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| A Primedia Property | |
| August 19, 2004 | |
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Table of Contents Houses of Worship Top Story Disc dupes help build ministries and grow revenue Installation News Loudspeakers provide solid coverage at fan-shaped church BSS Soundweb unites ancient and modern in Japan Product News Lectrosonics introduces DM1624 digital audio mixer Panasonic delivers PT-L785U portable projector Comprehensive introduces 8x4 video/audio switcher ADVERTISEMENT Since 1980, FSR has been providing ultra high quality audio and video control and switching solutions to the a/v industry. Located in West Paterson, New Jersey, all FSR products are "Made in the USA" and carry the warranty and support that you require. At FSR, "We have what you need". www.fsrinc.com Houses of Worship Top Story Disc dupes help build ministries and grow revenue With CD duplicating devices cheaper and easier to use than ever -- and DVD systems to duplicate video programs -- more and more churches are getting into the business of disc production. Rob Walker, president of CD Lab, Inc. in Glendale, Arizona, says the market for duplication technology in churches is really two markets with different priorities. ADVERTISEMENT  TV One produces over fifty products for the professional video market worldwide, including Seamless Switchers, Scan Converters, Video Scalers, HDTV Converters, Standards Converters, SDI Converters, Matrix Routing Switchers, Digital Video Recorders, Video Servers, LCD Monitors, Frame Synchronizers, Distribution Systems and other Video Terminal Equipment. www.tvone.com The first segment is based "spur of the moment" transactions: CDs of a sermon ready for purchase by congregants as they leave the church. The premium is based on speed of production, which has its drawbacks, Walker says. "You mostly just record the sermon in one long take," he explains, with no time to insert track markers. Thus, users can't jump quickly to specific points, and if they want to repeat something, they must start again from the beginning. Still, for many churches this option turns into a nice revenue source. "People will willingly pay $10 to $12 each," Walker says. "But we're seeing more in the $5 to $6 range than we used to." The second market option, according to Walker, is a Web-based, searchable archive of sermons and other content that can be burned onto CDs on demand. A variety of music selections and other introductory materials can be incorporated as well, Walker says. In addition to individual churches, a number of e-commerce services are building on this option. What makes these choices possible, of course, is the speed and ease of use provided by the latest duplicators. "They're simpler than running a copy machine," says Walker. Although audio CD duplication is often a do-it-yourself business for the church, a current trend in the market may be creating new opportunities for AV systems integrators: Video on DVD. DVD production "involves an AV systems integrator much more often," says Aaron Pratt, marketing and communications manager at Microboards, Inc., "because DVD is much more complex. In high-end video there are many more considerations." Integrators, Pratt adds, often add a DVD production feature to their proposals system as a sweetener, showing the church client a possible new source of revenue. "We're moving a lot of DVD duplicators into the church market," says Pratt. Dramatic price drops are one reason for this surge, he adds. Not so long ago, it could cost more than $5,000 to buy a DVD authoring drive, and discs were $50 a pop. Today the hardware is a few hundred dollars and blank DVDs are a buck. Churches implementing DVD duplication have tended to be those with a robust video ministry already in place, Pratt says. But that's changing, too. "In the last six months or a year, we're seeing a greatly increased rate of churches adopting DVD that did not previously have a video ministry," he comments. Pratt notes that many churches have cadres of videographers who are recording weddings, Easter programs, and other events, then marketing the programs to church members. These videographers often become the first customers for a church's in-house duplication service. In both audio and video, Pratt says one factor too many churches overlook is printed labels for the discs. "It's an insignificant extra expense and it really helps to sell the product," he argues. Label printing can be done ahead of time so that they can be slapped onto CDs to meet the window for impulse purchases after a Sunday service. "We see churches getting complete CDs with labels in jewel cases on the shelves in three to four minutes," Pratt says. Installation News Loudspeakers provide solid coverage at fan-shaped church Back in 1964 the tiny rectangular-shaped building that housed Mount Pleasant Baptist Church was capable of accommodating the church's modest congregation. These days, however, the western regions of North Carolina are growing in population and churches in the area are quickly recognizing the need for expansion. Mount Pleasant in Haysville, North Carolina, is no exception. Recently the church oversaw the construction of a new worship facility that is better equipped to handle its services, which feature congregational singing, choir performances, and soloists accompanied by piano, keyboard, and electric and bass guitar. The new sanctuary seats approximately 400 worshipers. DB Audio & Video, Inc., an AV design and systems integration firm with its home base in Gainesville, Georgia, was enlisted to specify and implement Mount Pleasant's new sound system. Featuring a peaked roof, the main seating area in Mount Pleasant's new sanctuary is configured in a rectangle and flanked by two wing sections with lower ceiling elevations on either side. In a way, notes Mike Hedden, president of dB Acoustics & Sound, the room is fan-shaped. To accommodate this configuration, Hedden specified a pair of Sound Physics Labs SPL-runt two-way loudspeakers. "The size of the room and the ceiling height is such that we couldn't install anything that was too big, which is why the 'runts' work so well," Hedden explains. "The big difficulty is that it's a fairly live room with lots of reflective material. The challenge was how to get good, direct energy on the seats without installing large devices. A small cabinet tends to spray the ceiling as much as it does the seating area." Hedden favored the SPL-runts for this installation as a result of their superior pattern control. "What is unique about the "runts" is that they have really excellent pattern control because the entire enclosure is basically the horn," he explains. "There is better direct energy for the listeners and less excitation in the room, which makes it much easier to understand." The SPL-runts are supported by a pair of Bose subwoofers and a number of Atlas Sound ceiling speakers that are installed throughout the space. The microphone system is comprised of Sennheiser Evolution Series wireless cardioid lavalier systems. "Everyone wants a couple of wireless microphones," says Hedden. "We also used a Sennheiser podium microphone as well as the wireless microphones. They give nice gain before feedback and have a low profile." Mount Pleasant's audio system is mixed through two 16-channel Yamaha O1V 96 digital audio consoles that are networked together, giving the church 32 channels to work with at front-of-house. "They wanted a simple mix but had some very specific requests, which led us to use the digital mixers," Hedden explains. "A lot of people think that digital mixers are just meant for high-end, contemporary productions, but we find that they have a huge place in some of the more traditional churches as well." Hedden notes that the response to Mount Pleasant's new audio system has been enthusiastic. "It's a wonderful setup," he says. "I have had several people call me and say, 'I don't know what you did up there, but it is the most natural-sounding sound system. We are not even aware that it is there, but it is so easy to hear." For more information, visit Sound Physics Labs at www.soundphysics.com. BSS Soundweb unites ancient and modern in Japan Higashi Honganji, in Kyoto, is the head temple of Shinshu Otani-ha, a denomination of Shin Buddhism, which was founded in the 13th Century. This temple complex was rebuilt in 1895 after being destroyed by fire. Thousands of followers visit the temple every year and ceremonies are held in a special hall called the Amida-do. It is here that Japanese company JATO has installed a top-flight Nexo/Crown sound reinforcement system controlled by BSS Soundweb. Designed by Mr. Taniguchi of Hibino Corporation, which has also supplied all the imported equipment, the system is built around the BSS Soundweb, which provides all acoustic and scene control, enabling recall of presets for different events. For smaller ceremonies, only part of the sound system is used, whereas for the big events, Soundweb brings all the speakers into play. Further outputs are provided by the use of a BSS 9008ii unit. By incorporating the BSS 9010 "Jellyfish" remote-control panel, temple staff can operate the network themselves without having to learn complex techniques. According to Tomohiko Tokita of Hibino, who consulted on the sound system, "the customer is very satisfied with a system that sounds great and is easier to use than anything they have had before." BSS Audio is a leading British manufacturer of signal processing systems serving live sound, theatre, broadcast, and recording markets. The company's products are distributed in the US by Harman Pro North America (HPNA), which also distributes products for Soundcraft and Studer. HPNA is a subsidiary of Harman International. Product News Lectrosonics introduces DM1624 digital audio mixer Lectrosonics introduced its new DM1624 at Infocomm 2004. This is an advanced, multi-channel digital audio mixing and processing system for sound reinforcement and conferencing applications in boardrooms, courtrooms, worship centers, distance learning systems, hotels, and other applications with multiple microphones and loudspeakers. The design represents a milestone in DSP technology in its basic architecture, and in its processing speed and efficiency. DSP functions include a patented automatic mic/line mixer, a 16x24 digital matrix and numerous signal processing functions, all in one box. Multiple units can be stacked to handle hundreds of input channels. Every input on each unit can be routed to any or all of the 24 outputs. The automatic mixing algorithm eliminates acoustic feedback by ensuring that NOM = 1 at all times. It improves intelligibility by reducing background noise and re-circulation of the audio through system microphones and speakers. The auto-mixing algorithm is extremely effective, eliminating the need for ambient noise-reduction processing. The algorithm operates at each output mix, rather than at the input stage, greatly enhancing the performance and flexibility of the unit for a wide variety of sound system designs. The auto-mixing process uses a seamless algorithm that eliminates gating and its ill effects. Gain is proportioned among all inputs assigned to a particular output channel -- in a seamless and continuous manner based upon microphone activity. The algorithm operates in a natural, transparent manner and incorporates an adaptive AutoSkew process to eliminate artifacts such as comb filtering and abrupt gating that occur with conventional automatic mixing schemes. There is never a late mic nor missed syllable in conversation and speech, and background noise and audio re-circulation are minimized. The matrix mixer enables complex signal-routing and level controls without limitations. The matrix mixing allows "mix-minus" routing to reduce acoustic feedback and eliminate echoes caused by speaker/mic coupling in teleconferencing applications. The 16x24 architecture actually functions like 24 separate automatic mixers, each with its own NOM mixing bus. In a stack of multiple units, all 24 outputs are the same on all units. For example, Output 3 on the rear panel of every unit in the stack will be identical, essentially functioning like a built-in "mult box" or audio DA. Control signals are distributed through multiple units via the USB or RS-232 serial interfaces. For more information, visit www.lectrosonics.com. Panasonic delivers PT-L785U portable projector Panasonic has announced the immediate availability of its PT-L785U portable, high-brightness XGA LCD projector that delivers stunning pictures, text. and graphics for computer and video applications in classrooms, conference rooms, auditoriums, church halls, and other small to mid-sized venues. The PT-L785U offers 3200 lumens of brightness, a 500:1 contrast ratio. The projector 16.7 million colors in true 1024x768 XGA resolution, with a maximum supported source resolution of 1600x1200 UXGA. To achieve its high picture quality, the projector utilizes advanced digital processing technologies - including progressive cinema scan (3:2 pulldown) circuitry, a 3D Digital Comb Filter, and Dynamic Sharpness Control -- to reproduce ultra-crisp, ultra-clear pictures. To ensure easy operation, the 12.8-lb. PT-L785U has a motor-driven zoom/focus lens, one-touch auto setup and horizontal and vertical digital keystone correction. The HDTV-ready projector automatically synchronizes to display 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i video, and supports most worldwide video standards, including NTSC, PAL, and SECAM. Its Direct Power Off function utilizes a built-in capacitor to keep the PT-L785U's fan running to cool down the projector even when the power is turned off, thereby saving lamp life and protecting the components against lamp heat. The PT-L785U comes standard equipped with an RJ-45 connector for 10BaseT/100BaseTX Local Area Network (LAN) connection. When connected to a wired LAN, the PT-L785U has an assigned IP address, allowing a user to operate it remotely and check its status using a web browser on a networked PC. The projector can send e-mail messages to notify a user when the unit's operating condition changes or a lamp needs replacing. The wired LAN connection helps drive down support costs and minimizes downtime. The projector also offers a wide range of interface capabilities, including three RGB inputs, 24-pin DVI-D, S-video and composite video inputs, and RS-232C connectivity. The PT-L785U is outfitted with a host of useful anti-theft functions including a Kensington lock, user password protection, control panel lockout (which can only be canceled by the unit's remote control), and text superimposing, whereby a user can program a text line - such as the company's name, URL or warning of choice - at the bottom of the projected image. Other features include quiet operation (as low as 35dB), sRGB color management to assure highly accurate color reproduction, two 2W speakers, the ability to project on screens from 40 inches to 300 inches, easy lamp replacement via the unit's back panel, 4X digital zoom, selectable nine-language on-screen menu, advanced shutter for image muting, a freeze function, color temperature selection (standard/high/low), picture mode selection (standard/dynamic/natural), built-in carry handle, a cable cover (standard), and a full-function wireless remote with mouse control and laser pointer. Optional click-in type interchangeable lenses for short/long/extra-long throw ratios include the ET-LE10 1.3-1.7:1 zoom lens, ET-LE20 2.6 -- 4.2:1 zoom lens and ET-LE30 4.0-5.6:1 zoom lens. A wireless USB mouse receiver (ET-RMRC2) is also an option. The projector's dimensions are 11.41"x 5.375"x15.97". Panasonic offers a high level of service and support including a three-year limited warranty and a 24-hour "ZipIt" projector exchange program. The PT-L785U is available at a suggested list price of $5,999. For more information on Panasonic projectors, visit www.panasonic.com/projectors or phone (800) 528-8601. Comprehensive introduces 8x4 video/audio switcher Comprehensive recently introduced the CVG-804xl high-resolution video and stereo audio switcher. The Comprehensive CVG-804xl is a high-resolution, 200MHz bandwidth, 8x4 video/stereo audio matrix switcher. The CVG-804xl provides vertical interval, glitch-free switching when used with genlocked sources. The CVG-804xl can switch stereo audio signals in audio-follow-video mode or separately (breakaway). The CVG-804xl has manual, RS-232, and RS-485 controls, and may be simultaneously controlled in all modes. The unit has non-volatile memory built in, and it "remembers" the last setting. Eight presets may also be stored in the machine for quick retrieval. The CVG-804xl has a TAKE control button. When it is activated, you may preset the machine and switch all cross points by one touch of this button. The CVG-804xl has an external Sync/Genlock input as well and may be programmed to use this input or source number one. Windows control software is included. For more information on this product or for a free copy of the 2004 Comprehensive catalog, please visit the Comprehensive website at www.comprehensiveinc.com or call toll-free at (800) 526-0242. |
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