April Chapter Meeting

Technology 101 – Class is in Session:
Demonstration Presentations on the Latest in Audio Visual
By Terry Olsen

April Meeting Photos

On Monday, April 9, 2007 the Minneapolis-Saint Paul chapter of CSI held a variation of its monthly program.  Focusing on a progressive topic, we also had a progressive dinner as we progressed from classroom to classroom to experience five separate learning opportunities.

During the social hour preschool was in session.  Not necessarily meant for those with lower educational levels, it was rather a “sneak” opportunity to learn about and experience a bit about the equipment first hand before the actual “school” sessions began.  I took the opportunity to sit in on a teleconference with someone in Kansas City using an interactive white board, saw part of Johnny Depp’s Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on rear-screen projection (no shadows – even creepier), and sat in surround sound to experience and compare a couple of home theater set-ups (they purposely did not have leather lounge chairs in there or else our group would never leave!).

Once Tom Tierney rang the school bell (it looked pretty authentic to me) we all dispersed to our first class.  I got an “A”, and joined the rest of the group of participants assigned an “A”; which didn’t mean our group was smarter (or were we…) but just designated which classroom to start in.  Joe Haupt, with his brother remotely located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, demonstrated a teleconference using an interactive white board.  Teachers are starting to use “digital chalkboards” like this in the classrooms (no erasers to pound – kids are missing out!) and businesses are using them in conference rooms to talk remotely with their other offices, consultants or clients.  Some of the really neat things we saw: bringing up a cadd drawing without having AutoCAD on the local computer and being able to redline, or circle up changes to be made on the other end; writing on the board either with a digital marker or even your finger and no marker smell (gee, no getting high on marker fumes…); and writing notes - with the computer recognizing penmanship and turning it into text.  Best of all, at the end of the session, the work on the board can be saved to the server for documentation or further use after the meeting.  Pretty cool!

Our group then moved to the second classroom, led by Gordy Fransen and Jeff Blexrud, to learn about acoustics.  The design goals for sound systems and acoustics are for the sound to be loud enough, but without feedback; as well as intelligible, so that everyone can hear equally well at all locations in the room.  This is not as easy as it may sound.  The back of the room may have a difficult time hearing the speaker, or there may be ambient noise to overcome.  There is a new ANSI standard setting requirements for classrooms, so all students have the same opportunity to hear the teacher and learn.  However, not all rooms are designed in advance for optimal acoustics, so to remedy the problem sound panels, baffles or electronic controls can be designed afterward to improve the results.  Generally, the desired sound should be 15 decibels louder than the ambient noise.  Their presentation demonstrated sound modeling with a computer voice and how the designed effects of the room changed the length of reverberation time. 

We then graduated to the third class, a screen demonstration taught by Dennis Flinn. We learned that rear screen projection is better than front screen projection, as the camera can shoot the light right into your eyes (Ow!  I got something in my eyes!), which eliminates shadows on the screen and allows a higher light level in the room.  But the room must be designed to allow space for the rear screen projector. We learned about the five criteria of uniformity, resolution, contrast, size, and grain.  In particular, I found the screen ratio to be interesting – to find the size the screen should be, take the distance back to the furthest viewer and divide by 6.  This will give you what the screen height should be, starting 44” above the floor.  Width has traditionally been based on the ratio of 1 foot high : 1.33 feet wide, but with the advent of HD (High Definition) the frame is now recommended at 1 foot high : 1.7 feet wide.

Now we’re feeling pretty smart, and move on to the fourth demonstration by Chris Estle.  Here the demonstration started with the touch of a button, and the shades went down, the lights dimmed, the screen dropped, and the presentation began.  Integrated control systems were the topic, and the purpose is to make it easy for the speaker so the focus is on the content of the presentation, not running around dimming lights, closing blinds, and so on.  The controls can be mounted in the podium, on a laptop, in custom cabinetry, or a touch screen location, so that the speaker doesn’t need to figure out which remote controls what (or in a more typical situation, when the remote gets lost, trying to figure out where it is).  In addition to the controls demonstrated, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning can be controlled, as well as ambient (white) noise and speakers.  In projects going for LEED, controllability is an issue and some forethought by the designers and owner can make for an integrated response for trainers or people leading conferences. By planning ahead, new features can be added at a later date, in essence to “future-proof” the room (or, is it just “future-resistant”?).

During the last class of the night, our future was so bright, we had to wear shades!  Literally, we donned cool, blues-style polarized glasses that then made objects pop out of the screen right at us.  Zack Boxrud led us into 3D – or actually the 3D came out at us.  He showed us examples of the use of 3D in geology, and Google Earth now has a 3D component highlighting various buildings around the globe.  It seemed like just a fun feature, where we went from the Metrodome in Minneapolis to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to the Hoover Dam in Nevada with the touch of a mouse. The real-world applications seemed questionable beyond the thrill of video games.  That is, until we discussed some applications like the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line along University Avenue being designed in Sketch-up to be inserted into Google Earth, to assist in the development of the urban fabric as the corridor is designed.  Pretty cool stuff, to go along with some pretty cool glasses!

Thanks to Dennis Flinn, Joe Haupt, Gordy Fransen, Jeff Blexrud, Chris Estle, and Zach Boxrud for leading the interactive and interesting seminars for our groups.  We thank you and Tierney Brothers for hosting and giving us a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the latest in audio-visual technology.