Digicom Technology News

Apple made a little product announcement earlier this month. Something about a new iPad. It got mixed reviews: Some people expected more significant changes to the wildly popular tablet.

But AV professionals monitoring the iPad announcement need hear only three things about the new product: 4G, HD, and quad-core. Taken together, those iPad features describe an instantly viable, high-definition videoconferencing endpoint — one that’s likely to sell tens of millions of units and push an entire generation toward mobile videoconferencing, with all the technology design, systems engineering, and planning changes that entails.

Certainly, the new Apple iPad isn’t the first mobile computing device to support videoconferencing (or video calling, if you will) — high definition or otherwise. You’ll recall Tangberg’s Movi client (now incorporated into a platform Cisco Systems is calling Jabber), or even Cisco’s own Cius tablet, designed to support 720p videoconferencing. And vendors such as LifeSize (ClearSea), Polycom (RealPresence Mobile), Radvision (ScopiaMobile), and Vidyo (VidyoMobile) have made great strides in enabling high-quality videoconferencing on today’s mobile devices, limited as some of those devices might be in their ability to handle video. But when you consider that the iPad now has the processing power to crank through H.264 and other streams, a screen and camera that support 720p and 1080p, a wireless network connection (two, if you count Wi-Fi) that offers the necessary bandwidth for HD video links, and that it’s already backordered, it’s definitely time for AV pros, their clients, and their IT counterparts to start building systems that support pervasive video conferencing. Because it’s one thing to Skype from a smartphone; it’s another  to patch into a telepresence room from a new iPad or similarly powered mobile device while sitting in an airport lounge.

“A lot of people are still unaware that you can do mobile videoconferencing,” says Matt McNeil, CTS-D®, chief marketing officer at Conference Technologies. “They think you’ll get the quality of Skype rather than what they’re used to with their room videoconferencing systems. Others are surprised at how good the mobile technology has gotten in the last year.”

The age of mobile videoconferencing is officially upon us, thanks in no small part to the iPad. And it will rely on the convergence of AV and IT like no other technology before it. Why? Because AV professionals still own the videoconferencing room experience, but IT will always have responsibility over the computing devices — mobile and otherwise — that workers use.

According to a recent survey of videoconferencing users by Wainhouse Research, 36 percent of respondents said their organizations had already deployed videoconferencing-enabled tablets; 16 percent were actually engaging in mobile videoconferencing; and half said their organization planned to test or deploy it within the year.

“This is the whole new paradigm that everyone’s talked about,” says John Vitale, Vice President of Products at AVI-SPL. “Within the last year, mass adoption of new devices has started driving mobile videoconferencing.”

If you would like to to know more about video conferencing, please contact Digicom.

Article from infoComm.

Be more productive from anywhere on any device with Cisco Jabber, a new unified communications application. Cisco Jabber lets you access presence, instant messaging (IM), voice, video, voice messaging, desktop sharing, and conferencing. Find the right people, see if and how they are available, and collaborate using your preferred method. Cisco Jabber extends Cisco's unified communications and collaboration solutions across PC, Mac, tablet and smartphone. Jabber is available today for Windows, iPhone, iPad, Nokia, Android and BlackBerry platforms. In addition, Jabber integrates with video endpoints including Cisco Unified IP Phones, Cisco WebEx® Meeting Center, Cisco TelePresence.


Features:

Interoperability:

• Cisco Jabber uses the industry-standard Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) for presence and IM. With Jabber's interoperability, employees from one company can interact with employees at other companies using applications from Google, IBM. Microsoft and AOL.
•  Further increasing user acceptance and adoption, Cisco Jabber provides integration with Microsoft Office productivity applications so users can see a colleague's availability status, and quickly escalate communications to an instant message, phone call or conference from within the application.

Today, Apple iPads are being incorporated into many business environments to increase productivity and Extron are now adding value to their control systems through this medium. MediaLink for iPad is an AV control system app designed for the Apple iPad. It provides users with an additional point of control for rooms with an installed Ethernet-enabled MediaLink controller, such as the MLC 104 IP Plus or the MLC 226 IP. Presenters can wirelessly control the AV system using a Wi-Fi network, allowing them the freedom to move throughout the room. You can find MediaLink for iPad now in the Apple App Store. It is easy to set up and only 79c once you have an Extron Medialink Controller in your meeting rooms.

Key features are as follows:

Provides an additional point of control for Ethernet-enabled MediaLink controllers

Supports MLC 104 IP Plus and MLC 226 IP MediaLink controllers that are configured using Global Configurator

Connection manager allows presenters to control different rooms

Button tracking allows iPad and controller to stay in sync

Provides real-time status and remote control of multiple rooms for troubleshooting and management

Wireless control using a Wi-Fi network allows users to move freely throughout the room

Familiar user interface looks just like the MediaLink controller on the wall

Please contact Digicom for any AV control system requirements you may have.

Pacific Media Associates(PMA)are a high-tech market research firm that specializes in the Projector market. From Pico Projectors to Mainstream Projectors for business and education to Home Theater Projectors to Digital Cinema Projectors. They have released their latest quarterly projector industry forecast updates with some of the highlights outlined below.

PMA divides the front projector industry into three brightness ranges, each associated with its own set of buyer types and applications: New Era (sub-500 lumens), Mainstream (500-4999 lumens), and High End (5000+ lumens).

In the New Era range (pico, personal and toy/game projectors), use of LED light engines is expected to grow by 40% this year and next. In the Mainstream range, use of laser and LED illumination is expected to increase in unit sales by more than 50% in 2012. Shipments of laser/LED hybrid models are forecast to grow modestly this year, and then are expected to grow by more than 40% each year during 2013-2015. Shipments of laser-illuminated units are expected to begin in 2013 for the High-End and d-Cinema ranges. In 2014, PMA anticipates a growth rate of more than 80% for the High-End laser models and nearly double for the Digital Cinema laser models.

PMA’s quarterly forecast also identifies the anticipated growth of relatively inexpensive, medium-throw projectors (i.e., ones with a throw ratio¬ of lens-to-screen distance divided by the screen width ¬of 0.38 to <0.75).

 “While outlook for ultra-short-throw projectors - i.e., ones with a throw ratio less than 0.38 - is still very promising,” said Michael Abramson, PMA’s VP of Projector Research, “there are a lot more medium-throw projectors coming to market that allow big-screen viewing from up-close distances — in the office, in the classroom, and even in the home — all at budget-friendly prices”.

Unit shipments of medium-throw projectors are expected to increase by nearly 20% each year during 2012-2014, while the average street price for these projectors predicted to drop by more than 50% by 2016.
The PMA forecast also anticipates a different shift in resolution mix for each of the three brightness ranges in the coming years. For New Era projectors, 720p units are expected to start shipping in 2012, with 1080p units expected to ship in 2013. For the Mainstream range, 2012 shipments of WUXGA (1920×1200 pixels) and Above-WUXGA are anticipated to grow by more than 30% and by more than 70% from 2011, respectively. PMA also forecasts solid growth in 2K and 4K resolutions for the High-End range (non- Digital Cinema).

If you would like to get more information on a projector that would suit you needs please contact Digicom on 01 4600022 or email info@digicom.ie

Read the following six interesting points on features you get in true commercial displays from manucturers like Samsung, Sony, and NEC, that you won’t get on consumer models, even from reputable manufacturers.

 1. Commercial displays have advanced cooling mechanisms that permit screens to run 24/7/365 without overheating.

2. Advanced anti-burn-in technology on commercial plasmas provide added peace of mind when your screens are on day and night, especially if you’re displaying artwork or digital signage content that doesn’t change frequently.

3. Commercial flatscreens are designed hang in portrait or landscape mode and still operate properly without overheating or other issues. This is great for areas where space is tight, for digital signage applications or to fit your techorating requirements, so the flatscreens can truly blend in to the architecture of your space.

4. A commercial display offers easier control with RS232 capabilities, which permits you to control multiple displays on one control system and also offers daisy-chaining capabilities. A multitude of connectivity options, including Ethernet, HDMI, HDMI-2 and DVI-D makes it easier to ensure that all the components on your network will work together.

5. Commercial HDTVs are optimized not just for television broadcast but digital signage or boardroom applications. Refresh rates and the color spectrum is tailored to a variety of input devices to show PowerPoint, slideshow photos, digital signage content and more. Not all consumer flat panel displays are optimized to display content from a PC or Mac. A commercial display will also give you more options to change display settings based on your inputs and the type of content you’re displaying.

6. Most importantly, commercial displays typically come with a 2- to 3-year manufacturers’ warranty and possibly even an extended service contract. When you’re running a nightclub, restaurant, sports bar, or a store, you can’t afford downtime. When you buy a commercial HDTV display, you’ll get the service you need as a business owner, and representatives who understand the importance of rock-solid operations. If you put residential displays purchased in a retail store or warehouse club in your commercial hospitality venue, it voids the manufacturer’s warranty and if something goes wrong, you’re not covered. Now that $500 screen doesn’t sound like such a good value for a venue owner, does it?

If you would like more information on commercial displays please visit our website or contact us on 01 4600022 / info@digicom.ie

Digicom were approached by Enterprise Ireland's magazine "Technology Ireland" to contribute to an article to highlight trends within the Video Conferencing market in Ireland. The article is of benefit to companies seeking to deploy video conferencing and details what they should consider. Peter Fox, Digicom's Business Development Director gives insights into what is happening on this front and provides useful advice for those considering video conferencing.

Peter Fox, Business Development Director

The strong growth potential of this market which is emphasised in the article comes as no surprise given the savings that video conferencing can provide. As of late, a number of factors have seen the popularity of video conferencing skyrocket such as extreme weather conditions, rising transport costs, downtime involved with travelling and improvements in technology.

Below is an extract from the article:

"According to Digicom Sales Director Peter Fox, Irish companies are deploying larger managed private networks and factoring the requirement for high definition video when considering bandwidth requirements. Video is still primarily used in intranet [internal company network] architecture. If connectivity is made outside the private network, companies are deploying firewall traversal components in order to overcome security concerns.
He describes bandwidth and interoperability as the key issues affecting uptake. The cheaper the connectivity, the more we will buy and the more video we use, the more we will need. remote connectivity to video conferencing acts as a complement to the service. Service providers like Skype need to create a secure video portal to allow their traffic to interface through video conferencing gateways. This would allow delegates to connect remotely to room systems from home or anywhere else.
Any business that requires face to face meetings can leverage video conferencing facilities says Fox, who explains that a good quality system can be installed for around €10,000. Some clients are taking advantage of managed service options, paying for service and support on a quarterly basis. In the case there is no upfront capital expenditure for the client and the service provider takes responsibility for the equipment for the duration of its life cycle.
He describes video conferencing equipment as robust - manufacturers typically support service of the equipment for between three and five years and up to seven years depending on the equipment. Of course, the hardware can operate long after its service life has expired. High definition has improved the experience - the more cameras and large format LCD displays you can use in the one room, the more immersive the experience. This, combined with the factors outlined above , encourages Fox to suggest that while you can never beat eyeball to eyeball conversations, video conferencing can reduce them.
What is most important for a business considering video conferencing is the environment in which it wishes to conduct the calls. Rooms with as much artificial light as possible work best. Calls with more than six delegates at one site can become less interactive. Rooms with glass and plastered ceilings or with little soft furnishing can be acoustically challenging. Most of all, seamless connectivity to the destination really completes the experience".

If you would like more information on video conferencing please click here, or contact us on 01 4600022 or email info@digicom.ie

Available on Android and Apple platforms, Polycom's RealPresence Mobile is for business professionals who want to extend their enterprise video collaboration capabilities beyond the office and conference room to their mobile devices. RealPresence Mobile is an easy-to-use video app that provides premium quality audio, video and content sharing. Cloud-based deployment gives users access to enterprise directories at the swipe-of-a finger. Users simply highlight a name, connect, then communicate.



Features and Benefits:

• Connect face-to-face from wherever you are, any time, through WiFi or 3/4G networks. Note: Polycom recommends WiFi for optimal visual experience
• Realize true enterprise mobile video through brilliant visual and audio quality – see every detail, hear every nuance and share HD visual content with other standards-based devices
• Dual signaling protocol, H.323 and SIP maximizes connectivity across platforms Simple and easy-to-use application provides instant, one-touch connections into the enterprise video-enabled network 
• Polycom RealPresence Platform is the most scalable, secure, reliable, interoperable and comprehensive software infrastructure for universal video collaboration
• Free yourself from the office and conference room with the ability to meet anywhere. 
• Stay connected with people and content with a single communication stream from your tablet or smartphone. 
• Eliminate barriers to productivity and open new opportunities for immersive teamwork. 
• Take charge of your work and life balance by taking video conferencing wherever you go.

Here at Digicom, we are big advocates of the app.