Focus on Acoustics: LEED for Healthcare – Acknowledging Acoustics in Healing
December 1, 2010
Anyone who has been to a hospital recovery room, whether as a patient or as a visitor, knows firsthand that the environment can be anything but calm and soothing. Echoes of staff and guests moving around and talking reverberate through
Product Review: Printable Acoustic Cloth
December 1, 2010
Sometimes it seems like acoustics and aesthetics are at odds with one another. But some companies, such as Whisper Walls® are trying to bridge the gap. The company’s WhisperArt product offers varying sizes of sound-dampening panels with the ability to
Project Profile: Forsyth Detention Center Surveillance System
December 1, 2010
Since 1996 the Forsyth County Detention Center in North Carolina relied on eight cameras to help monitor the 800 detainees contained within eleven housing units. The system, while functional, only covered the most critical of areas. For example, the intake
Focus on Technology: Video over IP
December 1, 2010
Remember when phone calls used to travel over phone lines? The advent of wireless systems, along with Voice over IP (VoIP) technology, is cutting into the traditional telephone market. In 2010, US cable companies are providing VoIP phone service to
At Your Service
November 17, 2010
It has been one of those months—the kind where there seems to be a permanent target on your back. It began with my partner trying to rent a car. We both travel a lot, and are members of this company’s
Product Review: Christie MicroTiles™
October 1, 2010
Christie’s new MicroTiles may become the new standard in video walls. Unveiled over the last year at various trade shows and events, MicroTiles are small display units measuring roughly 12 inches x 16 inches x 10 inches. Each weighs about
Project Profile: Campbell University’s John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center
October 1, 2010
Students at Campbell University, located in Buies Creek, NC, were used to playing basketball in the cramped Carter Gym on campus, which held just shy of 1,000 spectators. In 2008, however, the school announced plans to build a new athletic
Focus on Technology: Visual Presentation Spaces, Part II Gauging Height, Width and Depth
October 1, 2010
Designing presentation facilities can be challenging, yet the basic principles are not difficult. In a previous blog post, we looked at how to determine the screen size for a presentation facility, taking into account the 4-6-8 rule that dictates the
Focus on Lighting: The Importance of Color
October 1, 2010
Lighting is often the forgotten design element. Though its effects are powerful, the medium itself is rather intangible. Because lighting can drastically affect atmosphere, and since it generally flies in under most people’s conscious radar, good lighting is an economical
Product Review: Sanyo Short Focus Projector
August 1, 2010
The latest short-focus projector from Sanyo (PLC-WL2500) combines the limited maintenance features of their traditional models with the benefits of a short-focus projector. An 80-inch wide projection is possible with a mounting position only 34 inches from the screen. This