Microsoft Office Reference Guide

Mar 26, 2004

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There are really two main mega shows that have replaced the now defunct COMDEX — CES and InfoComm. This year's InfoComm was in Orlando, and it was a Disneyland of new toys.

Within the grand gallery of gaudy hardware, comprised mostly of giant new displays, projectors and audio visual equipment, there was an oasis of software — the new Digital Content Creation Pavilion.

Among the exhibitors was Serious Magic, whose offering Ovation we have covered in the past as a great way to instantly make ordinary PowerPoint slide shows look great. However, Ovation has been upgraded and now supports PowerPoint video, improved timekeeper and rendering and loads of new backgrounds.

One of the big buzzwords at the show and a topic on which I spoke was "Digital Signage." This basically means using graphics and/or video as an information system, and applications include travel (airports), physicians' offices, convention centers and anywhere which requires information displayed and updated in real time.

Digital signage applications also include banking, finance, fast food, entertainment and hospitality, gaming, point of sale/ATM and kiosks along with many applications in government and education.

In my session I gave an overview of using PowerPoint for digital signage, taking advantage of its features as a self-running show. I've covered many of these techniques in a holiday update, but in this environment there was major interest because you could hook up your PowerPoint computer to a 100 foot plasma display.

Is signage just about PowerPoint? Hardly — it is also about the convergence of AV and IT since real-time information also involved databases. Again we've covered this topic with respect to PowerPoint dealing with a company called Take-Off which makes database information available in PowerPoint. Now it's a hot topic because of digital signage, and connecting IT to AV is part of determining what goes up on those gorgeous HD displays.

But What's New in Displays?

I was privy to a whirlwind tour of the show floor by Todd Dunn, the new chairman of the Presentations Council of InfoComm. According to Todd, "LED is a hot topic."

Among the thousands of HD offerings, perhaps the most stunning display was a combination of Hibino LED panels (40 combined into one giant panel), coordinated by software from QuVis Information Systems.

Todd also showed us some of his favorites in the area of LED displays. We stopped off at Daktronics, which specializes in all sorts of video displays, particularly in the city of lights in Nevada — Las Vegas.

In terms of controlling displays, an exhibitor of note was Matrox, the maker of graphics cards that handle multiple monitors, and a pioneer in that field. Now concentrating on digital signage, Matrox offers internal and external devices that can feed a high resolution or high definition video signal to up to four synchronized displays and control them with software.

The Dunn tour also stopped at AVer Media — they make four different lines of scan converters which take video the other way, from the PC out to a video feed with seven levels of flicker control. For those of use who still use analog video monitors and VCRs, this means the ability to record a PowerPoint presentation or training module out to videotape. Not surprisingly AVer Media also makes hardware for creating DVDs.

Another Todd Dunn favorite involves logistics. He has several cases that he lugs around with plugs, cables, PCs and monitors. It's not the glamour part of AV, but he showed us his favorite — Porter Cases.

Another area where portability has made inroads is presentation audio. AKG Acoustics introduced a portable lectern that has all of the necessary accoutrements for a high end presentation and folds up into a nylon carrying case as carry on luggage. For those control freaks who want everything just right, this is a great way to make sure that your mouse, microphone, script, pens and other items are within arms length.

AKG Discreen Acoustics are matched state of the art microphones for the lectern; they are flexible goosenecks that accommodate several AKG microphone models that are widely used by presenters.

As usual, my other big interest in InfoComm is the educational aspect — and I don't necessarily mean the EduComm show which focuses on technology for academia. (Interestingly the other big focal area for technology applications was religious — an entire pavilion at InfoComm was dedicated to technology for churches, mosques and synagogues.)

SuperTuesday is a big event for the Presentations Council as well, with seminars by leaders in the field in areas of content creation, design, graphics and technology. A highlight was the use of Turning Point ARS (audience response system) key pads for immediate polling and feedback.

Next year InfoComm returns to Anaheim, which is much closer to home, but this year the trek to Orlando was worth it to see some of the ways that presentation technology has evolved.

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