Volume 5, Issue 24 – December 18, 2007

Introduction

Welcome to rAVe Pro Edition – Volume 5, Issue 24

Editorial

90,000 Idiots Buy HD-DVD Players in one Weekend!-–And, they bought it at the bellwether of electronics quality, Wal-Mart—
By Gary Kayye

Feature Article

Status Quo
Is Your Corporate Structure Right For You?
By Chuck Wilson, Executive Director, NSCA

Cartoon Series!

Displays
	New Pro 40- and 46-Inch Direct-View Panels From Planar

Digital Signage
	Minicom Delivering AV up to 2,000 Feet Over CATx

Welcome to another edition of rAVe!

As we head into the holidays and many of you head to the malls (or to shopforcoolandcheapelectronics.com), don't be suckered into the high definition fire sales. You may think low pricing of HD DVD players is too good to pass up. But pass it up just long enough to read my editorial in this issue.

Also, thanks to NSCA's Chuck Wilson for another great installment of What Keeps us up at Night. Is your business set up with the correct designation, or are you missing out on tax and other corporate benefits? Read below.

Enjoy the issue, and have a wonderful holiday season!

–Gary Kayye, CTS

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Editorial

90,000 Idiots Buy HD-DVD Players in one Weekend!
–And, they bought it at the bellwether of electronics quality, Wal-Mart—
By Gary Kayye   

HAHAHAHAHA

We all know that Blu-ray is the better of the two technologies and that Toshiba and the rest of the HD-DVD clan has now reached a point of desperation to save their technological platform, but this is the ultimate in shrewd (or, extremely clever).

I'll bet that most of these 90,000 unsuspecting Americans are also watching squished out, wide-screened NTSC video from a myriad of cable boxes all the while thinking it's HD — 'duh, it's gotta be HD if it's wide-screened'

OK, I've said all I can say about this topic, but here's the caveat:  Although EXCLUSIVE agreements exist between the major studios and both the Blu-ray and HD-DVD camps, they aren't international.  What the heck do I mean?  Well, did you know that Sony, certainly Blu-ray's biggest supporter (and co-inventor), is releasing movies that are exclusively on Blu-ray in the USA, but in HD-DVD in all sorts of other countries around the world?  As is Universal — probably HD-DVD's biggest fan in the US — although they claim to be completely in the HD-DVD camp. But did you know you can buy their movies in Europe on Blu-ray?!?

That will certainly slow down the eventual triumph of Blu-ray over HD-DVD, but remember, it all comes down to memory and space.  Blu-ray is bigger and better for computers than HD-DVD and that's where the money is, eventually.

Oh, another caveat:  Downloads.  If this battle rages on and on and on and on, by the time Blu-ray's declared the winner, Apple and iTunes may trump them all with their new HD movie rental service, to be launched in early 2008. 

So, maybe we're all wrong afterall…

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Feature Article

Status Quo
Is Your Corporate Structure Right For You?
By Chuck Wilson, Executive Director, NSCA

·      Sole proprietorships include one owner. Business liability extends to personal assets and the business entity is not taxed separately.

·      General partnerships involve an unlimited number of partners. Liability is distributed among each general partner and, while the business must submit a separate tax form, its partners, rather than the entity itself, are taxed based on the income they generated through the organization.

·      Limited liability companies include partners with limited liability (usually involving only the company's assets). Taxes are levied only on the partners.

·       "S" corporations comprise no more than 100  shareholders who are not accountable for personal liability. Shareholders are taxed directly, without the company being taxed.

·       "C" corporations include an unlimited number of shareholders and no personal liability obligations. The corporation, as well as its shareholders, are taxed.

According to Dick George, director of RSM McGladrey Tax Services in Iowa City, Iowa, a tax law passed in 1986 made it very difficult to avoid double taxation of income associated with C corporations. Today, C corporations are relatively rare. Many former C corporations have attempted to become S corporations  — a complicated move — depending on the assets the company holds.

Things are simpler, George said, for businesses structured as partnerships or limited liability companies (LLC). While the legal and tax details for these two models differ from state-to-state, the basic idea is the same: General partnerships extend liability onto the personal assets of the owners; LLCs give owners limited liability (usually only connected with business assets).

LLCs are common, especially among small- to mid-sized businesses, because they are easier to create than corporations. LLCs also dissolve without incurring taxes. George said that for sole proprietors and general partners, becoming an LLC is fairly easy from a tax standpoint. The assets of the sole proprietorship or the partnership are simply transferred into the limited liability company. After you complete the proper form, the tax structure is similar to a business filling out a separate tax form. The only difference is the actual taxes are imposed upon the owners.

While some companies are forced to incorporate — if, for example, they are going public — business owners should think long and hard before doing so. There can be significant tax implications, especially for organizations that have been in business for many years. Limit your liability to minimize your tax burden and avoid some red tape, as well.

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Manufacturers Forum to Make ISE Debut — Gary Kayye to Moderate

Running from 4pm to 5:30pm on Tuesday 29 January at the ISE Presentation Theatre, the ISE Manufacturers Forum will see some of our industry's most prominent figures sharing a table to discuss the future of the systems integration business.

Panelists for the event will include:

-Andrew Edwards, President of Extron

-Allan Bjørnstad, CTO EMEA of Tandberg

-Randy Klein, Senior VP of Crestron

-Speakercraft President Jeremy Burkhardt

-A.C. Ter Meulen, President of Mitsubishi Europe

-Dirk Hendrickx, General Manager of Barco Presentation

Says Gary: "The Manufacturers Forum is always a highlight at InfoComm. It gives our high-profile panel the chance to demonstrate their vision of the future of AV, and attendees a unique opportunity to fire questions – awkward or otherwise!

There's always a wide range of opinion and there are always a few surprises in store. I'm really excited about bringing the Forum to ISE for the first time, and to anyone who has not attended one of the InfoComm sessions in the past, I can promise them an hour of healthy debate that they will find as valuable as it is entertaining."

If you're heading to the ISE Show, please add this exciting event to your show calendar!

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Alliance Studying Use of TV Broadcast White Spaces

Specifically, the Wireless Innovation Alliance believes that wireless broadband is the most promising way to "extend affordable, ubiquitous, high-speed Internet connections to all Americans, create mesh networks for emergency first responders, enable new capabilities that bring safety, convenience, and comfort to consumers in their homes, and empower the creators of tomorrow's innovations."

The alliance has some weighty participants. In some of the most recent efforts, Google and Philips conducted testing of those white spaces and devices that use them — tests that were submitted to the FCC and at least one other government agency. The FCC is reportedly testing the alliance's devices to check how much interference they cause among existing licensed airwaves. Other alliance participants include HP, Microsoft, Dell and others. In all, there are currently 15 participating organizations, representing the technology industry, consumer and public interest groups, and educational and technical organizations

For more information, go to http://www.wirelessinnovationalliance.org/

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Report: Caxton Sells InFocus Holdings

A report in the Portland Business Journal states that Caxton Associates, which had been the largest owner of InFocus's stock, sold its holdings — 4.4 million shares. The report says the buyer is Credit Suisse First Boston.

If you have followed InFocus, you know that Caxton held almost 11 percent of InFocus stock and had four seats on the seven-seat InFocus board of directors.

According to the report, the share were sold at $1.51.

For the Portland Business Journal article, go to http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/12/03/daily41.html?ana=from_rss

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3D Home Consortium Filling Up Fast 

The 3D Home Pre-Consortium Meeting scheduled for February 5, 2008 at the Sheraton Universal City in California, has limited seating and apparently is filling up quickly.

The 3D Home Consortium is an industry-led organization dedicated to bringing stereoscopic 3D products, content and services into consumer's homes. The group's purposes are to champion 3D tech for consumer applications in the theater and the home, to educate the industry on best in class 3D technologies, promote 3D at events, interface with standards bodies, and enhance communication about and speed commercialization and adoption of 3D hardware, software and content.

At the February meeting, execs from Sony Dreamworks, Mitsubishi, Sony, DDD, Sensio and Philips will give presentations.

The meeting will be hosted and organized by Insight Media and the US Display Consortium and will be used to describe the structure and mission of the proposed consortium, to hear from key supporters, and to solicit input for other players in the industry.

Date:            Tuesday, Feb 5th, 2008  ~ 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location:     Sheraton Universal City, Universal City, CA

For more information and to RSVP, contact US Display Consortium, Heidi Hoffman, [email protected] — (408) 993-8111.

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Integrated Systems Russia Hosts More Than 7,000 Attendees

On the eve of the show, a one-day conference entitled 'Professional AudioVisual Solutions in Commercial and Residential Applications' drew more than 200 delegates to Moscow's President Hotel. Topics covered by speakers included market size and growth trends, a focus on specific applications such as healthcare and digital signage, and an insight into local projects such as 'Electronic Moscow', which is rolling out videoconferencing to all key administrative buildings in the city.

Next year, IS Russia moves to the Crocus Convention Centre, a modern facility which also offers room for expansion.

ISE is jointly sponsored by the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) and InfoComm International.

For more information, go to http://www.iseurope.org/2008/home.php?navi=x1&news_ID=143&press=1

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D-Tools Shipping SI 5.1

The upgrade adds EZ Match Data Import, which lets you import data from a price book or a bill of materials and merge with your existing data. EZ Match automation will match products from your import file and your product database based on manufacturer and model values.

The new version also includes compatibility with QuickBooks 2008 and AutoCAD 2008, lets you add products and packages to multiple locations at once and also gives you a Database Estimated Price Preview so you can preview the price of equipment as if it were in a project. You even get a spell check!

For more features and for more details, go to http://www.d-tools.com/site/downloads/press_releases/SI_5%201_PR_TB.pdf

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Da-Lite Adds Large Panel Universal Wall Mount, Articulating Wall Mount

The universal mount comes in tilting and static versions, (the Advance PWM-0262 and PWS-0262). They are designed with a rail mounting system for easy installation, with mounting holes 1 1⁄2" to 62" apart horizontally and up to 20 1⁄2" apart vertically.  The narrow profile gives you just 2 1⁄2" space between the back of the panel and the wall. Both models will hold up to 200 lbs. and the PWM-0262 features 20-degree tilt.  The mounts are finished with a black or gray powder coated finish.

The new articulating arms flat-panel mount is the Advance PWM-AR1, which lets you extend a panel up to 29" away from the wall.  The PWM-AR1 is also designed with a rail mounting system with mounting holes 1 1⁄2" to 62" apart horizontally and up to 20 1⁄2" apart vertically.  The mount holds up to 130 lbs. and has 20-degree tilt. It has the same black or gray powder coated finish as the new universal mount.

For more information, go to http://www.dalite.com/

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New In-Wall Swing Arm Mounts From Chief

The new in-wall solution ships as fully integrated, pre-assembled in-wall mounts, which fit flush and low-profile, inside the wall. Chief says the company also made installation easier with features like built-in lateral shift and height adjustment. You get an integrated cable management and a trim kit, which give you a low-profile finish of less than 2" (51 mm). These mounts offer 40 degrees of left/right swivel, up to 15 inches (381 mm) of extension (on the PIWRF series), fingertip tilt and smooth movement.

Chief also upgraded the company's website with the MountFinder Pro utility, a comprehensive online cross-reference database that lets you search by manufacturer or Chief model number. The cross-reference is updated in real time, and if users aren't able to find their screen or projector in the MountFinder, they can submit the model number online so it will be populated into the cross-reference.

For more information, go to http://www.chiefmfg.com/

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DisplayMate Now on USB

We've tested this and we loved it!  It's the best DisplayMate ever made and now that you don't have to load any drivers to use it, it's totally portable.  This is absolutely a must for any AV Tech's tool box!

It comes on a tiny USB Drive and no installation is needed. Nothing is copied or written to any drive on the host PC, so it's quick and easy to use and won't leave anything behind on the computers that you run it on. So it's great for end users with more than one PC, techs running on customer PCs in addition to their own laptops, as well as IS departmental support on large numbers of PCs.

DisplayMate automatically generates native mode test patterns for any display aspect ratio and resolution from 128×128 up to 4096×4096, including the 1366×768 resolution, which is the most popular current resolution for HDTVs. DisplayMate on USB is available now for DisplayMate for Windows, DisplayMate for Windows Video Edition, and DisplayMate Multimedia Edition. They all run under Windows Vista, XP, Me, and Windows 2000.

For more information, go to http://www.displaymate.com/on_usb.html

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Extron Offers Amazing Prices for ProAV Insiders

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New Pro 40- and 46-Inch Direct-View Panels From Planar

For example, the LCD panels have built-in power management and automation, an intelligent light sensor that automatically adjusts the backlight, an optional protective front faceplate, and the ability to withstand intense ambient conditions.

The m40L has a narrow 0.6" bezel, is wall-mountable and has built-in tiling capabilities. It is designed for high brightness with 700 nit and can be used as a stand-alone display or in tiled videowalls. 

The 46-inch format is specified at native HD 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080) and has multi-source compatibility.

The other model in this m series is the 57-inch m57L.

MSRP for the m40L starts at $3,750, and MSRP for the m46L starts $6,050.

For more information, go to http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=111133&p=irol-newsArticle&t=Regular&id=1083216&

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New HaiVision HD Encoder/Decoder Achieves 70ms End-to-End Latency

Systems that contain excessive delay, such as traditional conferencing systems and satellite-based systems such as used in remote news broadcasts, are often used for short period of time because of the bad quality. HaiVision says that, while some latency is introduced in any video encoding process, the key is to strive to limit the latency. The company says that with MAKO-HD equipped hai1000 systems, "zero latency" high definition communications is actually possible. And, says HaiVision, the MAKO-HD provides 100 percent fluid results, supporting full frame rate, high definition video that can handle scene motion.

For more information, go to http://www.haivision.com/products/mako-hd/

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Minicom Delivering AV up to 2,000 Feet Over CATx

Especially designed for digital signage systems, the DS Vision 3000 has full serial management capability for remote management, including query and turn off/on, and it also now provides central management control of the player to the screen signal transfer.

CATx media distribution is something we've believed in for years, and it's nice to see some of these companies achieving the longer distances now.

In another announcement, Minicom says the company and NEC Display Solutions expanded their partnership so that Minicom receivers will now be incorporated into seven models of NEC Mutleos display screens for public signage applications.

For more information, go to http://www.minicom.com/av_ds3000.htm

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InfoComm Announces 2008 Board of Governors

Mike White, CTS, Multi-Media Solutions, Inc. was re-elected to a Governor-at-Large position, and Paul Peck of Avidex, was elected to a Governor-at-Large term beginning in 2008.

Several council chairs were elected including SAVVI Chair Barry Goldin, CTS, of Audio Video Systems, Inc., Independent Programmers Chair Steve Greenblatt, CTS, of Control Concepts, Manufacturers Council Chair Kirk Horlbeck of Liberty Wire and Cable and European Council Chair Greg Jeffreys of Paradigm Audio Visual, Ltd.  In addition, Tim Cape, CTS-D, of Technitect, Chair of the Independent Consultants in AV Technologies (ICAT) Council and Todd Dunn, CTS, of Denmar Services, Chair of the Presentations Council, were re-elected to their positions.  Matt Emerson, CTS, of CEAVCO Audio Visual was appointed by the InfoComm Board to Chair the Rental and Staging Council to complete the term of Tom Stimson.

Appointed to the Board as heads of the Association's committees are Rosanne Lang of Crestron, who will serve as Chair of the Exhibitors Committee; Jim Ford, PE, of Ford Audio-Video, who will serve as Chair of the Membership Committee; and L. William Nattress III, CTS-D, CTS-I, of Shen Milsom & Wilke, who has been reappointed as Chair of the Professional Education and Training Committee (PETC). 

It looks like another good board for InfoComm!

InfoComm also announced that the second edition of the Business Trends Report. AV and Content Management, is available. This report focuses on business opportunities for InfoComm members, especially on the relationships between the IT world of networks and products, the unique end user needs, and the AV world that brings it all together.

For more information, go to http://www.infocomm.org

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