AV Issue 42 by Alchemedia Publishing

NEWS

Editorial Watts in a Name? Technology marketing people like to use buzzwords and catch phrases to get the buying public excited about the products they’re promoting, possibly because it means they can go about whipping buyers into a spending frenzy without having to bother with understanding or explaining exactly what it is they’re selling. All sizzle – no steak. There are few better examples than the early 21st century use of ‘Information Superhighway’ to describe the connected internet, (which somewhere along the way also acquired a capital ‘I’). We had a myriad of clever marketing and product names like ‘On Ramp’ and dozens of derivative terms like ‘road block’ and ‘dirt track’ that tortured the whole highway metaphor until it eventually collapsed under the weight of the traffic. The term ‘user friendly’ was foisted upon us at the time when personal computers first appeared, and was used relentlessly to describe machines and software that were usually both incomprehensible and downright user hostile. The similar marketing ploy by Apple to convince us that some of its products were ‘intuitive’ rather than just easy-to-use was an insult to the concept of intuitiveness. Despite this, the people who line up for days to buy any product to come out of 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, will insist that humanity has known how to operate the iPod/iPhone/iWatch, without any training, since before we came out of the caves. Then there was ‘The Cloud’. When I started studying Electronic Data Processing (as IT was known in the 1980s), it was already common

practice to use a cloud symbol in diagrams to represent the external networks that your own network was connected to. That same cloud symbol remains in use but the term ‘computing cloud’ and the notion of the cloud as a destination has taken the technology world by storm in recent years, with the metaphor being stretched hither and yon until an external hard-drive with a USB connector is now marketed as a ‘Personal Cloud’. Sadly there is no end in sight for cloudbased marketing hype. Recent times have seen the rise and rise of the term ‘Big Data’, an expression traditionally used to describe the unimaginably huge amounts of data being produced by complex instruments, large sensor arrays or simply by big organisations like telcos, ISPs or spy agencies that have lots of customers making lots of transactions. Big Data is now being used to market everything from huge storage arrays to high-bandwidth network connections, and almost any kind of statistical or analytical software. Its usage hasn’t peaked yet, so expect to see some Big Data marketing hype about memory cards for your smartphone or your business accounting software sometime in the next year or so, before the gloss wears off and a new buzz phrase is elevated to prominence. The Next Big Thing in the marketing buzzword playbook isn’t 3D printing (although that’s underway too – stay tuned). It isn’t even 4K for broadcast, which with any luck will wither and die on the vine in the same way as 3D… Some of you may recall a time when most AV projects and productions involved linking up

a bunch of devices like projectors and cameras and lighting controllers and control panels and recorders and replay gear and amplifiers and loudspeakers and comms gear, then getting them to work together for a particular task. In recent times, almost all of those devices have acquired an Ethernet interface so while we still build these networks of devices, they’re now linked via a data network rather than by line level audio or composite video or RS232/RS485 serial data lines. The protocols linking them are all built on the TCP/IP suite of protocols so every device has an IP address like 93.184.216.119. I would like to think that I’m stating the bleeding obvious here, but stay with me for moment longer please. Somebody out there in the parallel universe that is marketing decided that what we’ve been creating all these years is actually an ‘Internet of Things’, and to keep with current naming trends it has been assigned the abbreviation ‘IoT’. (As this can’t be pronounced, it’s an initialism like RGB, not an acronym like LASER.) As more devices, including wi-fi controlled RGB LED ‘light globes’, acquire some sort of TCP/IP interface, you’re going to hear a lot about the IoT and how it will change the world, and it probably will. But don’t be confused. This is what we’ve been doing forever, but it’s going to get much simpler and cheaper for us as billions gets poured into this area. Sadly, about as much of the investment will be spent on marketing and inventing new buzzwords for existing things as will be spent in technological R&D. Andy Ciddor, Editor: andy@avapac.net

The Asia Pacific Region's News, Jobs, Projects & More Any time you want it at www.avapac.net

Crew Jonathan is the co-founder of Advanced Control and Acoustics, CoTag Media and QuayPay. He’s all about making the web physical, with a focus on collaboration, education and media. He has a passion for digital strategy and design, working across multiple industries to provide solutions that solve big problems. Jonathan has a Masters of Design Science from the Uni of Sydney, a Diploma of Project Management, and has presented papers at international conferences on media technology.

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Editor: Andy Ciddor (andy@avapac.net) Publication Director: Stewart Woodhill (stewart@avapac.net) Editorial Director: Christopher Holder (chris@avapac.net) Publisher: Philip Spencer (philip@avapac.net)

Marcus has worked in the entertainment industry for over 15 years. He has lit everything from TV to tours, corporate to circus, galleries to garages, and yet he’s still smiling and always up for a joke. He spends much of his time looking after a large client base for Melbourne lighting company Resolution X. He is currently a committee member of the Australian Lighting Industry Association, a member of the AVIAs judging panel, and has a continuing passion for lighting in all fields.

Art Director: Dominic Carey (dominic@avapac.net) News & Online Editor: Jen Temm (jen@avapac.net) Additional Design: Daniel Howard (daniel@avapac.net) Accounts: Jaedd Asthana (jaedd@alchemedia.com.au) Circulation Manager: Mim Mulcahy (subscriptions@avapac.net)

Stephen Dawson is a long-time geek, whose geekery changes focus from time to time. He made his first microphone pre-amp from an Electronics Australia (remember them?) design back in the early 70s. His schooling involved melting a screwdriver on the school hall control panel, and receiving tingles from poorly-insulated antique lighting control pots. These days he spends just about all his time writing about audiovisual gear.

alchemedia publishing pty ltd (ABN: 34 074 431 628) PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 Australia info@alchemedia.com.au All material in this magazine is copyright © 2014 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. 1/10/2014

Derek is an audiovisual consultant with AVDEC, specialising in tertiary education projects. Starting in broadcast TV and radio at the ABC, he bounced between event AV and video production before settling for 12 years at the University of Queensland. He is past president of the Association of Educational Technology Managers and has been a regular judge of the AVIA awards. He now divides his time between consulting, writing and the occasional video production assignment.

Issue 42 REGULARS

NEWS AV industry and product news highlights from the AV website.

IBC NEWS Product news and technology highlights from the IBC show.

AVIAs 2014 The 2014 AV Industry Awards presentation.

YOUTH OLMPIC GAMES CEREMONIES China’s design and manufacturing talent puts ona show in Nanjing.

INFOCOMM ASSOCIATION NEWS News and announcements for the Asia Pacific region.

TERMINATION Spoiler dodging

58 FEATURES

SYDNEY UNI GETS A SUPER LAB AVIA-winning X-Lab breaks new ground in multi-function labs.

BYOD ROOM CONTROL TAFE SA’s recycled Mitsubishi plant does full BYOD room control.

TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE RMIT's Bundoora campus builds an unusual soundscape platform.

MUSEUM CONTROL GOES NODAL Museum Victoria rolls its own decentralised media control network.

REVIEWS

SHURE QLX-D MICROPHONES Shure's mid-level digital wireless mic family.

LSC GENVI DIMMER & APS DISTRO. Power control for the 21st century.

PANASONIC PT-RZ670 6500 lumen laser-powered installation projector.

TUTORIAL INFOCOMM TUTORIAL Project Management: Tracking a project

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NEWS

Highlights from AV News Online

THE WHYS OF D&B Y-SERIES

CLASSROOM PROJECTION SCREEN

TIGHT SHOTS IN TIGHT SPOTS

The new Y-Series loudspeakers from d&b audiotechnik are designed for small- to medium-sized sound requirements. The range comprises 10 models of loudspeakers and subs for mobile use and installation, in both line and point source designs. “The application possibilities are endless, ranging from performing arts to conferences, religious events and live shows,” says product manager Werner ‘Vier’ Bayer. “This has been an exciting and illuminating project; we see this series becoming the workhorse of our industry, on every end of the spectrum.” Both the point source and line source loudspeakers feature two 8-inch drivers with neodymium magnets mounted in a dipolar arrangement around a 1.4-inch compression driver. This driver configuration enables the Y8 and Y12 to offer a horizontal dispersion pattern controlled down to 500Hz. A range of transport solutions and accessories is available to aid ease of setup and mobility. And while the Y loudspeakers are designed to provide flexible, mobile solutions, the Yi installation specific versions are designed for permanent applications, differing only in cabinet construction and mounting hardware with colour and weather-resistant options. National Audio Systems: (03) 8756 2600 or www.nationalaudio.com.au d&b: www.dbaudio.com

Elite Screens has introduced a classroom-sized freestanding whiteboard projection screen to its expanding range, with another slightly larger model in the works. Suited for use with short-throw projectors and interactive whiteboard projectors/pens in classrooms, conference rooms and other training facilities, the new WB4X10HW WhiteBoardScreen Universal has an active VersaWhite 1.1 gain magnetic projection surface measuring 1220mm high and 3050mm wide (4x10 feet) with a wide diffusion 180° viewing angle. The material is coated with an optical nanotech resin that gives the screen its dry-erase function while eliminating the typical glare effect of standard whiteboard surfaces, and is Greenguard and Greenguard Gold (UL2818) certified for safe indoor air quality emissions. Removable trunnions attach the screen easily to the ZWBMS-4X10 mobile stand to form a stable freestanding display. The stand is constructed with lightweight aluminium square-tubing construction with locking wheels and adjustable fasteners. Dry erase markers and erasers are included. The new screen will be joined shortly by a 1520x3050mm (5x10 feet) version. Elite Screens Australia: (03) 9078 8960 or www.elitescreens.com.au

Designed for professional shooting in tricky spaces, the new 4KSDI from Canada’s IO Industries is a singlepiece 4K camera head with 3G/HD-SDI outputs for connection to separate recorders and monitors, Super-35mm global shutter sensor, 10-bit 4:2:2 RAW capture, interchangeable lens mount, and multiple output formats to support various applications. Unveiled at IBC 2014, the broadcast and production camera can output in both DCI 4K and UHDTV formats, making it ideal for both live broadcast and production environments. It can be controlled by handheld remote, or over RS485 connection. Flexible lens mount options including PL, Nikon F and Canon EF, and an integrated optical low pass filter helps remove moire artefacts. Connection to peripheral devices is enabled with four 3G/HD-SDI outputs. Depending on the output format, either two or four cables are needed to connect the 4KSDI to a growing selection of 4K/UHD field recorders, monitors, and live production switchers. For stereoscopic or panoramic multi-camera configurations, precise camera synchronisation is possible using a tri-level sync reference. Adept Turnkey Solutions: (08) 9242 4511 or www.adept.net.au IO Industries: www.ioindustries.com

NEWS IN BRIEF:

Adimex has been appointed as the exclusive distributor for Airpul in Australia and New Zealand. A new player in broadcast technology, the US-based Airpul provides wireless audio and video transmission solutions for the broadcast industry, including transmitter and receiver products that allow HD cameras to transmit wirelessly over long distances. The well-priced brand already boasts significant international distribution with deals now in place in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the US, UK, Brazil and the Arab Emirates. Adimex: (02) 9431 6060 or www.admiex.com.au Airpul: www.airpul.com

After 18 months of negotiations British console companies DiGiCo, Allen & Heath and Calrec have joined together to create a new professional audio group. Each company will retain its own brand identity, skills and customer relationships, but will pool technology and resources, and allow some interconnectivity across product lines. “The strategy is to share technology and resources across the group and allow some interconnectivity across the product lines”, says group CEO and DiGiCo managing director James Gordon. DiGiCo: www.digico.biz Calrec: www.calrec.com Allen & Heath: www.allen-heath.com

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The Integrate trade show will shift south to Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre in 2015, and will be held on August 25 to 27. Exhibition organiser Diversified Communications says the move is a result of survey results from the last two shows and input from exhibitors and associations. The annual show has struggled to find a home in Sydney with three moves in six years. Diversified has not confirmed where the show will be held after 2015. Diversified Communications: (02) 9275 9200 or www.divcom.net.au

Bosch Communications Systems has appointed Sydney-based Audio Brands Australia as its new distribution partner. Audio Brands will focus on promoting and supporting the Plena commercial range of PA systems and speakers, including the Australian-designed Plena matrix, and the entry level conferencing system CCS900, throughout its network in the eastern and central states. “I am certain this will introduce efficiencies that allow customers to improve the way they do business,” says Bosch Security Systems general manager Chris Dellenty. Bosch Security Systems: au.boschsecurity.com Audio Brands Australia: www.audiobrands.com.au

Digital media integration specialist Digistor has appointed Paul Hayes as its new workflow and solution sales consultant. Hayes has been involved in the Australian and Asia Pacific TV and post-production industry for more than 25 years, most recently working with international storage supplier EditShare. Working with the Digistor technical services team, he will analyse customer workflows and objectives to develop solutions including site preparation services, production pipeline, all hardware and software, installation services, training and on-going service level agreements. Digistor: (02) 9431 6005 or www.digistor.com.au

VIEWSONIC MINI BILLBOARDS ViewSonic’s new 10-inch wall-mounted multimedia all-inone digital ePosters offer wireless capabilities and power over Ethernet (PoE) for one-cable installation solutions. The EP1031r and EP1032r-T are designed for point-ofsale advertising on retail shelves, commercial businesses, schools and campuses, or as mounted meeting room signs for corporate and hotel lobbies. Both models feature widescreen LCD displays, built-in wireless and LAN connectivity, and support PoE for convenient content loading and device management. They include a media player, 4GB internal storage, integrated speakers that enable the playback of video clips, photos, and music from a USB hard drive or SD/ SDHC memory card, and VESA-compliance for added wall mount flexibility. The EP1031r model offers 800x480 native resolution, motion detection with six-button programmability, and Signage Manager Express content management software. The EP1032r-T adds 1280x800 resolution and multi-touch compatibility with new HTML5 and SMIL formats, delivering a two-way interactive platform for more dynamic, customised content. “This 10-inch ePoster provides our resellers and customers with an installation-ready visual display that is perfect for high-visibility, high-traffic locations,” says ViewSonic Asia Pacific director Max Hsu. ViewSonic: www.viewsonic.com.au

Technical event production company Haycom has expanded its Adelaide-based operations with the acquisition of South Australian supplier Multivision. The move sees Haycom take over all of Multivision’s equipment, clients, and permanent team members who will be moving to Haycom’s Adelaide warehouse. It follows Haycom’s entry into the South Australian market a year ago, and its merger with t7 Event Solutions in April 2013. Haycom: www.haycom.com

ULA has announced its appointment as an Australian distributor for Antari fog machines. “For 20 years Antari has been present in our ULA product range as an OEM partner but now we will be offering Antari fog generators and fluids in their own right,” says ULA Group managing director Cuono Biviano. “The Antari range is very extensive and the products are manufactured to a high standard and represent great value and performance. Myself and all of my team look forward to the exciting opportunities ahead.” ULA: (07) 5509 4633 or www.ulagroup.com Antari: www.antari.com

Matrox Graphics has announced the first two cards in its C-Series of multi-display graphics cards – the C420 quad-output and the C680 six-output PCI Express. Both offer 2GB memory and mini DisplayPort connectivity. The low-profile C420 quad card supports up to four displays with a maximum resolution of 2560x1600, and passive cooling. The single-slot C680 supports up to six displays or projectors and is compatible with UltraHD and 4K panels, with board-to-board framelock for display sync and reduced tearing on digital signage and video walls. Multimedia Technology: (03) 9837 3134 or www.mmt.com.au Matrox: www.matrox.com/graphics

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NEWS

REOPENING PANDORAS BOX

BETTER BOXES

MULTI FORMAT VIDEO GENERATOR

While it may be a decimal point upgrade, the new Pandoras Box software version 5.7 from Coolux takes the projection and video-mapped LED system to a fully-fledged production tool. The new Venue Sites facility offers a real-time compositing environment as a complete whole to simulate video projectors virtually, using a light projection approach. The ability to seamlessly switch from one Venue Site to another makes comparing different design scenarios very easy and users can also test and play around with the simulations of complex media installations. A redesigned text editor allows different font styles to be used within a single text asset and includes automatic horizontal and vertical scrolling capability and the ability to use and add an unlimited amount of text to a continuous text stream. A new audio feature makes it possible to input ASIO sound as well as HDSDI embedded audio, and a range of improvements for a Pixel-Oriented Workflow have been integrated including the ability to scale all content to the native resolution, even across several machines and across different resolutions. Show Technology: (02) 9748 1122 or www.showtech.com.au Coolux: www.coolux.de

Chief has released new plenum-rated above-ceiling storage boxes designed to eliminate swing down doors with a drop-down feature that lowers the entire frame enough to slide the tile out of the way. Designers also focused on maximising the column location within a tile space for less reliance on digital adjustments and lens shift to the image. The CMS491 and CMS492 can hold 45.4kg, including 22.7kg for a projector and up to 11.3kg per shelf, and the AV components can be pre-loaded to the shelf before bringing it to the ceiling. They are available in 1x2 and 2x2 sizes, and power can be added either in the box or facing the room. A detachable power plate allows pre-wiring before box installation begins, and passive cooling vents help with thermal management. Both units come with one shelf and all the speedconnect hardware needed for installation, and can be ordered with or without a column drop, a second shelf and a 1RU rack rail. A fan kit for active thermal management will also be available in coming months. IDT: 1300 666 099 or www.idt.com.au Chief: www.chiefmfg.com

Leader Instruments new LT4600 multi format video generator was developed from the established LT4400 HD-SDI and SD-SDI generator and adds compatibility with 3G-SDI and dual link systems. Its two SDI outputs can be used independently, and the lip sync testing function is now included as standard, allowing measurement of timing offsets caused by latency differences between video and audio processors. The compact 1U half-rack-width LT4600 can generate ID characters for superimposition at any operator-assigned position on the output display. A user-defined logo of up to 320 pixels width by 240 lines depth (QVGA) size can also be positioned anywhere on the screen. This logo is converted from a bitmap to four-levels of monochrome. 90 and 80 per cent safety area markers can also be superimposed on the screen, and a 4:3 aspect ratio marker can be superimposed in 3G-SDI or HD-SDI formats. A motion picture mode is provided to scroll the pattern. The LT4600 supports SNMP protocol, allowing easy integration into a networked system, and user data can be saved or updated via a USB interface. Magna Systems & Engineering: sales.au@magnasys.tv Leader Instruments: www.leaderamerica.com

DRESSED FOR SPILL

KRAMER IN CONTROL

4K ON SD FROM PANASONIC

Meet the Lightsock, the latest addition to your lighting accessories wardrobe: a reusable cuff that fits around the lens tube of a lantern and any accessory attached to it, to eliminate light spill without using conventional heat-resistant adhesive black tape. The Lightsock has an elastic skirt at one end that is quick to fit around a lens tube, and a drawstring fastening at the front that secures it around a top hat or colour scroller, locking in any lightspill. A mesh panel allows the scroller fan to continue to function effectively, maintaining air circulation, and acts as an additional dust guard. The elasticated rear opening allows easy access to the colour runners. Lightsock is re-useable and remains in place during transit on tours, dispensing with the need to strip and re-wrap each fixture at every new venue. Made from flame-retardant fabric, it is heat-tested and comes in versions suitable for use with ETC Source Four profiles, Par fixtures and P64 cans, Wybron Color Ram II and Rainbow units. Custom Lightsocks are also available. Lightsocks: www.lightsocks.co.uk

Kramer Electronics has introduced the RC-43T, a six−button auxiliary control panel that works as a remote control panel for master room controllers such as the Kramer SL−1 in classrooms, meeting rooms, boardrooms or auditoriums. The RC-43T uses proprietary KNET protocol to power and communicate over a single cable and between Kramer products. Easy to use front panel buttons are touch−sensitive and give press confirmation using LED lights. The slim-line unit matches 1-gang US wall plates with robust construction to ensure extensive use and a significant return on investment. “Created with the end user in mind, the RC43T is simple to use, reliable, functional and intelligent,” says Kramer vice president for marketing, Ezra Ozer. “It forms part of Kramer’s comprehensive range of media and wall controllers. All products are expertly designed to be future-proof, manufactured at our factory in Jerusalem and marketed globally.” The RC-43T makes its official international debut at InfoComm India at the Mumbai Exhibition Centre in September. Kramer Electronics Australia: (07) 3806 4290 or www.krameraustralia.com.au

Panasonic Australia has announced its new 4K camcorder, the HC-X1000 debuted at IFA 2014, will be available in Australia in October. Touted as the first camcorder capable of recording 4K 60p/50p video onto an SD card, the new “prosumer” model leans more to the pro end of the market with a US$3499 price tag, and features a Leica Dicomar lens, a new BSI sensor and a four-drive lens system that allows the compact body to house a 20X optical zoom lens. File formats include AVCHD, MOV and MP4, and functions include triple manual rings, two-channel XLR audio input terminals, ND filters, dual SD card slots and a 3/5-inch slide-retractable LCD monitor with touch operation. The camera is aimed at professionals and high-end enthusiasts, says Panasonic Australia product manager Samantha Dawson, allowing users to take advantage of 4K as well as other benefits: “For example, for those still working in Full HD, shooting in 4K means that you can crop, create new shots and even stabilise your footage while maintaining Full HD resolution.” Panasonic Australia: www.panasonic.com/au

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NEWS

GIVE WHITEBOARDS THE FINGER

EPIPHAN MULTI-SOURCE RECORDER

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Epson demonstrated the first ‘finger touch’ projector for business at Integrate 2014, where the screen images can be manipulated and annotated using hand gestures. The functionality is part of the second generation of Epson’s MeetingMate technology. Up to six participants can touch, draw, select and interact using just their fingers on the screen or with an interactive pen. “The new MeetingMate projectors revolutionise any whiteboard, wall, flat surface or existing dry erase board as it makes them a truly interactive and powerful business tool,” says Epson Australia business division general manager Craig Heckenberg. “Simply turn on the projector and start writing.” The standalone solution requires no computer, software or training and the secondgeneration models add the ability to save up to 50 fully digital pages, whiteboard-sharing mode, extensive networking and interactivity capabilities and dynamic video conferencing. They offer 3300 lumens white and colour brightness, up to 6000 hours of lamp life in ECO mode, and 10,000:1 contrast ratio. Epson: www.epson.com.au

Epiphan Systems’ new Pearl multiple source recorder can stream and record multiple HD sources simultaneously, including 3G- and HD-SDI cameras, at rates of 60fps and resolutions up to 2048×2048. Despite its delicate name, Pearl takes a hard-core stance with its design as a desktop rack or portable rack solution for streaming and recording live content. It not only combines multiple HD AV inputs, it can then add client branding to create a single video layout with output resolution up to 4K. The unit features a frontpanel touch-screen controller as well as remote control capability, and it can encode for both RTMP and RTSP streaming, allowing it to be used with leading content distribution networks such as Akamai, Livestream, Wowza, and YouTube. Pearl comes in a brushed metal finish and is equipped with two inputs each for TRS audio, HDMI/DVI, VGA, and SDI; two USB 2.0 ports; and one Gigabit Ethernet port. It also supports SAP and UPnP for set-top boxes and media players. For post-production flexibility, it can record the streamed program as well as the original sources. Epiphan Systems: www.epiphan.com AP Technologies: www.aptech.com.au

In a massive launch strategy Robe has released its new 1700 BMFL (Bright Multi-Functional Luminaire) Spot with a worldwide video broadcast followed by a two-month global tour covering 60 countries. Three years in development, the BMFL is massively bright, lightweight, versatile, and “the best fixture we have ever made” according to Robe CEO Josef Valchar. Designed for large venues such as TV studios and concert venues, the BMFL uses a new Osram lamp developed for Robe, which can be operated at 1200, 1500 or 1700W, with the colour temperature remaining the same across all power modes. The 36kg fixture produces 250,000 lux at 5m, or 2500 lux at 50m with features including smooth dimming to black without distortion, an 11:1 zoom ratio (5-55 in a split second) with tracking focus to ensure the beam remains sharp at both extremes, and seamless colour changing. Pan and tilt are said to be far quicker than anything else of this size and power – “In fact, we are 20 times faster than Usain Bolt over 100m,” Valchar said. ULA Group: 1300 852 476) or www.ulagroup.com Robe: www.robe.cz

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NEWS

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ROSCO LAUNCHES VAPOUR SERIES

LOW-POWER NETWORKED AMPS

EXTRON LAUNCHES HDMI WIRELESS LINE

Rosco has launched its new four-model Vapour series line of fog and haze machines, reconceived and designed from the ground up to meet the demands of concerts, theatrical productions, theme parks, film sets and photographic studios. The Vapour is the workhorse of the new line, tailored with features and performance suited to demanding production environments, while the Vapour Plus has been designed specifically to quickly fill large venues and outdoor spaces with dense fog and smoke, but is small enough to mount in a box truss and power from a single mains circuit. The V-Hazer is a rock solid, quiet and reliable haze generator, and the compact Mini-V is the most affordable and easy to use model in the range. Vapour, Vapour Plus and the V-Hazer share common interchangeable core components such as the detachable remote control and DMX interface, and an air input valve for easy cleaning. Mini-V features simple, hassle-free controls and an energy-efficient, durable heat exchanger. The new series is just starting to ship and will be available from October. Rosco: (02) 9906 6262 or www.rosco.com

To address the need for lower channel count support at the local amplification stage, Stewart Audio has introduced a family of four low-wattage networked amplifiers. “Our new family of compact amplifiers create a cost-efficient way to run CAT5 or CAT6 cable to local zones,” says Stewart Audio chief marketing officer Brian McCormick. “These products give our customers a simple and affordable way to address a broad range of low power, low channel count applications.” The four compact models incorporate Audinate’s Dante networking technology with Symetrix Composer 2.0 software, which natively integrates device discovery and signal routing through its unique Dante third-party programming environment. They can be pole-mounted or attached to a flat surface, and are plenum rated, with a 1/3RU design that allows integration into central equipment racks if desired. Models comprise the AV25-2 NET+ 2x25W amp with two analogue and two Dante inputs, AV25-2 NET digital-only version with two Dante inputs, CVA50-1 NET+ 50W mono amp with one analogue and one Dante input, and CVA50-1 NET digital-only version with a single Dante input. AVglue: (07) 3376 4745 or www.avglue.com.au Stewart Audio: www.stewartaudio.com

Extron has entered the wireless video transmission market with its new eLink 100, a wireless extender that sends HDMI video and multi-channel audio signals up to 30 meters. The eLink 100 is HDCP-compliant and supports computer video with resolutions to 1920×1080, including HDTV 1080p/60. Latency of less than one millisecond ensures high quality wireless operation with real-time performance, and use of the 5GHz spectrum allows signals to pass easily through walls and other obstacles. To ensure connection stability in environments with multipath signals, the extender uses a robust multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) communication technology with AES-128 encryption and actively monitors the RF spectrum for selection of the ideal transmission channels. Since these technologies do not require line-of-sight, the eLink 100 T transmitter and eLink 100 R receiver can be concealed or mounted in separate areas to maintain the aesthetics of a space. For installations with multiple display devices, one transmitter can support multiple receivers, RCB Integration: (08) 8351 2188 or extron@rgbintegration.com Extron: www.extron.com

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NEWS

Highlights from the IBC International Broadcast Conference in Amsterdam

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

CLEAR-COM

RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS

Top of the list of Blackmagic’s releases are the addition of Production Camera 4K and Cinema Camera models with rugged machined steel PL lens mounts, allowing the use of professional and vintage cinema lenses. Five versions have been released in this chassis with a choice of 4K or 2.5K sensors and three lens mounts. The new range is available now, and priced from A$2705 / US$2295.

Clear-Com has launched its latest version of the configuration software for the Eclipse HX digital matrix intercom systems, the EHX 8.0. The new version enables standard IP-connected V-Series panels to operate both as fully-functional intercom key panels and as multi-channel audio gateways with no requirement for additional hardware or software licenses. The feature extends the Eclipse HX’s existing capability to provide remote matrix intercom connectivity over diverse IP infrastructure at no additional cost, making audio and intercom connectivity for applications such as OBs and live events more cost-effective.

Highlights of Riedel’s latest releases at IBC are the company’s first fully networked platform based on the AES67 and AVB standards, a new broadcast interface with added Skype, and the Smartpanel multifunction user interface.

The new Blackmagic MultiView 16 is a native UltraHD multi viewer for broadcast, master control monitoring and post-production that allows the use large screen UHD televisions and monitors for displaying images at twice the resolution of an HD multi view. With full frame re-sync in each input, MultiView 16 supports the display of up to 16 mixed SD, HD and UltraHD video sources. The multi viewer will be available from October for A$1755 / US$1495. The company also launched its SmartView 4K, a full resolution UltraHD broadcast monitor with 3840 x 2160 native resolution, due for release in December (A$2365 / US$1995), the Smart Videohub 40x40 40-input/40-output router based on 6G-SDI technology available from October (A$3549 / US$2995), two new Mini Converters with 6G-SDI for use in SD, HD and UltraHD video systems (from A$359 / US$295), three heavy-duty mini converters that have been upgraded to use the same 4K design as standard models (A$415 / US$345), and a software update for all Videohub routers available now from the company’s website with a new user interface, support for high resolution retina displays and additional new features. New Magic Australia 03 9722 9700 or www.newmagic.com.au Blackmagic: www.blackmagicdesign.com

The new Clear-Com LINQ range of interfaces are compact devices that enable connection of two-wire partyline with call signaling and four-wire audio over LAN, WAN or Internet IP infrastructures. Based on Clear-Com’s patented IV-Core technology, LINQ is available in two-wire or four-wire options. The LINQ2W2 is both Clear-Com and RTS TW compatible, while the LINQ-4W2 can interconnect with devices such as analogue ports of any matrix intercom system, analogue telephone circuits, two-way radio gateways and audio consoles. A maximum of six LINQ IP interfaces can be linked together in any two- or fourwire combination. Clear-Com also announced the launch of its FreeSpeak II wireless intercom system, an enhanced DECT-based offering that operates in multiple license-free DECT bands from 1.897 to 1.933GHz. FreeSpeak II delivers improved roaming capability for reliable wireless connections, clear intelligibility and intercom features that make it a high performance wireless option. The system is ideal for deployment across large-scale, multi-zone production areas typically required in live events, broadcast and sports production. Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or www.jands.com.au Clear-Com: www.clearcom.com

With its own dedicated intercom application, the Tango TNG-200 is an expandable open-hardware communication solution for broadcast, theatre, and live event environments. Equipped with a high-resolution, full-colour TFT display, the platform offers intuitive front-panel controls, two integrated digital partylines, two AES67 and AVB-compatible ports, two Ethernet ports, an option slot, and redundant power supplies. The system is 1.5U high, with a shallow mounting depth and low-noise design, and is fully compatible with all of Riedel’s current and legacy intercom panels. The Microsoft-licensed STX-200 broadcast-grade interface brings live content directly from reporters to on-air productions. The stand-alone solution offers broadcast-quality HD-SDI and balanced XLR audio I/ Os and is packaged with professional Microsoft Skype TX software. “Broadcasters now have live access to quality video from the more than 300 million regular Skype users around the world,” says CEO Thomas Riedel. The RSP-2318 Smartpanel user interface gives broadcasters a universal panel capable of performing multiple functions across multiple applications. Features include three high-resolution, sunlightreadable, multitouch color displays, premium-quality stereo audio, a multilingual character set, and 18 keys in 1U. Offering AES67 and AVB connectivity and optional AES3 over UTP/coax, the device provides exchangeable headset connectors for mono or stereo applications, an integrated power supply, individual volume controls for each key, two USB ports, two Ethernet connectors, GPIO, audio I/O, an option slot, a removable gooseneck microphone, an SD card slot, and an HDMI output. It can be integrated into any existing Riedel installation and can be expanded further with new apps. Riedel: (02) 9669 1199 or www.riedel.net

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Highlights from the IBC International Broadcast Conference in Amsterdam

ARRI ADDS PORTABLE LED MODELS

3-CMOS HD STUDIO CAMERA

ENDLESS POWER

Arri has expanded its Caster series of compact and tuneable LED fixtures with the LoCaster 2 Plus and BroadCaster 2 Plus. Both new models have more than 35% increased light output compared with Caster2 with the same form factor, appearance and 35W power draw. The LoCaster 2 Plus features an onboard controller with continuous CCT adjustment from 2600 – 6500K, full plus or minus green correction and continuous dimming from 0 to 100%. Weighting 960g, it’s ideal for mobile applications and is available with a flexible lighting kit configuration with a selection of accessories. The BroadCaster 2 Plus incorporates a built-in DMX controller for versatility when lighting tight spots in small and medium-sized studios. The company has also released the L5, a portable addition to L-Series LED fresnels with half the weight and size of the original L7. Drawing 115W, the L5 is approximately 45% brighter than a 300W tungsten fresnel, with a light output equivalent to a 450W tungsten fixture. It maintains many of the features of the L7 but adds a PowerCON power connector and on-board battery input. Arri: (02) 9855 4308 or www.arri.com.au

The new Ikegami HC-HD300 is a compact and “aggressively priced” high definition camera designed for broadcast television. Launched at IBC 2014, the camera is the latest addition to the Japanese company’s Unicam HD product line and features three 1/3-inch CMOS progressive-scan sensors with a 1/3-inch bayonet lens mount, and outputs all commonly used HD video formats. Typical performance characteristics of the camera in 1080/59.94i output mode are 1000 television lines horizontal resolution, 58dB signal-tonoise ratio and 2000 lux sensitivity (89.9 per cent white reflection) at F10 aperture. Shipping in December, the model weighs 4.5kg including the newly developed FA300 fibre adapter. Operating voltage range is 11V to 16V and power consumption (excluding FA-300) is 19W. Features include the focus assist and lens aberration correction functions from the Unicam HD cameras. Pricing has not been confirmed but the company says the model will be its most affordable HD studio camera system in a bid to attract independent studios, churchbased broadcasting and cable TV productions. Ikegami: www.ikegami.com

Atomos has entered the battery market with its new Power Station, a dual-battery device powers up to three DC and two USB devices simultaneously. With a maximum output of 5W, it allows users to charge an entire rig, from DSLR and lighting to monitors and recorders. Its dual-USB power source allows users to charge a single high powered 2A device such as an iPad, or two lower powered 1A devices. Independent left and right LED displays give a five-step visual guide on the power remaining for each battery, and DC adaptors are available for popular cameras including the A7, GH4, 5DMKIII, FS700 and C100. “With Power Station we’ve solved perhaps the biggest problem of all,” says CEO and founder Jeromy Young. “You don’t need massive batteries or multiple batteries for different devices anymore.”

AVIOM PERSONAL MIXER

FLAGSHIP SONY MONITOR

STUDER D23M I/O SYSTEM

Aviom has released its most affordable personal mixer, the A320. Suited for use with both in-ear monitors and headphones, the model delivers precise mix control and monitoring with simplicity of use. All mixing features are instantly available – no menus to navigate, no complex programming, no computer required – so customising and adjusting a mix is fast and intuitive, even on the fly. The A320 uses a 32-channel mix engine for mixing up to 16 mono or stereo sources and includes a simplified version of Aviom’s Stereo Placement control that combines the pan and spread of stereo signals into a single control, allowing both mono and stereo sources to be positioned in the stereo field of the mix as a whole, significantly improving the user experience with in-ear monitors and headphones, while providing the most streamlined user interface. Production Audio Video Technology: (03) 9264 8000 or www.pavt.com.au Aviom: www.aviom.com

The BVM-X300 30-inch 4K OLED master monitor is the flagship model in Sony’s professional monitor line-up. It offers DCI-standard 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels) and Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) picture resolution for reference monitoring of high-end cinema and TV production applications such as colour grading and quality control in the 4K production workflow. Sony’s Super Top Emission OLED technology provides users with a huge contrast ratio and wide colour reproduction close to the ITU-R BT and 2020 colour space standard. In addition, the BVM-X300 provides a High Dynamic Range mode with excellent image reproduction – the black is black, and peak brightness can be reproduced more realistically with colours that are typically saturated in a conventional standard dynamic range. Sony Australia: 1300 720 071 or pro.sony.com.au

With an enhanced channel count architecture that allows Vista X and Vista V digital consoles users to transfer a huge number of channels, Harman’s Studer D23m I/O system works seamlessly with the Studer Infinity Core and A-Link interface technology and is fully compatible with D21m systems already in the field. The A-Link HD card hosts a powerful processor to operate all required patching and can be used as the sync master to the system, or slaved to a variety of external synchronisation signals. The D23m can host up to 12 I/O cards with a total of 1536 inputs and 1536 outputs, and comes with two A-Link ports and two hot-swappable power supplies for secure, redundant operation. Status displays on the front panel indicate the status of the frame or the status of installed cards. Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or www.jands.com.au Studer: www.studer.ch

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Atomos: (03) 9999 5908 or www.atomos.com

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AVIAs 2014: The Industry’s Awards Top left: Infocomm’s Terry Freisenborg and Jonathan Seller with AMX Australia’s GM Graham Evans (centre). Top right: Ian Wornes, 3D Audio Visual’s Technical Director collects the AVIA for ‘Best Application of AV in a Commercial or Government Installation with a Budget Exceeding $500,000’. Bottom Left: Representing some of the AETM contingent, Steven Stewart from Uni of Tasmania and Monash Uni’s Scott Doyle. Bottom right: Steve Courtney, Nick Jebson and Nash Summers from Soundcorp share a drink with Sennheiser Australia’s Peter Hall.

The finalists of the 2014 AVIAs came together with hundreds of other audiovisual professionals at a ceremony held at the Integrate exhibition in Sydney at the end of August. With InfoComm International ensuring those attending were well fed and watered, the brief but meaningful ceremony provided the perfect opportunity for the industry to appreciate some outstanding AV design and integration.

New contenders in 2014 included Arup, Corporate Initiatives, Mod Productions, Jumbo Vision, Parity, ULA, VideoPro NZ, Riedel, Indesign, and 3D Audio Visual (more on 3D AV in a minute). The entries were routinely excellent. Clearly, the AVIA’s reputation precedes it as an awards program you only bring your ‘A Game’ to.

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IN POD WE TRUST

COMMERCIAL OR GOVERNMENT $500K+

The blue-ribbon category ‘Best Application of AV in a Commercial or Government Installation with a Budget Exceeding $500,000’ was particularly hotly contested this year. A large, highquality field was whittled down to The PA People, AVIA evergreens Rutledge AV, and new WA firm 3D Audio Visual contending for the big prize. 3D Audio Visual took out the top honour with its work on the University of WA’s M Block collaborative teaching and learning facility. The judges were suitably impressed with the level of collaboration afforded by the design, commenting that the “UWA student pods have set a new standard for highly flexible collaborative spaces”. As further endorsement, university staff are embracing the new and innovative way of teaching, and already the system is to be replicated elsewhere. AV IN PRODUCTION

The ‘Best Application of AV in a Production’ category could hardly have been more diverse. A virtual orchestra was pitted against a gargantuan naval review and a creative lighting installation. Mod Productions took the prize for its ingenious work with the Australian Chamber Orchestra on the ‘ACO Virtual’ [as seen on the cover of AV Issue 36].

The UWA student pods have set a new standard for highly flexible collaborative spaces. Every aspect of the project exhibits careful and considered design coupled with innovative applications of available technologies.

VIRTUAL REALITY The ACO Virtual project turns a complex technical undertaking into a elegantly simple installation kit that can go into the back of a van and into just about any gallery. The stereoscopic 3D performance capture, along with the highly accessible touchpad interface, removes barriers, allowing patrons to step inside the performance and make it their own. Already ACO Virtual has reach some 20,000 people Australia wide.

COMMERCIAL OR GOVERNMENT SUB $500K

Speaking of diversity, the sub $500,000 Commercial/Government install category had something for everyone: a cathedral, a municipal library and a city council’s ‘customer interaction centre’ (which we’ll profile more fully in a coming issue). Acoustic Directions again won the category for its forensic approach to taming challenging acoustics without any sacrifice of usability.

HIGH CHURCH Acoustic Directions has made a speciality out of transforming traditionally impossible acoustic spaces into workable, pleasurable spaces for work, leisure and worship. St Andrews cathedral’s PA has exceeded all expectations, is simple to use and was installed quickly and smoothly.

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AV IN EDUCATION

Fredon scored its first AVIA, sharing the award with WSP and the University of Sydney for work on the Charles Perkins Centre X-Lab. In awarding the ‘Best Application of AV in an Education Project’ AVIA the judges were impressed with the lab’s ability to flexibly divide a large 240-seat teaching space into (up to eight) independent teaching zones, without any physical isolation. Rather, the lab uses an impressive and innovative range of video and acoustic technologies.

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SUPER LAB Uni of Sydney’s X-Lab has the ability to run eight different classes concurrently in the space, and control the audio down to the half bench level from any of the eight teaching stations using narrow-beam electrostatic SoundShower transducers from overhead. The outside-the box-application of video streaming to eliminate complex switch matrices simplified video distribution by orders of magnitude.

JUDGES’ COMMENDATION

The judges threw a curve ball on the night, awarding Fredon a commendation for ‘Innovative use of AV Technology’ for the Blacktown Council Customer interaction centre. The judges appreciated how Fredon leveraged high-end corporate videoconferencing technology in a community context to solve a problem no one knew they had. As it happens rate payers can have their queries answered ‘face to face’ while doing their shopping. INNOVATION WINS OUT

The AVIAs is all about innovation. It’s wonderful to see such high quality work being produced, but it’s the ingenious technical solutions applied to curly problems that really gets our judges’ juices flowing. Each of this year’s AVIA winners are truly worthy in this regard. Their work act as sign posts to a smarter AV future, and their solutions will doubtlessly be emulated and, we hope, refined and improved even further as technology and good design allows. AV applauds our winners, as we do all those who entered this year’s awards and evidently take considerable pride in their work, achieving the best result for their clients. We also take a moment to thank our esteemed judging panel: Terry Coe, Scott Doyle, Matthew Loupis, Joseph Mecurio, Marcus Pugh, and Paul Van der Ent. We thank you for being so professional and diligent in your honorary roles, you do yourselves and the industry a credit. Next year the AVIAs will be back. We will continue to endeavour to make improvements to the program and are happy to hear from those with criticisms or suggestions. Hit us up on entries@avias.com.au Expect more on the 2015 AVIAs early 2015. Until then, make a mental note of what you can be submitting from calendar year 2014. See you then! 

PERSONALISED SERVICE Corporate VC for the proletariat! As it happens the off site customer interaction centre has been described better than the ‘real thing’ — more personalised and quicker/easier to have council-related issues dealt with. The ‘package’ is entirely reproducible — something Blacktown Council is considering given the rapid expansion in new housing estates and the heavier load of enquiries that comes with such growth.

the AVIA’s reputation precedes it as an awards program you only bring your ‘A Game’ to

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Big on Ceremony

The stakes are extremely high and generally organisers of big-ticket opening and closing ceremonies hire in proven international talent – after all they can’t afford anything to go wrong… and if anything does fall flat, well, “we hired the best”. China’s homegrown events production skills were on show for the world to see in August during the opening and closing ceremonies of the Summer Youth Olympic Games. As you’ll see from images the events were visually stunning. Leading the charge was lighting designer Sha Xiao Lan, who rose to prominence for the work done on the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Held at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre and televised around the globe, again Sha Xiao Lan created a number of spectacular looks including one in which he placed 20 Platinum BX units in a huge scenic astronomical telescope, which illuminated the night sky and became an event highlight, and in another using 112 x 26,000-lumen Barco HDF-series projectors to turn the entire field of play into a projectionmapped canvas. PROJECTION MAPPED TO THE MAX

Barco and High End Systems (a Barco company), were selected as the projection and video processing provider. In order to meet the director’s design requirements and realise the world’s most sophisticated projection mapping, the team had to take a whole host of factors into consideration, such as large-scale geometric correction, stitching and blending, multi-layer superposition, multi-point correction, and more. Barco used its SIMCAD virtual stage design software to pinpoint each location. The projection area was divided into 14 sections with 2x7 stitching and blending, and in each section, the same picture was projected by eight projectors. Fibreoptic cable linked the 112 projectors to 56 sets of media servers, creating a projection on a scale rarely seen before in global application practices. The projection area covered more than 10,140sqm at a projection distance greater than 120 metres. LIGHTING UNDER THE TELESCOPE

China’s own Elation Professional was the supplier of the luminaires, launching some new technology in the process. The new high-powered Platinum BX beam and hybrid Platinum SBX moving heads debuted in a big way (some 400 fixtures in all). The new Platinum SBX were positioned throughout the stadium and used to light the huge performance area. It’s a 3-in-1 luminaire that powers out 20,000 lumens and has versatile use as a beam, spot, or wash fixture – combining hard-edge, mid-air effects and a wash field in one luminaire allow it to play multiple roles. Meanwhile, the Platinum BX combines new lamp technology from a Philips MSD Platinum 17RA 350W lamp with a new optical system to power out over 15,000 lumens along a tight 2.5 degree beam. The dense, long throw beam makes for a spectacular mid-air look. Put 20 of them together in a ‘giant telescope’ and the result – as Sha Xiao Lan displayed – is out of this world. 

The opening ceremony involved extraordinarily complicated image processing. The same image was projected by eight projectors. For this superposition to work over a distance greater than 100m required precise control. The Barco Athena processors built into the HDF-series projectors rapidly produced a set of multi-point geometry corrections, ensuring high image quality.

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Lighting Designer: Sha Xiao Lan Audio Designer: He Biao Audio Director: Wang Ruixiang Production Company: Beijing Fengshang Shiji Culture Art Barco: www.barco.com Elation Professional: www. elationprofessional.com High End Systems: www.highend.com

Lighting designer Sha Xiao Lan created a number of spectacular looks including one in which he placed 20 Platinum BX units in a huge scenic astronomical telescope, which illuminated the night sky and became an iconic element that stood out as one of the main highlights of the event.

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Lab Report Why the University of Sydney’s AVIA award-winning X-Lab stands out from the crowd. Text:/ Derek Powell

Universities thrive on innovation. Their very reason for being is to create new knowledge, so the sector is constantly coming up with new styles of teaching and learning, and trialing new technologies to make teaching spaces more effective and efficient. Sometimes new ideas appear and disappear very quickly, but when new modes of teaching work really well, they will spread like wildfire. Often technology, particularly audiovisual technology, is a key enabler. In just the last decade we’ve seen the proliferation of collaborative learning spaces; lecture capture systems and massive open online courses (MOOCs) to name just three tech-heavy tertiary education trends. To that list we can now add the concept of the Super Lab. Put simply, a super lab is a flexible wet-lab that allows multiple practical science classes to be taught simultaneously in the same space. The super lab leapt to prominence in 2007 when the London Metropolitan University opened a facility to cater for up to 280 students and 12 simultaneous classes. Since then, dozens of super labs have been built or planned in the UK, Europe and Australia. However the X-Lab

at the University of Sydney has definitely re-set the expectations of what can be achieved in a practical teaching lab by applying cutting-edge audiovisual and IT technology. The new lab is part of the teaching space in the new Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney. It is designed as a ‘cross-disciplinary’ space that can teach practical laboratory techniques to students studying various specialties in the fields of science and health. At the very heart of the teaching concept is the ability to run simultaneous classes within the one open-plan laboratory. The lab was designed to cater for up to eight(!) classes at once, with each group ranging in size from eight up to 240 students in any combination. Following current best practice, each student was to be equipped with a PC, since modern scientific instruments and microscopes are able to hook up via USB to save experimental data and images onto a computer in real time. Individual PC screens would also allow each student to receive a close-up view as their tutor demonstrated the experimental techniques.

The X-Lab caters for up to 240 students at workstations that can be arbitrarily assigned to any one of eight class groups. All images courtesy of University of Sydney.

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Creating a system with up to 750 selectable outputs was a massive challenge

WHAT IS A SUPER LAB?

THE MATRIX UNPLUGGED

Teaching Laboratories are expensive to build, staff and operate. Often each University discipline, such as Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Medicine and more will have their own dedicated labs even though they may be in use for teaching only a few times a week. The super lab concept typically allows more intensive and efficient use of space with both large first-year classes and smaller specialized courses able to share the same physical space. The potential savings are huge, with one new super lab replacing several stand-alone labs and consolidating staffing requirements. Following the initial success of the world’s first at London Metropolitan University, super labs are now in place at many universities including Nottingham Trent University and Liverpool University in the UK; Carleton University in Canada; and the University of Technology Sydney and are planned or under construction at many more.

A traditional solution might have involved a massive matrix switcher but as the University’s AV team developed the design brief, they realized that a single switched output per student would seriously limit the educational opportunities. A matrix solution would have offered students either a single video source from the instructor or view or their own work – not both at the same time. However the experimental techniques being demonstrated really required the ability to display up to three video output streams from the tutor’s station, for example, a camera output showing the tutor, a microscope view and data from a PC screen. Creating a system with up to 750 selectable outputs was a massive challenge, so for the answer, the University AV team drew on experience gained at their own innovative PNR building Learning Studio [see AV issue 27]. The Learning Studio pioneered the use of IP streams to route and transport video, so the team adapted that approach to develop a converged AV/IT streaming solution that delivered much more flexibility, allowing students to display multiple video

windows side-by-side on their screen. With the technical goals set, audiovisual consultants WSP undertook three reference designs with one of the three chosen following detailed user demonstration and sign-off process. This process required out-of-thebox thinking and a truly collaborative effort with the University during design, and later with integrators Fredon Technology during construction. The chosen solution was to convert three feeds from each teaching position into 720p high definition H264 streams with Haivision Makito encoders. Using a specially programmed interface, each student logs-in to their respective tutor’s streams on their own PC and arranges the video windows to suit their needs. Each stream appears as a separate Haivision Instream player window which can be resized, moved or displayed alongside the student’s own work on their PC. It is a stunningly-elegant solution, made even easier to use by the choice of a Dell all-in-one touch screen PC running Windows 8 as the student PC. Each PC is mounted on an Ergotron arm which enables it to be brought close for detailed viewing or moved well clear to allow full use of the bench space.

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Each of the eight demonstrator stations can send up to three video streams from the six available video sources: a document camera, a microscope camera, a touch screen PC, a face camera, or a retractable HDMI flylead.

Key Technologies Streaming Video: Haivision Makito encoders and Instream software players www.haivision.com Video Switching: Extron www.extron.com Cameras: Wolfvision: www.wolfvision.com Toshiba (microscope): www.toshibacameras.com Panasonic: www.panasonic.com/business/ provideo/ Control Systems: AMX www.amxaustralia.com.au/aunz/ All in One PC: Dell i7 Monitor Arms: Ergotron www.ergotron.com Camera Support: Yellowtec m!ka www.yellowtec.com Speakers & Amps: Panphonics www.panphonics.com Microphones: Shure Microflex MXW1 hybrid bodypack with headset www.shure.com Audio Distribution: Symmetrix Radius – networked using Dante protocol www.symetrix.co

A very practical challenge was to make it easy for students to find their own class in the cavernous X-Lab space. Each class group is assigned a colour code, which is displayed in map form on digital signage at each entrance. Students log-in to say, the Red group on their PC and in a neat touch, can easily identify their tutor who will be wearing a red lab coat. Each of the eight teaching positions, although quite compact, is comprehensively equipped with a great deal of thought given to ergonomics. As well as their own PC, tutors have access a laptop plug-in and three different HD cameras: a Panasonic ‘face cam’ so students can watch the tutor at work; a Wolfvision document camera on a clever articulated arm to provide a close-up view of the experimental techniques; and a Toshiba microscope camera. Any three sources may be selected via the AMX touch panel to stream to the students in their group. “There was an extensive conceptual mockup of the teachers station to ensure that we got the ergonomics right,” commented Nick Orsatti from Fredon Technology, “One key piece was the use of AMX Hydraport cable management systems with their retractor action, which provided a great solution for the lab environment”. CONE OF SILENCE

With the vision side of things sorted, attention turned to the considerable challenges of audio in a multi-user space. The x-lab is open plan so students at adjacent benches may be listening to different tutors. To avoid a cacophony of sound from multiple instructors in the same space, London (and many other super labs) chose

to provide each student with a wireless headset tuned to their own group transmission. This kind of ‘tourgroup’ technology is relatively simple to implement but there are significant practical problems with managing and sanitizing hundreds of headphones in a laboratory setting. Late in the project audio headsets were vetoed by the new consultative committee, so the AV team scoured the world for a speaker system directional enough to meet the challenge. After many tests and reports the AV team selected a Finnish ultra-directional speaker system primarily used for close range sound in Museum exhibits and retail spaces. The electrostatic speakers, made by Panphonics (and appropriately named Sound Shower), deliver an ultra-narrow directional pattern that provides good articulation immediately beneath the enclosure but an extremely sharp cut-off as a listener moves away. TAKING A SOUND SHOWER

I was given a demonstration by Paul Menon, University of Sydney’s technical manager Audio Visual Services, and was absolutely staggered by the effectiveness of the system. Standing at one bench, I could clearly hear the instructor speaking yet when I moved just a couple of steps and stood under a Sound Shower enclosure at the adjacent bench, I found myself listening to another instructor, with very little crosstalk. Being an electrostatic design does limit the low frequencies somewhat; however I found speech reproduction to be clear, crisp and easily distinguished. The tutors use wireless headsets from the Shure Microflex digital range that provide a return audio

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Each video stream appears as a separate Instream player window which can be resized, moved or displayed alongside the student’s own work on their PC.

(sidetone) so they can hear themselves clearly. The receivers transport audio via Dante networking, providing a simple mechanism to route any tutor to any required combination of benches to cater for different size classes. The wider audio system utilizes Dante to distribute audio between the nine Symmetrix Radius Series DSPs, 16 channels of microphones and 45 loudspeaker zones. Tying the whole system together is an AMX control system with a clever graphical user interface that allows instructors to select which parts of the room to address. Programming for the system was undertaken by the ubiquitous Keith Austin from AT Controls, who expended plenty of blood, sweat and tears on devising a foolproof touch panel layout. Teachers simply click the benches they want to send to on the touch panel’s graphical plan of the laboratory, click the sources they want to transmit, such as microscope camera, visualizer or PC and the control system ensures that the audio and video gets to where it needs to be. The overall installation is beautifully executed and considering its capability, quite unobtrusive. Apart from the teaching stations and the PC’s there is very little visible that hints at the unparalleled flexibility offered by the system. Perhaps the icing on the cake is the way in which the University AV staff, consultants and integrators all contributed to the outcome. As Fredon’s Nick Orsatti writes: “This project was once again a demonstration of a successful client-consultantintegrator ecosystem that is becoming even more critical for project success.” The AVIA award for Best Application of AV in an Education Project is a fitting accolade for a project that is already being widely admired – and imitated! 

Key Audiovisual Roles University of Sydney: Concept design /AV design supervision – Jason Wheatley Concept audio and software design – Paul Menon Fredon Technologies: Installation engineering – Nick Orsatti WSP: Design consultant and detailed AV design

Each class group is assigned a colour code, which is displayed in map form on digital signage at each entrance. Students log-in to say, the Red group on their PC and in a neat touch, can easily identify their tutor who will be wearing a red lab coat.

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The BYOD Campus TAFESA has a campus-wide control system with the hardware already in your pocket. Text:/ Jon McFarlane

Earlier this year, TAFE South Australia opened its AU$119m Sustainable Industries Education Centre (SIEC) at the former Mitsubishi manufacturing site at Tonsley Park in Adelaide. In so doing, it has brought the building, construction and renewable energy trades onto the same campus, with a strong and united focus on skills-based training in the purposebuilt technical workshops. The audiovisual technology at SIEC is delivered across a mix of ‘cookie cutter’ seminar rooms, computer labs, corporate meeting rooms and technical workshops. Each workshop is fitted with IP cameras that can be viewed and controlled from anywhere in the building. Each teaching space is fitted with interactive touchscreens, USB cameras, access to all workshop cameras and Microsoft Lync for room linking, wireless collaboration and remote teaching. At the heart of the audiovisual solution is a control system that helps achieve a new level of building integration by effectively being invisible. There are no touch panels in any of the 70-plus teaching spaces, no light switches, and not a single rack-mounted control unit. The control hardware is simply the campus IT hardware: standard network switches, wireless access points and virtual servers. By removing the need for specialised control interface hardware, the project focuses on new ways of interacting with the audiovisual system. Benjamin Keane from B&H Australia was tasked with the challenge of guiding the TAFESA and SA Government stakeholders down the path of new possibilities. “The goal from the start was to provide maximum functionality with the fewest moving parts, allowing for the simplest level of integration, while remaining cost effective. In the end we managed to save the client a significant amount of money while delivering a level of usability that would otherwise have been impossible.” Keane explains further that by starting with an IT-based control system and an open-standard web interface, the design was able to extend its integration span beyond the hardware level and into new realms, including timetabling systems, digital signage and streaming content delivery, without the need for costly proprietary technologies. Although there are no mounted touch panels, every room still has its own user interface that can be accessed on demand utilising the user’s own device. Staff and students use their phone, tablet or laptop to browse to the unique URL for the space they wish to control. There is no need to connect to the wi-fi as all interfaces can be accessed over 3G and the solution integrates with the TAFESA ‘single sign-on’ authentication process to manage access. This makes connecting fast. There are no apps to download, no special network to join and it is the same login as all other TAFESA online systems, meaning that the user has likely already signed in.

Above: SIEC southern entry foyer. Inset: The factory shell left behind by Mitsubishi. Images courtesy MPH Architects. Photographer: David Sievers

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Camera selection interface on your own device Images courtesy Advanced Control & Acoustics

THE PILLAR OF ACCESS

Without a mounted touch panel to control the teaching spaces, a solution had to be designed in order to provide easy access to each room’s user interface. The Pillar of Access card (a nick name that stuck) provides four options to launch the control page and is presented on a wall-mounted card. Each tile takes the user to a unique URL via a QR code, NFC chip, iBeacon or simply by typing in the address. This can then be saved to the device’s home screen and launched like an app. Staff members that present from laptops often access the control interface from their browser bookmarks. The QR code acts like a physical world link. Staff and students can scan the code, which will then launch the browser to the room’s interface. A Near Field Communication (NFC) chip is mounted behind each card and works in a similar way to the QR code. NFC-enabled phones can tap the chip and it will take the user to the control interface. This is one of the fastest ways to launch the control interface and NFC is now standard on most smartphones. The most integrated solution however, is the Bluetooth 4 beacon. This small device sits in the room broadcasting an ID so that when the phone ‘hears’ the ID it automatically launches the relevant URL for that room. This means there is no scanning, tapping or typing to launch the control interface – the user simply needs to walk in range of the beacon. THE MOBILE WEB

The mobile web browser has come a long way recent years. New front-end technologies make it possible to build one solution for all devices and screen sizes. This includes auto-scaling and

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tafeTUBE replay selection menu on your own device.

repositioning of elements for different screen sizes and orientations. The TAFESA solution took a ‘mobile first’ approach, leveraging the latest Javascript libraries to provide a completely device-agnostic audiovisual solution that works on a five-inch phone as much as it does on an 80-inch LCD. Specifically, the framework AngularJS provides app-like functionality in the browser and allows for a responsive design across all devices. With HTML5 continuously releasing new features and frameworks such as AngularJS, there is almost no need for native apps on mobile devices. This allows the TAFESA solution to be easily accessible and scalable. TAFETUBE

TAFETube (another nick name that stuck) is a white-label version of Advanced Control and Acoustics’ (ACA) video platform CoTag Media. The solution integrates with TAFESA’s student and staff directories so can users automatically log into the courses they are completing. This uses the same single sign-on authentication as the control system to unify access across the solution. Users can view and upload videos from their mobile devices, share video across groups and submit video for assessment. The platform is being used to demonstrate technical skills and view student’s work. Video tagging allows staff to mark comments along the timeline of the video for discussion or formal assessment. The control system in each room can launch TAFETube on the resident PC so staff and students can interact with the platform on the touch screen displays. The resident PC is also used to capture lectures using Microsoft Lync that is uploaded to the course’s group on TAFETube.

Access to each room's control page is advertised on a card that offers a range of access paths for whatever device you have at hand.

REAL-TIME MONITORING

Such a large rollout requires device and system monitoring. ACA’s real-time monitoring allows technical staff to monitor device status, browse to user interfaces for remote support, and edit control settings for device swap-outs. These admin interfaces are powered by the same frontend technology as the user interfaces, allowing for monitoring and support from any web-based device, including mobile phones. ON THE BUTTON

TAFESA took an innovative leap forward with a completely IP-based AV solution managed by a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) control system. This includes a strong mobile focus with single sign-on authentication creating a new level of customer experience for an audiovisual solution. The result is an audiovisual solution that integrates with the building and provides the flexibility to grow and adapt over time. Linking an audiovisual system to the customer’s own device and integrating with their user account makes the system personal and approachable. This is the first step to entirely responsive buildings that react to interaction and not a button press. 

Project Credits Architects: MPH architects Audiovisual design: B&H Australia Audiovisual integration: Programmed (formerly KLM) Control & media software: Advanced Control and Acoustics

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Take it to the Bridge A hi-spec multi-channel AV install provides a constant canvas for an evolving repertoire of sound art. Text:/ Christopher Holder I feel sure that most of us have experienced some kind of audio installation on a pedestrian footbridge. For example, there’s one as you walk to the MCG in Melbourne from the city. The first time I experienced it there was a delightful sense of surprise. I stopped. I retraced my steps. I went searching for the loudspeakers. I zig-zagged along the walkway. I had a smile from ear to ear. The second time I walked across that bridge, I couldn’t care less. These soundscapes are rather like public art or sculpture: they can quickly become little more than urban wallpaper. But audio, more so than other media, cannot be easily ignored. Which is one reason why, back in 1989, when I learnt the US military was blasting General Noriega with 50,000 Watts of heavy metal to flush him out of his Panamanian hidey-hole… I had more than a little sympathy for the psychotic, drugdealing, murderous, tin-pot dictator. RMIT’s Bundoora campus has a footbridge. It funnels thousands of students and staff from public transport into the university every day. And now the footbridge boasts a sound art installation. My immediate thought was along the lines of: ‘Oh no, within a month, people will be jumping off the bridge, driven mad by the same soundscape’. But here’s where the genius lies: the bridge installation is a ‘stage’; a ‘canvas’ for experimental multichannel soundscapes. From the beginning there is enough program material to ensure that foot traffic would be extremely unlikely to hear the same soundscape in months of passing through the install. The future, funding permitting, will see new soundscapes being purchased or, indeed, composed especially for the bridge, including post-grad student work. It’s a brilliant idea, but one that requires a longlasting, robust system that invites updates, and can be easily maintained both on site and remotely.

SPANNING THE DIVIDE

Dr Lawrence Harvey, is an RMIT Associate Professor and curator of the sound art collection. Along with RMIT Gallery Director Suzanne Davies and Collections Coordinator, Jon Buckingham, it was his energy and experience that convinced the RMIT Art Committee to bankroll the collection, which eventually led to the system. But first he looked at what was right and wrong with other public spaces that have been wired for sound: “We did a study on sound scale installations around the city. It became obvious that these installs quickly became a passive piece of hardware. There was no sense of there being a curatorial dimension or collection policy. Which is what we took up with RMIT Gallery. The partnership with RMIT is perfect because they’re more interested in maintaining an installation, given the institution’s remit is to push the research and experimental aspects of the work. “Around that time I was involved in setting up a sound art exhibition called Sound Bites City. That formed the nucleus of the collection we have for the RMIT system. We’re planning to commission further pieces especially for this installation.” BRIDGE PLAYS TRICKS

The audio delivery might be via a battery of compact One Systems loudspeakers neatly installed along the bridge, chosen for their excellent weather resistance. But the real action is in the double-sided AV rack, which sits rather incongruously on location, like a hi-tech monolith accidentally parachuted onto a Wind in the Willows set. The 19 audio works are stored on an Apple Mac Mini. Each day a new playlist is generated. The pieces are played from a digital audio software called Reaper, chosen for its ability to reliably run multichannel audio. (Each piece may run in anything from two-channel stereo through to 16 or more channels.)

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System Designer Simon Tait talks us through the install: This system design addressed the problems installation like this have had in the past: namely, they’ve been impossible to patch into and control/monitor, resulting in reduced flexibility. Audio from the Mac Mini running Reaper goes into a Dante virtual sound card and is broken out into the analogue domain via two eight-channel MC2 Dante breakout boxes. The analogue audio passes through a half-normalled TRS patchbay. So effectively it acts as a piece of wire until someone wants to patch into the system, whereupon it’ll bypass Reaper and the Dante box.

Before reaching the amp, the audio passes through the XTA DC1048 processors for speaker management processing. Importantly the DC1048s will limit any signal coming in that’s too hot (protecting the loudspeakers) and it performs some system EQ. It also acts as a crossover to send audio to the subs. There are 22 amplifier channels. Each channel runs into a MC2 100V line impedance transformer. MC2 doesn’t make off-the-peg 100V line amps but its impedance transformers perform exceptionally well. The MC2 amps are networked using an RS485 data bus. It allows RMIT’s city campus to manually tinker with the playlist — add or delete tracks.

The amps also have GPIO inputs. A Command Fusion brain triggers the switch at 10pm to power down the amps and will switch them on again in the morning. There’s also a thermostat inside the rack which will shut down the whole rack if the internal temperature exceeds 65°C. It’ll wait until the morning to power up again. Special mention must go to Factory Sound’s Duncan Skinner who did the physical build. The landscape gardener dictated how big the rack could be, where it could be and what colour it could be. We had the cabinet built and put two 32U racks back to back inside. In between the racks is Duncan’s wiring, and the quality of the wiring is mind blowing.

A matrixing plug-in called Reasurround allows the multichannel audio to be easily and graphically mapped to the 16 destination loudspeakers. Bear in mind, many of the pieces were devised for very specific gallery installations (a cube, or two concentric rings of speakers, for example), so the work often needs to be reconfigured for the bridge. The audio is output from the Mac Mini via a Dante card into XTA DC1048 processors and then into MC2 Ti4250 four-channel power amplifiers (via MC2 Dante eight-way breakout boxes). The 16 channels of audio are then routed through line impedance matching transformers for 100V transmission to the One Systems 103IM loudspeakers. Another six One Systems 208CIM double-eight-inch subs are each driven off one side of a MC2 Ti1500 power amp. Each loudspeaker is discretely concealed in and under the edge of the bridge. The subs are mounted underneath, pointed downwards. Everything about the job looks to be expertly installed and remarkably wellspec’ed. Certainly the results are excellent.

SOUND IN AN EARBUD WORLD

But what measure of success do you place on a system such as this? There was talk in the group that perambulating Bundoora RMIT students may have a lower iPod/headphone quotient than their CBD counterparts, and perhaps the sound art could well be contributing to that. More realistically, the students and staff happily accept the bridge, with its experimental groanings, horror movie rattles, wraparound panning and immersive atmospheres, as their own. Not something to be endured. Without doubt the RMIT’s bridge provides a template for other instances of public audio art. Sound art needs a patron for it to maintain a vibrant life force. The more it evolves, the more the public will respond. The more they respond, the better the atmosphere and amenity of that public space.  CMI (Equipment Supplier & System Design): (03) 9315 2244 or cmi@cmi.com.au Factory Sound (Rack Wiring): factorysound.com.au

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Museum Control Goes Nodel Museum Victoria rolls its own decentralised control network. Text:/ Andy Ciddor Like every modern major museum organisation, Museum Victoria (MV) understands that audiovisual content and the technologies that deliver it lie at the core of its existence. In 2000, when the Melbourne Museum moved to its spectacular modern premises from the landmark Victorian building that it had shared with the State Library for its first century and a half, it adopted the most advanced AV technologies then available. West Australian technology company PIVoD was engaged to supply and implement its Media and Venue Management System (MVMS), which over the next decade was deployed to all of MV’s permanent galleries and public spaces, controlling some 270 exhibits across its sites at Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks, and the Immigration Museum. “We were very much at the forefront of deploying digital media and audiovisual exhibits in Australian museums,” recalls MV’s digital media systems manager, Joe Coleman. “We used a centralised control system then, which was actually a much bigger and heftier beast than what we ended up requiring, because it was going to deliver streamed content to the streams and points of presence throughout the building.” Meanwhile, rapid developments in digital media storage and replay technologies meant that individual flash-based replay devices were deployed locally at exhibits rather than streaming the high-bandwidth content across the network from the central media server. MVMS was eventually relegated to being a big, centralised device controller for the new media players. In 2003 Microsoft terminated development of the software platform underlying MVMS (the

ever-so-slightly-quirky Microsoft Java Virtual Machine), which condemned it to running on Windows XP. Add to this the problem that development of the licensed proprietary code in MVMS ceased in 2010, shortly before PIVoD itself stopped trading. Museum Victoria now had no ability to add new types of devices to an increasingly-unreliable and ageing control system that ran on an abandoned operating platform. MV's head of production and technical services, Andy Greenwood, assembled a working group to examine the range of options available. The possibilities considered ranged from replacing the current system with an existing commercial off-the-shelf system, buying and tailoring a proprietary system developed for another museum, developing a system from scratch to their own specifications, or simply to keep going with the existing orphaned system. Using the carefully-considered and highlydetailed wishlist of performance criteria assembled to evaluate the suitability of any replacement system, it became clear that the balance between cost, desire to innovate, suitability to task and risk of failure, came down in favour of a builtto-order system to be developed by Melbournebased audiovisual system integrators and software development firm, Lumicom, with which MV already had a long-standing relationship. HIGHLY SPECIFIC

The lessons learned from running the museums on MVMS were many and varied, and resulted a specification for a system architecture unlike any other, and a system philosophy that is unusual, and most likely unique in this field.

Keith Vaz, MV’s systems administrator – digital media systems, explained: “One thing we didn’t want it to be was ‘one system to rule them all’. We didn’t want it to do too many things, so we were very focused. The three things we wanted were device control, device scheduling and monitoring.” Rather than the centralised architecture of MVMS and most other control systems like the ones you find running buildings and campuses, the new control system is a cloud of independent nodes. In what can only be described as a masterstroke of marketing savvy and branding insight, the system was given the original and imaginative name of ‘Nodel’. It does however, have a neat logo. ENTER NODEL

Nodel is a platform-agnostic system, being able to run on any device that can host a Java Virtual Machine, which includes every processorbased device from a single-board computer like a Raspberry Pi, any laptop ever made or any desktop, server or mainframe computer. It’s just as happy running on Windows as it is on Apple’s OS X, or any flavour of Linux or Unix (which includes Google’s Android operating system for smartphones). The core code for Nodel is a message passing system that communicates with other nodes on the network. Nodes communicate with each other using a simple, open, language-independent, human-readable protocol written in JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), a very lightweight data structure which requires only a small amount of processing to decode. Communication with devices such as media

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Nodel is a platform-agnostic system... able to run on any device that can host a Java Virtual Machine

Left: Bunjil's Wing kinetic sculpture, First Peoples Exhibition: Bunjilaka, Melbourne Museum. First Peoples and Think Ahead at Scienceworks (above) were the first exhibitions to be built from the ground up using the Nodel system. Wing sculpture photographer: Jon Augier Think Ahead photographer: Rodney Start Images courtesy of Museum Victoria.

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players, projectors, display panels or lighting controllers is implemented through a layer of custom code for each device family, written in Python script. In addition to locally-connected devices, a node can also control other nodes on the network. A node may be programmed to poll another node to retrieve its status or it could instruct a number of other nodes to perform a series of actions at a specific time. Vaz explains the nature of the nodal architecture: “A node at its most basic level is a single device. That device can be a piece of hardware actually out there in a gallery, or it can be a script or piece of software that’s running on a computer. We tend to gather nodes together in clusters. An exhibit for instance might have a node that turns a projector on and off, and reports on its status. We have a node that controls the media player and each of the other devices that involved with that exhibit, such as a lighting controller node or a general purpose I/O node. “These device nodes are aggregated to become an exhibit node that gathers the data coming to and from those device nodes. The exhibit nodes are gathered together in an exhibition node or a gallery node, and in the next layer the galleries or exhibitions are gathered under a venue-wide node.” NODE HIERARCHY

The hierarchical structure of the network is logical rather than physical, so there is no client/ server relationship as had existed in the previous system, and thus no single point of failure that could bring down the entire museum. Joe Coleman explains: “What we tend to do for ease of management, and because we have devices such as the Brightsign players and projectors that can’t natively host their own nodes, is host all of those nodes on a single virtual server in our server room so that they’re all in one place. It’s just kind of easier to set up that way although it really doesn’t have to be. You can run nodes on little boxes like a Raspberry Pi in a broom cupboard if you want to, but from a management perspective it’s easier to aggregate them in one place.” A group of technologies known as Zero Configuration Networking are used to establish communication on a Nodel network. This enables nodes to be shut down at the end of the day and restarted each morning without requiring access to a central server for network control and configuration. It also allows a group of nodes to be removed from one network and moved to another one (think: touring exhibition) without requiring any additional reconfiguration. On start-up, just like any other device, the node automatically obtains an IP address from the network it’s connected to (usually via DHCP). Next, it joins the Nodel network using Multicast DNS, a protocol that allows each node on a network to keep its own list of node records without requiring a central server. This allows communication between nodes on the same network using each node’s name without having

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to know its IP address, which may change each time the node is rebooted. SHARING: A LA NODE

One of the most unusual aspects of the Nodel project is what Museum Victoria has done with the code it contracted Lumicon to develop. In a bold and innovative move, it has made the core code of the system available to other institutions via an Open Source licence which allows them to use the code at no cost, on the strict condition that any enhancements to the code are made available to all other users. Aside from being amazingly generous, this ensures that there will be a lively community of users continuing to enhance and extend Nodel while substantially lowering MV's maintenance costs and reducing the risk that the code will be orphaned like MVMS. The devicespecific Python code ‘recipes’ are also being made available, although there is no absolute requirement for sharing every detail of the developed code, which may involve proprietary information for some devices. Since going live with its first exhibition in September 2013 Nodel has now been rolled out to 160 exhibits across eight galleries, with around 700 nodes now active across the three Museum Victoria sites. Many of these rollouts have been seamless retrofits of Nodel to the existing MVMS exhibitions. More impressively Nodel has not been restarted since the system originally fired up.  Museum Victoria: museumvictoria.com.au Lumicom: lumicom.com.au Nodel source code: museumvictoria.github.io/nodel/

Every Nodel node has a web interface for configuration and monitoring, providing access to any HTML-capable device on the MV networks (note the logo, please). This allows staff to stand in an exhibition and tweak it by laptop or handheld device. Top: Exhibition scheduler node. Middle: Projector device node. Bottom: Exhibit controller node.

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Shure QLX-D Wireless Welcome to the latest mid-level addition to Shure’s digital wireless family. Expect some analogue cousins to be shown the door. Text:/ Christopher Holder

Shure’s wireless range is going through a bit of a ‘restack’ of its own. 24-bit digital is moving in, pushing legacy analogue systems out of the way – from the bottom of the range to somewhere near the top (with ULX-D doing great business). QLX-D sits in the ‘upper mids’ of the Shure wireless range. The big drawcards are its wide tuning bandwidth (64MHz), the fact you can network multiple receivers via ethernet (for one-button frequency finding/selection), and its compatibility with Shure’s SB900 AA recharge battery pack. If like me you’ve not totally covered yourself for the onset of the spectrum squeeze next year, then pay attention. If you’re a mid-sized performing arts centre, a biggish church, university, PA rental company or take care of sound for a government department or conferencing centre, then QLX-D delivers enough features for you to avoid spending the really big bucks. PLAYING WITH THE PROS

As someone who’s not invested in wireless for a couple of years, the QLX-D has been somewhat of a revelation. For around A$1600 (street price) a channel you get a system that’s suitable for just about every application, short of missioncritical musical theatre, festival sites, or royal visits. You can put dozens of receivers in your rack before it complains; with Shure’s Wireless Workbench software you can have pro-grade wireless admin and oversight; and with the ShurePlus Channels Mobile App you get

WHAT IS 'DIGITAL WIRELESS'? Digital wireless means different things to different manufacturers. For many they’re referring to digital controlled analogue (meaning the signal still travels in the analogue domain via RF). Shure QLX-D and ULX-D both use true digital transmission. The trouble for Shure (and others) is that a channel of 24-bit/48k audio occupies more bandwidth than an equivalent analogue signal. ‘Well, give Fraunhofer a buzz and apply some kind of data compression,’ I hear you say. Nothing doing, as that sort of jiggery-pokery introduces unacceptable latency. The answer? Shure has patented a quadrature modulator system that provides the advantages of increased signal-to-noise (120dB), a more efficient use of the bandwidth, and a greater tolerance of other active systems in its near vicinity. If you want some bed-time reading tap ‘Shure digital modulation’ into Google Patents for more.

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remote monitoring (RF and battery status for starters) from your iPad or iPhone. Software like Workbench has traditionally been the preserve of the RF guy, ie. on gigs that warrant a specialist RF technician. So to have this kind of functionality in a semi-pro system is a luxury and, again, means midlevel users who might have a ‘Christmas Special’ or a one-off large conference can respond with QLX-D without the need to hire in heavier artillery. A STEEL

This system is a pleasure to operate and work with. The hardware itself, with the steel cases, feels sturdy and less ‘consumer’ than, say, my trusty SLX4 units. Saying that, in my experience even Shure’s plastic ‘bits’ that feel flimsy never fail anyway – but the steel construction is reassuring. The handheld mic is nicely weighted. It’ll slot straight into the optional recharge station, or you can feed AAs into it. Somewhat controversially, the handheld has a mechanical on/off switch, rather than a more tamperproof press-button. In practice, I’ve never had an accidental power-down – which makes me happy; while feedback from talent has been universally positive – they love the big on/ off switch. For that extra level of ‘highwire act’ difficulty it does allow performers to manually switch the device on and off depending on whether they’re on-mic – as I recall Jamiroquai does in his live show – to assist FOH with stage spill pouring down the microphone. I’ll leave it up to souls braver than I to recommend this particular technique. The half-rack receiver is, again, solid and workmanlike in appearance. The LCD is bright and easily viewed from any angle. The battery life meter is an utter godsend. The number of ‘probably okay’ AAs I’ve jettisoned over the years is shameful, and having that ‘hours:minutes’ visual feedback I think lowers the levels of my anxiety from Defcon 1 down to a positively sedate Defcon 5 on longer shows, or when I’ve forgotten to run a multimeter across my half-used batteries. Finding the best frequency and syncing the receiver (via IR) to the transmitter is child’s play. Even better, as mentioned, you can network the receivers: plumb in an ethernet switch and QLX-D will automatically take care of the channel scan

and frequency configuration for all the receivers in your rack – no need to get a PC involved. The review kit shipped with an SM58 head and a WL93 lavalier system. The 58 worked as expected. You can select an SM86, Beta 58A, Beta 87A, Beta 87C or KSM9 capsules. I would have been interested in testing the MX153 earworn headset mic, so it’s worth noting there is that option, along with more primo lavalier choices. There’s an instrument/guitar beltpack transmitter as well. QLX-D converts audio to 24-bit/48k before transmission [see the Digital Wireless box item for more detail]. There’s 120dB of dynamic range, a number that would be like science fiction only a few short years ago. You want reduced dynamic range? Apply compression at the desk – no need to gain up or down the transmitter to find a sweet spot. I had vocalists of all descriptions – from hoarse whisperers to hold-onto-yourhat belters – using the mic and it performed flawlessly. Did it suit every vocalist’s tone? Of course not. But the clarity and performance was evident. CASE FOR QLX-D

As I alluded to earlier, QLX-D shares much with the pricier ULX-D – same digital transmission, and anecdotally, the same sound quality – but ULX-D brings pro features such as Dante, dual/quad-channel receivers, and the option of a stronger 20W transmitter power. There’s also Shure’s ULXPro analogue system, with QLX-D almost certainly taking much of its market share – only the die-hard ‘analogue or nothing’ wireless stalwarts will insist on ULX-Pro. Meanwhile, if you’ve got more than a handful of wireless channels and you find yourself spending, say, 30 minutes before every gig configuring the system and checking/replacing batteries, you deserve to upgrade to a system like QLX-D. Anything cheaper is false economy. Anything more expensive, could well be unnecessary for all but those ‘failure is not an option’ applications I mentioned earlier. I’ll certainly be giving QLX-D serious consideration. The Digital Dividend countdown clock is ticking and I like the idea of investing in wireless that can be complemented as budget permits, becoming a true system rather than a rag tag bunch of individual channels. 

Shure’s New Digital Hierarchy Frequency Band PGX-D: 902-928 MHz* GLX-D: 2.4 GHz QLX-D: 470-814 MHz* ULX-D: 470-814 MHz* *Country Dependent Max. Simultaneous Systems PGX-D: 5 GLX-D: 4 QLX-D: >60 ULX-D: >100 using high density mode Max. Operating Range PGX-D: Up to 65m GLX-D: Up to 32m indoors QLX-D: Up to ~100m ULX-D: Up to ~100m using standard density mode Latency PGX-D: 3.5ms GLX-D: 4 ms minimum; 7.3ms maximum QLX-D: 2.9ms ULX-D: 2.9ms Sampling Rate PGX-D: 48k GLX-D: 44.1k QLX-D: 48k ULX-D: 48k All use 24-bit sampling resolution.

Price: QLXD24SM58 (w/SM58 Handheld): AU$1823 RRP QLXD1483 (w/Lavalier): AU$1939 RRP Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or sales@jands.com.au Shure Asia: www.shureasia.com

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Power to the People LSC’s GenVI dimmer and APS distro. Text:/ Marcus Pugh

While we may all get excited about the latest projector, LED screen, speaker cabinet, software defined network, signal processor, media server or lighting fixture, there’s one critical element of every system that’s frequently overlooked and rarely the subject of discussion – much less innovation and excitement. I’m referring of course to the stalwart power distribution box (distro) or dimmer rack that sits quietly in the corner of every system, feeding it with the power that actually makes it go. While you’ve been looking the other way, counting lumens and worrying about the system’s STI, the team at LSC Lighting has been quietly going about the business of using the advances in sensing and processing technologies to make dimmers and distros smarter too. In the last 12 months LSC has released what I would consider to be the most advanced dimmer and distro available to the AV industry: the Advanced Power system (APS) distro and the GenVI advanced dimming system. THE DISTRO GETS SMARTS

A power distro is no longer just a dumb box converting power from big outlets to smaller ones. LSC has looked at the changing demands of the industry and some of the problems presented by new technologies that have become commonplace. Anyone who has ever powered up a large number of lighting fixtures, LED wall modules or amplifiers at the same time soon becomes aware of that nasty little phenomenon known as inrush current which causes the troublesome tripping of circuit breakers. Traditionally this is avoided by appointing a skilled technician to learn the configuration of the system then power up each device individually while taking care to maintain load balance across the supply phases. APS addresses this by offering a staggered start-up of each circuit, enabling sequenced load ramp-up while maintaining phase balance. The sequenced start-up can also work in concert with other APS racks linked via DMX512. The APS can also be remotely controlled via DMX512A and GPI (contact closure) and both remotely monitored and controlled via RDM.

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“In the last 12 months LSC has released what I would consider to be the most advanced dimmer and distro available” An APS can also be programmed to power up when a stable DMX signal is detected, in other words when the lighting console is turned on, and can also power itself down when no DMX signal is detected for some minutes, ie. when the console is turned off. This feature means that a venue or system can be left in the hands of inexperienced people without worrying about the systems being left powered up after use. SERIOUS PROTECTION

The APS has all the features one would expect from a topof-the-line 21st century distro, including supply voltage and load-current monitoring, trip indication, and a colour touchscreen for local data display and menu navigation. Each circuit is fitted with a double-pole (switches both load and neutral) RCBO (Residual Current Breaker with Overload) which is the equivalent to an RCD/GFI earthleakage safety switch teamed with a standard thermal/ magnetic circuit breaker. This provides both a high level of safety for users and a high level of discrimination for fault isolation. One of the best features for the festival and touring market is that the APS won’t power up on a generator until the incoming voltage has stabilised. A maximum and minimum supply voltage range can be set to automatically disconnect the supply from the loads in the case of voltages that could damage equipment. Impressive too is its ability to set load limits on individual circuits, which would be very handy in an install environment. The APS is available in 12 x 10 Amp, 12 x 13 Amp, 12 x 16 Amp and 6 x 20 Amp configurations, and can be fitted with standard Australian GPOs, Socapex, Wieland, screw terminal and even Neutrik Powercon outputs A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR DIMMING

I have worked extensively with LSC dimmer racks over the past 12 years and have always found them to be a great product, but the GenVI dimmer (their sixth generation of dimming technology) is not merely a sophisticated unit for dimming incandescent lighting fixtures, it’s also a sophisticated distro like the APS. Each channel can be independently set to dim mode with a selection of standard dimming curves in either 8- or 16-bit configurations, or relay mode for direct power distribution. In common with the APS, the GenVI is equipped with a colour touchscreen, RDM via DMX-512A , RCBOs on each channel and onboard DMX termination.

Everyone who has plugged a low-wattage load into a dimmer will know that most dimmers simply won’t dim the fixture because its current demand is too low to keep the switching device (triac) conducting. The conventional, although clumsy and often inconvenient fix, is to plug in an additional dummy load fixture to increase the current demand. The GenVI dimmer, however, uses pulse transformer triac firing that ensures that no matter how small the load, the dimmer will still dim it. I, of course, took this as a challenge, and started by plugging in a 50W 12V Par 16 (classic for not dimming). It worked, so I tried a 12W domestic work globe which it dimmed without fuss. I moved onto a 3W Littlite (gooseneck console light), which dimmed, so I then bought out the small guns, testing a 3mA nightlight from my son’s room and lo and behold, it too dimmed. At this point I finally admitted defeat. Service techs everywhere know that the first component to fail in a dimmer rack is the triac switching device because of the large fluctuating currents they handle, and the most problematic issue with a relay is the arcing which occurs every time the contacts open and close. LSC has worked around both of these issues by taking advantage of the dual functionality of the unit. When a channel is in relay mode it momentarily utilises the triac to handle the initial load so that when the relay contacts close there is no arcing. Conversely, when in dimming mode, if a channel is snapped to full, the relay is closed to relieve the sudden inrush current on the triac. This means LSC is the only company, to my knowledge, that offers a two-year warranty on triacs (an element often excluded from parts warranties). Like the APS, the GenVI is available in 12 x 10 Amp, 12 x 13 Amp, 12 x 16 Amp and 6 x 20 Amp configurations, and can be fitted with standard Australian GPOs, Socapex, Wieland, screw terminal and even Neutrik powerCON outputs I have been thoroughly impressed by both these racks. They are by no means the cheapest dimmers and distros on the market, but while innovation like this doesn’t come cheap, they’re already being picked up with enthusiasm all over the world for film and television production. In my view, spending a bit more on the equipment which powers your system is cheap insurance to help protect the even more expensive bits of kit in your rig.  LSC Lighting Systems: info@lsclighting.com.au +61 (0)3 9702 8000

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054

REVIEW

Panasonic PT-RZ670 Installation Projector Text:/ Stephen Dawson

Eliminating the discharge lamps still used by the majority of projectors is a worthy aim with which we can all agree. They are fragile (and become more so as they advance in hours of use). They have a shortish life (1000 to perhaps 6000 hours, depending on the design) which is shortened even further by excessive power cycling. They aren’t even very comfortable with operating at an unusual angle. They run hot and need to be warmed up over a couple of minutes before a usable picture is available. They need to be cooled gently when switched off. If you have a power failure while they’re operating, you may lose your lamp – at the very least, its operational life will be shortened. After that story, you’d have to be nuts to use a projector, except that they remain a highly effective way of creating a large display. So increasingly companies like Panasonic (and Sony) are thinking: let’s keep the projector and get rid of the lamp. That’s exactly what it has done with the new PT-RZ670 installation projector. LIGHT ENGINE

Rather than a lamp, this projector’s light is produced by solid-state laser firing at a rotating phosphor wheel. The phosphors respond by producing an extremely bright light. This Solid Shine system then feeds an almost conventional single-chip WUXGA (1920x1200) DLP engine. However, instead of a more conventional colour filter wheel with either red, green and blue (RGB), or red, green, blue and white (RGBW) segments, this projector uses a red, green, blue and yellow wheel. With this system Panasonic has been able to produce an impressive 6500 ANSI lumens.

INSTALLATION

This is one hefty bit of gear. Taking into account both the 23kg weight and the $28,000 price tag, I forwent the services of my normal ceiling mount. Obviously the projector supports upside down operation and also rear projection, flipping the image as required for its position with respect to the screen. I went with a sturdy table mount, from the front, onto my relatively small 84-inch projection screen. Switching on produced a bright blue screen. Three dedicated keys allowed adjustment of the focus, zoom and lens shift, all of which are all powered. There was a two-speed adjustment: rapid when an arrow key is held down. And then fine adjustments by jabbing the keys briefly. First time I managed the whole thing in about three minutes. Getting focus spot on is easy, too, because you can stand up close to the screen while adjusting it. The lens shift works both horizontally and vertically. The standard zoom lens has a range of 1.4:1, a throw ratio of 1.7 to 2.4:1, but it is removable and there are a five other zoom lenses and two fixed lenses available as options at prices from $3,599 to $6,999. I did most of my testing with a Blu-ray system, which of course delivers HD (1920 x1080 pixels) rather than the native WUXGA of this projector. When first switched on, 1920x1080 projection area in placed dead centre, vertically, in the 1200 pixel tall space. If you decide to set the screen format to 16:9 (or 4:3, but why would you?), you can slide the display area within the larger 16:10 maximum area for a fine pixel-by-pixel adjustment.

Using an HDMI connection, the projector made it plain to my computer that its resolution was 1920 by 1200, even when the screen format was set to 16:9, and thus 1080 pixels tall. The result was either the projector cutting off the top and bottom of the picture, or rescaling it to fit, reducing image clarity. Due to its less-stringent airflow requirements the laser light engine is not subject to the placement restrictions of regular lamps, so the projector also supports portrait orientation, and also placement at all kinds of odd angles if needed, to project onto a wide variety of surfaces. There is just the one HDMI input, but other connections are well catered for. There’s DVD-D (ie. the digital-only variant) and an SDI (Serial Digital Interface) and Digital Link, which Panasonic says that this is compatible with HDbaseT. Analogue RGB and YCbCr are supported via BNC and D-SUB15 connections. Control is available via Ethernet LAN or RS232C. Art-Net is also supported via Ethernet. There is also web browser control, but its functions are quite limited. The browser function is most useful for monitoring the projector, including its temperature. For ad hoc control the included infrared remote control had excellent reach. Panasonic says its range is up to 30 metres. I couldn’t test that in my office, but I found that even putting it under my desk it would still work, despite the IR having to bounce from several surfaces. For large installations there are a range of multiple projector modes and an edge blending function is also provided.

055

REVIEW

20,000 HOURS?

I normally assume that a performance specification is based on the best case scenario. So that’s what I figured for Panasonic’s claim to a 20,000 hour maintenance free life for the PTRZ670, by which time the output will have fallen by 50% (ie. a drop of one f-stop). But I was intrigued to come across ‘Eco’ and ‘Long Life’ modes in the system menus. ‘Eco’ reduces brightness to 80% and increases the life to 24,000 hours. Three ‘Long Life’ settings reduce light output to 35.4%, 27.7% and 20%, and extend the life of the light source to 43,000, 61,000 or 87,000 hours. All of these settings are adjustable. Twenty per cent sounds particularly low, but as I sat in my darkened office with the projector set for the moment to that value, it occurred to me that my usual home theatre projector produces roughly the same brightness. I can easily see one of the longer life modes being useful if the projector is being used in a dark environment or with a less than enormous projection screen. STARTING & STOPPING

This projector does indeed start a great deal faster than a typical lamp-based model. By default it gets itself going, then displays a big ‘Panasonic’ on a blue background for a while, before finally devoting itself to your image. The HDMI input image appeared 34 seconds after starting the projector when I permitted ‘Panasonic’ to be displayed, but only 15 to 19 seconds when I disposed of it. Switching off was faster. The light went out instantly, while the fans stopped just six seconds later. Panasonic says it produces 35dB SPL of noise. I don’t have a meter able to measure that level, but the projector did sound fairly noisy to my ears. My meter does go down to 40dB SPL, and measuring from a metre away, diagonally from a back corner of the unit, the meter spent about half its time below range, and half around the 41 to 43dB area (A-weighted). There are four large fans in the projector, three at the back and one at the front. The optical block is sealed to dust, so no replaceable filters are required. The solid state light source is liquid cooled, so the fans draw cooling air over the heat exchange fins of that cooling system. The noise had a subtle flavour of machines at work overlaying the usual white noise. When first switched on, or when the video frame rate was changed (eg. from 24Hz to 50Hz) there was a distinct moment of whine as the colour and phosphor wheels spun up or down. In a normal room the projector was simply too loud to be considered a viable candidate for theatrical-type screenings. In an installation

or good sized theatre, this would not be a problem. Indeed, I doubt you would find many projectors capable of 6500 ANSI lumens that would be quieter. PICTURE QUALITY

The picture quality of the projector was, well, adequate or very good, depending entirely on what you want to do with it. For presentations, slides, and I expect for both static and motionbased advertising or signage, it produced a bold, accurate and colourful image, thanks to the high output and good uniformity in brightness across the screen. Feed it a quality signal and you’ll get a quality result. With a static monochrome test pattern I did manage to induce in my vision a slight DLP rainbow effect, but only just, and I’m generally pretty sensitive to that problem. With movies and video content, things were just a little less satisfactory, thanks in large part to the relatively restricted contrast ratio. The 8,000:1 (according to the manual) or 10,000:1 (according to some other literature) on offer from this projector leaves rather brighter blacks than is desirable with this type of content, even with the light output turned right down to 20%. The picture failed to pop as a result. There was a touch of image judder during movement. The projector implements no motionsmoothing algorithm, and the extremely fast switching speed of DMDs means no smearing between frames, so whatever judder is in the source is delivered to the screen, undisguised. If fed interlaced signals, an option called ‘Digital Cinema Reality’ becomes available. This controls how the interlaced fields are put together. With 50Hz content common in Australia, the Auto setting was pretty good with standard definition material, but not very good with 1080i content, too readily treating film-sourced progressive content as though it were video-sourced interlaced content, and thereby generating artefacts. But you can set it to 25p FIXED, which forces a weave of the fields, resulting in perfect recreation of the original source. CONCLUSION

The Panasonic PT-RZ670 has many merits, including great placement flexibility, that suit it to its prime purpose: large installations where power and longevity is so very important. It could be viable for HD cinema-type operations on medium sized screens. The build is strong. The heat generation relatively low. The connectivity and control options are manifold. And special installations can benefit from the range of lenses. So long as their budget stretches to $27,999 a unit. 

Computer output projected with screen set to native 16:10 aspect ratio (direct pixel mapping).

Computer output projected with screen set to 16:9 aspect ratio, requiring output to be resized and thus distorting text.

Price: QLXD24SM58 (w/SM58 Handheld): AU$1823 RRP QLXD1483 (w/Lavalier): AU$1939 RRP Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or sales@jands.com.au Shure Asia: www.shureasia.com

Specifications: Display technology: Single 17.0mm Digital Micromirror Device, 1,920 x 1,200 pixel (WUGA) resolution with colour wheel. Light source: Laser diode and phosphor wheel. Lamp life: 20000 hours (more in Eco mode – see text). Brightness: 6,500 ANSI lumens. Contrast ratio: 10,000:1 (dynamic contrast). Inputs: 1 x HDMI, 1 x DVI-D, 1 x SDI, 1 x RGB/Component (5 x BNC), 1 x RGBHV (D-SUB15); 1 x Digital Link (shared with Ethernet). Control: 1 x RS-232C in, 1 x RS-232C out, 2 x remote in, 1 x remote out. Dimensions (w x h x d): 498mm x 200mm x 581mm Weight: 23kg

056

NEWS

InfoComm News

News from the Asia Pacific Region

DISCOVER & DELIVER THE EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE InfoComm and its members are dedicated to creating exceptional AV experiences that help people work and live better. What is an exceptional experience? Watch our video on infocomm.org/exceptionalexperience. CELEBRATE AV MONTH! October is AV Month, your opportunity to celebrate and spread the word about the role audiovisual systems play in society. Encourage students to start a career in the industry, reach out to architects and more. For ideas, visit infocomm.org and share your photos and stories with us. AUSTRALIAN DESIGN FIRM KEEPS INDUSTRY APEx IN SIGHT InDesign Technologies, with offices in Queensland and New South Wales (and a Sydney office opening soon), has indicated its intention to become an AV Provider of Excellence. InfoComm’s APEx program recognises AV integration companies and design consulting firms that are dedicated to providing quality service to customers and upholding industry excellence. “We’re always looking for ways to demonstrate to our clients the emphasis we place on quality and the sheer level of detail we go to ensure a fantastic end result,” said Peter Coman, the firm’s Managing Director. “Having an industry body program that recognises this commitment to excellence is exactly what this industry needs. The fact InfoComm will be marketing APEx to our potential clients is fantastic; it will ensure that our company stands out as a quality provider.” Coman said that it should take InDesign Technologies about six months to qualify for APEx recognition. “At first I thought it was going to be a difficult process just to qualify,” he said, “but the requirements are not unreasonable and neither is the cost. We have always prioritised training and education in our business.” To learn more about APEx and how your company can qualify, visit infocomm.org/apex. FREE AV SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE VERIFICATION GUIDE The AV community is encouraged to download InfoComm’s free Audiovisual Systems Performance Verification Guide, designed to serve as a companion to the ANSI/ InfoComm International Standard 10:2013. It describes how to implement each verification item through theory and sample test sheets. It also includes information about functional-based testing and performance expectation review. It also explains how to use the Standard as an assessment tool and provides a sample completed verification list. The Standard and the Guide are intended for all parties involved in the audiovisual system installation process including consultants, integrators, manufacturers, technology support staff, owners, third-party commissioning agents, and architects to verify the performance of audiovisual systems throughout the integration process. ANSI/InfoComm International Standard 10:2013 defines 160 items to verify an audiovisual (AV) system’s functionality and performance in accordance with the system’s project documentation.

The Standard identifies audiovisual system performance-evaluation requirements for the following 13 functional categories: • Audio Performance (AP) • Video Performance (VP) • Audio/Video Performance (AVP) • Cable Management, Termination, and Labelling (CABL) • Control Performance (CON) • Electrical (ELEC) • Information Technology (IT) • Operations and Support (OP) • Physical Environment (PHYSE) • Physical Installation (PHYSI) • Serviceability (SERV) • Wireless (WL) • System and Record Documentation (DOC) Out of the total number of verification items, 16 require a measurement in addition to pass/fail to validate performance. Further, 11 items should include a measurement in addition to pass/fail to validate performance. The verification reporting process can be customised to the needs of any AV systems integration project. The framework outlined in the Standard is intended to be used with the organisation’s existing project and quality management processes, and existing organisational verification processes can be adapted to conform to the Standard. InfoComm thanks the dedicated group of subject matter experts who produced this 400-page resource: Richard Morrison, CTS, BE (Computer Systems) Norman Disney & Young (Chair) Tim Bailey, Waveguide Consulting, Inc. Ashish Bajaj, Harman Pro Group Jason Brameld, PTS Consulting Paul Depperschmidt, CTS, Cisco Systems, Inc. Dan Doolen, University of Illinois Mike Izatt, CTS-D, Spectrum Engineers, Inc. Shane Myers, CTS-D, CTS-I, ISF-C, AV3, Inc. Allan Rea, Shen Milsom & Wilke Scott Tomashek, CTS-D, Camera Corner, Inc. AMX SPONSORS NETWORKED AV SYSTEMS CLASSES Gain an in-depth understanding of networks and how AV applications operate within them in this program, including Networking Technology Online and Networked AV Systems. Classes are offered at AMX training centres in Melbourne 12-14 November, the Gold Coast 17-19 November, and Sydney 24-26 November. For more information visit infocomm.org

All The AV Industry Employment News Delivered to your IN box every week any time you want it at www.avpac.net

057

TUTORIAL

Project Management: Tracking a Project This is an excerpt from the InfoComm University course ‘CTS Prep Online’, free to InfoComm members, which many people take to help prepare for the CTS exam. Project management is essential, because if you plan your project in advance you’ll have a good idea of what’s required to complete everything. It is used as a way to measure your project through activities and milestones as you progress. A huge amount of project management is spent communicating. Early in the project your company and your client should communicate what needs to be done. Some things will happen sooner than planned and some things will be delayed, but in the end you will have completed certain milestones on time given the agreement you have with your client. This includes coordination of the project as it progresses. Schedule for when equipment is expected to arrive and when it should be installed. This will help you outline in what order things will happen. AV project coordination covers many different aspects of the project and is not limited to just the AV portion of the project. Sometimes other areas must be completed before certain AV components can be started or completed, such as waiting to install sensitive equipment until construction is over. Other areas of the project must also be monitored by the AV project manager to ensure that considerations for AV equipment or specifications are met, such as monitoring where an HVAC or sprinkler system is being installed to ensure it is not placed where a projector is to be located or cable is to be run. The most common way to coordinate when tasks should be completed and track a project is to create a visual organisational chart which helps manage events. There are three basic ways to do this: • A work breakdown structure (WBS) defines the products or services • A Gantt chart provides a timeline for all the activities that have to happen • A logic network diagram shows which tasks have to be completed before you can begin your work Quick Tip: Charts You can get software packages for these charts or you can draw them on paper. A prominent tool or technique for project management is the work breakdown structure (WBS). It is a deliverable-oriented discussion created in a hierarchical form. It reveals how

deliverables and components are interconnected and dependent on one another. GLOSSARY: WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)

The work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented grouping of project elements which will ultimately organise and define the total scope of the project. Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of a project component. The objective of a WBS is to ensure that everyone working on the project clearly understands what end products the client expects to receive. The functions of the WBS define a product or service, and are always expressed in nouns. Quick Tip: WBS Limitations A WBS does not address who, what, when, or how much.

and continue. Milestones might shift one way or another. If you receive approval quickly, the milestone can move to the left, but if the activity requires revision, the milestone might move to the right. Since some tasks must be completed before others may start, the Gantt chart identifies these types of dependencies in a manner which clearly shows their sequence. For example, the walls of a room must be finished and painted prior to mounting sensitive and fragile AV components, so the start dates of these AV tasks will be identified as dependent on the end dates of the room preparation tasks. BEST PRACTICE: COORDINATION

It’s very important your chart is coordinated with other charts, such as the installation of electrical services, screens, and ceiling tiles. Their milestones need to work with your milestones because if their milestones slip, it may affect your milestones. A logic network diagram, or Pert Chart, offers the same information as a Gantt chart, but its laid out in a different way.

GANTT CHART

The most common way to present a project schedule is a Gantt chart, which depicts the timeline for tasks and subtasks as horizontal bars which show the sequence in which tasks should be performed and any milestones in the project, such as completion of major tasks. Gantt charts are a great way to provide a graphic to your client so they can understand which activities impact other activities, some of which will be activities of other trades.

This is a simplified Gantt chart, but it illustrates the concept well. The top of the chart shows you the project dates. Down the left side, you can see the activities and milestones. The shaded areas represent milestones, which are the tasks which have to be completed before the next task can begin. If the milestones are not met, the project will not be able to move forward

Logic network diagrams can be used when negotiating with your client regarding what other tasks need to be done before you can begin your tasks. For example, say you allocate five weeks to do a job and the client asks if you can do it in two. If the sprinkler system still needs to be installed in the space, you aren't going to be able to install your AV system first without risking damage. Gantt charts and logic network diagrams can be as simple or as complicated as you want and need to make them. 

058

Termination Flying in for the Big Spoil Text:/ Graeme Hague

Big screens are everywhere. At least they’d better be. You see, I’m flying over from WA to Melbourne for the AFL Grand Final and I need a big screen. Being Fremantle football club tragics, six month ago it appeared our boys in purple were glory bound, so we ambitiously booked flights. Of course, there was always a risk we’d be disappointed and, yes, unfortunately our team failed dismally. The players couldn’t kick a goal if their livelihood depended on it – which it does, incidentally. The consolation is my wife and I enjoy a week’s holiday in Melbourne soaking up the Grand Final atmosphere without the stress of begging/ stealing tickets into the MCG to see the game live. After all, that’s impossible. After the MCC has handed out tickets to the respective clubs’ members, the press, corporate sponsors and anyone who’s been upset by Eddie McGuire over the last six months – filling the entire Southern Stand in the process – humble punters like us couldn’t get a seat even if we waved fistfuls of gold bullion at the gate. Despite actually travelling to Melbourne, we’re still reduced to watching the game on a big screen somewhere (we could do that at home). And even though most football fanatics can attach some kind of allegiance to one finalist or the other, this year we don’t care about the result. Not caring about the result would make our weekly lives far simpler. My Better Half and I live unsynchronised lives and watching the football together normally requires recording the game and waiting until we’re both home. This means avoiding big screens everywhere and a total communications blackout from all devices to avoid friends and family offering

“woo-hoos!” and “yays!”, or worse an “aargh!” via social media, giving away the result (football folks don’t have a large vocabulary). Dodging big screens is also imperative, because they’re invariably showing the game. For example, I walked in – and straight out again – of my local pub one weekend when I saw the game we were recording showing on the telly behind the bar. The barmaid, with my customary pint already half-poured, nearly called an ambulance assuming I was having some kind of psychotic episode. It can be a real challenge not discovering the result before you want to know it, and disappointing if you do. SPOILER ALERT

Which brings us, believe or not, to internet piracy. Australia is apparently the most guilty country per head of population for pirating video content from the web and everyone’s been pointing fingers in all directions, blaming the inflated cost of online programs, the lack of providers, alQaeda … you name it. Nobody considers one serious factor behind illegal downloads: if you don’t watch that favourite program as soon as you possibly can, someone or something will tell you how it ends, before you get a chance to see it for yourself. Bastards. It’s a big deal – spoilers can suck. Australian TV networks tend to show “the latest” episodes of programs days or weeks, and even months after they’ve aired overseas and fans are not only impatient for their next fix of a thriller, they want to make sure no one spoils the ending for them. Within hours of any broadcast all social media is chockers with commentary about the episode and it’s only a matter of

time before you ‘know how it ends’ despite how hard you try. The best solution just might be downloading a copy from the net somehow and watching it for yourself ASAP. A lot of people – gasp, shock, horror – would even happily pay for that. Now, I’m not condoning internet piracy in the slightest, but I do get annoyed with the overblown estimations of how much of a problem it is. It supposedly costs ‘billions’ of dollars in lost revenue, but the reality is that a very large percentage of illegal content is downloaded by people who would never pay for it. Music is even worse in this regard, because a zillion geeks collect pirated tunes like Hugh Hefner collects Playboy Bunnies – they never actually want to play them or pay for them (although age might be an issue for Hugh these days). Piracy only has a win when somebody makes a conscious decision to source illegal content they’d otherwise have forked out cash for. Not being able to watch that Game of Thrones finale roughly the same time as the rest of the world is another big factor. So in my never-so-humble opinion, media networks should make content fairlypriced, immediately and easily available, and at a high level of quality that’s superior to shakey, illegal stuff – and piracy will return to the realms of one-legged sailors, lost treasures and Tourette’s-afflicted parrots. Talking of which, my personal treasure search next week will be for the biggest, highest-resolution, loudest television screen showing the big game complete with cold beers and warm pies. That shouldn’t be hard to find in Melbourne, right? 