This video wall has a huge WOW factor and you might imagine it would be up-front and center for all to view but…..
 
Surprisingly, it is not located in a space where many people actually have access. It is hidden away in the depths of a highly secure building in an undisclosed location where only the analysts get to see it.
 
This worldwide financial services client required centralized command centers to allow their internal IT teams to monitor their internal network operations 24/7.  ClarkPowell designed and built identical command centers on the east and west coast of the United States that can house over 100 network analysts and collaborate remotely. 
 
Each video wall is 8 ft. 9 in. tall by 90 ft. wide to allow viewing of multiple web-based dashboards in the expansive space. Multiple teams can view and manage network events across the organization, while management teams confer with each other in the center’s many conference rooms. These centers can also share window views with the organization’s cyber security command rooms and executive leadership to provide the highest level of security for their customers.
 
Major system components for each include:
Planar direct view LED video wall
Planar touch screens
T1V interactive collaboration tools
Extron Quantum video wall processing engine
Crestron Digital Media routing and signal processing
Crestron touch screen control
Cisco video teleconferencing

Video walls transform a space into a digital canvas that captures everyone’s attention. Not every company needs a video wall of this size and ClarkPowell can build a video wall for any application and environment. As the technology has matured there has been a significant drop in the cost so there has never been a better time to contact an expert to discuss your video wall project. 800 532 1099  info@clark-powell.com

ClarkPowell is pleased to announce the appointment of Jacob Meadows into our newly created position of National Project Coordinator. 

We have seen a consistent rise in client requests to install facilities nationwide and, although we have been providing this service for many years for our customers based in the Carolinas with national branches, we have decided that many other clients could also benefit from this service.

Asked about how he feels about his new role, Jacob says “I’m delighted and being tasked with growing ClarkPowell’s presence nationally is really exciting. The position lends to what I have been doing for the past two decades and I think I’ve got the experience to grow the business outside of the region”.
 
“I’ve delivered successful live events for over twenty years, starting out as a technician pulling cables and working my way through sales, project management, then team leadership and then executive roles. I have traveled all over the United States as well as internationally, planning the logistics for live events from concerts and private parties to corporate events and fundraisers.
 
Jacob will be working extensively with our PSNI partners in the US and beyond to deliver the same value and high-quality projects that ClarkPowell is known for in the Carolinas. He will also be tasked with building relationships in other markets where there is not a strong PSNI presence to provide a truly national reach.
 
“A quote I read a while back - I think as far as working in a team, I believe that respect is the currency of consistency and that is one of my core values that I still hold strong and helps me grow. I’m excited - it’s a slightly parallel universe to what I am used to, but my strength in planning and global logistics will help me grow the role into a big success for ClarkPowell”.


Contact Jacob Meadows, National Project Coordinator   ✆ 800 532 1099    
ⓔ JMeadows@clark-powell.com   

I have a camera. I have a network switch (connected to a LAN or WAN). I have a computer.
 
I can take all three of these, link them together, and have them talking to one another like old friends. With a Ethernet cable, I can take the output of a camera, plug it into a switch, and have the camera’s output become a video and audio source on my network.
 
But this isn’t your typical streaming video. This is Network Device Interface video. It’s broadcast quality video, perfect for live production and recording.
 
Let’s say you have four cameras. Or maybe a bunch of cameras. And let’s say you want all of the cameras visible on different computers throughout your facility. Safe. Secure. Password protected. Plug all of the cameras into your local network switch, with the blessing of your IT department, and depending on user permissions, each computer can monitor, record, and control (i.e. a PTZ camera) the video. The beauty, in this case, is there’s very little bandwidth needed on the switch. No expensive video routing, no expensive HDMI or video cable runs. Plug in the camera, and it’s available to everyone with the proper permissions.

Recorded video can be sent to production or further encoding. Monitored video can be used for quality control. And the PTZ cameras can be controlled remotely- every pan, tilt, and zoom.
 
Whether you work in a post-production facility or with a government PEG channel, or any points in between or outside the norm, NDI is a technology you should be looking at now. It will revolutionize how your facility produces, records, monitors, and all-around wrangles your video.

Network Device Interface (NDI) is a royalty-free software standard developed by NewTek to enable video-compatible products to communicate, deliver, and receive broadcast-quality video in a high-quality, low-latency manner that is frame-accurate and suitable for switching in a live production environment.

For more information or to request a demo, contact Warren Baker, Post Production Specialist.   ✆ 800 532 1099   ⓔ Warren@clark-powell.com   

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, colleges are presently deciding whether to stay remote or bring students back to campus in the fall.  It seems likely that higher education will continue with virtual learning or hybrid learning.

Hybrid learning is a model where by the student spends a much larger part of the class time online rather than in person. A hybrid learning class for example might hold most of the curriculum online and then meet on campus at a couple of key points during the semester. We expect that many colleges will embrace the hybrid learning model for more of their regular classes because of the social distancing requirements.  Many colleges are transitioning to using mobile-friendly tools to allow students more options for how and where they learn.  This will make education more flexible and accessible to more students in more locations.

Higher educational facilities need to remain savvy to the new technology available to them. There are a variety of virtual learning mobile apps and solutions like Screen capture, Zoom, WebEx integrations, video streaming, video assignments etc.

In addition to online courses, colleges can make it possible for families and friends of the student body to participate in important events like commencement, academic awards, sports events, homecoming, lecture series and campus events through live streaming.
Because most of the video content people see is previously recorded and edited before broadcast, live streaming events have a huge value to the audience because they are often interactive and it is the next best thing to being there.

Colleges across the country are offering many courses remotely via live distance learning and we are here to help with the tech solutions. ClarkPowell supports all approaches to virtual learning solutions and live streaming of student events. We can help your educational facility with a cost effective yet quality equipment package that will enable you to meet the needs of your students and faculty in these extraordinary times. SPEAK TO A SPECIALIST TODAY
CALL 800 532 1099   EMAIL  info@clark-powell.com 

Many State and Local Government departments are unaware that there is provision in the 2020 Cares Act to continue Government operations by live-streaming of city council meetings all while ensuring you include the public whilst following the social distancing requirements.

ClarkPowell can help design and install a solution that meets your needs. If your event needs to reach a mass audience digitally then live streaming is the ideal option for communicating remotely and is suitable for a range of events, including General Council Meetings, Public Works Committees, Finance Committees etc.

How to Reach Your Community with Live Streaming
ClarkPowell offers technology solutions enabling you to broadcast your event live or on-demand to audiences of any size, from your location venue to your YouTube, Facebook,  Twitter,  Instagram or other physical locations.

Having a live feed can be highly effective in engaging your constituents and ensuring that all audience members have access to all information. This is particularly important where maintaining audience participation is vital.

What ClarkPowell Can Setup For Your Organization
Our designers work with you to understand what you want to achieve and will provide professional experience to ensure your live stream will run smoothly and reliably.

We are able to set the presentation up to be a split screen with the live camera feed and presentations and official documents, all being broadcast live simultaneously.

Where the event is taking place in a large venue across different rooms, a live stream will allow audiences in different areas to access footage from the main room. Beyond this, live streams also allow your event to be broadcast to different locations.

If you require the live streaming to be recorded, we are also able to offer record and post-production edit technology, whereby you will be able to further share the meeting with a broader audience. ClarkPowell have designed and installed hundreds of streaming solutions over the years and have the expertise that you need to protect your investment.

Speak to a ClarkPowell Live Stream specialist today. Call us on 800 532 1099 or email info@clark-powell.com

The CARES Act established the Coronavirus Relief Fund which is to be used to make payments for specified uses to States and local governments including: “Expenses for technical assistance to local authorities or other entities on mitigation of COVID-19-related threats to public health and safety. Expenses for public safety measures undertaken in response to COVID-19. Expenses to facilitate distance learning, including technological improvements, in connection with school closings to enable compliance with COVID-19 precautions. Expenses to improve telework capabilities for public employees to enable compliance with COVID-19 public health precautions.”
Coronavirus Relief Fund Guidance for State, Territorial, Local, and Tribal Governments April 22, 2020.

When asked by a photographer which side of your face is your most photogenic, “The underside” is replied by no one - ever. Why is it then that many laptop manufacturers seem to have had a brainstorming meeting to answer the question “how do we make our laptop cameras get a better shot of double chins and nostril hair?” “I know, let’s put it as low down as possible, that would be the perfect angle, and we’ll also be able to get sponsorship from ceiling paint and lighting fixture manufacturers”. The guy is now probably VP of the department of idiotic ideas on a 6-figure salary.
 
Strangely, many laptop and tablet manufacturers do now place their cameras so low that it completely wipes out the face-to-face experience that they are trying to achieve, so to compensate for their total lack of common sense, here are a few tips to improve your face-to-face and face-to-many meetings that we are all having to endure during this lock-down.

Firstly, it is ideal to get your camera to as near your eye level as possible, and a good tip here is rather than kneeling on the floor, prop up your laptop on a box or some books - when in doubt, higher is better than lower.

Secondly, try to make sure that there is a plain background behind you, blue or grey works best for a good camera to skin contrast. You can also use the blurring effect that many software apps like Zoom or Teams offer because although these often remove your ears, this is still far less distracting to your audience than seeing your significant other in the background shampooing the dog in the sink.
 
Lighting is also important, if you sit with a bright window behind you, you will look like a silhouette, which is fine if you are choosing anonymity to cover your crimes. Instead, try to make sure there is lighting falling on your face, so your colleagues can enjoy you in all your glory.
 
Finally, background noise is very distracting, so try to set up in a quiet place and always remain muted until you talk. Headsets are good to use where possible, they not only improve the audio you send to your audience, but they also have the advantage of making your lock-down hair look far less stupid.
 
If you follow these simple rules, you will find teleconferencing much more enjoyable for everyone.

If you would like our experts at ClarkPowell to work with you on your remote communication needs, please reach out to our very photogenic sales team on 800 532-1099
 
P.S. Wear pants.

​Mike Parks (mparks@clark-powell.com)