Projectors have progressed well beyond slide carousels, “transparencies” and movie reels. In fact, modern HD projectors are packed so full of technology (with relatively low set-up costs) that they are well worth serious consideration when designing your boardroom. Here are some basics to give you an idea of what to expect.

In part 1 of our boardroom technology series (The basics of display system selection), we looked at the factors that come into play when selecting your TV or projector. In this second part, we take a closer look at TV’s.  What the differentiating factors are between various models – and how these affect that all-important consideration: price.

There’s nothing more tiresome than being invited to a braai and having to hear your best mate go on about his latest, state-of-the-art TV.  Unless, of course, you’re watching the rugby at his place – in which case, that gorgeous new screen is simply another token of your friendship, reaffirmed.

But life isn’t all braais and rugby.  Many of us need to do our time in the boardroom, so we may as well ensure that we make the most of it, with technology that supports and enhances our business efforts.

Part 1: The basics of display system selection for a boardroom

Executive meetings, staff meetings, client meetings, presentations, training… With so many uses, the boardroom is undeniably one of the most important spaces in your office environment. Consequently, your boardroom technology decisions are bound to have a significant impact on various aspects of your business.

Gone are thick, distracting bezels (screen surrounds) of old and in are the slim bezels, barely visible to the user.

Video Walls are the Billboards of today. Large bright and impactful, these screens engage any passer-by with their attention-grabbing size and images.

There are many opportunities where one can exploit these videos to attract attention, including:

• Instore advertisements;
• Food courts for advertisements and sport events;
• Reception walls;
• Control centres, and
• So many others

Benefits of Video Wall Features:

• It allows you to be interactive with your audience
• Video wall technology is entertaining and captivating
• Video wall technology has been designed to be more simple and easy to use
• This technology can be affordable when you compare it to the many forms of digital media available for advertising.

With Video Wall advertising becoming a more powerful medium for business’s to reach their customers / clients.

The Polycom RealPresence Debut and RealPresence Trio is an affordable video conferencing solution for your smaller meeting spaces or “huddle rooms”? Polycom has recently launched two brilliant products that work beautifully in smaller spaces, offering the same audio and video quality that has become synonymous with the brand.

No-Compromise Video Conference Solutions For Smaller Rooms

The installation of business-grade video conferencing solutions in smaller rooms has typically been considered cost-prohibitive – and even a little awkward in terms of set-up – leaving business teams to make do with consumer-grade products instead. With the launch of their Polycom RealPresence Debut and RealPresence Trio, Polycom has made it possible to upgrade to business-grade solutions that, quite simply, do a better job.

Both are incredibly easy to use, and empower teams with innovation that facilitates better collaboration and productivity, at a fraction of the cost. They are also designed specifically for smaller spaces, which makes them more effective than their heavy-weight counterparts designed for large rooms.

Polycom RealPresence Debut

The Polycom RealPresence Debut is an all-in-one, sleek video conferencing unit that fits unobtrusively on top of your display screen. Along with built-in audio and microphone technology, a specially designed 1080p camera with 2x zoom provides a wide field of view along with flexible pan and tilt – catering for smaller spaces that are sometimes wider than what they are long.

– Enhanced technology for an improved experience

Of course, the audio, video and content quality is superb. Integrated stereo microphones capture every voice equally. Polycom’s NoiseBlock technology mutes out any distracting background noise, and Lost Packet Recovery technology keeps meetings on track by protecting video calls from the impact of packet loss on the network.

– Connect, share and collaborate

Use the HDMI input or Polycom’s SmartPairing wireless technology to connect and share in high definition. You can share from your wireless-enabled mobile device or PC.

– Quick and easy set-up

The system is designed around simplicity and ease of use. Anyone can have the Polycom RealPresence Debut set up and making calls within a matter of minutes. Place it on top of your display screen, connect two cables and follow the prompts – it’s that easy!

Polycom RealPresence Trio

It looks like a conference phone – but it does so much more. With crystal-clear audio, content sharing and HD video capabilities, the Polycom RealPresence Trio ticks all the boxes for effective huddle room collaboration.

– Enhanced audio

Polycom is known for phenomenal audio and the Polycom RealPresence Trio certainly doesn’t disappoint. In fact, Polycom has further enhanced their HD voice technology to deliver rich audio and even multi-media content playback.

Polycom’s NoiseBlock technology automatically mutes when background noise is present, blocking out distracting sounds such as keyboard typing, rustling papers, traffic noise and alarms.

– Collaboration*

Wireless HD content sharing allows team members to share images, graphs and other documents from mobiles, tablets and PC’s. Content may be shared easily and instantly with all participants in a call, or offline with those in the same room.

For those who prefer to stick with what they know, the Polycom RealPresence Trio also supports content sharing using familiar applications such as Skype for Business (Micosoft Lync) or Polycom RealPresence solutions with SmartPairing.

– Face-to-face interaction*

Visual engagement allows for better collaboration. RealPresence Trio supports up to a 1080p30 USB camera, providing business-grade video for “face-to-face” communication. Standards-based video protocols ensure interoperability with other solutions.

Prijector Wireless Presentation Hub – The all-in-one video conference and wireless presentation hub for boardrooms, meeting rooms and huddle rooms.

Creating an effective business presentation is an art that precious few will truly master. And being able to present it live, to a group of people hanging onto your every word, can be downright intimidating – well, for most business professionals anyway.

Let’s face it. Unless you’re one of those superhumans who actually gets a kick out of public speaking, making a business presentation is quite likely to be out of your comfort zone. So when things go wrong from a technology perspective, causing you to fumble before you even begin, you can rest assured that your presentation is going to be a very bumpy ride.

That’s why our clients love Prijector!

Prijector (and yes, we have the spelling right) is a wireless mirroring device that allows you to share the screen of any device to your meeting room TV screen or projector. Compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux Laptops or Computers, as well as iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry devices, Prijector supports both 32 bit and 64 bit OS – making it super easy to access and super easy to use.

What does this mean?

Quite simply, no more hassles when setting up for a presentation. Prijector is wireless, which means that you don’t need to worry about compatibility, inputs and cables. You don’t need to remember your special adaptor thingies and you don’t have to bring a spare laptop – or hassle someone else for theirs’. Furthermore, there are no screen resolution issues, which means you won’t have to spend an embarrassing 5 minutes figuring that out either.

Make yourself mobile

Do you feel more confident standing or walking, than when you are sitting? Many people do. Standing up and moving allows for better blood flow and brain function. It also allows for better posture and breathing, which in turn reduces anxiety. So why not get up from that table and flip through your presentation on your handheld? With Prijector, it’s as easy as that.

You can still plug in if you need to

Need to share files from a USB drive? Prijector has 3 USB ports, which you can just plug into to run your files directly. All office and media files are supported.

Conferencing compatibility like never before

Prijector is also a video conferencing device. It makes every meeting room video conferencing capable by running the most widely used video conferencing apps available. These include Skype, Microsoft Lync, Google Hangouts, WebEx Meetings, Polycom RealPresence, Cisco Jabber, LifeSize ClearSea, Vidyo and BlueJeans.

You can choose to integrate Prijector with your exiting conferencing equipment, or you can simply plug in a webcam – et voilà! A highly compatible video conferencing system, and the only one to bring all video conferencing apps to one device.

And of course, there’s more…

Prijector acts as a wireless hotspot for your guests. No need for pre-arranging internet access through your reception or IT department.

Your one-stop technology partner

When dealing with AV, video conferencing and IT companies, it’s not uncommon for your service providers to get their technology wires crossed – and you can take that as literally as you wish! But where these industries have historically collided (be it in your conduits, in your server cabinet and even in your project meetings), CommsPartner has developed a unique service offering that combines all three.

The convergence of these services enables us to provide a holistic offering – one that integrates the technologies strategically, with a single perspective on your infrastructure, equipment and software.

What does this mean for our clients?

Streamlined services

By combining AV, video and IT services, we are able to take advantage of the overlaps in technology, which means that we can shed redundant components, such as infrastructure and controls.

Reduced equipment and installation costs

In streamlining your infrastructure, we often use the same cables, switches, cabinets and server rooms for multiple services. This saves our clients significant amounts on equipment costs, as well as on set-up costs.

Customisation

Being in a position to design all aspects of your technology, we are able to visualise and create highly customised and personalised solutions that integrate various complementary technologies, allowing them to interact with one another in a manner that enhances the total solution.

Scalability

With insights into your various technologies and their infrastructural requirements, we ensure that your solutions are built in a manner that any of your services can be easily expanded, without compromising the other services, and without risk of performance loss.

Ease of use

We simplify the lives of our clients by simplifying their technology. In providing a comprehensive yet streamlined solution, we integrate the operation of your various services, with universal controls and graphic rich touchpads that are easy to access, easy to understand and easy to use. (No need to have IT standing by for every meeting.)

Quicker fault resolution

When things go wrong, clients might find themselves flipping a coin to see which service provider’s support desk to call first. The support desk will then do initial trouble-shooting to determine where a problem might lie, in order to establish which service provider is actually responsible. As a result, precious time is wasted figuring out who might be able to fix the problem, before fault resolution even begins.

As a converged services provider, and depending on the scope of our appointment, CommsPartner is able to act as a single point of contact for all technical aspects of your business. No matter what the fault, we can quickly pinpoint and resolve any problems that might arise.

Reduced support and maintenance costs

With a single technology provider, typically operating over a single network, that provider is often better equipped to offer remote support and fault resolution. That is, in comparison to having several providers on site – where limited network visibility and access (due to the security protocols of other providers) might require a visit to site to establish where a problem lies.

In addition, with a single network, clients are likely to encounter fewer technical issues. There are fewer points of failure and fewer components to be maintained.

Personal service

There are companies that offer the same services as CommsPartner, but this is often provided through separate divisions, or at least separate teams, with separate management.

CommsPartner takes a unified approach, where every one of our technology specialists receives extensive training on all aspects of our service offering. Consequently, we do not require separate teams for every service. We can rely on fewer team members, who in turn get to know each of our client sites well. This allows us to attend to all matters with greater efficiency, while building good working relations ships with our clients.

While it might not offer the real-to-life immersive experience of a telepresence video conferencing system, there’s a lot to be said for the incredible convenience and cost-effectiveness of cloud-based video bridging solutions. Now, no matter where you are or what device you’re using, you can start or join business-class video meetings – with up to 200 people, in multiple locations, calling in from various devices, and across various operating systems. Pretty nifty!

As with any cloud-based solution, the beauty of video bridging technology is that it can be instantly deployed, that it’s highly scalable, and that your capex layout is minimal. What’s more, you can either use the cloud solution on its own, or you can integrate it and enhance your existing video infrastructure.

While there are various products available on the market, here are some of the most common features and benefits that will enhance your meetings, for better collaboration and communication:

Preventative Maintenance & Service Level Agreement

In two hours and 47 minutes, Norman will make the most critical presentation of his career.  He will face the steel-haired, Jag-driving board members of a small investment group, interested in buying shares in his business.  He will impress them, with the cool confidence of a man destined for greatness.  But what Norman doesn’t know, is that in exactly 9 minutes, when he plans to run through his 31-page Powerpoint presentation one last time, he will realise that his state-of-the-art projector just won’t power on.  Oh dear, Norman.  You have a problem…

Investing in any AV or IT technology is like owning a car.  Unless you have it properly maintained, you’re bound to run into problems at some point.  And if your business depends on technology as much as Norman’s does, you’d want to know that when something goes wrong, you can rely on someone to fix it.

Taking care of your technology

At CommsPartner, we ensure that our clients’ technology investments are well looked after, through the structuring and implementation of proactive after-sales and support services.  These services are designed around the specific needs and budget of each client, which means that affordability is rarely an issue when applying best practices in AV and IT support.

We provide two options:

Option 1: The Preventative Maintenance Agreement (PMA)

A Preventative Maintenance Agreement (or PMA) entails the planned, regular maintenance of hardware, with maintenance intervals based on time or usage.  As the name suggests, it can prevent unnecessary wear, damage and downtime, ensuring that your technology lasts longer and performs at its best.

Tasks carried out during preventative maintenance will include the cleaning and checking of projector filters and fans, aligning of projectors, testing of connectivity points, the repair of faulty soldering (e.g. VGA connectors), etc.  Any consumables or repairs that fall outside of the PMA are quoted separately.

Option 2: The Service Level Agreement (SLA)

A Service Level Agreement (or SLA) specifies the level of service to be provided.  It stipulates the support hours (12 hours vs 24 hours) and response times across various services and levels of urgency.  It also includes a Preventative Maintenance Agreement, as described above.

Depending on the your requirements, we include a certain number of support hours into the SLA, which means that we do not bill you for these hours, as it forms part of the SLA pricing.  We also carry stock of loan or replacement equipment to assist during times of hardware failure, minimising your downtime and keeping your business operational.

The most practical choice for you

No matter which products or services you choose, CommsPartner will tailor the perfect support solution for you.  Don’t be like Norman.  Contact us today to discuss your requirements and we’ll work on a support plan to minimise your risk and bring you peace of mind.

Getting the whole picture:  Creating an effective audio visual room solutions

When potential clients contact us for quotes on audio visual room solutions, they are often surprised by the amount of detail that we require in order to determine their exact requirements.  Some of our questions that we ask are pretty straight-forward, but others take a little more thought.

To give you an idea of the information required, here are some of the factors that we will take into consideration when designing the perfect solution for you.

Size of room

Room size dictates your screen size, as well as whether you require a flat screen or projection system.  Acoustically, it also determines how many speakers are required for the even distribution of audio throughout.

Room type

Whether it’s a boardroom or conference room, auditorium, classroom, command room or control centre, different room types generally have different uses, which are factored into the design.

Installation type

Some installations are part of a new construction, while others are a retrofit to an existing structure.  It’s often quicker and easier for us to provide specific requirements to the builders of a new construction, than it is to work with what is already there in the case of a retrofit.  We also need to consider whether we will need to integrate with existing technology, as integration can often prove rather tricky.  Particularly when some of the technology is dated, or simply doesn’t “talk the same language”.

Lighting

Does the room have natural lighting?  What sort of artificial lighting will you have in the room?  Lighting is taken into account to ensure the correct choice in screen, maximising visibility and reducing eye-strain.

User type

It’s important to consider who will actually be operating the technology.  Are they trainers or teachers, marketing executives, board members, technical specialists or a mixture of staff, with varying degrees of technical know-how?  Systems are designed with the end user in mind. The technically-minded users are more comfortable with technology, while others often require a graphic-rich touch pad that integrates and simplifies the room operation.

Hours of use

Will you be using the equipment 24/7 or 5 hours per week? Your expected “hours of use” determines how robust your equipment should be.  Equipment less suited to heavy use might “burn out” prematurely, while robust equipment designed for 24/7 use will typically require a higher investment.

System and signal integration

What devices and signals do you want to use with the system? Whether you need your system to accommodate computer presentations, document cameras, DVD’s, electronic whiteboards, video conferencing, DStv or audio conferencing, all of these requirements must be stipulated upfront to ensure that the necessary configurations are done and that the various signals can be routed correctly.  Sometimes a “nice-to-have” can incur extensive configurations costs, so it’s important to establish what is actually needed.

Budget

If we know what your budgetary expectations are, from the outset, we can make appropriate recommendations during consultation.  Installation costs vary from under R50,000 to well over R1mil.  Provided there are no unusual requirements, we should be able to give you a “ball-park” figure at the end of our first consultation, followed by a formal quotation should you wish to proceed.

Taking into account all of the above factors, and more, CommsPartner’s audio visual specialists will design a streamlined solution that not only meets the specific requirements of your business, but ensures ease of use for the intended end user.