Tech
Meet a new breed of A/V
Ed tech trade show proves that A/V ain't what it used to be.
This isn't your father's A/V show.
At InfoComm '06 in Orlando, attendees were greeted with a huge array of digital audio-visual equipment, aimed mostly at the education market. Innovations in digital projectors, interactive whiteboards, audio systems, video capture and recording systems, A/V infrastructure and controls were on display for the record-breaking crowd, reports eSchool News.
The latest buzz at the show was the "going green" of new AV technologies. New government restrictions called RoHS directives (for "Restrictions of Hazardous Substances") on all new electronics go into effect starting in July (Jan. 1 for California), and vendors are promoting their latest "green" products. Among the gee-whiz products:
- An interactive wireless monitor (from GTCO CalComp for the classroom, equipped with radio-frequency "clickers" which provides instant feedback to to teachers' questions.
- A"green" camera (by Elmo USA), with a "microscope viewing mode (that) lets users display microscopic materials in science classes, and a removable stage (that) makes it easy to annotate materials being presented."
- A 94-inch whiteboard with 33 percent more whiteboarding space, a networkable unit with a built-in projector, and a new version of conferencing software, all from Smart Technologies.
- A rack-mounted network appliance for environmental monitoring and surveillance of computer rooms and network closets by American Power Conversion.
- Ovation (by Serious Magic), software that offers special polish to those boring PowerPoint slides.