Solsound Chooses Furman CN Series SmartSequencers™ For Mid-Atlantic Community Church

Mid-Atlantic Community Church is typical of many young 21st-century churches: steady growth has prompted moves to larger temporary quarters even as it embarks on the first phase of what will become its own permanent campus of buildings in Crofton, Maryland. The church’s headquarters office is located in an office park warehouse. The congregation meets at Crofton Middle School every Sunday morning, after outgrowing its original space at Crofton Elementary School where its first services took place shortly after it was founded in 2004.

What the church, which offers children and adult ministries as well as annual activities and volunteer events in the community, needs most is flexibility when it comes to its media systems for its incipient new location. “The church’s FOH mixer was very specific about how he needed his systems to power on,” explained Art Reiger, founder and owner of Solsound (www.solsound.net), the Edgewater, Maryland based AV systems integrator that just completed the installation of an RCF line array sound system as well as a distributed paging system in the church’s new “gymnatorium,” a huge building that will house basketball courts, classrooms and a performance space. “He wanted the systems to have very specific delays between power-ons, to avoid any hiccups with components such as the IDR rack at back of house and the laptop he has connected to the FOH console.” 

“We had just completed [another] project where we used a Furman CN-2400S and a Furman CN-20MP, and the combination proved stellar,” he said. “For the Mid-Atlantic Community Church project, the Furman CN series units let us program the exact delay intervals between component power-ups. In some cases that was as much as two minutes. In fact, the Furman system can give you as much as seven minutes delay time. No other product can do that. Plus, the ease of installation is excellent. As long as the cabling is correct, you can customize each unit perfectly and quickly using the DIP switches. From a designer and an installer’s point of view, you can’t get that combination of a high degree of flexibility and ease of installation anywhere else.”Reiger had the solution, one that began with a Furman CN-1800S SmartSequencer™ 15-amp bidirectional power sequencer for the BOH rack’s 15-amp circuit and a CN-2400S 20-amp bidirectional power sequencer for the building’s FOH 20-amp circuit. Used in conjunction with several Furman CN-15MP and CN-20MP MiniPorts, the Contractor Series SmartSequencer™ bidirectional power sequencers give Reiger and his team everything they need to meet the client’s requirements. 

The Furman CN-1800S (15 amp capacity) and CN-2400S (20 amp capacity) SmartSequencers™ are designed for commercial A/V installers.  The units combine AC power distribution, protection, filtration, sequential system power on/off, and optional compatibility with Panamax/Furman’s BlueBOLT® hosted remote power and energy management platform.

The CN-1800S and CN-2400S feature Furman’s SmartSequencing™ technology, which allows large and complex A/V systems to be powered on and off safely with the simple press of a button or turn of a key, even by nontechnical personnel. The SmartSequencer’s bidirectional communications between installed units enables a primary unit to control and sequence multiple secondary units, ensuring that multi-zone electronic systems are powered on and off safely and dependably from a single control point across an entire installation. Units can be connected via current loop at runs of more than 1,000 feet, with backwards compatibility with Furman’s legacy sequencers and/or third-party products.

Providing robust control options, the CN-1800S and CN-2400S are equipped with RS-232 ports and command sets for PC control or integration with control systems. An optional RS-232-to-Ethernet adaptor — sold separately — adds full IP-addressability to the unit so it may be controlled, programmed, and monitored from any Web-enabled device with Panamax/Furman’s cloud-based BlueBOLT platform.

Stampede Rides Ahead of the Herd at InfoComm 2014

Industry-leading distributor of ProAV solutions to showcase innovative high value added systems for digital signage, unified communications, AV/IT, and presentations that take dealers out of the trap of commodity pricing. 

Challenging dealers to see that ‘the profits are always to be found in the details,’ Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. today said it will use its InfoComm 2014 exhibit to showcase a number of specific system solutions for digital signage, unified communications, AV/IT, and presentations that add value and profit for dealers looking to beat the trap of commodity pricing. 

“Stampede always rides ahead of the herd when it comes to pointing the way to the future for our dealers,” Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly said today.  “Our corporate vision is to be the best at creating value for our partners and just one more way we are providing our customers with integrated system solutions that add value to their end-users and profits to their business.  We believe this is the new model for our industry — an industry that is being reinvented by the commercial reality of the Internet of Things.  And this couldn’t come at a better time for an industry looking for a path forward out of the woods of commodity pricing.”

According to Kelly, Stampede’s InfoComm 2014 exhibit program will reinforce this commitment by showcasing real world solutions in channels like corporate, healthcare, education, house of worship, and digital signage.  “In each instance we will show customers how to stay ahead of the herd in their local markets by adding profitable connectivity tools, software, accessories, and new devices that didn’t exist five years ago.  These are the areas that add profit to the system configuration and sale.”

The message is taking hold throughout Stampede’s organization, Kelly stressed, and it’s bringing a number of new manufacturers into the Stampede portfolio.  In fact, the company has added 30 new lines since last year’s InfoComm Show including Afficom, ASK Proxima, BlueBOLT, Cenique, Christie (Brio line), CompuLock, DISE, DJI, Huawel, Korus, Marshall Electronics (Unified Communications), MasterVision, Neurona, Niles, Oklahoma Sound, OSD Sound, Parametric Sound, Peerless (Outdoor Display line), Revolve Robotics, Richo, Samsung (Tablets line), Sapphire, ScreenScape Networks, SecureAVCarts-AVRhodem, StreamTV Networks, SunBrightTV, Surf Communications Solutions, TSItouch, WePresent, and WyreStorm Technologies. 

“If there is one message we want our manufacturers and dealers to take away from InfoComm 2014 it is that Stampede is always ahead of the herd when it comes to providing intelligently designed, profitable solutions that work for our manufacturers, our dealers, and, most importantly of all, the end user customers we all ultimately are in business to serve.”

Granite District Preschools Change The Meaning of "Hands On Learning" With Interactive Tablets Protected by Trident Kraken AMS Series Cases!

Like many schools throughout the country, the Granite District in Salt Lake City, Utah is incorporating tablets into their daily lessons. However, when the students using these tablets are only three to five years old, the importance of protecting these tablets becomes a paramount concern!

Within the school system, children are given the opportunity to learn with innovative technology. Thanks to the Trident Kraken AMS Series of cases, teachers are able to incorporate tablets into lesson plans with confidence, knowing the devices are protected against everyday mishaps and expensive accidents.  

Tablets are revolutionizing the way educators conduct lessons within the classroom. Preschool teachers have always used hands on learning   techniques to keep children’s attentive and motivated to learn. Adding the element of technology into this equation has only enhanced children’s interest about various topics.

“Tablets are a huge investment to make in a classroom of three to five year olds,” Granite District Preschool Coordinator, Bridget Chiazzese stated. “Leaving them unprotected is a recipe for disaster. Trident is the single reason the tablets are now in the students’ hands.”

Primarily in the Granite District, iPads are being used for small group lessons and throughout their learning centers. Subjects such as pre-writing, math and pre-literacy are the main focus of the tablet engaging activities, and the students love it!

“The children are definitely excited and engaged when information is presented on a tablet,” Chiazzese explained. “Some of the kids literally cheer during pre-writing lessons when they are able to correctly write a letter. I have never seen such enthusiasm during the lesson that was previously completed on paper.”

This overzealous enthusiasm is not the only encouraging aspect of tablet use in preschools. Each child is able to work through a subject at his or her own pace and skill level, creating an amplified, one-on-one atmosphere even in a group setting. Technology within the preschool system is benefitting students as they launch into their next phase of education, giving them a leg up when entering elementary schools. As e-books and other learning apps are incorporated more frequently in K-12 schools, it’s important to allow every student the opportunity to work on tablets and prepare them for the digital demands of the future.

“Many students in our classrooms do not have access to technology at home, so the tablets are a huge asset,” Chiazzese said. “School is one of the only places some students are able to explore and learn with technology, so it’s great to finally have the protection needed to use the devices daily."

Commercial Integrators Stand To Benefit From Renewed Investment In Technology By K12 and Higher Education Buyers

 It may require a suspension of disbelief, but a new Golden Era in K12 and higher education technology investment is now underway, and it’s about to snowball into one of the major industry stories of the year, today predicted Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly.
 
According to Kelly, two forces that seem to be unstoppable are driving this trend. “First, according to the Wall Street Journal more than 40 states had higher property tax revenue in 2013 than they did in 2012. Obviously, this increase is a direct manifestation of an ever improving national economy and, as everyone in our industry knows, property tax revenue is what determines a school district’s budget.”
 
What’s interesting about this economic recovery, Kelly explained, is that most of the money being invested in education is being spent on technology, and not on facilities or even personnel. Across the board, school districts now understand that an educational investment in technology is the best long-term way to improve the overall teaching and learning environment. The same understanding is taking hold at higher education state colleges and universities.
 
“And this leads directly to the second important trend to understand. The desire to connect and collaborate is rapidly becoming the imperative to connect and collaborate — and this is creating an enormous new business opportunity for commercial integrators. Tablets are the leading beneficiaries of this imperative. Millions of tablets are being purchased by K12 districts and colleges and, once purchased, they are being actively used to promote collaboration within the classroom.”
 
Kelly emphasized that the concept of “one to many” is also driving the imperative to connect and collaborate. Teachers need to be able to show their presentations and images on students’ laptops and solutions like KenAVision’s EduCam Software are enabling them to do just that. At the same time, students need to be able to show their work to one another and to the teacher! This “many to one” concept is resulting in significant new sales of innovation solutions like WePresent WIPG1500 wireless interactive presentation gateway and, of course, Apple TV.
 
“These trends are, in turn, generating the next generation of innovation in traditional product categories. For example, in the very near future one manufacturer will announce that it has created a special spot within the mold of the projector body to fit an Apple TV. How cool is that? Think of the sales this innovation will generate!”
 
Indeed, there isn’t a single area of the learning environment not being revolutionized by new technology. The industry is experiencing a surge in sales of short throw projectors because school districts have learned the hard way that an 80” touch-based display can’t really be seen all that clearly by students who are sitting five rows away from it.
 
As a result, schools are returning to ultra short throw projectors because they’re the only solution able to project a larger display image. In specific, the industry is seeing a surge in WXGA models to K12 schools and WUXGA models to higher education institutions. And projector manufacturers are weighing in on the whole Total Cost of Ownership issue by lowering the lamp cost of short throw projectors by up to 50%!
 
“The question is no longer is there a new Golden Era is education investment. The question is are you ready, equipped, and trained to profit from it?” Kelly asked.

Advanced Selected As Integrator For TTC Transit Control Room Upgrade

Advanced, Canada’s leading AV and IT integrator, today announced that it has been selected by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) to upgrade the videowall in their mission-critical Transit Control room. The announcement, made by Advanced Co-President David Weatherhead, comes after a year of record-setting growth.
 
“We are excited to be selected by TTC for this prestigious project,” Weatherhead said today. “Advanced was selected from a pool of elite Canadian integrators, and we are eager to begin the updating process. Work will begin immediately, and we anticipate that the installation will be completed within the next few months.”
 
The Transit Control room oversees every vital Toronto Transit System operation. As the largest referrer to 911, Transit Control workers are responsible for maintaining order in an emergency. The room holds 98 employees, 22 per shift, working 24/7 to track the trains.
 
This announcement comes during a year of high profile installations that includes being hired by Air Canada to install cutting edge presentation and communication tools throughout their new facility.
 
“As a part of the Air Canada project, our team designed two large conference rooms, four medium sized meeting rooms, two open concept collaboration spaces, two large training rooms and three small training rooms, each with a SMART Board and slim PC,” said Weatherhead.