Rent to Demo
with EZAV
- - -
It's easy to try
out the latest
technology with
ClarkPowell's
EZAV
rent-to-demo
program. Rent
some of the
latest cameras
from Sony,
Panasonic, and
JVC, plus other
gear needed for
a multi-camera
shoot, and test
the latest gear
in real world
scenarios. Add
another camera
to your shoot.
Check out a new
portable
switcher. When
you decide to
purchase a
similar model
within 30 days
of your rental,
you may apply
100% of your
rental fee
towards the
purchase of the
product.
Purchase within
90 days and
apply 75% of
your rental fee.
For rental rates
contact Phil
Norman at
866-595-3368
or by e-mail at
contact2@cp-av.com
www.ezav.com |
|
Sound
intelligence.
Visible wisdom.
800-532-1099
www.clark-powell.com
|
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Join Our List
|
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|
Why Send HD
Over Coax?
Because it's
there.
|
|
An ideal
retrofit
solution:
Distribute HD
video sources
over existing
coaxial
cabling--no set
top boxes
required.
HD Video
distribution is
in demand
Prices for HDTVs
have plummeted,
while HD sources
have multiplied.
That means many
homes now have
several of each,
and sharing HD
sources among
HDTVs has become
highly
desirable. In
the commercial
market, the
explosive growth
of digital
signage (using
digital displays
to convey
messages) has
also driven
demand for HD
video
distribution
systems. Hotels,
universities,
houses of
worship, bars
and restaurants
are all looking
for efficient
ways to upgrade
to HD.
READ MORE
|
Apple Final Cut ProRes Lowers
Bitrate
|
|
As seen on The
Sports Video
Group website
By Ken
Kerschbaumer,
SVG Editorial
Director
Apple's latest
version of Final
Cut Pro, Final
Cut Pro 7,
offers an
overhaul of the
ProRes codec,
delivering new
versions that
meet not only
the high-end
needs of the
market but also
the needs of
those looking
for a ProRes
codec that
allows faster,
more efficient
workflows.
READ MORE
|
Analyzing
Your ROI with
Webcasting
|
|
Why Do
Organizations
Use Webcasting?
- Provides
effective
consistent
communication
to a
dispersed
workforce
- Enables
alternatives
to staff
travel for
in-person
training
-
Eliminates
costly
satellite-based
networks for
broadcasts
-
Leverages
existing
network and
technology
investments
- Reduces
reliance on
outsourced
service
suppliers
- Reduces
reproduction
and DVD
duplication
costs
Webcasting can
pay huge
dividends as
well as
significantly
reduce costs in
such areas as
staff travel,
event staffing,
outsourced AV
services and
production. The
methods our
clients use to
evaluate
successful
return on
investment (ROI)
are similar
regardless of
their industry
or application.
LEARN MORE ABOUT
ROI
|
First In Live HD
AV puts First
Presbyterian
Church ahead of
the curve.
|
|
As seen in Sound
& Communications
By Dawn Allcot
In difficult
times, many
people turn to
houses of
worship. Others
might turn to
various
nightlife venues
as a means to
cope...but
that's another
story for
another article.
Even in slow
economic times,
according to
many AV
integrators,
churches are
still spending
money to make
sure their
congregation
members can hear
(and see) the
pastor's
message. When a
church's
audiovisual
systems break
down, wear out
or simply grow
obsolete, they
have to be
replaced. Often,
making the jump
to the latest
technology, such
as broadcast in
high definition,
just makes
sense.
It's true that
funds for AV
upgrades and
building
projects have
been harder to
come by lately.
Rather than
large donations
coming from a
few wealthy
patrons,
churches are
receiving
smaller
donations from
multiple
families who
understand that,
even in times of
hardship--indeed,
especially in
times of
hardship--it's
important to
give what they
can. The
church's
decision-makers
might look more
closely at the
budget, and it's
up to
integrators to
give their
clients more
(capabilities)
for less
(money).
It's not just
large churches,
either, that are
determined to
maintain-and
even
improve-their
audiovisual
systems. First
Presbyterian
Church (FPC) in
Charlotte, NC, a
medium-size,
traditional
house of
worship,
recently
allocated funds
to upgrade the
broadcast
systems in the
main sanctuary,
while adding
audiovisual and
control systems
to a 100-seat
chapel. The
chapel can now
be used for
overflow seating
during Sunday
services, as a
presentation
room for
community events
and as a
children's
daycare center.
The church
called on
Winston-Salem-based
audiovisual
integrator
ClarkPowell to
help it make the
jump to high
definition
broadcast and
transform a
rarely used
chapel into a
multi-purpose
space while
maintaining the
traditional
aesthetics in
the plaster and
wood building.
ClarkPowell, in
business for 26
years, has
completed
audiovisual,
presentation and
broadcast
systems in a
multitude of
churches across
North and South
Carolina,
including The
Rock of
Asheville, The
Upper Room
church in
Raleigh and St.
Peter's World
Outreach Center
in
Winston-Salem.
The AV
integrator,
which also
provides AV
solutions to
corporate,
educational,
retail and other
clients, prides
itself on
designing and
installing AV
systems that fit
a house of
worship's look
and feel, so the
technology
remains a
transparent
means to deliver
the church's
message.
This was the
case at FPC
Charlotte, where
the broadcast
systems permit
the church to
deliver its
message to more
than 22,000
homebound
viewers, not
including
congregation
members who are
in hospitals,
nursing homes
and retirement
homes.
ClarkPowell's
George Valentim,
CTS, worked
closely with
First
Presbyterian's
technical
director, Ben
Treece,
throughout this
project.
ClarkPowell has
specified,
installed and
serviced the
church's video
systems for many
years. Valentim
said the video
systems were
last upgraded in
2000.
The church holds
two worship
services every
Sunday in the
sanctuary and
broadcasts its
11 a.m. services
live on WSOC.
"They needed to
upgrade the
cameras, because
they were
getting old and
not doing the
job anymore,"
Valentim said.
The upgrade also
included a new
control room and
a Broadcast Pix
switcher,
providing
expanded
capabilities for
the church's
televised
services.
Valentim also
added an Azden
lavalier mic
with a body pack
transmitter and
a True Diversity
receiver with
121
user-selectable
frequencies.
Valentim and his
team had only
two weeks to
complete the
project in the
main
sanctuary-the
first of several
challenges faced
during the
upgrade and
installation.
"The only Sunday
they weren't
broadcasting was
the one day the
British Open
aired on that
channel,"
Valentim
explained. "We
had to complete
the installation
within that
two-week period:
the week before
that Sunday and
the week after.
It was crunch
time!"
Other challenges
included a
limited budget
and limited
space in the
control room.
The integrator
selected a
Broadcast Pix
Slate 1000 HD
switcher with a
control panel.
"The switcher
gives them a lot
of versatility,"
Valentim said.
The small
control room
previously
housed multiple
racks with
multiple
displays, but
the new switcher
includes a
multi-viewer.
Valentim
installed a
42-inch Sharp HD
LCD to view
feeds from each
of the cameras
on a single
screen. The
switcher
includes a
control panel as
well as a
character
generator for
making text and
scripture part
of the
broadcast. The
cameras can even
focus on the
bible on the
podium to show
the home viewing
audience. And
the system was
so easy to use
that, after
training from
Valentim, the
church's
volunteer tech
staff has no
problem
switching from
source to source
during
broadcast.
Valentim
specified five
Panasonic AK-HC
1500 HD Box
cameras with
AW-PH400
pan/tilt heads
and Canon lenses
to be mounted in
the main
sanctuary. The
cameras allow
First
Presbyterian
Church to be the
first in the
area-and one of
the first
churches in the
country-broadcasting
live in high
definition.
"There are other
churches
broadcasting in
HD via tape or
delay, but First
Presbyterian is
the first to do
it live,"
Valentim said.
The signal is
transmitted over
a Tandberg video
encoder and sent
via fiber to
Time Warner
Cable, Which
transmits it to
the network. The
signal also
travels over
fiber in HD to
the chapel.
As Valentim and
Treece worked
together to plan
the broadcast
systems upgrade,
Treece brought
up the need for
more space
during special
events including
special Easter,
Thanksgiving and
Christmas
services. The
client also
noted a desire
to use the
small,
traditional yet
beautiful,
chapel more
frequently.
Valentim
suggested
installing
audiovisual and
presentation
systems, turning
the chapel into
a multi-purpose
space that would
be used more
often than in
the past.
Valentim
specified an
Extron MediaLink
MLS 506
six-input
switcher, housed
in the main
control room,
for use in the
smaller space.
The MediaLink
receives an HD
SDI signal from
the switcher and
converts it into
component video
for display in
the chapel. The
church
discovered that
an HD projector
would be cost
prohibitive in
the chapel at
this time, but
it has the
capabilities to
upgrade at any
time.
The new
projector, a
3000 lumen Sony
VPL-CW125, does
have a 16:9
(WXGA) aspect
ratio.
"Everybody is
used to seeing
the 16:9 ratio
and high quality
video now,"
Valentim
explained. "If a
church wants to
be competitive,
it has to step
up and be able
to provide high
quality video. I
this case, First
Presbyterian
wanted to be
able to provide
much better
quality video to
its
congregation,
both home
viewers and
those in the
chapel. Once we
started looking
at their budget,
they couldn't
afford the HD
for the chapel
right now, but
it's still in
16:9 and it's a
great image
compared to what
they had
before."
An MLC 226 IP 1
Enhanced
MediaLink
controller
controls the
119-foot Draper
electric
dropdown screen.
"The church
required
something
simple,
effective and
low-cost,"
Valentim said.
"They didn't
want to deal
with remote
controls, so we
installed a
small push
button panel on
the equipment
rack, which
controls the
volume, the
input source and
the screen."
The MediaLink
switcher can
receive a signal
from the
sanctuary, from
a DVD/VCR combo
or from a laptop
plugged into a
connection in
the front of the
chapel.
The chapel's
display also has
closed-captioning
capabilities.
When the service
is being
broadcast with
closed
captioning, the
projector
receives a
signal through a
Tandberg RX1290
multi-format
receiver rather
than directly
through the
switchers. A
Tandberg encoder
offers closed
caption support
via SMPTE 333
and 334.
Congregation
members with
hearing
disabilities can
watch the
services from
the chapel and
read the
pastor's words
on the screen.
Audio in the
chapel is
provided through
a pair of JBL
Control 28
eight-inch,
two-way,
wall-mounted
speakers hung in
the far left and
far right front
corners of the
space. They are
powered by a TOA
BG-1060
mixer/amplifier.
"It's not a big
room, and these
speakers
provided the
sound quality
they required
for the space,"
Valentim said.
He noted that
the speakers are
required
primarily for
overflow
services; a
presenter could
be heard without
amplification.
However, with
the sound system
in place,
Valentim added a
Shure ULX2
handheld
transmitter with
SM58 microphone
and a ULXS4-J1
receiver, giving
presenters the
option to use
amplification.
Organized at its
present location
in 1821, the
First
Presbyterian
Church of
Charlotte is one
of the oldest
churches in the
city. The
current
sanctuary and
chapel was
constructed in
1857, and the
Gothic revival
architectural
style has been
maintained
through many
renovations and
additions.
Preserving the
architecture and
aesthetics in
the chapel was a
key concern to
the client. The
built-in
InvisiBall
Installation
system used to
hang the
speakers allows
the small white
boxes to hang
unobtrusively in
the corners of
the chapel, and
the video screen
retracts when
not in use.
Nonetheless, the
integrator had
to be especially
conscientious of
visible wires
and of not
ruining the
plaster. "It was
very important
that we keep the
technology
hidden and
maintain the
architectural
design. Unlike
sheetrock,
plaster
crumbles, so we
had to really
pay attention to
the wire path to
minimize the
possibility of
making big holes
in the walls,"
Valentim
explained. "It
was challenging
finding new and
better ways to
run the wires."
One staff member
spent a day and
a half beneath
the church
basement,
crawling through
the space to run
cable. In some
areas, the
integrator used
surface conduit
painted to match
the plaster. In
other instances,
he created long,
deep holes to
route wire
outside the
chapel into the
hallway and then
back in at the
other end.
Shortly before
press time, the
church hosted
close to 1000
people for a
funeral, packing
visitors into
the main
sanctuary,
chapel and other
available
spaces. The
overflow systems
made those in
the chapel feel
as though they
were still a
part of the
event, bringing
services from
the sanctuary
into the room.
The chapel's new
systems permit
First
Presbyterian
Church to do
more community
outreach, making
the space
available for
meetings and
presentations.
In difficult
times, people
look for places
to turn for a
sense of
belonging and
community. Many
churches
continue to make
an investment in
technology in
order to make
their house a
desirable home.
|
Upcoming
Events
|
|
JVC GY-HM700
Camera and Apple
Final Cut Pro 7
Demo Open House
Friday,
August 21,
2009 11:00
a.m. - 2:00
p.m.
141 Kitty
Hawk Drive
Morrisville,
NC 27560
800-568-1099
Tuesday,
September
15,
2009
11:00
a.m. -
2:00
p.m.
920
Blairhill
Road,
Suite
112
Charlotte,
NC 28217
800-533-1099
Wednesday,
September
16, 2009
11:00 a.m. -
2:00 p.m.
110
Regent
Drive
Winston-Salem,
NC 27103
800-532-1099
Drop by
anytime
between
11:00 and
2:00 for a
live,
hands-on
demo. To
RSVP email
Kristie
Staton.
WFX - Worship
Facilities
Conference and
Expo
October 28-29,
2009
Charlotte
Convention
Center,
Charlotte,
NC
501 S
College
Street,
Charlotte,
NC 28202
ClarkPowell
Fusion -
An Audiovisual
Technology Expo
Thursday, Nov.
12, 2009 9:00
a.m. to 4:00
p.m.
Exhibit Hall
Hours 9:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m.
Seminars 9:00
a.m. to 5:00
p.m.
Charlotte,
NC --
Charlotte
Marriott
City Center
100 West
Trade
Street,
Charlotte,
NC 28202
SCAGPO
Conference and
Trade Show
November 18-19,
2009
Hilton Head
Marriott
Resort and
Spa
One
Hotel
Circle,
Hilton
Head
Island,
SC 29928
LEARN MORE
|
New Products
|
|
HaiVision MAKITO
Delivering H.264
at up to 1080p60
in a compact and
affordable form
factor, the
MAKITO
revolutionizes
video-over-IP by
enabling HD to
be distributed
throughout
organizations
without
reservation. At
a fraction of
the price and
significant
performance
advantage over
competing
technology, the
MAKITO is ideal
for
multi-channel
enterprise IPTV
delivery, for HD
signage
deployments, and
for mass HD
distribution/record
environments
such as medical
facilities and
professional
training and
simulation
environments.
READ MORE
Archion Alliance
24xe 24 Drive
Storage System
Archion, the
media and
entertainment's
leading provider
of intelligent
media storage
solutions,
recently
announced the
integration of
the Alliance
24XE storage
system into the
Alliance Pro
network,
providing an
unparalleled SAN
experience.
Archion's
Alliance Pro is
a turnkey
storage area
network (SAN)
solution that
delivers
file-level
sharing
capabilities,
complete support
for cross
platforms (MAC,
Windows and
Linux), hardware
RAID protection,
combined Fibre
Channel and GigE
client
interfaces,
extremely high
throughput,
simple
scalability, low
maintenance, and
the award
winning Vdisk™
technology.
The Alliance Pro
has been
available in 16
drive
configurations.
It is also now
available in a
24 drive
configuration
with up to 1200
MB/s in
throughput. With
four (4)
high-speed FC
ports, up to
three
workstations can
be connected
directly without
a FC switch.
Integrate a FC
switch to add
SAN seats and
additional
chassis's to
significantly
increase
bandwidth and
capacity.
Designed for
Post and
Graphics
professionals,
the Alliance Pro
delivers on all
fronts. Not only
does it meet
critical post
production
technical
requirements, it
is the most cost
effective
turnkey SAN
solution in the
industry.
Archion is
delivering the
Alliance 24XE
based SAN system
now.
http://www.archion.com
24p Now
Available for
Your XDCAM
PDW-700
Camcorder
The 24p option
for the PDW-700
camcorder,
CBKZ-FC02 is now
available! Be
ready for all
your creative
jobs that
require the
"cine-look" of
24p. The
suggested list
price of the
CBKZ-FC02 is
$4,550.
VIEW THE PDW700
Sony Expands
XDCAM HD422
Series With New
Camcorder And
Deck
New Features
Include Under-
and
Over-Cranking,
24P Capability,
Standard-definition
Recording and
Linear Editing
Sony's newest
additions to the
XDCAM® HD422
Series of
optical disc
products deliver
enhanced
flexibility for
motion picture
and TV episodic
production, and
for ENG/EFP
applications.
The new PDW-F800
CineAlta®
camcorder and
PDW-F1600 deck
expand the
capabilities of
the MPEG HD422
codec, with both
offering a frame
rate of 23.98P
natively in 1080
mode and
multi-format
recording
flexibility as
standard -
including
standard-definition
recording to
support legacy
formats (MPEG
IMX®, DVCAM™ and
4:2:0 HD
content). They
also provide
multi-format
(1080i/720P)
recording, as
well as HD/SD
conversion and
cross-conversion
during playback
between 1080i
and 720P.
Users can record
HD content
(approximately
95 minutes at 50
Mbps) to the
dual-layer 50GB
version of
Sony's optical
Professional
Disc™ media,
model PFD50DLA.
The camera and
deck can also
handle content
on PFD-23A
single layer
discs.
"The HD422
version of XDCAM
technology
responded to
customers'
requests for
features like
50Mbps recording
and 2/3-inch
CCDs," said
Wayne Zuchowski,
group marketing
manager for
XDCAM products
at Sony
Electronics.
"These newest
products offer
cinematographers,
broadcasters and
video
professionals an
expanded toolkit
of digital
production
options."
The PDW-F800
adds variable
frame rate
recording for
slow and quick
motion
capabilities,
also commonly
known as
"over-cranking"
and
"under-cranking."
This is a
critical feature
for
cinematographers
and directors of
photography who
need the
flexibility of
changing frame
rates to create
unique "looks"
for their
productions or
to create
special effects.
The ability to
shoot at slower
or faster frame
rates than
playback
delivers
high-quality
motion effects.
These effects
can be played
back and viewed
in the camera so
any creative
adjustments can
be made
immediately on
site.
The camcorder
uses three of
Sony's new
2/3-inch Power
HAD™ FX
progressive CCDs
that can produce
a resolution of
1920 by 1080
effective
pixels.
The camcorder
also delivers
high quality,
four-channel
24-bit audio
recording. An
image inverter
feature enables
the camera to be
used with cinema
lens adaptors,
and a variety of
gamma settings
includes
HyperGamma and
user-selectable
gamma curves. A
focus assist
bar-graph
display is
visible on the
camera's
viewfinder, and
users can record
proxy data to
USB removable
media to make
transferring
data easier and
faster,
especially in
the field or on
location between
the camera and a
PC or editing
system, for
example.
The new
camcorder also
features auto
tracing white
balance hold,
output markers
such as safety,
aspect, and
center on the
HD-SDI output,
slow shutter,
interval
recording,
picture cache
recording (up to
30 seconds),
disc exchange
cache and
"shock-less"
gain control.
Option boards
are available to
enable pool-feed
operation.
The camcorder
features a 2x
digital extender
to enhance zoom
capabilities,
enabling images
to be doubled in
size without any
loss of image
sensitivity. It
also has slow
shutter, 2x
focus
magnification,
clean switching
between the
"live and
playback"
function, and a
large,
easy-to-view 3.5
inch (viewable
area, measured
diagonally)
color LCD
screen.
The PDW-F1600
XDCAM HD422
recording deck
builds upon the
features of the
PDW-HD1500 model
and can be used
for file-based
recording in
studio and field
operations. A
Gigabit Ethernet
data drive can
write any flash
memory file
format from any
codec onto the
optical disc
media, and files
can then be
previewed using
a web browser,
transferred over
IT networks and
easily archived
and accessed by
multiple people
simultaneously.
The new deck
adds an
insert/assemble
editing
capability that
allows it to
operate as a
recorder in a
linear editing
system - just
like a
conventional
VTR.
It delivers
high-quality,
industry-leading
eight-channel,
24-bit audio
recording, and
has a dual
optical pick-up
for higher-speed
file transfer. A
4.3-inch
(viewable area
measured
diagonally)
color LCD
display and
built-in
speakers are
incorporated,
and the unit can
be
battery-operated
or used with AC
and DC power
sources.
The PDW-F800
camcorder and
PDW-F1600 deck
are both
expected to be
available in
September at
suggested list
prices of
$41,990 for the
PDW-F800 and
$27,990 for the
PDW-F1600.
VIEW THE PDWF800
XDCAM® HD422
CAMCORDER
JVC PRO
GY-HM100U
The GY-HM100U is
a Compact
Handheld
camcorder with
performance and
features found
only in larger
and more
expensive
models. It's
designed to be
easy to use,
making it ideal
for news
reporters and
producers.
Seasoned
shooters will
find that its
small size lets
them work in
environments
where larger
cameras would be
impractical-all
while producing
recordings on
par with
broadcast
cameras.
VIEW THE
GY-HM100U
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Special
Offers,
Financing
Options &
Rebates
|
|
AG-HPX170 Fully
solid-state 1/3"
3-CCD P2 HD
Camcorder
From July 1,
2009 thru Sept.
30, 2009,
Panasonic is
offering two
financing
options for the
AG-HPX170. You
can choose from
either 0%
financing for 24
months with only
a 25% advance
payment, or
2.85% financing
with no money
down. Click on
"Special Offers"
for full terms
and conditions.
SEE DETAILS AND
VIEW THE
AG-HPX170
AGHPX300 1/3" P2
HD Camcorder
Receive an $800
rebate with the
purchase of a
Panasonic 4:2:2,
10 Bit AG-HPX300
P2HD Shoulder
Mount Mastering
Camcorder.
SEE DETAILS AND
VIEW THE
AGHPX300
24p Now
Available for
Your XDCAM
PDW-700
Camcorder Rebate
Promotion: If you
purchased a
PDW-700 XDCAM
HD422 camcorder
between April 1,
2008 and March
31, 2009, you
will be eligible
to receive a
$1,500 mail in
end user rebate
on the purchase
of CBKZ-FC02.
You must place
an order for the
CBKZ-FC02 by
September 30,
2009 to be
eligible for
this rebate.
SEE DETAILS AND
TO CLAIM |
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