October 2005
Features
Biometrics 101
By Steve Filippini
Earlier in my career, when I was a field technician for a local security company, it wasn’t uncommon for me to find the arm/disarm code of the alarm system posted prominently above the user interface keypad. When I tried to…
Core Issues
By Paul Mathews
What could be more mundane than the transformers and autoformers that are the backbone of audio distribution systems? This article will show you that…
Technology Showcase:
DVRs and Beyond
By Bret Bass
When considering the largest existing market opportunity for video surveillance systems, J.P. Freeman Co., a leading…
Technology Showcase:
Noise-masking Systems
By Tim O’Leary
Aristotle once said, Why is it the buzzing in the ears ceases if one makes a sound? Is it because a greater sound drives out the less? This statement…
Installation Profile: Tighter Security
By Bret Bass
Taking uncharacteristic risks, pushing new technology, and uniting the resources of its geographically disperse operations, Criticom International, the largest wholesale central station in the United States…
Reviews
Sony SRP-X700P
By John McJunkin
Simplicity. It’s nice to have everything you need wrapped up in a tidy package…
NEC LCD 3210
By Jeff Sauer
LCD monitors are now the norm when it comes to new computer desktops, and the economy of scale is affecting larger, installation-oriented panels as well….
Columns
Heightened Security
By Mark Johnson
Security is on the minds of many these days, be it securing our homelands against terrorism or securing our homes against unwanted intrusion. It could…
Picture This: How Bright
By Jeff Sauer
NEC’s LCD 3210 (reviewed on p. 66 of this issue) offers a pretty good marker as to the current state of LCD color. That LCD panel does about as well as one could expect in reproducing solid primary (red, green, and blue) and even secondary (yellow, cyan, and magenta). But, as is generally the case with LCD panels…
Associations Focus: Survey Reveals Member Concerns
NSCA’s Summer 2005 Member Survey results identified the most prevalent industry issues and initiatives that affect all levels of systems professionals….
Associations Focus: Membership Grows with Industry
Membership numbers for ICIA have risen significantly in the first half of 2005, mirroring the growth of audiovisual applications in business, government,…
Associations Focus: Awards Book Set for Production
CEDIA honored the best of the best at the 2005 CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles Awards Banquet, held during CEDIA EXPO. CEDIA once again will recognize these…
Security Watch: Magic Detectors
By Steve Filippini
It isn’t enough just knowing that alarm devices carefully placed and wired throughout a home or business are working correctly. I’m one of those hard-to-please…
POV: Mission Making Tracks
Throughout the year, InfoComm International has presented the POV series, in which the chairs of the association’s member councils and committees describe…
Departments
The Buzz: Install of the month:
Pier T, Long Beach, Calif.
By Trevor Boyer
Audio systems described as “high-end” generally are light years ahead of those that are “good enough.” But what happens when a “high-end” system is required to achieve “good enough” results? At a busy pier in Long Beach, Calif…
The Buzz: Newsmakers
Audio Visual Innovations (AVI) has announced that Francis Alviso has been hired as a design engineer for the company’s regional office in Cypress and…
The Buzz: 20 Years Ago in
Sound & Video Contractor
By Mark Johnson
High-level reinforcement was the theme for the October 1985 issue, and Sound & Video Contractor power amplifier design consultant Cal Perkins cranked it up with the first in a series on high-level sound system design. In this part, Perkins details the steps required to help design and install a high-level reinforcement system. Over the years, Perkins has made many contributions to the design and manufacture of many well-known products, the most recent being the Perkins EQ for the Mackie Onyx series mixers….
The Buzz: Contractor’s Web Watch
NuVision’s newly launched website offers visitors information on available models in its new lineup of high-performance LCD televisions, as well as detailed…
The Buzz: Industry News
Panasonic’s WJ-HD300A DVR was awarded the Industrie Forum (IF) Product Design Award for its proprietary…
The Buzz: Upcoming Events
October 12-14 Integrated Systems AsiaSuntec, Singapore www.is-asia.com; 17-19 Training Fall Conference and ExpoLong Beach, Calif.www.vnulearning.com/learninggroup/3400/index.jsp…
What’s New
What’s New:
Audio Technology
The System Devices PM10-3 multi-zone stations are compatible with industry-standard microphones including dynamic, condenser, and electret styles, and use low-cost UTP Cat-5e structured cabling. Intuitive push-button access with label identification allows users…
What’s New: Video Technology
The new FireStore FS-2E recorder from Focus Enhancements uses the company’s Direct to Edit (DTE) technology to record video to FireWire disc drives…
What’s New:
AV Technology
Tributaries’ Silver series HDMI cables feature high-conductivity OFHC copper signal conductors, which are silver-plated to provide a low-loss path for the digital signal and protection against copper oxidation…
What’s New: Residential Technology
Mitsubishi’s new home theater projector features Texas Instruments’ DLP DDP3020 chip with Darkchip 3 technology. The technology equips the new…
What’s New:
Security Technology
Federal Signal’s UniStat status indicator can be fitted with a sounder module for added flexibility in work areas where visual and audible signals are critical to safety. The indicator produces up to four colors — amber, blue, green, and red…
