Stampede and Vidyo Introduce Drone-Based Video Conferencing Solution at InfoComm 2015

Demonstrating its singular ability to take video conferencing to a whole new level of effectiveness for a wide variety of customers involved in law enforcement, security, first responders, and emergency communications, Stampede (www.stampedeglobal.com), North America’s leading provider of custom configured ProAV solutions, today announced it was teaming up with Vidyo, Inc. (www.vidyo.com), a leader in visual communications and collaboration, to introduce drone-based video conferencing at InfoComm 2015. See a video of the drone in action. 

According to Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly, Stampede will introduce a single integrated solution that combines drones; Vidyo software; video management systems, displays, and connectivity; consulting services; and training into a single one-stop-shop solution for ProAV dealers.  “According to a recent survey of risk managers conducted by Munich RE, in fewer than five years the use of drones could become common practice for 40 percent of all businesses, which means that drone-based video conferencing is going to emerge as an important new element in video communications,” Kelly said today.  “Drones connected to Vidyo endpoint software will now be able to feed live images into a video conference, providing up-to-the-minute video content for participants who need real-time information during a fast changing event or situation.”

Underscoring the readiness of the market to accept drone based video conferencing Eran Westman, CEO of Vidyo, noted that, “The VidyoWorksTM software platform affords the flexibility to integrate with off-the-shelf video-enabled devices like drones, medical telemetry equipment, and smart glasses, and connect quality video streams over wireless Internet connections with a diverse set of endpoints, from handheld mobile devices in the field to multiscreen situation rooms for command and control.  Vidyo integrated with drones is already being used today by a national fire brigade. We are also working closely with police, EMTs, emergency responders, and internal communications agencies to help them enhance their current video conferencing capabilities with live images from drones that have an analog or digital video out from their base station, serving as the camera for Vidyo endpoint software.  We believe the Stampede offering using Vidyo technology will help to drive the demand for drone based video conferencing throughout North America from the very same type of customers.”

The two companies will be showcasing the new solution with a demonstration and presentation at InfoComm 2015. It will be exhibited and demonstrated by Stampede and Vidyo video conference experts at both the Stampede booth on the main show floor (#1759) and the Stampede booth located with in the Stampede-Unmanned Vehicle University sponsored Drone Pavilion (#7042).  

“Incorporating drone fed video and images into a video conferencing system represents the next great advance in the functional utility of the entire video conferencing platform,” Kelly stressed today.  “Stampede is proud to partner with Vidyo to make this solution available to customers throughout North America.”

Stampede and Unmanned Vehicle University Partner with InfoComm to Create the Unmanned Systems and Drone Pavilion at InfoComm 2015

The practical uses of unmanned aerial vehicles in hundreds of different commercial market applications is fully and completely addressed for the very first time in the ProAV industry with Stampede (www.stampedeglobal.com) and Unmanned Vehicle University’s (www.uxvuniversity.com) sponsorship of the first Unmanned Systems and Drone Pavilion at InfoComm 2015. The pavilion is located Orange County Convention Center atBooth #7042.

 “The use of drones in a wide variety of commercial applications is rapidly advancing to include 3D terrain mapping, oil and gas exploration, remote monitoring, aerial agricultural observation, news gathering, security, search and rescue, law enforcement, and hundreds of other applications,” said Kevin Kelly, President & COO of Stampede.  “As a forward looking industry association, InfoComm understands the urgent need to present the full capabilities of this new technology, along with the enormous business opportunities this technology is creating for InfoComm members.  We are proud that they have chosen to partner with Stampede and Unmanned Vehicle University for the industry’s first Drone Pavilion at InfoComm 2015.”

The Unmanned Systems and Drone Pavilion features an enclosed drone-cage presentation area where exhibitors demonstrate their technology and discuss the ways that drones are being incorporated into current ProAV projects.

More than a dozen information rich presentation sessions will take place over a three day period from June 17 to June 19and will include sessions on UVU’s Unmanned Systems and Drone Fundamentals Overview, Wireless Video Transmission from Aerial Platforms to the Operations Center, The Drone/Unmanned Systems Business Opportunity for ProAV Integrators, Energy Industry Applications Overview, 3D Mapping with Drones, UAS/Drone Case Study Panel, Law Enforcement/Security/Public Safety Applications, Large Sporting and Entertainment Event Coverage, Aerial Cinematography/Real Estate Markets, Drone-Vertising:  Using Drones to Deliver Marketing Messages, and Parcel/Package/Medical Supplies/Equipment Delivery.

“The rapid and widespread adoption of drones by business owners around the world is going to very quickly become a massive job creation engine,” Unmanned Vehicle University Provost John Minor said today.  “But education and training is absolutely critical to sustaining this engine over the long term and that’s precisely where our university’s strategic partnership with Stampede really becomes compellingly clear.  Together, Stampede and UVU are providing industry with the platforms, the education and the training required to safely profit from incorporating drones into their individual businesses or to start up new businesses using drone technology.”

The Calgary Stampede Adds Two New Mobile NanoLumens NanoSlim® 6MM LED Display Solutions

Anyone who has ever been to the Calgary Stampede knows it is an experience they will never forget. That’s because they and the approximately 1.2 million visitors the event — held annually since 1923 in the largest city in Canada’s Alberta province — draws each year are immersed in the largest rodeo in the world. Billed as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” the 10-day event held every July in the venue known as the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede Center features parades, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions and specialty events such as chuck-wagon racing, as well as typical rodeo events such as calf roping and bull riding. 

This year, the Calgary Stampede will also feature something totally new that will add to excitement the stampede generates — two NanoLumensNanoSlim 6MM 16 X 9 HD LED display platforms, assuring grandstand crowds in the Agrium Western Center venue of the Stampede that they won’t miss a single moment of the show. The portable NanoSlim displays will be moved to various locations within the venue, depending upon the type of events taking place any given day or night. Effortlessly suspended from a beam above the ground, the NanoSlim will portray live video, graphics and programmed information in a bright, easily visible image. These same screens will be used throughout the rest of the year, supporting conventions, expos and other events that make the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede Center one of the busiest event venues in Canada. 

“We did a lot of research for LED displays, because the Calgary Stampede has very specific needs that have to be addressed,” explains Mark Muench (RTPM), Events Services Manager for the Calgary Stampede. “I looked around and saw that NanoLumens displays were in a lot of the same kinds of major venues as the Calgary Stampede, such as Cleveland’s International Exposition Center.  Also, weight was a crucial consideration for us, because the displays would have to be hung in multiple locations in the venue. The NanoLumens solutions were less than 500 pounds per rigging point, which was the lightest weight of any display available. So these screens were easy to hang and to move, offered excellent brightness, and were extremely cost effective. That made NanoLumens an easy choice.” Muench was even more delighted once he experienced NanoLumens’ customer service, from NanoLumens’ Quebec office, which he described as fast and responsive. 

While the Calgary Stampede is still several months away, the two new NanoLumens displays are already getting a workout at convention and expo events taking place at the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede Center. Since March of this year, they’ve drawn compliments from event attendees for their brightness, vividness and visibility. “They were used for the Calgary Comic Expo recently and we had a chance to compare the NanoLumens LED displays to a projector and screen they also used for that event, and there was no comparison,” says Muench. “The NanoLumens displays simply look phenomenal. The 6MM pixel pitch offers excellent resolution. They were just what we needed to capture the excitement of the Stampede, or any event here.” 

Vancouver, British Columbia is the Next Stop on the 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV Tour & Conference Series

ProAV dealers and end-user customers in the great Pacific northwest will have the opportunity to learn how to profitably integrate drones, video conferencing, and video walls into their long-term business development plans when the 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV (BBOAV) Tour and Conference series makes its next stop at The Westin Wall Centre at the Vancouver Airport (3099 Corvette Way, Richmond, BC) on May 14, 2015. Registration information can be found at www.bigbookofavtour.com. 

The ProAV industry’s biggest annual traveling roadshow is going to provide Vancouver-area dealers and their customers with a jam-packed agenda of manufacturer exhibits, information-rich presentations, and CTS-certified training classes that emphasize both mainstream ProAV product categories and new revenue-generating platforms like drones.

“The Stampede Big Book of AV Tour & Conference series is the industry event that it is precisely because it consistently shows dealers how to continue to maximize their sales of traditional ProAV solutions while learning how to add new product categories into their mix,” Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly said today. “The Vancouver stop will be a great example of this.  We’re going to provide dealers with terrific information about profiting from the continued adoption of low cost video conferencing and video walls in more and more vertical market applications and, at the same event, we are going to introduce them to the next generation of drones from many of today’s leading drone manufacturers.

Specifically, the Vancouver stop will feature drone-centric training sessions on UAV Fundamentals: Overview of the Technology and Use in the ProAV Industry and UAV Applications for the ProAV Industry.

“Drones are poised to become a major revenue stream for ProAV dealers because many businesses, in a variety of fields, are beginning to understand just how much value they add to their operations,” Kelly explained. “Only Stampede, with its strategic alliance with Unmanned Vehicle University, has the capability to provide dealers with a wide range of drone options and the training courses required to certify operators.  This is a combination that no other company can offer ProAV dealers.”

This stop will also feature a session about Video Conferencing Fundamentals for the ProAV Industry and a presentation fromNEC Account Manager, Channel Sales Mark Weniger, briefing attendees on NEC 10 Steps to a Successful Video Wall. Attendees in this class will come away with a better understanding of what goes into a video wall solution including tips for mounting, ventilation, color calibration, power management and content creation.

Furthermore, Stampede will offer event incentives such as a $500 Stampede credit to qualified attendees and a $50 Amex gift card to all in attendance the day of the Tour and Conference. Every attendee will also be entered into a drawing to win a 60” LG LED HDTV.

Manufacturers participating in the 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV Tour & Conference include Optoma, Sharp, Chief, Mustang, Ken-a-vision, Lumens, Sony, Christie, Hitatchi, Hitachi Starboard, Samsung, Ladibug, Atlona, Balt, Iogear, Epson, LG, Vision, NEC, Benq, Da-Lite, Casio, AVteq, Canon, Peerless AV, Hall Research, DynoScan, Vidyo, Circle Technology, WHOOSH! Screen Shine, Gefin, MediaPointe, AmpliVox, Audio Solutions, Vaddio, Luidia, and BrightSign.

Stampede Introduces xFold Ultra-Professional sUAV Drones at Unmanned Systems 2015

Demonstrating its unique ability to offer the industry’s most complete line of state-of-the-art market specific unmanned aerial vehicles, Stampede (www.stampedeglobal.com) today announced the market introduction of xFold  (www.xfoldrig.scom) — the strongest and most advanced multi-rotor sUAV drone platforms ever developed for top level aerial work in film and television production.  The introduction was made at Unmanned Systems 2015 in Booth #543 of the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

According to Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly, three specific xFold drones are being unveiled at the show.  “The xFold line of multi-rotor sUAVs offers professionals involved in top level aerial work with a complete range of options across a broad price range,” Kelly emphasized today.  “The xFold platform has been proven to be extremely reliable and effective in major motion pictures, television shows, and commercials, and now they are available to customers all across the country through our dealer network. It is completely appropriate to make this introduction at Unmanned Systems 2015 — the industry’s largest gathering of unmanned aerial vehicle professionals.”

According to TJ Diaz, President & CEO of xFold, “This introduction of the xFold line through Stampede joins together the world’s best multi-rotor sUAV platforms with the world’s best channel sales team in North America.  I believe that this partnership will help to bring the benefits of our technology to more commercial markets, faster.”

While xFold offers a complete line of multi-rotor sUAV platforms to choose from, Kelly said that Stampede would be focusing its efforts on marketing the company’s new line of full-featured ultra-professional RTF/ARF sUAV solutions for the commercial AP marketplace.  The XFold Mapper is ideally designed for every type of surveying, inspection, and mapping application.  The xFold Cinema, which features 3D scanners, is designed for high-end feature film and television production.  The xFold Dragon is for real heavy lift and features dual RED EPIC for 3D, fully rigged ARRI ALEXA, heavy scanners (LIDAR), and several sensor options.  Each frame can be configured as Quadcopter, Hexacopter, x8 Octocopter and x12.

The xFold line of sUAVs is so appropriate for the entertainment production industry because the core rig was designed by company co-founder Ziv Marom (www.ZMinteractive.com), an experienced sUAV pilot and cinematographer with years of experience in aerial video and cinematography for feature films that include Expendables 3, HomeFront, Sparks, documentaries, television and other applications.

According to Kelly, Stampede will be offering training programs in conjunction with both xFold and its strategic partner, Unmanned Vehicle University (www.uxvuniversity.com).  “As is our policy at Stampede, we will be bringing a complete solution to market for our broadcast, and film & television customers that includes a wide selection of platform options, training, operator certification, and long-term support.  The comprehensiveness of our offering is what always keeps Stampede ahead of the herd.”