AV issue 17

STATE OF EXCITEMENT: WA STC GETS OZ’s FIRST CABLENET GRID IP IP HURRAY: CLEVER AV HOUSE WITH IP BACKBONE SNOW JOB: AV FOR THREDBO MTV FESTIVAL

AT THE VICTORIAN SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION CENTRE

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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

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04

Editorial The Dumbing Down Of Av? Many of the ‘essential’ skills for the AV profession are no longer even remotely relevant, indeed there are many very skilled AV people out there doing great work, who (quite rightly) have no idea what kind of device an S-AV 2000 is, or what an earth you could possibly do with one in a meeting, much less a couple of dozen of them. We just have to accept that today’s indispensable knowledge is tomorrow’s ‘good old days’ reminiscence to accompany an overpriced beverage at a tradeshow gathering.

As the density of components increases exponentially and the cost of processing power plummets, we can afford to assign more of the hard-thinking problem solving to the high-speed ‘stupids’ (why are they called ‘smarts’?) of microprocessors. Although a piece of software can’t make a clever intuitive leap like a human expert, it can try a lot of simple alternatives until it finally arrives at a result with the required outcomes. And a box of powerful electronics is becoming

disposably cheap. The upshot of this is that areas of AV technology which were once the exclusive province of a well-trained and experienced audiovisual engineer or technician are now fair game for any home or office tech enthusiast who can work out which colour-coded cable to plug in before following the screen prompts.

I’ve heard AV people complaining that smarter gear, requiring no expert knowledge to install and commission, is eating away at our livelihoods, which would only be true if we were determined not change with the technologies that become available. There has never been a time when the technologies that we employ haven’t been in a state of constant development. While most of us are far too young to have recollections of the events, the move from 35mm film strip projectors and epidiascopes to overhead projectors and magazine-equipped slide projectors was at least as disruptive to the audiovisual world as the

later move from cross-fading slide projectors to video projection, or from the laboriously hand-aligned CRT-based video projectors to the switch-on-and-use LCD panel projectors that followed.

We shouldn’t regret that it’s now easy for anyone to do what previously took us years of hard-won experience. We should instead be looking around to see what was, until recently, beyond our capacity because of cost and complexity, and look at how we can leverage our expertise to push it and stretch it in ways that haven’t yet been imagined. Aside from finding us new ways to earn an income, it’s usually a lot of fun too. Andy Ciddor, Editor Join the AV adventure. Dob in a friend. Drop a note to the editor Andy Ciddor andy@av.net.au and tell him about your discoveries.

CATEGORIES

Audio Visual Industry Awards (AVIAs) 2011: Entries Now Open What are the AVIAs? They’re Australia’s only independently adjudicated, industry recognised professional audiovisual awards. There are five categories, with Best Install, Education and Live Event categories as well as a cool idea ‘Innovation’ award – all for work done in the 2010 calendar year.

The AVIAs are adjudicated by a panel of industry experts appointed by three peak industry bodies: InfoComm International, ALIA (Australasian Lighting Industry Association) and AETM (Association of Educational Technology Managers).

The AVIAs will be awarded on the second night of Integrate 2011 (Wednesday, August 31) in a reception at Integrate’s showpiece seminar space, The Headroom.

If you have any queries or suggestions, then sing out – talk to Andy Ciddor (andy@av.net.au) or Christopher Holder (chris@av.net.au).

BEST INSTALLATION $1m+ The most innovative, best conceived and consistently excellent audiovisual installation of the year.

BEST APPLICATION OF AV IN EDUCATION This award is for the best conceived and most innovative audiovisual projects and installations in the education sector.

BEST INSTALLATION UNDER $1m This category gives all installers and integrators the chance to show their wares. The install that best meets the unique demands of the project will win. Doesn’t need to be the most glamorous or highest profile project going around.

INNOVATION AWARD This award isn’t tied to any one event or installation. It’s recognition of a nifty ‘idea’; a solution to a curly problem; a unique perspective on an existing technology. In other words, anyone reading this could potentially win this award with their wit and cunning.

BEST AV PRODUCTION Best staged event, whether that be commercial product launches, made-for-TV spectaculars, one-off events, etc. The winner won’t necessarily be the most lavish production, but it will be the most elegantly conceived application of AV technologies and design.

For more detail on how to enter, go to: www.avias.com.au

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For your next digital video system design, give us a call. Our professional staff of application and system design engineers are ready to work with you to define and design complete, end-to-end digital AV systems. Need to learn more about the digital transition? We’ve created a complete library of training and educational materials, including white papers, technical articles, application profiles, and design guides; all written for the AV professional and available at no charge.

Visit www.extron.com/digitalthatworks for complete details.

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Symetrix introduces ARC-WEB for Jupiter. Now you can control Jupiter from almost any computer or handheld device with network access.

Enter the Jupiter IP address into your mobile browser, and dial in your sound from the palm of your hand.

It’s just that easy!

Explore Jupiter at www.symetrix.co CTION A DU

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IO UD

PRO

Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by:

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Visit your Audio-Technica dealer or contact TAG for more. (02) 9519 0900 info@tag.com.au www.tag.com.au

Crew Mandy Jones is Event Manager for Museum Victoria, responsible for producing media launches and special events across the organisation’s four sites (Melbourne Museum, Immigration Museum, Scienceworks and the Royal Exhibition Building). Previously she worked in venue hire sales, and in all aspects of indoor and outdoor theatre including production and stage management, lighting design and operation.For many years Mandy was the Melbourne correspondent and photographer for Connections/ CX magazine, and also served on the ALIA committee as a board member and honorary secretary.

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)

Paul is a freelance lighting designer based in Sydney. Struggling to find work in his homeland, Paul spends much of the year in far flung places in perpetual search for the perfect breakfast and good coffee. With a love of lights, gadgets and a good story, Paul makes an admirable effort to bring to AV reviews of products and events from around our small and wondrous globe.

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) News Editor: Graeme Hague (news@av.net.au) Accounts: Jen Temm (jen@alchemedia.com.au) Circulation Manager: Mim Mulcahy (subscriptions@av.net.au)

Paul is technical producer/director and co-owner at The Events Activation Resource (The EAR), a company specialising in large scale corporate and entertainment technical event management, and has worked in video projection and multimedia since 1992. He has been involved in video production management for events in the corporate, broadcast, exhibition, fashion and entertainment industries, and has toured extensively. He has expert knowledge of multimedia, content creation and complex live video systems.

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 © 2011 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. 21/4/11

Tim Stackpool is a broadcast technical director, most recently completing the design and construction of a three-studio TV facility for IP Studios in Sydney. After spending 10 years at Channel Nine, Tim founded and remains co-owner of production company Sonic Sight. Tim also supplements the [lavish – Ed] income he receives from AV Magazine by assuming the role of Australian correspondent for Global Radio News in London and the Canadian Economic Press.

Two Easy The Hyper Media Company

HMP100 Hyper Media Player H The ямБrst networked Hyper Media Player appliance T dedicated to the professional digital signage industry. de

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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.

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Issue 17 REGULARS NEWS News and the latest new product information.

12

INFOCOMM NEWS Regional news from InfoComm.

48

TERMINATION Futureproofing a house in regional Bridgetown, WA.

50

FEATURES

22

SPACED-OUT SECONDARY SCIENCE Inspired and inspirational science education at VSSEC.

22

WA STATE THEATRE CENTRE Perth finally gets world-class drama facilities.

26

THE HOUSE THAT IP BUILT A residence with a proper backbone.

32

FROZEN FINGERS ON THE CONSOLE MTV’s snow show survives recordbreaking snowfalls.

36

REVIEWS

36

44

BRIGHTLINE i-SERIES MONITOR LIGHT An LED fixture designed for desktop videoconferencing.

40

WINGS PLATINUM 4 AV Stumpfl’s very capable image display system.

42

TUTORIALS PRACTICALITIES OF LIGHTING DESIGN FOR TV Translating lighting design ideas onto television.

44

26

40

42

32

012

NEWS

DAS: MAKING CONVERTS

MITSUBISHI NARROWS GAP

VARI*LITE SHRINKS IN THE WASH

DAS Audio has debuted its Convert series of products.

The series comprises two models, the Convert 12A curved source array unit and the Convert 15A multifunction arrayable loudspeaker system. The Convert 15A features a system which provides user-definable dispersion characteristics, allowing the system to be deployed as either a curved-source array or used individually as a point source. As the Convert name implies, the horizontal and vertical dispersion characteristics of the system can be ‘converted’, to meet the requirements of the application. This is achieved using the DAS’s Digitally Convertible Dispersion (DCD) preset which modifies the horizontal dispersion of the Convert 15A from 20º to 40º. Vertical dispersion can also be altered using a combination of dispersion panels and digital presets to achieve 60º, 75º asymmetrical or 90º degrees of coverage. The wide frequency range and high output is possible thanks to the DAS-designed and built transducer components, while the device incorporates a package of integrated electronics that includes digital signal processing, component and amplifier protection and a new 2000W, three-channel Class D amp with switchmode power supply.

Magna Systems: (02) 9417 1111 or www.magnasys.tv

The latest holy grail seems to be real 3D vision in the home – aside from simply looking out the window.

Mitsubishi Electric has announced the HC9000D, a 3D projector for the home theatre market that uses Mitsubishi’s own SXRD panel technology and features full 1080p high-definition resolution with stereoscopic 3D support. The HC9000D is able to generate 240 frames per second (120 frames each for the left and right eye) to reproduce smooth 3D motion and reduce image crosstalk to a minimum. The optimised structure of the SXRD panels provides a narrower gap between pixels minimising the dreaded ‘screen door’ moiré effect. The HC9000D also uses separate reflective liquid-crystal panels for each of the primary colours. A newly developed optical compensator significantly reduces light lost during image processing. Included in the $10k RRP is a 3D emitter and four pairs of active shutter 3D glasses.

Your average Aussie family will come to blows over who misses out.

Mitsubishi: (02) 9684 7777 or www.mitsubishielectric.com.au

Proud parent Philips Vari-Lite has announced the arrival of four ‘Little Ones’. The VLX3 LED Wash, VL400 Spot, VL440 Spot, VL770 Spot and the VL880 Spot are all new fixtures given the shrink-ray treatment. The VLX3 Wash uses three LED engines to power colours and intensity with replaceable 120-watt RGBW LED chipsets providing approximately 6000 lumens of white light output with a 10,000 hour source life. The VL400 Spot uses a 400W MSR Gold 400 MiniFastFit lamp to provide 9000 lumens of output, plus 14 fixed colours on two independent colour wheels. A dualpurpose mechanical-blade system provides smooth timed fades or variable strobe effects. The VL440, VL770 and VL880 Spot luminaires create colour mixing through a three-wheel CYM colour assembly.

Each has eight standard colours on a fixed wheel, a coated-glass dimmer wheel and a separate dualblade strobe system. Respectively, the fixtures put out 9000, 15,000 and 19,000 lumens and all have an independent armature with frost glass and a second, independent armature with a rotating prism.

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

NEWS IN BRIEF:

What do teachers hurl at recalcitrant students these days, if they haven’t got chalk? The remote control? Anyway, Easiteach Next Generation software will be provided free of charge with every QOMO Interactive Whiteboard. Easiteach’s software enables teachers to add videos and animations to their lessons, connect to electronic microscopes and digital cameras, create text from speech, and draw on a media bank of over 4500 curriculumbased resources .

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

The Cube by GestureTek is a compact, turnkey, ‘plug and play’ interactive display unit that brings gesture control to a variety of display spaces. This device projects a 1.5m x 1.2m interactive display with games and special effects onto virtually any floor for branding, advertising, entertainment and product promotion.

Reynolds Automation Controls: (03) 9355 7422 or reynoldsautomation.com.au

The Litepanels H2 Hi-Output LED is capable of throwing illumination over 6 to 7.5m, providing HDfriendly light with all the energy and environmental advantages of Litepanels LEDs. The new H2 HiOutput is 5600K colour balance and features an array of 72 x 1W daylight LEDs that are focused to a 10° angle.

Lemac Film & Digital: (03) 9429 8588 or lemac@lemac.com.au

AV Stumpfl has developed a new video screen manufactured from high-performance, tear-resistant fabric and is mounted on a new design of frame that virtually ensures the structure is invisible.

The overall effect can be an image apparently floating in mid-air (when flown, obviously).

AV Stumpfl: (02) 94775709 or www.avstumpflaustralia.com

Clearone Communication’s XT9170 is a Constant Voltage Transformer that can be left freestanding or installed in a rack–and while it’s only a 1U device, the XT9170 is a half-width allowing two to be mounted side by side. The XT9170-CS accepts 8 ohm input using a modular connector and outputs at 70/100 Volts. This allows the transformer to be used standalone.

Production Audio: (03) 9264 8000 or info@productionaudio.com.au

Hundreds of Installed Sound microphone requirements Nine high quality microphones One low price AKG introduces the 99 Series of value-priced microphones for contractors and installers. The 99 Series comprises: Hanging mic (black or white)

SONY 3D CAMCORDERS It looks like Sony has bulldozed its AV warehouse clean and started afresh, if NAB 2011 releases are anything to go by, so we’ve picked out the most interesting. There’s two 3D Camcorders. The PMWTD300 simultaneously records left and right vision onto separate SxS cards. A dual-lens system allows for full synchronisation with high accuracy in focusing, zoom and iris adjustment. The camera is switchable between 2D and 3D modes. The latest product in Sony’s NXCAM line up, the ‘ready to go’ HXR-NX3D1P allows users to shoot 3D and adjust the left-right disparity with the dial on the body and check the 3D effect on its glasses-free LCD. The HXR-NX3D1P’s functions have been designed to offer a ‘new level of mobility, workflow convenience and ease of use’, while delivering professional quality output. Double Sony G Lenses and double Exmor R CMOS sensors deliver professional quality 3D shooting, while 1920 x 1080 full HD left and right images enable realistic HD recording.

Lapel mic

4 condenser goosenecks (two lengths, two polar patterns)

Omnidirectional boundary layer mic

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Sony Australia: 1300 720 071 or www.sony.com.au

Dynamic gooseneck mic

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ALL RRP $229 inc GST

Vale John Bowring ACS: It is with great sadness that we have learned of the sudden passing of John Bowring ACS. John was a legend in the film and video industry and was not only a highly respected cinematographer but a true enthusiast for making moving images. John and his wife Sue started the highly successful Lemac, Australia’s largest film and video equipment company. Sue has indicated that Lemac will continue to grow, in memory of John and his achievements. It has been decided by the National Executive of the Australian Cinematographers Society that its 2011 ACS National Awards will be dedicated to John as a mark of respect for his contribution to the field of cinematography.

Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions Corporation (PLDS), a specialist in optical storage solutions have announced a plan to launch Plextor high-performance digital media equipment to the Australian market.

Plextor is a developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment and optical solutions and will release a range of products such as optical disc drives (including Blu-ray), solid state drives, digital video converters, multimedia products and disc duplicators for professionals and consumers.

PLDS: www.pldsnet.com

99 Series mics make quoting easy – same low price, no matter which mic you need!

(Actually, they’re not all the same price. The CK99L lapel mic is only RRP $149 inc GST.)

014

NEWS

SEAMLESS CIMA

MATROX SUPPORT FLASHING

ROUND ROBIN

When it comes to multi-screen or multi-panel displays, while they can be spectacular, there is always that endeavour to close the gap between the various screens and achieve the seamless look.

Another drawback is the amount of power consumed – the ‘green’ tag doesn’t stick well when all the lights in the building flicker when you turn the displays on.

Cima Digitec says it’s got the answers with its latest release, a 55-inch (1400mm) LCD panel that uses a direct LED Back Light Unit system rather than CCFL BLU, which results in 15 percent reduction in power consumption. Also, they’ve squeezed the bezels down to just 5.3mm (which creates 5.7mm total ‘gap’ active -to-active). Resolution comes in at 1920 x 1080, at full high definition, contrast ratio is 4000:1 and each panel weighs 36kg.

CIMA Digitec: (02) 9438 3913 or www.cimadigitec.com.au

Matrox Video Products Group has released a range of products that now supports Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder software. Its Matrox MXO2 I/O devices offer a variety of hardware capture solutions for feeding live content to any Adobe Flash Media Server software.

Applications include field journalism, sports, live events, and distance learning. The MXO2 devices are compatible with either Mac (Quicktime) or Windows (DirectShow) operating systems and allow users to connect to any HD or SD video source via SDI, HDMI, or analogue. Live video streams can reach viewers on multiple devices using all protocols supported

by Adobe Flash including RTMP, HTTP or Multicast.

Matrox MXO2 support for Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder will be available to registered users as a free download from the Matrox website in June 2011.

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

Robe’s assault on the Pro Light & Sound expo also featured five new fixtures that have been given the “let’s make things smaller” treatment. The Robin MMX Spot is a compact, lightweight unit using the Phillips MSR Platinum 35 lamp that, combined with its optical system, are equivalent to any 1200W spotlight moving head fixture. The ROBIN 300 LEDWash is a scaled down, budget version of the Robin 600 type – which now has a Robin 600 Pure White model. The Robin 300 has an option to simulate tungsten lamp behaviour when dimming and switching off, complete with ‘red effect’ and thermal delay. The CityFlex 48 looks like it was put together with a Mechano set–it has a configurable LED ‘batten’ consisting of four modules using the Cree 10W RGBW multichip LEDs. Housed in a durable aluminium IP65-rated casing, the CityFlex 48 has colour mixing from a single-point-ofsource with a definable pixel pitch. And finally, the new Robe DigitalSpot 3500DT is an enhanced version of the DigitalSpot 3000 DT with a host of extra features.

Universal Lighting Audio (ULA) Group 1300 852476 or www.ula.com.au

NEWS IN BRIEF:

The Christie TVC-500 video wall controller utilises technology developed by Hewlett Packard.

The Christie TVC-500 has inputs and outputs driven by the latest graphics processing hardware technologies enabling the display of multiple video and RGB inputs anywhere and any size across display walls with up to 27 million pixels of display space.

VR Solutions: (07) 3844 9514 or www.vrs.com.au

The Elmo CRC-1 Switcher provides easy, centralised control of various classroom equipment through infrared or RS-232C signals. The emphasis is on the multitude of AV and interactive teachers are required to operate and simplifying that operation. The CRC-1 can be mounted on a wall or left freestanding.

B&H Australia www.bhaustralia.com.au

TV One’s C2-8000 Universal Input Seamless Switcher provides high quality video switching with twochannel bi-directional conversion between a variety of analogue and digital video formats. The standard system features multiple DVI-U input modules that can be scaled and switched between, along with two independent processing channels. The system can also have 3G-SDI input/output modules fitted, as well as audio I/O. The high resolution DVI-U outputs are selectable at virtually any PC or HDTV resolution.

TV: One: www.tvone.com

JVC’s DT-3D24G1 features an advanced IPS LCD panel with 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution.

An Xpol polarising filter provides a stable, flicker-free 3D visual experience using passive glasses.

Unlike a frame-sequential 3D system, the DT-3D24G1 always displays left and right images on the screen. There’s no need to synchronise the glasses so the monitor is suitable for viewing environments where multiple displays are used such as in a control room or production truck.

JVC Professional (02) 9370 8817 or www.jvcpro.com.au

The Beyerdynamic Classis GM301 is designed for installation into tables or desks and is suitable for use during television and video conferences. The 85mm gooseneck is provided with a 4-pin female mini-XLR for connection to the CVE 301.18 power supply. It can also be connected directly to an Opus series belt-pack wireless transmitter. The GM301 features Scudio technology to render it insensitive to RF interference from devices such as mobile phones.

Hills SVL: (02) 96471411 or nsw@hillssvl.com.au

CRESTRON TUNES IN Marconi was a genius, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doubtful he saw this one coming. Many radio stations broadcast on internet radio, avoiding the problem of annoying, poor reception. The Crestron ATC-Audionet Interwave tuner card provides access to hundreds of online radio stations and podcasts. Browse by location, language or format, use a search function, then save any favourites on your touchpanel, mobile device or computer. Crestron even provides its own Interwave Radio website at radio.crestron.com where you can easily organise and launch all your favourite music, news, sports and talk programs. A modular tuner card with both analogue and digital outputs, Interwave requires only one tuner slot in compatible systems.

The technology supports WAV, MP3, WMA, AAC, and RealAudio formats, as well as metadata, graphics and transport controls. The Interwave tuner card can also be used to play sound files stored in its internal memory including chimes and ringer sounds, prerecorded announcements and background music.

Crestron: (02) 9737 8203 or www.crestron.com.au

The Vaddio AutoTrak is an automated camera tracking system designed for training facilities. The instructor wears a lanyard pack that emits IR for tracking by an IR PTZ camera. Positional information is sent to the Tracking Camera to follow the instructor as they walk around. Both cameras are based on Vaddioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s single-chip CCD ClearVIEW HD-18 high definition PTZ camera. The tracking camera can deliver both high definition (YPbPr) and digital video (DVI-D or HDMI).

Transitions Systems Australia: 1300 864 835 or au.transition-asia.com

The Gefen CAT5-1600A Extra Long KVM extension carries VGA and audio up to 300m and USB up to 100m using Cat5 cables. Display resolutions up to 1920 x 1200@60Hz are supported. A local monitor can be connected to the Sender Unit and up to two monitors can be connected to the Receiver Unit. Four USB connectors on the Receiver Unit allow control of the computer system from a KVM workstation.

Amber Technology: 1800 251367 or www.ambertech.com.au

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NEWS

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1/ CLAY PAKY SHINES

2/ REDBACK ON THE WALL

3/ ELECTRO-VOICE LIVE X

Not to be outdone in the ‘releasing new fixtures’ stakes, Clay Paky has the Shotlight Wash. It’s a 1500W washlight with a 1500W Xenon strobe in a single device.

The two wash and strobe functions are integrated and can be controlled either simultaneously or separately.

The Shotlight’s wash section is based on the Alpha Wash 1500 while the luminaire incorporates two semicircular Xenon strobe lamps fitted around the fixture’s front lens. Next there is Mirage QC, Clay Paky’s new semi-transparent LED display with a patented mounting and connection system that makes LED walls of all sizes easier to install. IP65-protected for outdoor use, the Mirage QC’s bayonet system is designed to allow mechanical and electrical mounting of two panels in a single, simple step – no tools are needed and eliminating the need for accessories such as wires, connectors or hooks. And Sharpy, which we reviewed last issue, now has an optional shiny suit of armour. A chrome-plated model is available. Bring your own cotton gloves.

Clay Paky Australia: (03) 9682 7522 or sbarrett@claypaky.com.au

LSC Lighting Systems showcased five new products at the Prolight & Sound show in Frankfurt including the Redback Wallmount Dimmer. The first was shown as a prototype at PLASA last year and is now in full production. Sporting a new colour LCD touchscreen these new units are available in six, 12 and 24-channel models, RDM compatible, and have the option of mixing relay channels and dimmers in the same package.

Supplementing the Redback Wallmount units is the new Redback control plates for architectural control.

These plates interface simply to a Redback Wallmount unit and come in single, two or six-button variants.

Within the Redback these plates can be configured to control any one of six memories, including fade times.

LSC Light Systems: (03) 9702 8000 or www.lsclighting.com

Electro-Voice’s Live X series of portable powered and passive loudspeakers comprises three powered and four passive models. Live X features durable, lightweight, solid wood cabinets, best-in-class SPL output, power-handling, and frequency response, and clean, stackable designs. Three powered systems are available as two full-range loudspeakers and a matching subwoofer. Each self-contained powered system features Electro-Voice components optimised for use with the integrated 1000W and 700W Class-D amplifiers. All full-range systems can be pole-mounted or stacked with the acoustically-matched powered subwoofer. Four passive configurations are available, including a dual-15-inch system.

Bosch Communication Systems: (02) 9683 4752 or stsales@au.bosch.com

4/ NEC: MINDING ITS Ps

5/ SONY OLED

6/ STEREO SAFETY FIRST

Sony is expanding its line of OLED Trimaster EL models with two new models designed for pro video production: the 25-inch PVM-2541 and 17-inch PVM1741. The monitors incorporate new processing and imaging capabilities for signal evaluation and a basis of colour and tone comparison, and are designed as a true replacement for CRT technology in critical evaluation.

Each model offers full 1920 x 1080 HD resolution with 10-bit signal processing. They support multiple colour standards and include an easy setup procedure for stability and matching. A control system similar to Sony’s PVM-740 OLED field monitor is installed with seven ‘F’ key operation and a new menu navigation system. Additional features include simple panel illumination control, built-in 3G HDSDI inputs, serial and parallel remote control, timecode display, embedded audio display, internal waveform monitor, auto white balance and DC operation (on the PVM-1741).

Sony Australia: 1300 720 071 or www.sony.com.au

A US company based in Rhode Island called Howard Leight has released its Sync model of stereo protective earmuffs. They’re ‘stereo’ because a 3.5mm minijack allows the connection of your favourite, personal music player and the Sync promises sound reproduction on par with hi-fidelity headphones. Before you think (like me) it seems a bit counter-productive, the Sync’s inbuilt Volume Management Technology restricts the incoming MP3 signal to providing no more than 82dB level for the wearer, so heavy-metal thrash fans will be frustrated. The earmuffs require no batteries and have no switches or volume controls. You just plug in and off you (quietly) go. Okay – actually it’s a clever idea and certainly beats having earbuds jammed in your lugholes all day under cheap earmuffs. That 82dB limit will annoy some tattooed folks though.

Sperian Protection: 1300 139 166 or www.sperian.com

NEC Australia announced its new P Series projectors.

The P Series consists of two models designed for entry-grade integration environments such as corporate boardrooms, higher education classrooms and government training rooms. With brightness levels of 3500 lumens (P350W model, $2625 ex GST) and 4200 lumens (P420X model, $2232 ex GST), the projectors provide dynamic images under normal ambient lighting conditions. Built-in software features include wall colour correction, automatic keystone correction, carbon savings meter, Virtual Remote and closed captioning for ease of installation. Networking features such as Windows Network Projector, Windows Remote Desktop, Image Express Lite and Office File Viewer are available to make wired or wireless connections simpler. With NEC’s Eco Mode technology the P Series projectors’ lamp and filter life are extended up to 5000 hours.

NEC Australia: 131 632 or www.nec.com.au

sound . light . vision 30TH AUGUST - 1ST SEPTEMBER 2011

SYDNEY AUSTRALIA Hordern Pavilion & Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park, Sydney

EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE

www.integrate-expo.com

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NEWS

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1/PULLING WOOL OVER OUR EARS

2/ FIVE GOES INTO ONE

3/ COOL TOOLS

Mobile Air Wall is the latest addition to Event Acoustics’ range of sound isolation solutions.

Designed to be hung from standard entertainment mounting and rigging systems, Mobile Air Wall enables an exhibitor to create a quiet meeting space in a noisy environment like a trade show. A room from 2 x 2m to 20 x 50m can be created using panels 3m high and 1m wide. An overlap makes sure it is a closed space and ventilation ensures the air inside remains cool while maintaining silence. The panels can be hung like curtains, have a soft, cushioned feel and use environmentally-friendly sheep wool filling – although the sheep might take issue with that. Mobile Air Wall is tested and certified to European standards for textile fabrics with regards to burning behaviour and flame spread properties, is 100mm thick with a standard width of 1000mm. Standard lengths can be purchased in black – sourced from black sheep? Custom lengths and colours can be ordered.

Event Acoustics: info@eventacoustics.com

Apantac LLC has developed a kind of Swiss Army knife signal processor for broadcast facilities. The Tahoma-MultiCaster combines the functionality of a multiviewer, 16 x 4 or 16 x 8 routing switcher for that multiviewer, an up/down/cross converter and associated 16 x 1 router, an audio routing switcher and an audio embedder – all in a single 1U device. The multiviewer auto-detects incoming 3G, HD or SD-SDI video signals and provides on-screen monitoring for 16 channels of embedded audio per SDI input as well as four channels of discrete audio per SDI input. The builtin router provides enhanced access to HD-SDI or SDSDI inputs for multi-image viewing and with dynamic assignment or by recalling presets, a user can assign sources to up to three different screens or display the video sources more than once. Regardless of the input, signal conversion occurs automatically based upon the router output settings. The unit’s compact size makes it suitable for mobile production applications.

Techtel: (02) 9906 1488 or www.techtel.tv

Coolux has four new software tools to chuck in your virtual toolbox. The Pandoras Box Image Converter can recalculate images prior to use, in order to maximise the overall system’s performance efficiency. It also offers high performance batch conversions and can turn image sequences into video files. The Dome Master is a spherical map converter that allows the conversion of dome master files to spherical map files.

Its sub-pixel accuracy allows optimum image sharpness for large scale projections and processes up to 8k files.

The Splitter can create files for panoramic projections and/or dome projections. The Splitter allows users to render out the individual split files needed for individual projectors. And with the new Matrix Patcher users can work with patches up to full HD resolution and can set up individual fixtures in a variety of sizes. The Matrix Patcher allows the patching of matrixes that can be mixed: for example moving lights and LED fixtures. It comes with an extensive fixtures library.

Show Technology: (02) 9748 1122 or www.showtech.com.au

4/ 3 FROM ETC

5/ INTER-M: 100V FINE LINE

6/ JBL GETS HANG OF IT

Inter-M has an addition to its highly-regarded commercial audio range of matrix systems, playback devices, speakers, remotes and paging units. The new DPA-430H is a 1U, constant voltage (70/100V line) multichannel power amp. On offer are four channels of 300W amplification, each with its own switch mode power supply. The DPA-430H features very low power consumption, is highly efficient and, at less than 10kg, very lightweight. The device provides thermal, DC, over-current and output short protection, features a switchable (65Hz/400Hz) high-pass filter, as well as three-LED level indication. Price: $1940.

Magna Systems: (02) 9417 1111 or www.magnasys.tv

JBL has designed a range of pendant loudspeakers for open architecture and high-ceilinged rooms. The Control Contractor 60 Series look stylish and are suitable for a wide variety of applications and decors, from convention and exhibit spaces to atriums, restaurants and retail stores. Included, easy-to-install hanging hardware features redundant suspension cables and UL listed adjustable-height hangers. JBL’s proprietary conical RBI Radiation Boundary Integrator is adapted from the Vertec Series of line array loudspeakers. RBI combines a large-diameter highfrequency waveguide with low-frequency projection apertures that work in tandem to provide a ‘seamless integration’ of coverage between the two coaxiallymounted drivers. The result is an even pattern control and coverage, where all listeners hear a consistent flat, frequency response. This often allows the use of fewer speakers.

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

ETC has released three new fixtures, the Selador Desire LED luminaires, Source Four Fresnel and outdoor Source Four XT. The Desire line offers three different PAR-shaped chassis. There are seven different colour arrays that cater for specific requirements. Each luminaire features an easy-to-read user-interface that allows users to set special operational modes. Now, cue drum roll... for the first time ever there is a Source Four Fresnel. It uses the same HPL lamp family as other Source Four fixtures and a 750W unit can produce the same light output as traditional 1000W Fresnels.

Finally, the new Source Four XT HID-powered spotlight has the same optical acuity, light output and energy efficiency as standard Source Four HID fixtures, but in a new format constructed to stand up to the elements.

IP65-rated for exterior use, the XT is watertight, dusttight, and can operate safely in extreme temperatures and wet weather.

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

Share Your Knowledge Through LG LG has a wide selection of commercial displays, designed with a robust set of features and engineered for maximum performance and reliability. Engage and inform in any environment, by delivering impactful and innovative signage.

Whether it’s to educate, inform, motivate or simply corporate communications, LG helps you get your message across.

LG Commercial Displays are available in a range of sizes and built for use in various applications.

• • • •

Full HD and HD resolution models Portrait or landscape orientation Multiple software compatibility Distortion free image

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For more information contact the LG Business Solutions Team Telephone: (02) 8805 4409 Visit: www.lg.com.au/business-solutions Email: b2b@lge.com.au

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FEATURE

Found in Space Attention all space cadets! The Victorian Space Science Education Centre makes science fun.

Text:/ Mandy Jones

While most of the adult population has long since lost interest in space – unless, of course, there’s the threat of an asteroid hitting the earth and interrupting a football match or a royal wedding – it remains an area of fascination to most teenagers. To harness this interest, science educators in Victoria have created a space science education facility where secondary teachers and students can experience science curriculum in an engaging and enjoyable way.

Having been established by the Victorian State Government to operate as a specialist mathematics and science centre of excellence, the Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC) has been operating since 2006.

Through the context of space, the centre provides practical and applied opportunities in various science disciplines, including chemistry, physics, biology and geology. VSSEC’s home is an impressive looking building set within the grounds of Strathmore Secondary College in Melbourne’s north west. Resembling a spiral galaxy, the building was designed by Gregory Burgess Architects to capture the imagination of the students and staff who participate in its innovative science programs.

On the day I visit VSSEC, they’re gearing up for an intensive two-week rejuvenation period while the centre is closed over the first term school holidays. I’m taken on a tour of the facility by VSSEC’s Shaun Clarke, an affable young AV and ICT (Information & Communications Technology) technician wearing a black t-shirt emblazoned with “Have you tried switching it off and on again?”.

Shaun is a graduate of Strathmore Secondary College, his computer and audiovisual support to the school beginning while he was still a student. Now employed full-time, it’s apparent that Shaun’s ingenuity is a large part of the centre’s ongoing success.

“It’s a really unique place to work. Each day is totally different – one day I’m pulling cable through a wall, the next I’m fixing computers, so it never gets boring,” Shaun explains.

As a teaching facility, VSSEC is out of this world... literally. Two of the most popular programs that schools can book into are Mission to Mars and Mission to the Orbiting Space Laboratory. Both programs are aimed at Year 9 and 10 students, and require students to work

collaboratively to conduct experiments and solve problems to successfully complete their mission. The audiovisual technology at VSSEC supports the program curriculum by providing content, communications, monitoring and the all-important space-themed atmosphere.

MARS AIN'T NO PLACE TO TEACH A KID

In the Mission to Mars experience, the students spend time as Astronauts, Mission Controllers and Research Scientists. Their experience starts with an introductory film in the theatre where they learn about the mission and their individual roles. Half of the group becomes the mission controllers, so they report to the Mission Control room, while the astronauts head to the Mars briefing room where they get suited up into their spacesuits, backpacks and helmets, and collect the equipment they will need to conduct the experiments. The backpacks assigned to each astronaut contain a custom built low-power computer running Windows XP that provides communication to Mission Control via USB headsets. The battery pack that runs the solid-state drive also powers the fan that supplies air to the astronaut’s helmet.

Shaun explains the communications system used is TeamSpeak V2, a PC-based program most commonly used by gamers to communicate with their teammates. On start-up the computers connect to VSSEC’s Cisco wireless network, run a login script and join the communications server with the correct naming and grouping. The educator running the session can drag and drop students’ logins into different groups to talk, depending on their specific role within the mission. At Mission Control, communication is configured as push-to-talk, whereas for the astronauts it is voice activated.

“This is probably one of the more unusual applications of TeamSpeak, but it is a simple solution, and it works really well,” says Shaun.

Once they are geared up, the astronauts enter the Mars Lander, a small metal-clad chamber which simulates landing on the surface of Mars thanks to some flashing lights, alarms, mechanical noise and muffled announcements. As they push through the doors and exit the lander, the student astronauts find themselves in a Martian landscape of red

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“This is probably one of the more unusual applications of TeamSpeak, but it is a simple solution, and it works really well”

dust and large red boulders. A giant inflatable canvas dome encloses the set helping to create an other-worldly atmosphere, as well as hiding the technical infrastructure beyond. The canvas beautifully diffuses light from the 11 banks of dimmable-ballast, orange-sleeved fluorescent tubes encircling the space. Under the control of an Enttec DMXStreamer, these fluoros are run through a range of pre-programmed sequences to provide effects such as dawn breaking and planetary storms.

A surveillance camera mounted on top of the lander enables Mission Control to monitor the astronauts when they first land on the surface. Once the astronauts set up a portable camera on a communications cart, they communicate with Mission Control who then switch their monitoring source to the portable camera. The mission controllers are then able to monitor and direct the astronauts as they gather their rock and soil samples.

The floor of the Martian surface is a large curved dish sitting over a grid of floorpits. In order to mimic the surface and conditions of Mars, some sections of the floor are heated to simulate lava flow. The VSSEC lab staff use dry ice to freeze another section of the floor prior to each mission so that the astronauts can take an ‘ice core’ sample in their exploration. Subwoofer ‘shakers’ are even installed under the floor so the students can take seismic readings.

HOUSTON: WE’VE SOLVED A PROBLEM

Back at Mission Control, the controllers work their way through mathematical problem solving using custom software to track a solar storm and calculate how long before it will reach the astronauts. If they miscalculate and don’t evacuate the astronauts in time, the Mars surface plunges into darkness and a high-powered Dataflash AF1000 strobe fires up and any astronauts left on the surface are dead.

“Mission to Mars is definitely the most popular program because it’s very hands-on and quite unique.

It’s definitely not something you would find in your local school,” says Shaun.

The effective lighting design for the Mars surface was done by lighting design company Bluebottle, and the

installation and equipment including Dynalite dimmers for the fluoros, an LSC dimmer rack, the Dataflash strobe and eight Selecon Pacifics used for gobo break-ups, were provided by Lightmoves.

To simplify operation of the Mars experience, Shaun plans to integrate the shakers, lighting, floor heaters and dome inflation fans into the facility’s Crestron control system. This will enable them to be controlled from the Crestron TPS-6L touchpanel installed in the Mars briefing room as well as from other Crestron touchpanels throughout the centre. Three of the new Crestron TPMC8X wireless touchpanels have been purchased to replace older model wired touchpanels in the Massimo Room, theatre and a central entry and teaching space. The older units will be re-used in other spaces within VSSEC to further expand the control network.

ROVER CONTROL

The Mars floor is also used for an outreach program Robotic Mission to Mars which takes VSSEC’s Mars Autonomous Science Laboratory program to regional, interstate and international schools by enabling them to remotely control a Mars rover in real time over the internet.

Mission Control is set up with workstations for two six-member teams – the Vikings and the Mariners – and one teacher. Each team member is linked by the TeamSpeak communications loop, and the Mission Director from each team switches content from multiple sources, including remote camera feeds, onto three large plasma screens at the front of the control room via a touchpanel. Shaun reveals the plasmas are to be replaced later in the year

by Sanyo PDG-DWL2500 ultra short throw projectors to create a continuous ultra-wide screen to make it feel more like NASA Mission Control.

The 84-seat theatre used for the Mission to Mars briefings and a range of other programs is also set to undergo an audio and vision overhaul. The current 4:3 NEC projector will be upgraded to two 16:9 Projectiondesign F32 8000-lumen DLP projectors as part of an Infitec HD 3D experience supplied by Jumbo Vision. Additional centre and side positioned JBL 8340A speakers and processing will bring the theatre’s PA up to

A VSSEC astronaut collects a rock sample during a surface mission on Mars. Image courtesy VSSEC

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5.1 surround sound to complement the 3D experience. A Crestron DigitalMedia Distribution Center will provide signal routing for the HD and 3D content, while the surround sound decoding will be handled with an Extron HAE 100 together with an Extron SSP 7.1, all supplied by Soundcorp.

“Soundcorp has been fantastic to us, so they’re now our preferred supplier for a wide variety of equipment. When we find good suppliers like that, we hold onto them,” Shaun noted.

BACK TO EARTH

Once the astronauts are safely back on Earth, they analyse their data and specimens in the research lab. Both the research lab and the Massimo room, which is used as a computer lab and a back-up to Mission Control, are fitted out with projectors and Promethean ActivBoard interactive whiteboards. As part of the upgrade, the Massimo room will also receive new Sanyo PDG-DWL2500 projectors and two of the ActivBoard 587 touch-sensitive whiteboards.

“We’re very dependent on technology here; we’ve got a lot of it, so we have to keep on top of it and upgrade so that we don’t fall behind,” explains Shaun.

VSSEC has made good use of Crestron throughout the facility to integrate the classroom technology with the more complex requirements of Mission Control and the Mars surface. Crestron has supported VSSEC by providing them access to the programming software and tools to enable Shaun to code new additions to the system and patch the old code to eliminate bugs.

“Being able to write the code in-house has made all the difference. If we didn’t have access to the software and tools we wouldn’t have achieved the system integration that we have, purely because of the programming costs. The system is capable of so much and I know what we want it to do.

Having the ability to change things as we need has made it a much better option and that’s why we’ve spent thousands of dollars on more Crestron gear,” Shaun explains.

VSSEC is an audiovisual integration success story – a great example of simple technologies used in complex ways to create and support an innovative learning environment. 

Cloud 9 Aerial Photography

Photo: Danielle Shean

Top: Inspired by the shape of a spiral galaxy (like our own Milky Way), the VSSEC sits in the grounds of Melbourne's Strathmore Secondary College.

Centre: Currently undergoing a technology upgrade, the Massimo Room with its electronic whiteboard, data projector and computer per student was once the cutting edge of education technology.

Bottom: Mission Control is a hive of frenzied activity during a Mars mission.

Opposite: An astronaut returns to the Mars Lander air lock after successfully completing a surface mission.

MORE INFO Victorian Space Science Centre: www.vssec.vic.edu.au Bluebottle: www.bluebottle.com.au Lightmoves (Dynalite, Selecon, Enttec, LSC): www.lightmoves.com.au Jumbo Vision (projectiondesign, Infitec): www.jumbovision.com.au Soundcorp (Crestron, Extron, JBL): www.soundcorp.com.au GT Innovations (Promethean, Sanyo): www.gtinnovations.com.au Crestron: www.crestron.com.au Photo: Danielle Shean

Eye to Eye

ImmersiveTelepresence

SEEING IS BELIEVING Eye contact is an essential aspect of human communication. DVE provides a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;real lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Telepresence experience using patented beamsplitter technology behind the image for a perfect eye level perspective and improved eye contact.

Image courtesy VSSEC

Contact IDT for a demonstration 1300 666 099 sales@idt.com.au www.idt.com.au

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FEATURE

WA State Theatre Centre Can ‘design by committee’ really work? Yes, it can.

As this major theatre development in Perth will attest.

Text:/ Graeme Hague

It’s either alarming or impressive just how many different people and organisations were involved in the consultation for the new State Theatre Centre in Perth. Over 50 sources of supposed expertise took part in the initial ‘what, where and how’ planning phase, and once the drafting pencils were sharpened, a further 70 specialists, ranging from performers to traffic engineers, were invited to have their say. This could be seen as an exhaustive process for creating the perfect venue or the cynics among us will suggest it’s a recipe for disaster with too many cooks... so let’s see how it turned out and we’ll make up our own minds.

ADDED TO THE LEDGER

A quick history lesson: the need for a new theatrical venue was finally accepted in late 2003, after being demanded by the performing arts community for several decades. With the millwheel of government grinding at its usual pace, actual work began four years later at the end of October 2007, with a projected finish time of 110 weeks. Most of the intervening period was used for further consultation and architectural design. The grand opening was in January 2011– do the sums and you’ll realise that’s nearly 60 weeks overdue (serves them right for measuring things in weeks, which just makes it sound worse). For the record it was shortly after construction began that Heath Ledger got his red pills mixed up with the green ones and performed the ultimate stage exit, causing a brief flurry of controversy over the naming of the new centre, and resulting in the main auditorium being called the Heath Ledger Theatre. However, the entire complex is known as the State Theatre Centre and is a part of a greater cultural hub for Perth that includes the State Library, Art Gallery, Institute for Contemporary Arts, an amphitheatre and the State Museum in the same block. Northbridge, the city’s nightlife mecca is right next door, so you can go from porn to Picasso in one short stroll.

Even with the predictable building delays a little more than three years is a pretty short timeframe to knock together a new theatre complex smack in the middle of the city. Mind you, it’s not completely finished. You can find a

few unpainted doors and evidence of unfinished carpentry. But the unusually long consultation and design period begs the question: how well did they allow for the inevitable advances in technology that would occur during the construction? Did they keep pace with the latest thinking in lighting, audio, staging and network control systems?

STAIRING INTO SPACE

There’s one thing I can tell you that will have the old theatre hands choking on their pints of Guinness. There is a lift to the main control room – a lift for goodness’ sake! What happened to break-neck staircases that you can’t fit a console or a followspot through?

Anyway, don’t worry, because among the new and innovative aspects of the STC they still managed to throw in a few familiar gremlins we’ve seen before.

The STC provides two proper performance spaces, the Heath Ledger Theatre (HLT) with a maximum of 575 seats (which includes 39 removable seats that occupy the forestage/ lift area) and the Studio Underground which is a 234-seat ‘black box’ type of venue with retractable seating, that can host anything from traditional small theatre to a game of basketball – no, no one’s going to be slam-dunking in there anytime soon, but you get the idea. There is also The Courtyard, which is an outdoor functions area with a ‘bring everything you need’ setup.

When you walk out onto the Heath Ledger Theatre stage, the auditorium before you is revealed in all its splendour of warm timber and natural colours. All the steps, walls, reflective surfaces and lighting clouds are made from Tasmanian Blackwood and as head technician Graham Piper likes to joke, if the tree wasn’t an endangered species before, it sure as hell must be now. What’s left back in Tasmania must look like the Gobi Desert. Seating is 405 in the stalls and 107 in the dress circle.

TEETHING? SOMETHING TO CHEW ON

As you look towards the rear of the lower auditorium you notice one of those aforementioned gremlins – on a ubiquitous folding trestle table and courtesy of dismantling a number of the back row seats is a makeshift

The auditorium of the Heath Ledger Theatre Photo: Eva Fernández

FEATURE

FOH mixing position. Yes, even in 2011 theatre consultants still believe that sound can travel unaffected through glass or that the alternative – opening the control room windows – won’t annoy the crap out of the nearest punters when they hear the show operators talking. The standard, although never adequate, solution of installing the sound desk against the back wall was put in place as soon as the experts turned their backs.

Similarly, except in reverse, behind the dress circle a followspot booth, equipped with a pair of Robert Juliat 1.2kW MSD Topaze spots, originally didn’t have glass, and the dome operators found it impossible to work without disturbing nearby audience members. The jury is still out whether glass in front of a followspot is a good thing, but in this case sound-proofing the booth became a priority.

ON STAGE

The stage is a ‘resilient’ surface, suitable for dancing, and is considered sacrificial, meaning head technician Graham Piper will only wince a little bit if you start punching screws into it – it’s allowed, but he doesn’t have to like it. This is a traditional proscenium arch stage, measuring 12m wide and 9m high (a false pro’ and house borders can close this down). Measuring 25m from wall-to-wall and 18m from the back wall to the front edge of the forestage, the stage area somehow looks too big for such a small and intimate auditorium. It’s a clear, uncluttered stage; apart from another lift in the back corner that goes up to the grid system (these guys are going to need an in-house gym to tackle staff obesity issues!). The wide-open wing spaces are mostly a result of the absence of any manual flying system at stage level.

Jands supplied and commissioned all the technical equipment throughout the venue except for the in-house audio installation, which was supplied by Jands, but installed by Perth-based Vizcom Technologies. Above the stage, the 54 onstage fly-lines and four fulllength panorama bars are suspended on electric winches controlled by a Stage Technologies Nomad system that allows complete programming and automation of fly cues. The Nomad includes a proprietary console and

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display using Windows-based software. A 3D image of the stage and a colour-coded graphic of the flybar positions is a straightforward interface and simply pressing command keys to make things go up and down is just weird – and awesome. There’s no creaking ropes or noisy lock levers, nobody loses a headset trying to peer onto the darkness above and you’ll never hear a weight cradle crashing into the limits.

The system operates very quietly indeed and, in fact, in the interests of safety there are two camera feeds of the stage area using infra-red to keep the flying system visible during black-outs.

The fly-bars can sneak down on the unwary.

INCREASED OVERHEADS? COOL

Twenty metres overhead, ranged alongside the grid, is a bank of 58 Jands SP650 hoists.

A hyper-sensitive lanyard offers instant shutdown of the system should anything untoward happen in this area and I could see Graham Piper was ready to slap my wrist, if I was tempted to try an experimental wriggle. Apparently it takes some mucking around to reset.

Lighting for the main stage comes from three FOH bridges and additional circuits on the circle rail and in the perches. Overhead the lighting bars are made up of 24 of Jands JLX Pro bars – these are 3.5m-long sections with a dozen dimmer outlets on each and while a standard lighting rig is always in place, the JLX Pros allow for much more flexibility, not to mention that moving entire lighting bars may never happen at the STC. 408 DIMMER CHANNELS

The lighting console is an ETC EOS 5000 and true to Murphy’s Law, with someone like me arriving to check things out, the HLT’s EOS was busted and laying on the floor waiting for a replacement. It’s merely proof that ‘shit happens’, as the poetic turn of phrase goes. In the meantime the Studio Underground’s ION has been patched in. Talking of patches, the HLT has 360 channels of Jands 2.5kW HPC12 dimmers and 48 channels of Jands 5kW HPD6 dimmers configured in a ‘dimmer per outlet’ setup – so there’s no load patch.

The profile spots in the lighting rig consist of 40 x 5°-12° Selecon 800W Pacifics, together

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Image courtesy Jands

Photo: Eva Fernández

Photo: Graeme Hague

Above: The proscenium arch and stage of the Heath Ledger Theatre during construction of the main grid.

Top Right : The bleacher seating in the Underground Studio seen from above the SlingCo CableNet mesh grid.

Right: The magnificent lift that transports the technical staff to the control room and followspot positions.

with 80 x 15°-30°and 20 x 25°-50° ETC 750W Source Fours. The Fresnel spots are all Selecon (50 x 1.2kW and 20 x 2kW) as are the PC spots (40 x 1.2kW and 10 x 2kW). The rig is rounded out with 70 x ETC 750W Source Four PARs. Forty years after they first appeared, the top cyclorama floods are Quartzcolor Iris 4s, complemented by Orion groundrows. The dozen Vari-Lite movers lurking in the rig (6 x VL3500Q and 6 x VLX LED washlights) should come in handy, too.

Late in the scheme of things, a Pathport DMX-over-Ethernet network was introduced to handle DMX512 distribution, protocol conversion, merging and routing: an improvement that Graham Piper is very pleased to have achieved. For additional flexibility the venue also has a Wireless Solution BlackBox S-2000 two-universe W-DMX transmitter and 8 x BlackBox R-512 single-universe receivers.

AUDIO: AN UNUSUAL ARRAY

The main L/R FOH speakers in the Heath Ledger Theatre are the first installation in WA of the new JBL Vertec 4886 array speakers,

complete with a 4883 subwoofer on each side.

Meyer speaker cabinets take care of the centre cluster (2 x UPA1P), front stage fills and under balcony fills (MM4 for both). Both the HLT and Studio Underground are equipped with Digidesign Venue SC48 mixing consoles.

On the HLT stage, the audio design stipulated microphone patch points spread around in separate traps, a very theatrical concept that can drive an audio engineer crazy when you’re trying to mike up a full band or orchestra and really want a single, integrated patch-bay for all channels. In particular, wiring up musicians in the pit (created by the Serapid LinkLift-driven forestage dropping to pit level) was going to be difficult. Graham Piper grabbed the opportunity when he was making changes for the new, rear sound mix position (with its state-of-the-art folding table). He installed Cat5e cabling and purchased a 32-channel digital multicore. Problem solved.

SLINGCO: ON THE GRID

There have been no serious problems to solve in the Studio Underground and as a performance

arena it certainly isn’t playing second fiddle to the HLT. A lot of people prefer it, because of its flexibility and high production specifications, in a space that offers intimacy with the audience.

The Studio is also home to the first ever installation of Slingco’s CableNet system in Australia.

CableNet is a wire grid ‘virtual floor’ that provides standing access to your lighting fixtures above. It’s like a very tight, wire-mesh trampoline constructed from 3mm wire at 70mm centres. The whole point of CableNet is to provide a work environment for lighting riggers high over the stage that doesn’t require ladders or scissor-lifts, yet under recommended conditions, the mesh has only a negligible effect on the focus or intensity of the lights shining through it.

Walking on it, the CableNet does give under your weight quite a bit, but you feel stable and perfectly safe. Each section of CableNet in the Studio is rated at 250kg – which isn’t a lot (and made me think again about the burger and fries I had earlier). In the STC that limit is strictly supervised. Still, working to that safety limit,

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FEATURE

MORE INFO Clearcom: www.clearcom.com Avid: www.avid.com ETC: www.etcconnect.com Jands: www.jands.com.au JBL: www.jblpro.com Meyer: www.meyersound.com Quartzcolor: www.quartzcolor.eu Robert Juliat: robertjuliat.com Selecon: www.seleconlight.com Serapid (lift): www.serapid.com SlingCo (CableNet): www.slingco.com Stage Technologies (Nomad): stagetech.com

Photo: Eva Fernández

Photo: Graeme Hague

Image courtesy Jands

Image courtesy Jands

Top: The State Theatre Centre viewed from the Horshoe Bridge. Left: The HLT FOH audio setup in its newly-created position, where audio operators can actually hear the show they're mixing.

Centre: The Nomad automation console with its 3D positional display and big red E-Stop button. Right: Some of the 58 Nomad-controlled Jands SP650 hoists that carry the flying bars in the HLT.

there’s the potential that two overweight lighting riggers, each carrying a pair of 2K fresnels, could theoretically plunge to their deaths, which would be a tragedy – no venue can afford to replace valuable equipment like that!

UNDERGROUND: NO RESISTANCE

Lighting fixtures in the Studio are rigged to either the handrails of the walkways or to sections of square truss spanning between them. At the business end of the room (opposite the retractable seating) two more lengths of square truss are suspended from four intelligent chain hoists.

The dimmers here are another 180 channels of the 2.5kW Jands HPC12s. The lighting console is that ETC ION currently filling in for the recalcitrant EOS in the Heath Ledger Theatre.

If you were wondering, and a lot of people apparently ask, and the answer is: no, the seating in the Studio can’t be partially retracted. It’s an all or nothing arrangement and thankfully the system is motorised so there’s no need to crewcall 10 people for four hours each just to shove the seating back.

Behind the Studio Underground performance

area is a rehearsal space identical in dimensions to the Heath Ledger Theatre stage above and with the same resilient floor surface. Potentially you can have someone using the HLT and the Studio Underground and have a third company rehearsing as well. Large loading docks cater for all spaces, and include (another) very large lift measuring 5m (L) x 2.5m (W) x 3m (H) that services the HLT from the Roe Street level.

Okay, this is AV and I’ve got this far without mentioning a single plasma display or LCD television. The HLT boasts a Barco CLM HD8 8000 lumen projector to be used as needed and the Studio Underground offers a Sanyo PLC-WTC500L 5000 lumen projector. Display screens are scattered throughout the venue providing show relay and digital signage in the foyer, all controlled via Brightsign and a Crestron controller. Graham Piper is responsible for updating the content every three or four weeks.

FIT FOR PURPOSE

The STC already has a full calendar of plays stretching into the years ahead, and a close affiliation with the Perth Theatre Company

and Black Swan Theatre Company. It’s this strong sense of purpose in the STC’s design that’s successful. Nobody tried to make it too versatile, ending up compromising anything – or potentially everything – in an effort to provide a multi-purpose venue. The performance spaces do what they’re designed to do very well and the emphasis is on artistic endeavour not commercial success.

You wouldn’t call the STC perfect or ‘cutting edge’ since most of the technology – apart from the CableNet – has been around a while. But they have used the latest available of that technology and the designers and consultants continued to adapt the plans to new developments right up to the last moment.

So I think it’s safe to say all those dozens of consultants and specialists got it almost right.

Without doubt the State Theatre Centre is the sort of venue that production companies will look forward to occupying for many years to come. If you ever see a big Monty Pythonesque thumbs-up come down from the clouds above Roe Street, that’ll be Heath. 

032

FEATURE

The House that IP Built A residence with real backbone.

Text:\ Andy Ciddor Images:\ Dean Schmideg

Open the racks of any modern building and there’s no doubt about the outcome of the battle of the protocols between the AV, entertainment, telecommunications and data processing industries. From way out, on the far-right of the field, came the US Defence Advance Research Projects Agency armed with TCP/IP, a network protocol suite so robust, reliable and flexible, that it has swept all before it. Now pretty much everything, even in the residential technology sector, can be delivered over an IP stream – except of course, the water.

When a couple in Melbourne’s inner South-East brought in architect Ian Perkins to design a sweeping renovation and major extensions to their Edwardian home, he invited Connected Living’s Sasha Apel to talk to his clients about the possibilities for audiovisual facilities in what was effectively a new construction within the shell of the house.

“From the outset it was clear the clients were interested to know about every possibility that could make their home more flexible, more adaptable and easier to live in,” explains Apel. “They were accustomed to using information and communications technology in their workplace, making them open to ideas and technologies that have not yet been widely adopted in residential projects”.

“We were initially discussing how the various audio and video sources could be shared around the house, but the scope of the work just kept expanding until it became clear that what we were doing was specifying a residence with an IP backbone – and then things really got exciting.”

HD OVER IP

The video requirement for was for the distribution to six of the new Samsung D series screens of Blu-ray HD playback, Apple TV plus an HD feed from the Foxtel iQ cable video receiver. This could be either live from cable or replayed from the PVR incorporated into the iQ set-top box.

Rather than attempting to do this with dedicated UTP cables, baluns, distribution amplifiers and a switch matrix, Apel chose to use Just Add Power’s 1G ‘HD over IP’ product. This system handles each HDMI (2D or 3D, plus audio) source as a separate VLAN on the household gigabit Ethernet network. Every screen has a local receiver box connected to the Ethernet LAN. The receiver selects the appropriate VLAN for its program, then scales and converts the data stream to HDMI. After some discussion about potential arguments and priority program selection for the parents in the main lounge

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FEATURE

Top: 40-inch Samsung panel in the kitchen can be panned to cover both the kitchen and dining areas. Left & Centre : Helios video/VoIP entry panels at the front gate and the front door.

Right: The rear of a television panel is fitted with a Just Add Power HDMI receiver in addition to feeds from the MATV system and the LAN for remote control and web access.

room, that room was eventually allocated a dedicated local Foxtel box and its own Blu-ray player. The wisdom of that decision will no doubt save decades of family squabbles.

UNIVERSAL REMOTE

Source selection, cable channel selection, replay transport control, and flat panel control, along with the audio zone controls for each room are achieved through local ‘universal’ RF (433MHz) remote handsets on the household RTI control network. Because the electrical contractor had already started work on the project before Connected Living was consulted, the C-Bus lighting network is not directly integrated with many of the other functions in the house. However, a gateway between the RTI system and the C-Bus has been established and will be exploited for future integration.

Once there is a gigabit LAN and 802.11n WiFi running to every room in the house, the possibilities begin to expand, so it makes perfect sense to route the cable broadband feed onto the same LAN for distributed internet

access. And you may as well use the network for audio distribution while you’re at it. A Xiva musicm8 serves as the network repository of music, ripping discs and serving out audio to a range Sonos ZonePlayers delivering music via wired Ethernet and the Sonos wireless mesh, to wherever it’s needed in the house.

GXV3140 multimedia phones with video screens and built-in cameras. These terminals not only allow for video calls around the house and the potential for video calls via SIP/VoIP when everybody finally implements it in the same way, they also tie into the household security and monitored-entry system.

PHONE EXCHANGE

OPEN SESAME

If you’ve got the LAN in every room, it would be pretty pointless to throw in runs of telecomms two-pair to a couple of rooms for phones and an answering machine, particularly if the client is familiar with the capabilities of a modern PABX in their business.

The installed Pika WARP Asterisk VoIP PABX includes all of the unified messaging features you would expect in a modern multiline PABX, including voicemail, videomail and a couple of PSTN (POTS) ports as fallback.

The existing household PSTN copper line has been retained for those days when the cable broadband connection takes a sabbatical.

In addition to the single cordless handset, the six fixed handsets are Grandstream’s

The 2N Helios IP door communicator panels, located at the font door and the front gate, include full duplex VoIP audio, H264 video and relay contacts suitable for operating a remote door release. Connected to and powered by the Ethernet backbone, these panels allow remote video and audio monitoring of the entrances via any of the telephone handsets along with door release. The panels are also configured to provide keyless entry to the front gate and front door. With a few more lines of code they could probably also be configured as phone handsets, TV remote controls or games terminals.

A gigabit TCP/IP network that’s handling up to three HD video streams, half a dozen VoIP camera phones, audio streams running in

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FEATURE

Above: Despite the distributed vision network, for the sake of parental sanity, the main lounge room television also has its own dedicated, Foxtel iQ set-top box, Bluray player and Integra receiver/amplifier.

Right: Next to the laundry, in the cupboard where you would rightly expect to find the ironing board and mop, there's a roll-out 19-inch equipment rack, complete with network switches, VoIP PABX, MATV distribution, and a vast range of media storage, distribution and control gear.

Below: The C-Bus lighting control touch panel beside by a distinctly low-technology air conditioning temperature sensor.

all directions, internet access, local printing and file backups and visitors popping in at the front door for a cup of sugar, is going to be a slightly frantic place. While the VoIP PABX puts on a brave front and tries to manage the Quality of Service (QOS) of its own voice calls, it’s the big VLANs full of HDMI that really eats big chunks of bandwidth if the video streams aren’t to stutter and jump. It’s hardly any wonder then that Just Add Power insists that its systems operate on networks with managed switches and QOS management.

One of the more interesting tasks for Connected Living during the installation and commissioning of this soon-to-be-frantic household network was balancing bandwidth allocations in the main network managed switch. The QOS priorities chosen put smooth, coherent VoIP calls at the head of the queue, followed by the HDMI streams to the monitor screens, then finally the streaming audio. It seems that mundane tasks like email, file transfers, printing and web surfing will only get the table scraps of bandwidth at busy times in this household.

MORE POTENTIAL

While Connected Living has gone for broke with IP functionality, and built in the potential to expand the current system to include such possibilities as video conferencing and IP TV over broadband, it has also acknowledged that future owners of the property may not feel so technologically inclined. To that end it has included a little POTS phone wiring, an MATV system and runs of RG6 to each screen in case anyone should chose to watch their TV off the air. Belt, braces and piece of string. 

MORE INFO Connected Living: (03) 9029 4343 or www.connectedliving.com.au Remote Technologies Inc.: www.rticorp.com Just Add Power: www.justaddpower.com Grandstream Networks Inc.: www.grandstream.com 2N Telekomunikace: www.2n.cz Sonos Inc: www.sonos.com Xiva: www.xiva.com Pika Technologies Inc.: www.pikatechnologies.com Samsung: www.samsunglfd.com

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036

FEATURE

Frigid Fingers, Frozen Faders MTVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Snow Jam snow jammed.

Text:\ Tim Stackpool

Image courtesy MTV Network

FEATURE

For our European cousins, staging outdoor events in freezing, snow-laden conditions is common fare. In that part of the world, we see soccer matches and stadium concerts proceed in rain, hail or sleet. But for Australians, the story is a bit different. Often we struggle to keep concert systems alive by keeping them cool, while operating under intense heatwave conditions. There’s nothing better than a hot summer concert series in this country.

Consider then, the challenge of staging an international snowboard championship and outdoor concert on the Thredbo ski-fields in August 2010, just 24 hours after the resort receives record snowfalls between the rig and the show.

Jo McArthur, the event manager from Starchild Productions pulled together teams from Cairellie, Technical Direction Company (TDC), Butlers and Figure 8 Audio to stage MTV’s Snow Jam, a free live-music event featuring local and internationally acclaimed acts, Bliss N Eso, Operator Please and Queensland DJ duo, Stafford Brothers.

Earlier in the day, an international line-up of snowboarders competed in the MTV Big Air competition, also part of the event and included in MTV’s coverage.

While the broadcast systems and LED screen backdrop were supplied by TDC, the lighting, audio and communications were the responsibility of Cairellie, with all members of the team reminded of the fact that ‘it might snow’.

Cairellie began their bump-in on the Monday prior to the Thursday show, in order to allow for the contingency of a snowfall extending the rig time. The weather did remain fine, however, with much of the systems in place by the Monday evening. Broadcast bump-in began around 11am the day before the show, with all rigging pretty much complete by 9pm that night. “When we arrived on-site we had very little snow to deal with, so the initial install was trouble-free, with cold being just a minor factor. We were aware of the possibility of snow so where possible we ran our cables high,” said TDC’s broadcast technical director, Olin Winton.

037

to be considered for ‘snow’ proofing. The concern was if it got cold enough, the cable might snap if moved.”

Two generators were used to provide clean power for the event, one dedicated to production power, the other to heating.

Initially the production company’s intention was to shut the gen sets down overnight to eliminate noise. However, the plan changed, as it was decided to keep them running continuously, to guarantee the continued operation of the technical gear in the cold conditions. A dedicated ‘warm room’ marquee was also created to keep critical equipment within its operating temperature range.

The TDC broadcast crew determined they needed more than a mere marquee for TV operations. “We needed an OB truck for this event,” Olin said. “So we fitted out a truck and it worked really well, where we had both audio and video paths located in the one truck. The audio multi-tracking was done in a separate truck.”

To keep the gear safe and dry, any equipment not being immediately used was stored in the ‘warm room’. Outdoors, the TV cameras were covered with standard wet-weather gear along with tarps for extra protection. “We held off from building the LED backdrop until three hours before the show,” Olin said. “This was done due to the strong winds and our concern about prolonged exposure of the LED to the cold. The LED performed flawlessly in these cold conditions, by the way.”

THAT CALL IN THE NIGHT

And the cold did come. By around 3am on the morning before the event, Thredbo recorded a fall of snow reaching a record 550mm, for the previous 24 hours. Cairellie’s Stephen Knight was awoken with a phone call: “It was feared the roof of the Butlers stage was going to cave-in due to the weight of the snow.

Someone came up with the ‘great’ idea that turning on 12 Molefay Duets (at 1.3kW each) would magically melt the snow off the roof.

It would have had little effect, but at least the call alerted me to the conditions, and we could attend appropriately to our gear. I then looked out the window of the accommodation and noticed snow up to waist height. The car park had pretty much disappeared.” Audio technician (and apparent survival expert) Alistair Munroe overheard Stephen’s phone conversation and joined him in ‘wading’ across to the venue. “Driving was not an option at all,” he said.

According to Knight, when they finally reached the outdoor venue, all the sub-woofers

ALL DUE CARE

All cabling installed for the show was run approximately 900mm above the ground level by either attaching it to fencing, scaffolding, staging, or up over the sides of the production marquee. “This proved worthwhile when it snowed,” said Cairellie’s Stephen Knight. “We could get to all the cable if we had to, and it didn’t get stuck when we left. Everything had Top: An unusual variation on sweeping the stage before show time. Middle: Cameras in their snow gear. These rostrum tops will never sit flat enough for a camera track again.

Bottom: Cables strung up along the fence to keep them from being buried in the snow. Photographer: Olin Winton

038

FEATURE

Image courtesy MTV Network

had disappeared under about 1.2m of snow, some of which had been shovelled off the roof by the staging crew. “The whole venue floor was about 400mm deep in snow. We spent about two and a half hours getting everything out and clear. Al (Munroe) climbed the PA towers and cleared all the snow from the PA as I cleared the stage. We dug out a bit of the FOH cabling that was slightly undercover… we had already propped this up on timber the night before for this reason. Lastly the lighting on the FOH tower had to be cleared of snow as all the moving lights were sitting deep in it!”

MTV’s production manager Luke Shave agrees the conditions were certainly noteworthy: “The record snow falls made it challenging, to say the least,” he said. “No one expected to have to deal with the amount of snow that fell over that period. Walking down to the site in the morning and seeing the whole site, including the main stage, just covered in snow was something you don’t see everyday.”

THE UNKINDEST CUT

For the broadcast guys, the drama was similar: “We shot this event using four triax-based cameras (i.e. with remote CCU) and two ENG (stand alone) cameras, firstly shooting the Big Air contest, then resetting for the concert. Snow clearing machines were

used to re-open pathways, however, these lawnmower-type machines cut through two of our cables approximately half an hour before we were to begin the broadcast,” said TDC’s Olin Winton. “Luckily we had a spare 400m of triax available to rerun from the FOH position from the OB compound. By the time bump-out started, our cables running to the Big Air event had been buried under a large amount of snow. This was possibly the worst part of the whole show, as they had to be dug out from under a metre of compressed snow and ice in -7°C temperatures at 10pm.” [Even so, it’s way cleaner that rolling up a multicore after a pub gig – Ed] During the event, the crew contended with an interesting range of challenges presented by the elements: “The Digidesign Profile at FOH started losing faders as it got colder, which was essentially caused by condensation on them. The computer decided that we had our fingers on all these damp faders and therefore wouldn’t move them when switching pages,” Cairellie’s Stephen Knight told AV. “But the Yamaha PM5D monitor console, splits, all RF, all amps and power for audio was in an enclosed marquee on stage left. Andrew McKeown (monitor system tech) basically lived in that room wearing what could have been shorts and a t-shirt. All the gear kept it warm.”

Considering the challenges, it’s obvious that the success of the event lies beyond the special effects, the fireworks and the equipment, with key personnel ensuring ‘the show must go on’. “It was great working with everyone involved in this event,” TDC’s Olin Winton said. “Working under these conditions can be very trying, but everyone pulled together to make this event happen, especially the riggers who worked all night clearing snow off the roof in difficult conditions.” MTV’s Luke Shaves shares a similar perspective: “All crew and support staff did an amazing job. We did have some ‘moments’, but at the end of the day everyone put in a huge effort to make it happen. Although the snow was a nightmare to deal with, it made the on air show look amazing!”

Cairellie’s Stephen Knight concurs: “Without the staff we had there, this event technically would have been far more challenging that it already was. They were a great group of committed guys. Seeing millions of dollars of gear in that weather scared the heck out of me but we all worked together and got it all back safely after a successful event.”

MTV Snow Jam is an annual event and a regular production on the MTV calendar. It has been held previously in New Zealand, Falls Creek, Thredbo and Japan. The 2011 location will be announced shortly. 

NETWORKED PROGRAMMABLE DSP SYSTEMS

PRODUCTION TEAM Jackub Jacko: video director Olin Winton: technical director Anthony Pellizzari: LED tech & camera assistant Dean Maddox: camera assistant Stephen Knight: Cairellie TD & lighting systems tech Nathan Jones: front of house & audio systems engineer Andrew McKeown: monitor system tech Alistair Munroe: audio technician & general survival expert Andrew Carson: senior communications tech Matt Carr: lighting & comms tech Michael Lofgren: general tech/driver

Th e S o u n dw e b L o n d o n 1 0 0 S e r i e s r e p r e s e n ts a p r e mi u m, o p e n- a rch i t e c t u r e s o l u ti o n i n th e f o r m o f a h ig h l y f l e x i b l e , c o s t-e f f e c tive a n d s c a l a b l e p a ck a g e .

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Lighting: grandMA fullsize console LSC TDS touring dimmer system 12 x Vari-Lite VL3000 spot 8 x Vari-Lite VL3500 wash 16 x Vari-Lite VL2500 spot 8 x Vari-Lite VL2500 wash Molefay Duets ETC Source Four PARs

Comms: 120 x handheld two-way radios Clearcom Tempest wireless system with 6 x Tempest duplex beltpacks Clearcom Eclipse matrix system with 16 x V-Series stations

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040

REVIEW

Brightline i-Series LED Monitor Light Text:\ Andy Ciddor

Maybe this guy is a vet, otherwise it's hard to know why he's videoconferencing with a dog.

Desktop videoconferencing is the wave of the present.

Until now the big money has been going into specialist videoconferencing (VC) rooms with very large screens that try (sometimes quite successfully) to give the impression that you’re talking to someone on the other side of the desk rather than in another city. Such rooms usually have been set up properly, with quality furniture, air conditioning, acoustic treatment, cameras, audio system design and lighting, to make the occupants comfortable and to produce a reasonable quality of conferencing for the executives who have been coerced into giving up the hospitality of the Qantas lounge and the comfort of the Presidential suite to save the planet/shareholder’s money.

Meanwhile those of us who use VC everyday to deal with our clients and suppliers, simply used the consumables budget to buy a decent-quality USB webcam from our usual on-line supplier, downloaded a recent version of Skype on to the office computer and got on with the job. Unfortunately the quality of much low-budget VC looked and sounded just that: low budget. As bandwidth becomes available, codecs improve and interconnect standards are actually followed, such impediments as low resolution and low refresh rate video and the vile halfrate GSM audio codec are fading into the past, and we can now actually make out what’s going on at the other end.

WHISTLING IN THE DARK

Even though we can see an acceptable-quality video image of the person at the other end of the hook-up, we still can’t make out their facial expressions because they’re poorly lit by the overhead office lighting or the window behind them. Enter the i-Series videoconference fixtures from Brightline.

Brightline is a video luminaire company which recognised there was a whole lot of lighting for video cameras that had nothing to do with television and corporate video production, so a few years ago they branched into developing unobtrusive videoconference lighting. Their first offerings were some clever fluorescent fixtures for VC rooms, meeting rooms and media conference facilities. The i-Series takes this idea forward several strides by providing LED light sources expressly designed for desktop VC from normal offices.

The i-Series is a stylish and reasonably unobtrusive linear luminaire that sits immediately above a video monitor to illuminate the person sitting in front of the screen. Its dimmable linear array of LED sources, set behind a soft diffuser panel, constitute a softlight with quite gentle shadows, and a useful amount of wrap-around on the person’s face. There’s certainly little risk that facial features will be obscured, or expressions missed, by other conference participants.

While this clearly constitutes sufficient illumination, as someone who lit their first face for TV broadcast nearly 40 years ago, I have to confess that I dislike the flat, shadowless look of a face lit from directly above the camera (despite its adoption in far too many news studios). I suppose I really have to get over it and accept that VC doesn’t have quite the same production values as TV drama.

SELECTING YOUR SHADE OF WHITE

Which brings us to the matters of colour temperature, colour rendering and dimming with LED sources. In a business environment, with its random cocktail of daylight, tungsten and a dozen or so shades of White fluoro sources, the ‘3200K’ from the i-Series Warm White LEDs renders skin tones quite pleasantly. Even though there is a noticeable, magenta shift as the fixture is dimmed, it’s well within the range of acceptability for desktop VC. The i-Series luminaires come fitted with an egg-crate grid to keep the light from straying too far around the office. In its position above the central screen in my three-monitor setup, the demo i-S/22 produced no nuisance reflections or spill on the other monitors. More importantly, as I sit typing this review wearing my computer glasses (without much antiglare treatment) and with the fixture at full intensity above the monitor (something that you wouldn’t often do in normal office use), the glare is quite tolerable and certainly low enough to be able to read the screen comfortably during a conference session. Being an LED source also means that very little infrared light is produced to make the output hot, although some heat is generated in the body of the fixture from cooling the LED devices.

REVIEW

TOA Type H Column Line Array

MONITOR MOUNTED

The fixture is mounted via the standard VESA screw receptacles found on virtually all flat screen monitors. Through a series of slotted holes on the VESA mounting plate system and a cute little gooseneck that links to the head of the luminaire a fair range of positions are achievable. Even so, with all adjustments at maximum height, I was barely able to squeeze my slender Logitech 9000 webcam (like the one in the pictures above) between the demo i-S/22 and my very average-sized Asus 26-inch central monitor. To address this problem a goosneck extension will soon be available There is also a weighted-base stand with a long gooseneck available for situations where monitor mounting is not an option, such as using your laptop.

The external power supply units for the i-Series are common, notebook-style switchmode devices that run off any available (100 260V) mains supply. The fixture comes with an inline LED dimmer between the PSU and the head of the luminaire. While this adds considerably to the convenience and flexibility of the luminaire, its very short cable tail left the control knob hanging right behind the luminaire in a very uncomfortable-to-reach position. I’m told that this has been commented on by others and that future shipments of i-Series fixtures will be supplied with longer cables, to place the level control in a more accessible position.

The i-Series are an important step in improving the visual quality of the increasingly-widespread practice of desktop videoconferencing. I’m working on a strategy to convince our publisher that it’s essential to the prestige of the magazine for me to have an i-Series luminaire for my important videoconferences.  Available in Australia from Herma Technologies: 1300 730 025 or info@herma.com.au www.herma.com.au

Controlled dispersion helps to achieve constant sound levels in the room, while at the same time avoiding problematic areas. Being only 84mm wide these speakers will provide high quality, discreet audio, in a slim-line, stylish package.

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042

REVIEW

Wings Platinum 4 AV Stumpfl’s image display system is a real contender.

Text:\ Paul Newton

A few issues ago I wrote an article comparing various multi-image display software applications, namely, Watchout, Pandoras Box, OnlyView and Hippotizer.

One application that was not included, for no other reason other than it is relatively unheard of (or utilised) in this part of the world, was Wings Platinum 4.

After a recent comprehensive viewing of this product at AV Stumpfl’s Australian offices in Sydney, I was both surprised and impressed with some of the capabilities of this application.

Created by AV Stumpfl (a company renowned in the AV rental market for its high quality, durable projection screens) Wings Platinum 4 has been around since 2000 and runs in a Windows 7 environment. While it may be relatively unknown in the Asia-Pacific region, this software is very popular in some parts of Europe including Germany and Italy.

In fact, a friend of mine is currently participating in the Fantadia 2011 festival in Italy (a biannual, five-night, outdoor celebration of architecture and projection) and needs to convert his Watchout show into a Wings Platinum show, due to its popularity in this part of the world.

WELL POLISHED PLATINUM

One of the initial features of Wings Platinum that stood out to me was the user interface. It’s very polished and feels like it has been around and developed for well over a decade. In common with its competitors, it is a timeline, layerbased application, like traditional video editing or multimedia programs, but it has a definite ‘shine’ to it. It is completely configurable with all the floating control windows able to be resized and positioned anywhere on the desktop, allowing the user to create their own personalised programming environment. Coming from a programming background myself, this product looks like it would be a pleasure to program with.

Content is simply dragged onto the timeline and arranged as you’d expect, but a great feature of Wings Platinum

is its intuitiveness, for example, when two pieces of media are overlapped on a single layer Wings Platinum will automatically crossfade between them.

With other applications, you would need to align the media on two different layers and manually fade one out and the other in. Long sequences of crossfading stills would usually be a very time consuming task, not so with Wings Platinum. Content can be edited within the application, which not only saves you a lot of time, but it also means you don’t need to re-import the updated media.

As you would expect, all the usual graphic and audio file formats are supported as well as all the popular video codecs. Shows can be saved as .exe files with a bundled player which means that they can be played on systems that don’t even have Wings Platinum installed. It’s a very clever way to distribute the show for clients to approve. It’s also a great way to playback multiple shows that have come from different creators (such as the Fantadia festival in Italy).

The Wings Platinum 4 user interface

Keyframe editor screen

SAVES ON DONGLES

On the hardware side, Wings Platinum servers (known as MediaEngines) are available as a dual output system (with two DVI display ports) or as a quad output system (four DVI outputs) with each card capable of outputting 3840 x 1200 pixel resolution. There are two other onboard DVI outputs that are utilised for program/preview. This means that up to a four-projector blend can be created and displayed within a single 4RU server. It also means that only a single hardware key/dongle is required to run a system of this size – rather than four separate keys – which results in considerable cost savings .

Having access to up to four display output ports within a single MediaEngine results in no Cat5 networking between servers as required in other systems.

Networking is only needed when more than four displays and additional MediaEngines are required. In the past, a single server, with a single graphics

Data text screen with switch objects panel enlarged

Media pool screen with lightbox

REVIEW

output, was always thought to be the safest avenue to take. However, all of these systems (Watchout, Pandora’s and OnlyView) are starting to adopt the concept of multiple outputs per server by harnessing the speed and efficiency of high speed CPU processing and graphic card enhancements. In the demo that I saw, Wings Platinum showed no hiccups displaying HD video over a three-projector blend, but I suspect the system would start to suffer with multiple HD layers playing simultaneously from a single PC. Video and data input cards (or grabbers) can be used for picturein-picture displays of external video sources and PowerPoint presentations but, like all the other systems, suffer a degree of latency and quality loss. Multiple output mixing consoles remain the highest quality solution for overlaying external sources onto high resolution backgrounds.

PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS

A number of show control protocols are supported for switching, controlling and triggering output functions, including DMX512, MIDI, RS232 and TCP/IP. Wings Platinum can be synched up with external input devices via such means as external timecode, MIDI commands or DMX. It is also possible to control presentations via external signals from motion detectors, sensors, keypads, ISEO touch panels, and even your iPhone.

The camera-based calibration is something else. I have always been highly sceptical of these type of systems and felt that this stuff should best be left to professional video companies to manage. Vioso is a leader in camera-based projection systems and it is natively integrated within Wings Platinum 4. Well within five minutes, I witnessed this system create a perfect, three-projector curved blend with the use of just a small cheap webcam. The projectors were only roughly aimed, sized and focussed: the Vioso system did the rest. It appears that this type of projection blending is now well within the reach of AV companies that may have been previously intimidated entering this arena.

This is a great product that has been around for a long time.

So why don’t we know more about it? I think marketing needs to be drastically improved in Australia. People simply need to hear more about Wings Platinum and get exposed to it. Free training for programmers and a show/demo room closer to the city than Hornsby would be a giant step in the right direction. The software is very simple to use and I believe a userbase would quickly follow if more people knew about it and if the support was present. Local technical support is something they need to work on quickly. Users need more than a blog/forum site these days. Having questions answered sameday over the internet is great – but nothing beats talking to a knowledgeable human being on a phone when you need answers quickly. 

Available from: ITI-Image Group/AV Stumpfl Australia (02) 9477 5709 www.iti-imagegroup.com.au Pricing: Dual output (software only) $4087.60 (inc GST) add Vioso for $4061.20 (inc GST) Dual output (server and software) $16,627.60 (inc GST) add Vioso for $4061.20 (inc GST) Quad output (server and software) $23,452 (inc GST) add Vioso for $8122.40 (inc GST)

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044

TUTORIAL

Practicalities Of Lighting Design For TV Translating your lighting design skills into the world of video.

Text:\ Paul Collison

So you’ve read last month’s article on lighting 101. You are now in demand all over town, doing shows every second day.

Life is good. That’s all about to change when a producer you know calls and asks you to light another show. “that sounds easy” you think to yourself as you begin to plan the show in your head before the conversation is finished. However the last three words from the producer send a chill down your spine and have you in a cold sweat for days. “Oh by the way” the producer says, “it’s for television”.

Official disclaimer: there are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of approaches to lighting for camera. Every Lighting Director (Lighting Designer in TV talk) has a different approach. The most important thing is the end result. The following is a way, not the only way, to light for a camera. The second part of this disclaimer is about the content. One cannot explain the intricacies of lighting for camera in 1500 words. If it could be done, anyone would be able to light for television. This article is but a taste of the number of things a television lighting director has to think about when lighting for camera.

If you’ve never lit for camera before, it can be quite daunting. If I had a dollar for every time I was told that the camera requires ‘something’ in order to work, I’d be a rich man. Whilst this turn of phrase is somewhat accurate, it is fundamentally flawed. A more accurate view would be that the camera sees the world very differently to the human eye.

Simply put, what you see with the eye, is not

necessarily what the camera sees.

The human eye is wondrous design.

For a start, we can see great variations in light level at the same time. The human eye can see detail in a shadow, whilst at the same time, still seeing other things in direct sunlight. This is something a camera cannot do. A human eye can adjust what we perceive as ‘white’ and see a greater range of the colour spectrum without having to recalibrate. Again, this is something a camera cannot do.

There are some things a camera can do better than us though. The human eye can take up to twelve minutes to totally adjust to a massive shift in light level. Try standing outside next to a white building in the middle of the day and then walking in to an almost pitch black auditorium. It can take a long time for your eyes to adjust. For fun, go the other way. Walk out of a pitch-black cinema into the middle of a bright summer day and feel your retina literally burn from the amount of light. A camera can adjust for these level changes in barely a second, (if the operator is paying attention!)

Then there is colour. The human eye can process varied and highly saturated colour variances, whilst retaining clarity and balance. All cameras struggle with large areas of highly saturated colours. Different cameras deal with different colours in various ways. Some are better in the blue range, some reproduce better reds. Knowing how the camera captures what it is seeing, and how the camera sees light differently to the eye, can allow you to use these differences to your advantage. Knowing

these differences can also help you get the picture you want to see on to the screen.

WHITE AIN’T WHITE

One of the first things to consider is which colour temperature to use as your reference.

Colour temperature is measured in Kelvin (K). A normal tungsten lamp (like the ones that have been removed from the shelves of our lighting stores) burns around 2600K when at full. As you dim the lamp, the colour temperature drops, resulting in a lamp that becomes more orange. A fluorescent lamp, like the 400 million that are in your single local 24-hour convenience store, burns higher at over 5000K. Lamps that burn over 5000K have a lot of light in the blue area of the colour spectrum, compared to lights burning around 3000K. High colour temperatures are referred to as cool light while low colour temperatures are referred to as warm light. Cool and warm here refer to the colour, not the temperature of the lamp measured with a thermometer.

Regardless of what type of light you wish to balance to, either of these sources can be made to look normal on camera. When lighting for camera we are able to set what we decide to be ‘white’. So what we are doing at this point, is telling the camera what type of ‘white light’ we wish to be, well, white.

In Australia, we refer to this adjustment process as ‘setting the white balance’.

So the question is, “How do I know what colour temperature to balance the camera to?” This is answered most easily by considering the type of light you choose to light your talent with. If you are going to

X-Factor images

by Mark Bedson

045

TUTORIAL

use tungsten profiles and fresnels to light your faces, then you should balance to the colour temperature of those lamps. Otherwise, when it comes time to look at that person on camera, we won’t see a true representation of what they look like on screen. It is that simple… until you realise that balancing to one colour temperature will dramatically affect the representation of other lighting fixtures at different colour temperatures in your shots.

So your moving lights in the background will now appear to be more blue if you’ve balanced to tungsten. The colour tones of the faces will be nice but you’ll need to adjust your colour palette in the moving lights to get the range of colour you want around your point of focus. Likewise, if you’ve chosen to light your talent with a discharge-powered fixture above 5000K, then you’ll notice that all the tungsten lamps in your shots will appear more orange.

Again, knowing how the camera responds to these differences will allow you to carefully craft your pictures in a way that suits your particular project.

The next thing we need to do is place our lighting fixtures to light our faces and people.

The simplest formula is the ‘key, kicker and backlight’ method. Very simply put, a key light, lights the front of your object, and is generally placed in line with the camera that will most often shoot said object. Your key light should be at a low enough angle in order to not get shadows from eyebrows, nose etc. Although for a more edgy look you might raise them or take them off axis to get those shadows. It really

depends on what type of show you’re lighting.

The six o’clock news is no place for mysterious shadows… leave that sort of thing for lighting the set of CSI [Insert City Here].

The backlight can sit steeper than your key lights. These are often a slightly different colour temperature or colour. The back light helps separate your talent from the back drop and give them some more dimension, rather than looking like a cardboard cut-out.

The kicker is your last fixture. It can fill in between the key and backlight and give your object some character. Your kicker can be run at a higher or lower light level than the other fixtures depending on the kind of look you are going for. For an edgy interview with a cool, 20-something, rock band, you might push the kicker higher in level and pull back on the key light to give them a cooler, more mysterious look. For a rock star that is older than your grandparents, you might be looking to give them a softer key and kicker using a frost gel or different fixtures.

drop light levels to the other end of the scale, and deal in a broader range of light levels.

You might think that you would start with your talent to get the right level and work from there. It might be smarter to look for other things in your shots to get the relative light level correct first, then light the talent accordingly.

In your shot, you might have a plasma screen or an open window or something that you really can’t control the level of. Maybe it is a projector that is running at full, which needs to be present in the shot. At this point, I’ll expose the cameras to whatever it is that has been decided as the limiting source. Once that has been done, we can then light everything else in the shot relative to the one thing we don’t have control of. In the case of the bright window, this might mean we have to light our talent with huge amounts of light to compete with the sun. In the case of the projection surface, it might mean dropping the light level on the rest of the set to an uncomfortably low level. This is okay, so long as the pictures look great.

SO HOW BRIGHT SHOULD IT BE?

RESULTS ARE EVERYTHING

This is the age old question. There used to be a saying before chip cameras, “Keep it bright, white, with plenty of light.” This was the mantra of the video engineering world, when the older-style tube cameras had a very limited light level range, and the early models required an obscene amount of light to get a great picture. Fortunately in this day and age of HD digital chip cameras, with outstanding lenses and technological backbones, we can afford to

At the end of the day, no matter your approach, it’s important the pictures look great. Sometimes it is the most unconventional methods that produce the results. A lot of television technical directors and vision controllers are willing to work with you to get the best result. Feel free to ask questions, and above all establish a relationship and work as a team with the TD and technical teams. It is only together, that great television can be made. 

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048

NEWS

InfoComm News News from the Oceania Region.

MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS We often hear comments from members that they miss out on information from InfoComm about upcoming events like Roundtable Meetings. In an effort to minimize the number of emails that we send to our members we have three main sources of Information about InfoComm where you can get information about local events, education and happenings.

(1) The InfoComm Asia-Pacific Regional Page, located at www. infocomm.org/oceania.

(2) InfoComm Asia Pacific Regional Update, you can register to receive this monthly e-news bulletin at your “My Dashboard” page on the InfoComm website home page www.infocomm.org . To access this page you need your InfoComm Username and Password.

(3) This Regional InfoComm News page in AV magazine.

INFOCOMM ACADEMY REGIONAL WEBINARS We are looking for speakers to deliver one of six regional webinars in 2011. We envisage that the webinars will be between 30-60 minutes long and be of interest to AV professionals in the Oceania region.

The webinars can focus on technology, case studies about real world situations or business orientated. As with all training done under the InfoComm Academy name, they must not be product or sales focused.

Dates for the six webinar presentations are as follows: Round 1: Wednesdays 20th April, 4th May & 18th May all delivered at 12:30 p.m. AEST Round 2: Wednesdays 5th October, 19th October & 2nd November, all delivered at 12:30 p.m. AEDST Benefits of presenting for the InfoComm Academy Webinar Program are: • Increased exposure in the audiovisual industry.

• Opportunity to be associated with a prestigious globally recognized industry education program.

If you would like further information on presenting a webinar for the InfoComm Academy, please contact Jonathan Seller, CTS at jseller@infocomm.org Training will be provided in presenting information in a webinar format.

PROJECTED IMAGE SYSTEM CONTRAST RATIO – DRAFT STANDARD OPENS FOR PUBLIC REVIEW InfoComm International’s latest draft standard, 3M-2011 Projected Image System Contrast Ratio, is open for public review and comment. The Standard provides metrics for measurement and defines minimum contrast ratios for rear and front projection audiovisual projected image systems. It applies to both permanent and temporary installations, defines projected image system contrast ratio and its measurement. The system contrast ratio refers to the image as it is presented to viewers in a space with ambient light.

The Standard provides important metrics for evaluating, planning and designing projected image system installations, setting minimum contrast ratios, and testing and signing-off on completed projected image system installations.

Comments are due by 7am EST on Tuesday, 24 May. Questions can be directed to standards@infocomm.org.

More information including the comment form and a one-page summary of the Standard, is available from the Standards & Best Practices section of the InfoComm web site www.infocomm.org

INFOCOMM ACADEMY AT “INTEGRATE 2011 IN ASSOCIATION WITH INFOCOMM INTERNATIONAL” We would like to thank all those that submitted proposals to present for the InfoComm Academy at Integrate 2011. A review of the proposals is currently underway and successful speakers will be notified in due course. It is not too late to present for the InfoComm Academy. If you intended to submit a proposal but weren’t able to submit before the close date, please consider presenting for the webinar series mentioned above.

In case you missed the last edition of AV magazine, Please mark your calendar now.

30th August Super Tuesday – Future Trends in Audiovisual Technology Headroom Theatre – Royal Hall of Industries Open and Welcome at 10:20am Sessions from 10:30 to 4:45pm with a 1 hour break for lunch (not included) Keynote Address from 5:00pm to 5:30pm Collaborative Conferencing, Conference InfoComm Academy Training Room (above Café in RHI) Open and Welcome at 10:20am Conference Concludes at 1:30pm.

InfoComm Academy Seminars Day 1 InfoComm Academy Training Room (above Café in RHI) Seminar 1 at 1:30pm Seminar 2 at 3:15pm InfoComm Member Reception InfoComm Academy Training Room (above Café in RHI) Drinks and Nibbles served to InfoComm Members & Guests from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.

Please come to the InfoComm Booth (RHI F28) to collect your tickets to the function.

31st August, 2011 Digital Signage Conference InfoComm Academy Training Room (above Café in RHI) Open and Welcome at 10:20am Conference Concludes at 1:30pm.

InfoComm Academy Seminars Day 2 InfoComm Academy Training Room (above Café in RHI) Seminar 3 at 1:30pm Seminar 4 at 3:15pm 1st September, 2011 InfoComm Academy Seminars Day 3 InfoComm Academy Training Room (above Café in RHI) Seminar 5 at 10:30pm Seminar 6 at 12:30pm Please Note: All registrations for the InfoComm Academy programs are being done through the Integrate Expo website, www.integrate-expo.com FUTURE DATES InfoComm International Show IC11 Orange County Convention Centre Orlando FL. • Conference 11-17 June, 2011 • Expo 15-17 June, 2011 Please see the InfoComm Show website www.infocommshow.org for details. Classes fill quickly so please don’t miss your opportunity to participate in the premier AV Education event for 2011.

049

TUTORIAL

Balanced & Unbalanced Circuits What are they? What's the difference? And how can you tell?

This is an excerpt from the course Essentials of AV Technology. The course is available in an online format (GEN106) and onsite (GEN111). Essentials of AV Technology is a comprehensive overview of science and technology for audio, visual and AV systems integration. Content from this course is the basis for the InfoComm-Recognised AV Technologist test. Learn more about this exciting education certificate programme at www.infocomm.org/ avtechnologist.

noise gets onto the signal conductor, it is there to stay. Cabling used with unbalanced circuitry uses a single signal conductor. The signal conductor is surrounded by a shield which also acts as the return electrical path for the circuit.

Whether the circuit is balanced or unbalanced, the longer the cable run, the more noise the cabling is subjected to. Because they lack a defence against noise, the distance unbalanced signals can be sent is extremely limited compared to balanced lines.

BALANCED & UNBALANCED CIRCUITS

DETERMINING IF A CIRCUIT IS BALANCED OR UNBALANCED

Signal processing circuitry and cables are continually exposed to noise and interference.

In fact, all electrical circuits and the cabling used to connect them generate energy fields which can interact with other electrical circuits and cabling, including AV circuitry and cabling. This interference and noise degrades the quality of audio signals and has the potential to introduce hum and buzz into an audio system.

One way to reduce the noise in a circuit or cable is to use a balanced electrical design. To understand the significance of this, you must first understand the difference between balanced and unbalanced circuits and the cabling used to connect them. Electronic circuitry is either balanced or unbalanced.

This article answers these questions: What is the fundamental difference between balanced and unbalanced? How do I know if a circuit is balanced or unbalanced?

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BALANCED & UNBALANCED CIRCUITS

A quick way to determine whether a piece of equipment is balanced or unbalanced is to look at its output or input connectors. Unbalanced audio equipment and cables typically use an RCA (phono) connector. All RCA connectors are unbalanced. Balanced connections require three pins, such as an XLR. There are many other types of connectors for audio as well as these.

However, you need to know the real distinction, not just the connector type.

UNBALANCED

Unbalanced circuits are also called single-ended circuits. They require two conductors in the cable and connector. The first conductor, an insulated wire, transports the signal. The second conductor is a shield around the wire. It is used as the electrical circuit’s return path, and also provides the “ground” reference for the circuit.

Noise

In a balanced design, the source equipment outputs a balanced signal to the cable, which is Unbalanced Line sent to destination equipment with a balanced Original Signal Recovered Signal input. The design of balanced circuits offers a defence mechanism against noise. This defence Noise mechanism removes the noise, or most of it, Fig 1 – Noise in an unbalanced circuit leaving only the intended signal. As a general rule BALANCED you should use balanced equipment whenever you can. The cabling used with balanced circuitry As with most things which offer higher quality, are more expensive due to requires two signal conductors. For analogue balanced components Balanced Line Signal their design and manufacture. Like an unbalanced audio, the two signal conductors are surrounded Original circuit, they require two conductors in the cable by a shield.

In an unbalanced design, the source equipment and connector. However, in a balanced circuit, outputs an unbalanced signal to the cable, which both conductors are used to transport the signal. is sent to an unbalanced input. As with a balanced The first signal conductor carries a signal and the circuit, the cable picks up noise from surrounding second conductor carries an inverse or “mirror sources. However, with an unbalanced circuit image” of the first signal conductor.

The impedance on each of the signal conductors, design, there are no noise defence mechanisms. If

as well as the input and output circuitry connected to them, is the same. Since the impedances are the same for the two signal conductors they are said to be equal or “balanced”.

Although a balanced circuit only requires two conductors, for analogue audio we also use a foil or braided shield wrapped around the two signal conductors. The shield also serves as the circuit’s “ground” reference. A balanced audio connector requires three pins – two for the signal conductors and the third for the shield.

Fig 2 – Shielded twisted pair cable

Balanced circuits in audio always use shielded, twisted-pair cable. When noise is induced on the conductors, the twisting of the conductors around one another ensures that both are subjected to the noise equally.

The noise is added to the signals on both signal conductors at the same time. When the signal reaches the balanced input, the signal on the second conductor is flipped 180°(inverted), and added to the signal from the first conductor.

Both signals line up and the amplitude increases.

This has the benefit of increasing the strength of Noise the intended signal.

The noise however, is now 180° out-of-phase between conductors (one is negative when the other is positive) andLinethe two cancel each other, Unbalanced Original Signal Recovered Signal removing the noise.

Noise

Original Signal

Balanced Line

Recovered Signal

Fig 3 – Noise in a balanced circuit

So, a balanced circuit provides greater signal strength for longer distances and also has less noise.

Sometimes it is necessary to use a combination of balanced and unbalanced equipment in a Recovered Signal system. There are a number of particular ways of interconnecting balanced and unbalanced equipment, depending on the specific designs of the input and output circuitry. How to make these connections correctly will be covered another time. 

050

Termination Cat o’ 9 Tales Text:\ Graeme Hague

Futureproof: The Jetsons enjoying the benefits of video over UTP.

I’m building a house. Seriously, I mean that I’m doing the building – well, to be strictly accurate, some professional builders (and believe me, I use the term ‘professional’ reluctantly at this point in time) will be constructing the house to lock-up, which includes exterior walls and a roof, then I’ll do the rest. The electrical wiring, the plumbing, plastering and gyprock... the whole shebang. Mind you, this isn’t to suggest I have the necessary skills, but that’s a different problem.

My wife is very keen about a lot of the interior details – if I have to watch another episode of Grand Designs I’ll go postal – she’s always prattling on about stuff like taps, bathroom tiling and floor coverings.

I’ve become very good at nodding and making agreeing noises when, in fact, my mind is totally focused on much more serious subjects – like installing the AV and entertainment system from hell. This is a fantastic opportunity to get everything absolutely perfect. It’s all very well for us to discuss at great length in this magazine multi-billion dollar AV installations involving cutting-edge technology, but when it comes to your own home, getting things right is really important.

Some of you will think it’s a bit sad – and others will understand – that I’m kind of excited by the prospect of putting enough power outlets behind the stereo cabinet to plug everything in. I’m going to install telephone points right next to where I want to put [sharp intake of breath] the telephones. The new flat-screen plasma (or LCD, either of which is yet to be purchased with exhaustive research) will be mounted on the wall at exactly the right height, because I’ll put in extra stud-frame timber to suit beforehand. Unfortunately we won’t

have a proper Home Theatre Room, it’s all going to be kind of ‘open plan’ so my wife can talk to me from the kitchen sink while I watch the football, but I’ll be able to put traps in the floor for the rear surround speakers to be whipped into place in a jiffy.

Throughout the walls and ceiling I plan to run a web of Cat5 cable big enough to snag a sperm whale – I figured you can never have too much Cat5.

That is until someone said, “You might as well use Cat6, just in case. It won’t cost you too much more.”

What? Damn it, here we go with the whole future-proofing thing.

Who the hell invented the term, just in case? It’s been the basis to every budget blow-out since Nero didn’t bother installing smoke alarms. Just in case will sow seeds of doubt, dreadful thoughts that all my bestlaid AV high-definition, surround-sound fantasies will be rendered obsolete by next week’s technological break-through. Like, should I be waiting for Cat8 cable? Even Cat9?

For goodness’ sake, now I can imagine this: a decade or so in the future we’re flogging off the family home to move into an over-35s retirement village (populated by suspiciously youthful-looking women) and as the prospective buyer pulls out the chequebook he casually asks, “You have got Cat9 cabling in walls, right..?” My stuttering excuse that Cat9 wasn’t really available at the time isn’t going to cut it.

I should explain that our house will have a skillion roof, which means no ceiling space to crawl into afterwards. We get one chance to do things right.

Back to the present future: will I need wiring for Foxtel? The government tells us that free-to-air digital TV is only months

away, but right now the closest thing we have is the rotary channel dial on the telly has neat, glowing green numbers. Foxtel can save your sanity here. Will we have to put a satellite dish up? A television antenna? Isn’t the mystical, magical National Broadband Network going to get rid us of all that ugly roof pollution? The way I understand it, the NBN will squeeze absolutely everything I’ll ever need through the fibre and our fridge will have a direct smart-link to the local liquor store.

Bloody hell, I just thought of something else. Our property is seven acres (sorry, I still don’t know the metric equivalent [that's about 2.8hectare - Ed]) and the house site is about 100 metres [or 4.97chains - Ed] from the point where Telstra abruptly lost interest when they serviced the area. What am I supposed to do? When I run power and phone lines, should I lay my own dodgy fibre-optic cable as well?

Obviously, building the house of the future isn’t easy, if you care about what the future is going to bring. And these days, the future’s only about six months away.

Suddenly this is getting tricky.

Okay, prioritising and choosing what really needs remote control and automation is the key. Things like the dishwasher, stove, air conditioner and washing machine are all fine (unless my wife divorces me).

Security is covered – anyone that can run uphill for 100 metres before a 70kg dog catches them is welcome to anything they can carry. So this leaves the internet, phone and aforementioned AV and entertainment system from hell.

Which just needs a bunch of Cat5 in the walls... or maybe Cat 6, just in case. 

Uncompromised Signal Quality, Uncompromised Decisions

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Today, every visual presentation system is mission-critical and decisions are based on the quality of information they deliver. With 4.95Gbps per signal and up to 713Gbps total capability, AMX DGX systems deliver perfect video fidelity with no undersampling, colour space compression or frame dropping. With modular architecture, >80,000 hours MTBF, limited lifetime warranty, the overhead to support today and tomorrow’s analogue and digital signals and AMX’s game-changing SmartScale™ technology, AMX DGX is the only future proof solution for infrastructure digital video management, from point-to-point to 4x4 and up to 144x144.

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