cases ubiquitous, but packaging the targeted message to ensure it informs, directs, stimulates and inspires remains a considerable challenge.

What You’ll Learn: This class discusses the ‘human’ factors of a digital signage system. Explore sign placement, legibility and the effective use of sound combined with signage. Learn how to discuss and present networked and non-networked signage solutions to your clients with confidence. Digital signage applications, environments and physical aspects of sign placement are also discussed. Topics will range from simple signage systems to more elaborate solutions. Learn how signage solutions can be installed to maximise customer impact. This session includes InfoComm Academy’s DGS214 ’Digital Signage‘ program and provides eight renewal units (RUs) toward InfoComm certification renewal.

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®

The Symetrix Adaptive Remote Controller (ARC) can connect to either of the reviewed devices via a Cat5/RJ45 cable .

PRODUCT DETAILS Price Automix Matrix 780: $4487 Room Combine 788: $5388 Symetrix www.symetrix.audio.com Production Audio Services (03) 9264 8000 www.productionaudio.com.au

features. Rather than a matrix of signal routing, the 788 offers a graphical representation of eight virtual rooms, which can be connected, segregated, have different volumes, and configured into as many combinations as you see fit, which are then saved as presets. The Combine Page (see illustration) looks a bit like a Sunday newspaper’s puzzle, but you can see the boffins at Symetrix have actually put a bit of thought into making what could be a difficult task into something user-friendly.

Aside from any ARCs in remote locations, while the Automix Matrix 780 could be installed and set up by itself then left alone for most of the time, the Room Combine 788 will need some kind of extra control interface – not to mention a microphone – to make use of its paging role. That is unless you’re prepared to train an operator to control everything from the GUI, which is possible.

Both units are examples of internal DSP processing along with a network GUI completely replacing the traditional equipment of an office paging mixer. Symetrix has definitely come up with the goods. Maybe the push at the courtroom and houses of worship market is a wink at the small leap of faith involved in relying on a software-based system. Then again the ARC and RS232 connections can provide all the tactile control you might want.

So don’t be fooled by the unobtrusive black box in the rack.

Plug it in, turn it on, and connect a PC. Everything’s there. 

056

TUTORIAL

DMX over Ethernet Lighting control moves with the times.

Text:/ Blake Garner

With every new technology, there seems to be a long period of talk and vague promises before there is any meaningful or tangible development. There has been a lot of excitement over what Ethernet could mean for lighting control for many years now. There have even been a number of products on the market and quite few big budget projects that have take advantage of its capabilities. But despite all this, Ethernet has yet to revolutionise lighting control.

That is beginning to change. Now we have the perfect mix of most mid- to top-end lighting consoles supporting Ethernet, along with affordable and fully-featured DMXover-Ethernet nodes. Everyone wants to be ready for the gradual but inevitable switchover. It does have the potential to be a very disruptive and painful transition: new kinds of faults to diagnose, and even more magic boxes with blinking lights. But, as long as the system is well-built, with an understanding of the underlying technologies and protocols in use, the switch-over from DMX to Ethernet should be smooth and straight-forward.

CORE BENEFITS

The core benefit in switching to Ethernet is its ability to handle the increased complexity of modern lighting control systems. DMX512 was never designed to control moving lights or media servers. Capacity for up to 512 dimmer channels seemed like more than enough for any lighting control system but today we have moving lights using 20 to 50 channels each. The current work-around is to employ multiple lines of DMX: a technique that adds complexity to the system and is harder to fault find. Similarly, the simple scale from 0 to 255 to represent the level of each DMX channel is less than ideal for many types of moving light parameters, and is often too granular as well. Lighting console manufacturers find

themselves needing to maintain profiles for every single moving light on the market, just so their console can interact with the moving lights in an appropriate manner.

Eventually, the Entertainment Services and Technology Association’s (ESTA) Architecture for Control Networks (ACN) protocol will solve all of these problems, but it is likely to be many years before we see fixture-level control through ACN in mainstream use. In the meantime, there’s the various DMX-overEthernet protocols available. Don’t despair that DMX-over-Ethernet equipment will become obsolete, though, even once ACN becomes widely used, DMX-over-Ethernet will continue to be the bridging technology between legacy DMX equipment and Ethernet based systems. DMX-over-Ethernet isn’t just a stepping stone as it does address a few of the problems with DMX: most notably bandwidth. While DMX required separate cables for each universe, DMX-over-Ethernet can send all of it on the one wire.

Unlike DMX-over-Ethernet, DMX only ever allowed one console to be connected to the system. Now that teacher who somehow deletes the patch every time they go near the lighting console can instead use a simple console in the wings, that controls only a few select luminaires, and is automatically disabled as soon as the primary console in the control room is switched on. While a DMX system would require specialist merging equipment and cumbersome additional cabling, a DMX-over-Ethernet system (that supports the appropriate merging rules) can achieve this with no additional hardware or cabling.

THE HARD WAY MADE EASY

In many of today’s systems, Ethernet is implemented as an add-on to the existing DMX system. DMX-over-Ethernet is

converted to DMX as soon as it comes out of the desk (or the Ethernet is not even used) and there is generally only a small Ethernet network working alongside the dominant DMX system. As more devices use Ethernet, though, the Ethernet part of the control network will become larger and such a setup will quickly become unworkable.

The solution centres around a system based entirely on Ethernet, that converts to and from DMX only when required. The infrastructure of the venue is entirely Ethernet based, with network ports around the venue wiring back to Ethernet switches set up in the normal star-topology preferred by Ethernet networks. Consoles, fixtures and devices that support Ethernet can plug directly into these ports, while those that only support DMX would connect via nearby DMXover-Ethernet nodes, such as those made by Artistic License, Enttec or Pathport. These nodes, located in common lighting positions around the venue, are key to the success of the system, as they are the vital transitional link between legacy DMX-only equipment and the modern DMX-over-Ethernet system.

By providing one expandable network that both DMX-over-Ethernet and DMX devices can communicate with, the logistics involved in lighting control wiring is greatly simplified, and can be added to and modified with ease. The trap of two parallel networks (one Ethernet, one DMX) is cleanly avoided.

And the same system can even support other control protocols such as tracking backup or even timecode, as well as ACN. PLUMBED IN?

Integrating the Ethernet network with other devices not related to lighting control, such as an office network or audio system, is also possible, but should generally be avoided.

Ensuring that enough bandwidth remains

TUTORIAL

FEATURE

057

Examples of DMX over Ethernet tools include Pathway’s Octo and Enttec’s Datagate, both eight port merger and bi-directional conversion devices. Perhaps the cheapest entrylevel tool available is Enttec’s ODE (Open DMX over Ethernet) which provides a single DMX to Art-Net gateway in a little blue box.

available for lighting communication is paramount for reliable use, and if the network is shared with machines and users outside your control, you can be guaranteed that mid-show your lighting data on the network is going to be disrupted by the FOH staff watching kittens on YouTube, or the mechanists downloading videos of a different kind.

While DMX can daisy-chain, Ethernet equipment should be run in a star configuration. There are now a number of tour-friendly switches emerging with Ethercon points that can hang on a truss and distribute Ethernet out to each device for exactly this purpose. An alternative approach that’s begun to crop up in some fixtures and devices are small, integrated switches that provide the illusion of daisy-chaining by including both an In and a Thru Ethernet port. While this usually works without issue, it’s still best to use a portable switch that stars out to each device, rather than use these built-in switches. Such solutions, especially if ‘looped’ through a number of devices, make the system considerably less robust, and might even introduce noticeable latency between fixtures.

THE PROTOCOLS

As with most new things, a number of people, most notably Strand and ETC, have had a go at producing their own DMX-over-Ethernet protocol, and it’s important to ensure your various DMX-over-Ethernet devices are compatible with the protocol(s) used by your lighting control system. Artistic Licence’s Art-Net is the most widely known and used in the market today. One of the first free-touse lighting standards, the ease with which it can be implemented has ensured quick uptake from manufacturers. While a solid protocol, it does suffer from a few teething

issues. Its reliance on either broadcast or unicast packets makes it somewhat inefficient and its unorthodox approach for allocating IP addresses has always been rather limiting.

It is one of the few DMX-over-Ethernet protocols to provide support for both mediaserver and Remote Device Management (RDM) messages as well as DMX, although there are few products that actually support these parts of the specification. Despite these niggles, it remains a solid communication standard for lighting control.

ESTA’s Lightweight Streaming Protocol for Transport of DMX512 using ACN, more commonly known as Streaming ACN or sACN, is another DMX-over-Ethernet protocol. Designed to be a stepping-stone from DMX-only systems to the Ethernet-only systems ACN will eventually dominate, it has come to market much later than Art-Net, ratified only recently in May 2009. Despite this, it has already seen uptake in a number of popular consoles, being the DMX-overEthernet protocol of choice in ETC’s Eos and Congo family and available in other modern consoles such as MA Lighting’s grandMA 2 and Strand’s Palette. Streaming ACN comes with a number of additional benefits over and above those normally found in DMXover-Ethernet systems, such as the ability to embed merging priority information in the DMX stream itself, as well as being able to transmit both ‘live’ and ‘preview’ DMX streams, useful for sending alternate lighting information (such as blind looks, or the upcoming cue) to the visualiser.

MA Lighting’s MA-Net, used for communication with MA Lighting products, does far more than stream DMX data over Ethernet. Due to the grandMA’s distributed processing architecture, MA-Net not only sends DMX-over-Ethernet, but is also responsible for synchronising nodes and

consoles with each other. As a result, MANet is an obvious choice when hooking up a system predominantly used for grandMA consoles. In systems that regularly utilise other consoles, a more wide-spread and open protocol such as sACN or Art-Net is a better choice, with MA-Net to be used for synchronisation only when MA Lighting equipment is in use.

BIG SWITCH

It is a tumultuous time for the lighting industry.

Lighting consoles increase in complexity considerably with every new release, moving lights contain motorisation and robotics that rival most other industries and simple lighting control systems now involve fullblown Ethernet networks. It’s easy to wonder if the change really is for the better, or are we just making things harder than they need to be. In the end though, the promoters and punters will always want more, which will always lead to more complex systems. The transition to Ethernet is not about replacing a straight-forward technology with one that is tougher to learn. It’s about making a complex system much more manageable.

Some of us will need to upgrade our skills to employ Ethernet while others will already be comfortable around it. The good news is that we do not need the same level of training and expertise as a certified IT consultant: basic Ethernet knowledge is fine. All that remains is to ensure that the structure and set-up of the Ethernet system and associated equipment compliments the DMX, rather than opposes it. If we can get that right, the transition from DMX to Ethernet should be a relatively painfree and pleasant one. 

058

TUTORIAL

Putting The Squeeze On Video An introduction to video compression.

Text:/ Rod Sommerich & Andy Ciddor

The purpose of compression is to reduce the size of a message without losing its meaning. The idea has been around forever in such applications as smoke signals, Morse code and shorthand.

The idea behind simple methods of compression is to make commonly used information shorter than the normal form. In Morse code, the most common letters use the shortest codes (E = one dot, T = one Dash, A=Dot Dash) while the less common characters use the long codes (Z=Dash Dash Dot Dot). While this technique is quite efficient for compressing textual material (in European languages) it is ineffective for more complex messages such as images and sounds. A more effective approach is to look for repeated patterns in the message (common phrases, repeated pixel patterns) and to replace the second and subsequent appearances of the pattern with a short code. This technique lies at the core of such familiar compression formats as, FLAC, TAR, WAV, ZIP, RAR and Stuffit, and is very effective with many types of data.

All of these techniques make the data smaller to reduce storage space and transmission bandwidth and most importantly, when the data is uncompressed what comes out is identical to what went into the compression process. Unfortunately these so-called ‘lossless’ compression methods are only capable of relatively minor levels of compression, and thus far have proved to be unsuitable for storing video and audio on available media or transmitting them over the relatively narrow bandwidth that has hitherto been available (i.e. before RuddNet/NBN).

DISCARD PILES

To achieve the required levels of compression for practical storage and transmission, the compression techniques developed have all involved discarding part of the original data.

The trick to the various ‘lossy’ compression methods has been to work out just how much of what kind of information can be discarded before the result is either too noticeable (or more than the end user will put up with) in exchange for the convenience of carrying around their media library or receiving device.

There are two types of compression that

can be applied to a video stream. Intraframe compression attempts to minimise the amount of information required to represent the contents of a single frame of the video stream and is essentially the same process used to compress still images. Interframe compression attempts to minimise the amount of information required to represent the contents of series of frames, usually by discarding the information that remains unchanged between successive frames in the stream.

A ‘codec’ (a contraction of the term ‘coderdecoder’) is the software that takes a raw data file and encodes it into a compressed file, then attempts to recreate the original information from the compressed data. Because compressed files only contain some of the data found in the original file, the codec is the necessary ‘processor’ that decides what data makes it in to the compressed version, what data gets discarded and what gets transformed into a more compact format. Different codecs for the same compression standard may encode in slightly different ways, so a video file compressed using Intel’s codec will be different from a file compressed using the Cinepak codec.

Sometimes the difference is noticeable on replay, sometimes not, but it’s good to be aware of a codec’s strengths and matching them to what you’re trying to do, in order to maintain the best balance between file size and quality.

STANDARDS – LEFT TO EXPERTS

The two most widely used video compression types are standardised and managed by organisations comprised of representatives from academic research organisations and industry.

The Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) and the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) represent two different approaches to the video compression process, although some aspects of each set of standards benefit from the work of both groups.

The standards have continued to develop as computing power and transmission bandwidth has increased. As more local processing power became available through faster and more advanced processor chips, it became possible to require more complex calculations in the

decoding (replay) process. For example, MPEG4encoded files tend to be smaller but require more processor activity to replay than an MPEG1 video file of the same quality. The MPEG1 file will be larger, requiring more storage space and bandwidth to move the file, but will replay on a device with less computational power.

JPEG – OLD KID ON THE BLOCK

JPEG is an intraframe compression standard that was developed for still images around 1992.

When method began to be applied to be video streams, a variation named Motion JPEG was developed. Both standards work by dividing the frame into squares or blocks of pixels (usually 16 per block) and calculating the average value of each block. The smaller the sample block, the better the quality of the image and the larger the size of the file. If the block size is too large, then the level of detail is poor and the image can begin to look like a group of squares. Everyone who uses a computer is familiar with the effect of over-enthusiastic use of JPEG compression.

MPEG – IN THE FRAME

The various versions of MPEG employ both interframe and intraframe compression techniques. Its interframe process uses three types of frames.

Intra Frames (I-Frames): The I-Frame is the reference point for the frames that follow. It’s a complete independent frame of information, compressed using only intraframe methods.

Predicted Frames (P-Frames): A P-Frame is consists only of the differences between the current frame and its reference I-Frame or the previous P-Frame, a process known as forward prediction. P-Frames can also serve as a prediction reference for B-Frames and future P-Frames. A P-Frame is much more compressed than an I-Frame.

Bidirectional Frames (B-Frames): Sometimes called Back Frames, B-Frames are derived using bidirectional prediction, which uses both a past and a future frame as references, only storing the differences between them. B-Frames show the highest level of compression.

The I, B and P Frames from a single shot form a block of information known as a Group

TUTORIAL

The I-Frame is the complete image that begins a Group Of Pictures. A Predictive P-Frame is derived from the difference between itself and the I-Frame. Back/Bidirectional B-Frames are derived from both the I-Frame and the P-Frame.

of Pictures(GOP). A GOP can vary in length from three frames to several seconds.

MPEG has many different variations, each one evolved to facilitate a specific application such as security, HD video, content protection, or multi-channel audio and video. The one which has made the biggest impact recently has been the MPEG4 Advanced Video Codec (AVC) implementation (also know as H.264), which, because of the highly flexible and extensible nature of the scheme, can be used on everything from mobile devices through to very high-resolution video imaging. Its scalability in compression and processing power has revolutionised the delivery of video in media as diverse as the Blu-Ray disc, YouTube, Digital Video Broadcasting and streaming video delivery over the 3G mobile network.

TURN UP THE SOUND

In addition to compressing the video stream we need similarly efficient systems to process the audio component of the program. The very different process of compressing audio will be the subject of other articles from other authors. To keep the audio and video components together requires encapsulating them in a container system that ensures that the components arrive together and remain synchronised when viewed.

Some compression systems such as MPEG have preferred containers such as MPG or MP4 for MPEG or Digital Video standard (often called DV), used in

059

FEATURE

Acronym

Description

Application

M-JPEG

Intra Frame Compression

Video Editing

MPEG-1

up to about 1.5Mbit/s released circa 1993

VCD, Streaming

MP3

Common name for MPEG1Layer3 audio compression

Audio Players

MPEG-2

Generic coding of moving pictures and audio

DVD, Satellite, HDTV

MPEG-3

Not completed and was incorporated in to MP2

Not Used

MPEG-4

Video Audio & DRM (Incl H.264)

Streaming, Video Conf, HD-DVD, BluRay

camcorders. Other non-proprietary envelopes include AVI, MKV, TS or VOB, and 3GP. Other envelopes are created by special interest groups who wish to emphasise specific features of the compression to make the media more suited to their requirements.

Some of these include FLV (Flash Video), Windows Media, RealMedia, DivX and XVid which have specific features that the creators want to access.

These formats can change without notice and without explanation as the owners of the standards develop their requirements. This can be frustrating for users.

In the mid-to-late 1990s watching videos and listening to music online was like dealing with peak hour traffic, a little bit at a time.... If you had a slow internet connection, you could spend more time staring at the hourglass or a status bar than watching the video or listening to a song. Everything was choppy, pixilated and hard to see. Streaming video and audio have come a long way since then. Tens of millions of people watch and listen to Internet video and radio every day. In addition to this, YouTube is seeing 20 hours of video uploaded per minute... this is up from six hours per minute in 2007. Compression is making all this possible and accessible to anyone with a computer. ď&#x192;­ References: The wondrous Wikepedia.com. bbc.co.uk

060

TUTORIAL

Digital Audio Protocols An introduction to transporting audio over digital networks Text:/ Scott Willsallen & Luis Miranda

Digital audio networks have gained enough ground in the last decade to become the standard means of transport in professional audio. They provide a range of advantages including: being impervious to external noise, ease of connection (one cable where there would typically be many), ease of routing, and no signal degradation over distance or splitting. These advantages do not come without limitations. Some issues associated with digital audio networks that were not present in analogue audio networks include latency, clocking and synchronisation, and lack of standardisation. In this article weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll look at some of the advantages and issues associated with digital audio networks, together with some network topologies and some of the most common used industry protocols.

DIGITAL AUDIO NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES

Digital audio networks appeared commercially as a natural progression from Digital Signal Processing (DSP) devices. In the previous decade DSP became widely available and affordable through products like the first MediaMatrix Mainframe and the original BSS Soundweb range. If audio was processed digitally, it was only logical to transmit the audio digitally too, especially where multiple locations were part of the system.

Digital audio networks have traditionally been modelled on the available technology for data transmission and thus share similar network topologies and characteristics, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s valuable to be familiar with network concepts and terminology when looking at digital audio.

PROTOCOL LAYERS

In the 1970s the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) developed The Open System Interconnection Reference Model (OSI Model) for data communication. This model provides an abstract method for looking at the architecture of any data network. The model views the communication process in functional layers where each layer provides services to the layer above and receives services from the layer below. Because there were seven sub-committees researching this model, it should comes as no surprise to discover that the model has seven functional layers.

Data unit Layer

Function

7. Application

Network process to application

6. Presentation

Data representation and encryption

5. Session

Interhost communication

Segment

4. Transport

End-to-end connections and reliability

Packet

3. Network

Path determination and logical addressing

Frame

2. Data Link

Physical addressing

Bit

1. Physical

Media, signal and binary transmission

Data

Most Ethernet-based audio networks only use the first two layers: Physical and Data Link. The Physical layer describes the electrical and physical specifications for the devices forming the network. The Data Link layer describes the way data will be transmitted in a network, as long as the communication is done node to node within a local area network.

The third (network) layer comes into play when more complicated networks are required. It describes how communications will occur within various networks, and defines addresses for each node, routing through intermediate hosts (routers), sizing packages of data, and maintaining the appropriate Quality of Service (described below).

This layer is used for audio delivery in protocols such as Dante where IP is used. This additional layer adds flexibility by allowing the audio data to travel across networks alongside other network traffic.

NETWORK TOPOLOGIES

The network topology describes the way each device in a network is physically connected. The most common network topologies are: Bus: Each device in the network is connected through a single cable. This topology is rarely used for modern Ethernet connections.

USB and IEEE 1394 (Firewire) are virtual bus systems.

Star: Each device is connected to a central hub. Hubs may also be interconnected creating a star of stars topology.

Daisy-chain: Devices are connected in series end-to-end. This is the easiest way to add more devices to a network with the exception of the star topology.

Ring: The same as daisy-chain topology, except the last device is connected to the first device forming a closed loop or ring.

Tree: In this topology there is a central node connected to one or more secondary nodes, which then connect to tertiary nodes and so on. This topology can grow indefinitely, as long as no rings are formed.

Mesh: This topology allows for all the devices to be connected to any of the devices in the network. More complex routing algorithms are needed in order to avoid data being lost in the mesh connections.

TRANSMISSION SYNCHRONISATION

Transmission synchronization describes the timing with which data is transported into multiple devices. There are two types of transmission synchronisation: Asynchronous transmission: Asynchronous transmission uses part of the data being transmitted as the synchronisation signal. This scheme is better suited for non-real-time applications.

Synchronous transmission: This technique uses an external source or clock to provide the synchronisation signal. This scheme is used for applications where data needs to be delivered at the same time at different locations, with the lowest amount of latency.

TUTORIAL

061

FEATURE

ROUTING SCHEMES

Routing schemes define the way in which a device sends information along the network. The following routing schemes are found in networks:

Multicast: A device sends a message to all the devices in a network; the message is then received by the devices that are set to receive the message.

Unicast: A device sends a message to a single receiver.

Anycast: A device sends a message to all the devices in a network; the message is then received by the device that is “better” suited to receive the message. This is decided by a set of predefined rules.

Broadcast: A device sends a message to all receivers in the network.

Transfer Protocol Transport Method

Licensing/ Topology Standardization

Channel Count

Max. Sample Latency* Rate

Media

Connectors

Max. Distance

AES3 (AES/EBU)

Dedicated twisted pair/fibre

AES

Point-to-point

2

192 KHz

Sample rate dependent. Up to 2.744ms.

110-Ohm twisted pair / 75-Ohm Coaxial / XLR/RCA/F05 Optical Fiber

AES47

ATM

AES

Mesh

Limited by bandwidth

192 KHz

125μS per hop

Cat5/Fibre

RJ45/Fibre connectors (typically SC or LC)

100m with Cat5 / 2km with MM / 70km with SM

AES50

Ethernet’s Physical Layer

AES

Point-to-point

48

384 kHz

63μS

Cat5

RJ45

100m

A-Net

Ethernet’s Physical Layer

Aviom

Daisy-chain, star or combination

64

192 kHz

322μS plus 1.34μS per hop includes A/D Cat5e/Fibre and D/A

RJ45/Fibre connectors (typically SC or LC)

120m with Cat5e / 2km with MM / 70km with SM

AVB

Any IP Medium

IEEE

Any IP

Limited by bandwidth

Limited by bandwidth

2ms for a 7 hop network with 100 Mbit/sec Ethernet

Cat5/Fibre

RJ45/Fibre connectors (typically SC or LC)

100m with Cat5 / 2km with MM / 70km with SM

CobraNet

Ethernet’s Data-Link Layer

Cirrus Logic

Any IP

Limited by bandwidth

96 kHz

1.33 and 5.33ms

Cat5/Fibre

RJ45/Fibre connectors (typically SC or LC)

100m with Cat5 /2km with MM / 70km with SM

Dante

Any IP Medium

Audinate

Any IP

Limited by bandwidth

192 kHz

from 0.3 to 2.33ms

Cat5/Fibre

RJ45/Fibre connectors (typically SC or LC)

100m with Cat5 / 2km with MM / 70km with SM

EtherSound ES-100

Ethernet’s Data-Link Layer

Digigram

Star, daisychain, ring

64

96 kHz

6 samples plus 1.4μS per node

Cat5/Fibre

RJ45/Fibre connectors (typically SC or LC)

100m with Cat5 / 2km with MM / 70km with SM

EtherSound ES-Giga

Ethernet’s Data-Link Layer

Digigram

Star, daisychain, ring

512

96 kHz

6 samples plus 0.5μS per node

Cat5/Fibre

RJ45/Fibre connectors (typically SC or LC)

140m with Cat5 / 600m with MM / 70km with SM

HyperMAC

Gigabit Ethernet

Klark Teknik

Point-to-point

384

384 kHz

63μS

Cat5/Cat6/Fibre

RJ45/Fibre connectors (typically SC or LC)

100m with Cat6 / 2km with MM / 70km with SM

LightViper

Dedicated fiber

Fiberplex

Star

256

192 KHz

63μS

Fibre

Fibre connectors (ST and 2km with MM LC)/TAC for Stage Boxes

Livewire

Ethernet’s Data-Link Layer

Axia Audio

Tree

Limited by bandwidth

48 kHz

2.75ms includes A/D Cat5/Fibre and D/A

RJ45/Fibre connectors (typically SC or LC)

100m with Cat6 / 2km with MM / 70km with SM

MADI (AES10)

Dedicated coaxial/fibre AES

Point-to-point

64

96 kHz

Sample rate dependent. Up to 45μS.

75-Ohm Coaxial/Fiber

BNC/Fibre connectors (typically SC or LC)

2km with MM / 70km with SM

2km with MM / 70km with SM

Nexus/Nexus Star Dedicated fiber

Stagetec

Ring/Star

256

96 kHz

6 samples

Fiber

LC Fibre Connectors

10km

Optocore

Dedicated fiber

Optocore

Ring

512

96 kHz

41.6μS

Fiber

SC/LC Fiber Connectors

700m with MM / 110km with SM

SANE

Ethernet’s Physical Layer

Optocore

Ring

64

192 KHz

41.6μS

Cat5

RJ45

100m

REAC

Ethernet’s Physical Layer

Roland Systems Group

Tree

40

96 kHz

37.5μS

Cat5e

RJ45

100m

RockNet

Ethernet’s Physical Layer

Media Numerics

Ring

160

96 kHz

400μS

Cat5/Fibre

RJ45/Fibre connectors (typically SC or LC)

150m with Cat5e / 2km with MM / 20km with SM

062

TUTORIAL

QUALITY OF SERVICE (QOS)

QoS is the ability of a network to prioritise packets of data to be transmitted depending on a hierarchy. It will determine the maximum acceptable data rate, latency and the proportion of data errors due to the network. QoS becomes more important as the bandwidth of networks increase and the same network is used for video, audio, and data, because it ensures the activities that require synchronized data with low latency are prioritised in the network.

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL AUDIO NETWORKS

Digital audio networks rely heavily on the advances of data networks.

The advantages and disadvantages of digital audio networks are closely linked to the characteristics of the existing data networks technology.

ADVANTAGES

Unlimited signal splitting: Unlike analogue networks where each signal would usually require a separate circuit and an amplifier at each signal split, digital signals can be split and routed to virtually unlimited locations with a simple data network switch. Concerns about signal degradation upon splitting are not an issue either.

Fault tolerance: Through the use of redundant paths and specialised network topologies, digital audio networks can achieve a high degree of fault tolerance. Uninterrupted audio despite faulty network devices is common to many digital audio transport protocols.

Sophisticated network setup and monitoring: It is common for digital audio networks to have a sophisticated network management system that enables such functions as routing and monitoring in complex networks to be handled from a standard computer.

Cabling: Digital audio networks have many cabling advantages

over analogue systems. A single digital data cable can carry multiple channels over long distances with little degradation in signal quality.

Fewer cables also means fewer failure-prone terminations.

Noise rejection: One of the main problems encountered in analogue audio transport is the introduction of unwanted external noise. Digital audio networks are virtually immune to such problems, even over very long runs.

DISADVANTAGES

Latency: This is one of the biggest issues in digital audio networks.

Latency can be introduced in various points along the signal path. To start with, the analogue-to-digital and digital-to-analogue converters add some latency which varies according to the speed of the converter and the bit rate, as a converter needs to perform more approximations at higher bit rates.

Along the network path latency is added at such points as: a) propagation delay, which is the latency added when the information travels through a medium, and is dependent on the type of cable; b) frame delay, which is the result of the time difference between the arrival of the first bit and last bit of an audio word; and, c) switch latency, which is the latency added when the signal encounters a switch along its path. Propagation and switch delay generally have the least impact. The frame delay, the major contributor to latency, varies between manufacturers.

Fault intolerance: Where redundant paths do not exist, failure of one signal path or component means total interruption of the network.

Lack of standardisation: There are many digital audio network formats, and most are not fully compatible even though many of them transport PCM audio. Trying to connect digital audio networks with different protocols can be a titanic, if not impossible, task. ď&#x192;­

Tune into the Benefits of Membership at InfoComm International InfoComm International is the leading non-profit industry association serving the professional audiovisual industry.

Member Benefits Include • Discounts on professional industry education and publications

• Local Roundtables, tradeshows and in-person networking opportunities

• Access to a robust social media program

• Members-only business tools and templates

InfoComm is dedicated to advancing AV — be a leader in the development of the future of the industry. Strengthen your business and save money at the same time — join InfoComm today!

Australia & New Zealand Ph +61 2 8206 0979 australianz@infocomm.org www.infocomm.org/asia-pacific

064

NEWS

REVIEW

InfoComm News News from the Asia Pacific Region

Upcoming Class Dates GEN109 Essentials of AV Technology Virtual Classroom Course Registration by Tuesday 20th April Orientation Thursday 22nd April Class starts Tuesday 27th April Members AUD$600+GST, 50% Edubucks INS211 Install School - Sydney Registration by Wednesday 14th April Class starts Wednesday 28th April Members AUD$1,000+GST, 25% Edubucks InfoComm-Recognised AV Technologist Certificate Program InfoComm is pleased to introduce a recognition program for achieving a basic level of audiovisual technical knowledge.

This certificate program: • Provides a common technical vocabulary for audiovisual technologies • Recognises achievement for individuals and their clients • Provides a bridge to the InfoComm’s ANSI- accredited Certification program.

The preparatory classes for the new AV Technologist Program are the new GEN106 Essentials of AV Technology Online Course or GEN109 Essentials of AV Technology Virtual Classroom Course. Detailed information on the AV Technologist Certificate program can be found at www.infocomm.org/education .

GEN106 Essentials of AV Technology Online GEN106 Essentials of AV Technology Online is a comprehensive, introductory overview of science and technology for audio, visual and audiovisual systems integration with over 240 lessons, quizzes to help you see if you understand the material, and section tests to help you demonstrate your understanding of essential AV technology.

The new Essentials course has been updated to include: • Networking for data and AV • More robust control section • New RF section • Updated electrical systems section • New digital and analogue signals section • Updated visual section • Updated audio section • Addition of brief customer service lessons • New future trends section • This class provides students with 25 RUs Detailed information including the full lesson plans can be found at www.infocomm.org/education .

GEN109 Essentials of AV Technology Virtual Classroom GEN109 Essentials of AV Technology Virtual Classroom is a comprehensive, introductory overview of science and technology for audio, visual and audiovisual systems integration. Like a classroom course, Essentials of AV Technology Virtual Classroom includes lectures, assignments and discussions. Instead of meeting in person, students interact online through webinars and a discussion

board. Presented by InfoComm Academy Staff Instructor, Rod Brown CTS-D, Students will login to the class each week at the same time.

Audience GEN109 is designed for those new to the AV industry or who already understand the contexts of their jobs and how the industry works, but need depth on the technical side.

This class can be used as preparation for the InfoCommRecognised AV Technologist Test. Students should feel comfortable keeping track of due dates and using online tools such as discussion boards and webinars.

The class will run over 5 weeks beginning Tuesday 27th April at 4pm AEST. Students will also have the opportunity to Log in again each Thursday to discuss the class material or assignments with the Instructor. Ongoing class discussions can be held via the class discussion board.

This class is offered at AUD$600 for InfoComm Members (Up to $300 payable in Edubucks) and AUD$900 for Non Members.

This is a new class and is currently under review by the InfoComm Certification Committee for its RU Allocation.

Detailed information including the full lesson plans can be found at www.infocomm.org/education .

Regional Roundtable Meetings We have just held a series of Regional Roundtable Meetings in Brisbane, Auckland, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. The keynote address was on the recently released Global Market Definition and Strategy Survey and the Industry Study on Building Automation. Both these reports are available on the InfoComm Website.

We would like to thank all those that attended the Roundtable Meetings and made a valuable contribution to the discussion.

If you’ve attended a Roundtable meeting, don’t forget that the discussion continues on the Asia-Pacific Roundtable e-Group, and the MDSS Executive Summary will be available for download.

The next Roundtable meetings to be held are: Melbourne – 28th September Sydney – 7th October Please save these dates.

INS211 Install School Mark your Calendar, InfoComm’s 2 Day installation School is being offered in Sydney 28th & 29th April, 2010. The course is AUD$1,000 + GST with 25% payable in Edubucks.

This class is suitable for those new in the Industry or for those that would like to sharpen their Installation skills. It provides ample opportunity to gain hands on experience through its practical workshops. Note: Detailed information including the full lesson plans can be found at www.infocomm.org/education .

This class has 16 RUs to assist with your CTS Renewal or your company AVSP status For Further Information on any of the above please contact Jonathan Seller, CTS, InfoComm International Regional Director at australianz@infocomm.org or look on the regional web page www.infocomm.org/asia-pacific

TUTORIAL

065

FEATURE

Aspect Ratio Calculations The Basics.

InfoComm’s GEN113 CTS Prep Virtual Classroom recently became available in Australia. This brand new web-based course provides live lectures, assignments, references and instruction in a virtual classroom via the internet so you can prepare for the CTS exam from the comfort of your own home or office!

In addition to the course materials, CTS Prep Virtual Classroom includes some basic references and a free registration to the GEN104 AV Math Online course which focuses on mathematical proficiency in AV calculations.

The tutorial below is an excerpt from the GEN104 AV Math Online course.

Whether you are showing an image on a projection screen or directly viewing a display, you need a way to describe that image’s width relative to its height. Do this with a ratio of width to height called the aspect ratio.

WHY DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

Every image, screen and display has a specific size based on how it will be used. Your ability to determine the aspect ratio of any image, screen or display helps you buy the right product, match a projector’s image to the correct screen or select the correct image size for a given environment. Without a solid foundation in this area, you may make a costly error.

DETERMINING ASPECT RATIO

Given dimensions of an image, determine aspect ratio to create specifications.

Some common aspect ratios include 4:3 and 16:9. A 4:3 aspect ratio means that for every four units of width there are three units of height. The same applies for the 16:9 aspect ratio – for every 16 units of width there are nine units of height.

H

W

Calculating aspect ratio requires these three values: Width of the image (W) This value is in inches or millimetres.

Height of the image (H) This value is in inches or millimetres.

Aspect ratio (AR) The formula is: AR = W ÷ H Where AR is the aspect ratio W is the width of the image H is the height of the image

There is another useful way to describe an aspect ratio. If you take the 4:3 aspect ratio and divide 4 by 3, the result is 1.33. Therefore, you could alternately describe the 4:3 aspect ratio as 1.33:1, meaning that for every 1.33 units in width there is 1 unit in height.

Again, the same applies for the 16:9. When you divide 16 by 9, the result is 1.78. In the case of the 16:9 aspect ratio you can alternately describe its aspect ratio as 1.78:1, meaning that for every 1.78 units in width there is 1 unit in height.

Take a couple of common computer display resolutions and discover their aspect ratios.

First, use 1024 x 768. If you divide 1024 by 768 the result is 1.33, so the 1024 x 768 computer resolution can be described as having an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. You could also take 1024 pixels in width and divide it by 4 to get 256 (4 units of 256 pixels each), and then multiply the pixel unit (256) by 3 to get 768 pixels in height.

Not all displayed images are 16:9 or 4:3.

For example, another common computer resolution is 1680 x 1050. Dividing 1680 by 1050 gives a result of 1.6. Therefore, the 168 x 1050 computer resolution has an aspect ratio of 1.6:1 or 16:10. This is a slightly different aspect ratio than the 1.78:1 or 16:9 aspect ratio noted earlier.

Even though the difference between 16:10 and 16:9 seems small, the consequence is that a 16:10 image will not fit properly onto a 16:9 screen. If a 16:10 projected image is the same height as a 16:9 screen it will not cover the entire width of the 16:9 screen.

The width and height of an image can also be used to determine a screen’s diagonal measurement (see Figure 2). If you know the width (B) and height (A) of a screen, you can

use the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate the diagonal (C). Here is the formula: A²+ B² = C²

A

C

B

About InfoComm: InfoComm International is the international trade association of the professional audiovisual and information communications industries. Established in 1939, InfoComm has 5000 members from more than 70 countries. Its training and education programs, along with its separately administered Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) and corporately administered Certified Audiovisual Solutions Provider (CAVSP) company credentials, set a standard of excellence for AV professionals. Its basic general knowledge course ‘Quick Start to the AV Industry’ is available free of charge from its website at www.infocomm.org

066

Termination AV goes back to spool for a format lesson.

Text:/ Graeme Hague

Something on your mind?

Busting to relate a stirring tale?

Then send your thoughts to the editor (andy@av.net.au).

The other day I had to do a small corporate AV gig: a folding rear-projection screen with a projector installed as per usual (on a table with a telephone book beneath and a couple of drink coasters under one leg). The client wanted to use two MacBooks so there was a vision switcher involved, however, the Macs weren’t available yet so I plugged in my own laptop just to create a signal. Once everything was connected and powered up the resulting picture – a product of the various device’s default settings – looked like something Salvador Dali would splash out on a bad hair day. The next step was to imitate one of those ancient Indian goddesses with a dozen arms as you operate several remote controls simultaneously in an attempt to make the image appear vaguely okay. As you all know, the trick is to figure out just which piece of equipment needs tweaking and whether adjusting that will only cause problems further down the signal chain – which they always do. Of course, the remotes seem to have low batteries (or something) and refuse to respond to either menu commands or verbal threats.

Eventually, it occurred to me that it was all a bit of a waste of time since the MacBooks’ outputs were probably going to be quite different to my Vista-driven laptop anyway.

It was a good example of how AV production companies often find themselves trying to push a square JPEG image through a round hole (the projector lens, get it?) and thanks to the myriad video formats, file compressions and screen resolutions it’s a torturous exercise in mashing the data through a series of conversions or we have to download the latest codec or media player. Small wonder really that we can ever produce something watchable and you have to ask: ‘how the hell did we ever end up with

so many conflicting variables?’. We have all these impressive-sounding organisations and committees and commissions to research and study stuff on our behalf, figuring out standards, but we still have a dog’s breakfast of formats to deal with.

It was comforting to be reminded later that same night that the problem’s been around a while. In my motel room, Foxtel was showing Lawrence of Arabia yet again. The film was shot in Super Panavision 70 and if you think that some widescreen and cinemascope displays can be annoyingly letterboxed on your telly, this was like watching the movie through the slit in Ned Kelly’s tin helmet. It doesn’t help that Omar Sharif is affecting an educated English accent, while Sir Alec Guinness is trying to look and sound like an Arab – and revealing that he’s made a very long career out of dressing like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

But I digress. I’m familiar with the problem of odd film configurations. You see, in another life I was a cinema projectionist and we regularly screened foreign ‘festival’ films that sometimes presented a real puzzle as to the precise aspect ratio of the film stock. Some European standards created a nightmare variety of weird and wonderful formats – something to do with the Napoleonic wars and driving on the wrong side of the road… probably. Under the projector was a collection of dusty, esoteric lenses to cover most eventualities and honestly it was so much fun to be scrabbling frantically around in the dark, a torch clamped in my teeth, searching for another lens when the first screening revealed unwanted anomalies like squishy-looking people or the subtitles appearing somewhere in the front rows of seats. You couldn’t help but rage at the cinema gods and demand to know why everything couldn’t simply be shot

in good ol’ 2.35:1 ratio widescreen.

That isn’t the worst that can happen.

Today’s digital formats can be frustrating, but be grateful that AV data has all kinds of file names and meta-tags to identify what is what.

Meanwhile, 35mm film isn’t so lucky.

Watching Peter O’Toole again doing his inimitable thing in ultra-letterbox mode reminded me. There’s a kind of film projectionist’s brotherhood. We have a secret handshake and everything. This is because we rely heavily on each other. You may not know that movies on 35mm film stock come in reels of roughly 20 minutes each, so fourhour monsters like Titanic and Lawrence arrive in 12 different spools. The reels have headers and tails attached that identify their sequence in the movie – which order they are to be spliced together. Without these heads and tails it’s impossible to determine which spool is which, short of watching the film and hoping to see a clue. We all depend on each other to pay close attention to assembling the film and, more importantly, relabelling the spools correctly afterwards for the next guy.

It avoids awkward moments like we had during our own ‘classic’ screening of Lawrence of Arabia. One of the crew chatting in the projector room suddenly went still and pointed at the screen.

‘Ah, didn’t that guy get killed about 20 minutes ago?’

Yep, we had it wrong. And if one spool is out of sequence goodness knows what will happen further into the film. There’s nothing you can do about it that doesn’t require hours of rewinding and resplicing. So we let the movie run and hoped nobody noticed, the longest four hours of our lives.

Trust me, fiddling with the keystoning on data projector isn’t so bad after all. 

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