ADA and Audiovisual Systems
December 1, 2003
Every time a sound or speech reinforcement system is designed and installed a hearing assistance system must also be included. ADA Section III-7.5180 Assembly Areas requires: Fixed seating assembly areas that accommodate 50 or more people OR have audio-amplification systems
Classroom Acoustics
December 1, 2003
More than three-quarters of the teachers in a recent poll gave the acoustics in their classrooms a failing grade. The problem is most commonly a “signal to noise” ratio issue, which results in poor speech intelligibility. In general terms –
New Advances in Video Conferencing Technology H.264
December 1, 2003
A new video conferencing standard, H.264, delivers twice the video quality currently experienced in video conferencing meetings. H.264 provides a far more efficient mechanism for compressing and decompressing motion video. This mechanism or algorithm requires significantly less bandwidth to transmit
Retail Design
October 1, 2003
Themed Retail is a balance between saturation of exposure to audio and video stimuli in “teen” departments versus the peace and serenity of high-end jewelry/perfume departments. Far too often, the energetic, loud, vibrant, environment in a young teenager/juniors environment is
Acoustics for Live Theatre
October 1, 2002
The lights begin to dim, the audience takes their seats, voices lower, and all you can hear is the quiet rustle of theatre programs and an occasional cough as the audience waits in anticipation for the curtain to rise on
Video Conference Technology
June 1, 2001
One of our clients once stated: “A person needs to be at a location to facilitate the work process, not attend a meeting.” We have all heard about a business executive who took a three-day trip overseas to attend a
Digital Preservation
April 1, 2001
You know those dusty boxes of photographs you’ve been meaning to put into an album? Or the shelf full of videotapes of the kids growing up? The glass-plate slides your dad took on vacation? Or even the 8mm film reels
The Code of Silence
October 1, 2000
Maxwell Smart’s Cone of Silence was a nice idea. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to use such a device in today’s busy and energetic society? Well, for some types of noise it has been possible for a person
High Definition Television Is Here! (Sort of…)
June 1, 2000
High Definition Television (HDTV) promises bigger and better images and great audio. But what exactly is HDTV and how will it affect our television viewing? Consumers are experiencing a confusing mess of conflicting standards, limited programming, few available channels and
Environmental Acoustics: Is It Noise Or Is It Sound?
March 1, 2000
How loud is too loud? If you have ever dealt with this question, personally or professionally, you know that the answer is difficult to determine. All kinds of factors, from the time of day to personal sensitivity, influence the subjective