Aaron Tracey - Videopro Business Centre: Education

This month I would like to show you the new Ultimate Short Throw Data Projector offerings from our good friends at Hitachi.

Early in 2011, Hitachi brought out the CPA-220N, CPA-300N and CPA-250N Ultimate Short Throw Data Projectors, with the 220 and 300 being in a 4:3 (almost square image), and the 250 being a 16:10 (widescreen) aspect ratio.

These data projectors have proven to be ‘bulletproof’ in regards to reliability, are rich in features, include a plethora of connectivity options (including HDMI, VGA and even connection over a network) and offer a 5 year warranty. All of this has been offered at a fantastic price point, and is a part of the driving force that we here at Videopro have seen thousands of these data projectors deployed into classrooms country-wide throughout the year.

Riding on the back of this success, Hitachi then introduced the IPJAW250N Widescreen Interactive Ultimate Short Throw Data Projector that offered all of the same features and chassis design that made its non-interactive brothers so popular.

This model was the first Interactive Data Projector offering from Hitachi, and this hit the market with ‘guns blazing’!

Offering the same ‘Starboard’ and ‘Easiteach – Next Generation’ software suites included with the popular FXTRIO Interactive Whiteboards was what made Hitachi’s Interactive Data Projector offering stand well above the rest of its competitors in the market. Add to this a very competitive price point and aesthetic appeal and we knew we had a winner on our hands.

Although these projectors have served our valued clients so well, it has come time to say goodbye to these particular models.

But never fear! Although it was a hard task to improve such a fantastic line of projectors – Hitachi have done it again with their new offerings.

What will be the difference I hear you ask with baited breath…

Well, Hitachi have included every single aspect of their previous line-up (connectivity, aesthetics, chassis design). However, now with some clever re-designing of the internal workings, with the optional kit all of these new data projectors can be used for table-top data projection – even the Interactive option!

These models can now be used for collaboration and presentations on a horizontal surface such as a table-top or floor, bringing a new way to learn into the classroom.

If you would like any further information on this new line-up, please contact me at a.tracey@videopro.com.au or your Videopro Account Manager on 1300 VIDEOPRO who is always happy to help guide the way.

In 2010, with the cost of television screens continually dropping, I wrote an article (click here to read “Classroom AV - Data Projector or TV?”) weighing up the positives and negatives of ‘Data Projectors’ versus ‘LCD Screens’, in a classroom environment.

With the price on LCD’s continuing to drop, LCD screens with touch screen capability have also started to become more and more cost effective and we are now starting to see the opportunity for touch screen LCD’s to be used in the same manner as interactive whiteboards (IWB’s).

From my own perspective, this is an exciting trend and, as the prices of these touch screen panels continue to come down and their size increases, I expect to see them become more popular when being used as a collaboration tool for the classroom.

So, what things should you be considering when looking into a potential purchase of an interactive product and is it the right time to purchase a touch screen LCD?

When comparing the two side by side, the LCD touch screen certainly is the more aesthetically pleasing of the two solutions, due to the brighter image it will display and a better resolution it will tend to provide, with the end result being a better quality of picture.

However, as per my previous ‘Data Projectors vs. LCD Screens’ article from 2010, there needs to be consideration given to the size of the screen being used as a presentation tool. The largest touch screen LCD I have seen is 65”, however these are higher end models, which tend to be considerably more expensive than an IWB package. To get a closer cost comparison to a 77” (measured diagonally) interactive whiteboard, the solution that would be currently considered would sit around the 50-55” (measured diagonally) range and, for a standard classroom, this size is still just too small for the students sitting towards the back of the classroom.

So, in my professional opinion, where the budget allows, I think that a 55” touch screen LCD is ideal for smaller rooms, such as boardrooms, meeting rooms, or even small classrooms. However, for an average or larger sized classroom, they are potentially still that bit too small to be effective for all the students in the room.

Touch Panel LCD – Advantages and Disadvantages Compared to an Interactive Whiteboard

With all of this in mind, we’ve very recently had the chance to look at a brand new InFocus collaboration product, which can be used as a touch screen LCD, but has some additional advantages that I haven’t seen in comparison products. I’ll provide an overview of this product for you next month, however in the mean time, if you have any questions or thoughts on touch screen LCD technology and collaboration tools in your classroom, don’t hesitate to contact me my email a.grigg@videopro.com.au or phone 1300 VIDEOPRO.

Sam Sechi - Videopro Business Centre: Product Sales

The Sony Bloggie Duo is the new choice for a pocket video camera as it’s very simple to use just like the Flip, and also takes still photos. You just turn it on, push the red button (at the bottom of the camera) and let the recording begin.

The Sony name is trusted and reliable so quality is guaranteed. With 4GB of internal memory that records up to two hours of footage, an Exmor sensor for low light and a 5.1MP camera, the Sony Bloggie is the ideal choice.

If you’re interested in purchasing the Sony Bloggie or have any other enquiries about this product please contact me on (07) 3250 0082 or via email at s.sechi@videopro.com.au.

With the price of televisions becoming increasingly cheaper, we have started to see an increase in requests for LCD or Plasma screens to be installed into schools, to be used in the same manner that a lot of classrooms currently use data projectors to increase learning outcomes.

LCD panels provide superb image quality with greater resolution and are brighter than data projectors. When considering the price decrease in recent years; it is only natural that the interest level has risen. Whilst display panels certainly have some advantages over data projectors, the key distinction that a data projector and screen combo has over a display panel is the dollar cost per inch you achieve from each solution.

As Audio Visual integrators, there are various guidelines that, whilst may not always be critical to a working solution, we will always try to abide in order to achieve the best result for our client. In this particular instance, as a general rule we consider:

Essentially, if the image size is too small, the person sitting furthest away from the image will struggle to see what is being displayed and this will most likely result in a loss of interest and attention. We also consider whether the image size will be too big as this can also cause loss of interest due to a participant not being able to see the whole picture. Neck, eye and back strain from moving their heads from side to side should also be considered; however having a large screen is less of an issue in a school environment than the potential of having a screen that is too small.

As an example, in a standard classroom using our guidelines, we’d be looking at something that is approximately 80″ (203.2cm) when measured diagonally from the bottom left of an image to the top right. This is why we commonly provide an 84″ (213.4cm) pull-down screen when installing a data projector into a classroom environment. In comparison, the ’sweet spot’ for LCD panels, in terms of value for money, sits between 40″ (101.6cm) to 46″ (116.8cm). For larger screens in the 70-80 inch range, cost rises to many tens of thousands very quickly.

The key consideration when making this decision is what the AV solution will be used for. If you are looking to teach a classroom of students, we would still recommend a data projector and screen in order to get an image size that is large enough to keep students interested. In smaller environments, LCD televisions are ideal.

For example, when looking for a solution catering for digital signage in a hallway, LCD options would be suitable. However, as a general rule, we don’t envisage LCD panels becoming cost effective enough to be considered direct replacements for projectors for a number of years yet, though we are certainly looking forward to the day this happens.