(in)Articulate Automation

My lips are moving and the sound's coming out

The words are audible but I have my doubts

-Missing Persons, ‘Words’

Uncanny Valley

Voice activation has become nearly ubiquitous in recent years, with a growing number of households including devices focused on this interaction. It is a remarkable market growth for units that do not work as well as intended.

Not so long ago, there was once a time when talking to a machine was considered an oddity – usually interacted with by folks with a limited grasp of reality.

The leap from rarity to ubiquity came on suddenly, stunning even the most evangelical advocates. Today, the proliferation of 'smart speakers' (a double meaning if one was ever to be had) brought even six-pack Joe into the heady world of voice control.

Just how did we get here? Voice interaction with our computers has been a dream for the wunderkind of MIT and a core character in much of technical science fiction. The computers of the then futurists had personalities built to fit the 'human' interaction - from HAL, 2001's semi-psychotic ulterior motive personality disorder to the overtly chirpy interface central to the Infinite Improbability-driven Heart of Gold.

The current generation of voice-driven smart devices is a leap from the first real-world voice-capable computers. Audrey (Bell Labs, 1952), developed to minimize voice bandwidth before automated switching, could understand spoken numbers only for specific operator voices. Shoebox (IBM, 1962) could understand the numbers 0 through 9 and up to 16 spoken English words. Unlike Audrey, the system did not rely on specific voices; it identified three parts of the word via an analog filter circuitry.

Canned Reality

The reality of voice interaction is far stranger than our expectations. True, there is still the over-reaching effort to have these machines respond to us in a way that approaches the uncanny valley. We want our machines to be 'part of the family,' a natural call and response between intimates. This feeling of closeness belies a subtle manipulation of our day-to-day interactions by the process itself.

Anyone who has interacted with Alexa, Google Home, Homepod, or the mobile phone speech-to-text tool knows how little these devices understand natural cadence speech. For the most part, a person cannot simply utter a complex command/request without at least a few rounds of hearing 'sorry, I don't understand' or having the device play Darling Nikki when asked to 'set to do not disturb.'

As a native New Yorker, having my Alexa units' inability to keep up with my fast-paced speech is damn frustrating, resulting in me repeating a request repeatedly. The same is true for non-native speakers of English. Ask the numerous European friends who have had extended stays in my home. These folks often speak English better than many of my native-born associates. Still, the frustrations they encountered in just attempting to have Alexa set a timer while cooking were off-putting. Ultimately, we could reliably interact with the devices; it only took a complete change in how we spoke.

Me Talk Pretty?

The technology may affect our speech patterns, constructing a more banal and common form of pronunciation. Until the technology can catch up, we are forced to perform a bit of code-switching, speaking in our regular cadence and pronunciation to each other while addressing the technology with something else. Commands to these devices require a slower, more sharply articulated speech- demanding accentuated Ps, Ds, and Bs. The process can feel like being forced to speak a staccato version of 'The Queen's English' (or the now-defunct Mid-Atlantic speech).

This is not the first time technology has influenced the way humans talk. Each new leap in voice communication has forced an alternate voice from its users to ensure efficient intelligibility.

Modern music has a very intimate characteristic that did not and could not exist before the first decade of the 1900s. Singers and performers of the day needed to 'reach the back of the room' by sheer skill. They also needed to have the vocals cut through the instruments and often the sound of dancing feet. Opera singers could do this with sheer power, albeit with more quietly considerate audiences.

Pre-War Dance Hall singers (not to be mistaken for the Jamaican blending of reggae, hip-hop, and R&B) needed a specific range and technique not to be washed out and heard clearly across the room. The falsetto (or, more rightly, a Countertenor ) voice and a passive megaphone provided just the right sound to make the vocals an explicit part of the song. You can hear a bit of this style in early World War I and II movies showing soldiers dancing while on R&R.

That Voice 

Some remnants of the style can also be heard as Swing Big Bands added early vocalists- soon replaced by mellow, more intimate whiskey voices of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Helen Forrest, and Billie Holiday. This new sultry style was made possible only by the addition of microphone amplification. All of these singers were capable of belting it to the back room, but the expressiveness and seduction required a more subtle delivery while still being front and center of the composition. The cultural switch did not go easily for some, as these crooners were seen as too mushy and antithetical to the music by many. Of course, the young kids loved how it gave them a new sensuality and how it had them dancing close - it's no wonder why it was the sound of a generation at war.

Newscasters / Newsreaders are still influenced by the significantly affected vocal delivery of early presenters on the radio. If you have ever listened to early newsreels (like they played in movie theaters after the talkies took over) or recordings of presenters like Walter Winchell, you hear that voice. It is a voice that relies on a sharp but deliberate delivery, a higher, almost nasal register, and a pronunciation of words that sound like a mix of public school British and proper Boston. This is partly due to the era's social ideas on what an authoritative voice should sound like and the limited capability of the early condenser microphones used for radio broadcasting.

The 'voice' itself carried on far past its technical reasons - so an announcer could be understood through the noise of typical radio transmission, especially at the receiver end. The sound became a hallmark of a radio/TV news person, with many taking the style on to show that they were professional broadcasters. You can hear it in how Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite spoke and delivered the news; the affectation is smoother, but the deliberate punchiness remains. The infamous Roger Grimsby of NYC's WABC in the '70s and '80s is a direct descendant and one of the last I can recall that overtly presented in style. It is worth noting that many of the top-flight national news hosts also employ a modern take on the style, but in keeping with the contemporary casual feel, it is an understated method.

Subtle Singularity

Is the technology we have become so enamored with changing how we speak? Several evolutionary biologists have shown evidence that our dependence on digital communication is changing how we think, store, and retain memories. Some discussion and newer studies are looking at whether young users of voice-controlled smart devices are doing a version of code-switching or defaulting to the more pronounced pronunciation used to tell Alexa what they want. The research is looking, in particular, at how the kids talk to each other in the noisy, messy playtime or when frustrated in getting the point across.

Is this the step that brings the devotees of John von Neumann's Singularity to mass acceptance?

Who's Zoomin Who?

Over the last few days, there has been a great deal of noise about the video conferencing tool Zoom and some serious concerns. While an equal measure of blame is to be had, it is particularly irksome that many ‘end-users’ declare willful ignorance.

Well, that escalated quickly

The platform experienced a dramatic increase in usage when it offered free unlimited usage. COVID-19’s spread prompted stay-at-home orders to sweep across the country, closing non-essential businesses and schools.

Education, in particular, jumped onto the Zoom wave as the platform is easy to obtain and runs on multiple Operating Systems, including apps for smart devices on iOS and Android. Most importantly, an individual can have a session up and running in mere moments.

The ease of use is where a good number of concerns start. The news has been aflutter with breathless reports of individuals ‘zoomjacking’ the meetings to insert inappropriate and sometimes downright dangerous content. There is especially high anxiety about the potential for this to happen with school-age children getting live instructions.

Paging Captain Obvious

These incidences are disturbing, and there is no amount of spin that could justify these noxious interruptions. Humans are an especially rancid species where each member must often operate under the assumption that another is out to do them harm -(just ask any woman what they fear about just walking down the street, day or night). It is a curiosity to me that many ignore this fundamental concept when using online social spaces, communication apps, or conferencing tools.

There has been a long-standing golden rule of the internet (no, not rule 34), which, when ignored, is the root of horror stories. The rule: Presume that any information you put online anywhere will become public is one that every person above the age of eight should have drilled into them as the ultimate commandment. Or, to be more pop culture relevant, if you upload it - ‘they’ will attempt to find it.

This is on you, mostly

The recent news of the FBI suggesting that educational institutions, businesses, and local governments avoid Zoom for security concerns is one that is spot on and misses the point altogether. Many officials have rushed out hyperventilating statements declaring a ban on the use of Zoom. Regrettably, they fail to declare that most of the problems are their own fault.

What’s Wrong with the Panic:

A good number of pundits have been quick to lather up some good hysterics insinuating that the platform pretty much invites interlopers to wreak havoc on unsuspecting users.

Zoom does or rather did, download, with most security modes defaulted to an ‘off’ position. This made the process of getting up and running a bit simpler and provided a first-time user with a successful feedback loop. If one can get onboarded and running once, they are more likely to do it again and explore more features.

The platform,(as do most app-based conferencing tools), has a host of security-based features that can help mitigate easy access to malcontents looking to be jerks. In particular, there are tools that every single user should be looking for before setting up a real meeting.

To not make these options your first priority as a facilitator is a grievous mistake that cannot be defended with a plea of ignorance (‘I am not technical’). Frankly, if you are on the Internet (willingly or as required by work), knowing the fundamentals of protecting your information is not optional. In general, you should be looking to set the following:

Set Sharing to Only Host - This may not work for all meetings, but as an initial setting, it can help prevent malicious material from being shown. You can change this once all the participants are confirmed -(for example, a school class with presentations).

Make the Meeting Private - Do NOT publish the link on open social channels. Send links only to specific individuals. If you must use social - send via Direct Messages methods.

Require a Password to enter- This can be mildly annoying to participants, but the added layer prevents undue access.

Enable a ‘Waiting Room’ or ‘Lobby’- Participants must wait for approval before entering the meeting. It is easier to remove, refuse, and block someone before they get to an audience.

Mute Participants on Entry- Setting the first entry to a session as muted can help prevent the quick outbursts. This also gives you an additional layer to identify an interloper.

Lock Meetings - This is a heavy-handed option. The feature allows you to prevent any new participants, effectively making the meeting a silo.

Do not allow participants to join prior to host- Using the schedule feature allows you to set when folks can join the meeting. When it opens only after the host arrives, the management of participants is more effective.

What’s Right about the Panic:

There are a number of issues inherent to Zoom (and other conferencing tools) that should be considered.

Zoom Link structure - The links include six to eight digits meeting numbers. The structure is small and consistent enough that a simple brute-force attempt at guessing them has happened. Again, do not rely on just the link - secure it with the tools mentioned above.

Encryption claims - Zoom's technical details often stated that the meetings were encrypted ‘end-to-end’. The truth is that the content is only encrypted ‘in transport,’ which means that it is unencrypted at a mid-point and then encrypted again to the recipient.

That mid-point is where a third, unintended party could gain access to the information. This does not mean someone can enter the meeting from this point, but they could see what you are presenting. Expect an end-to-end standard very soon for Zoom.

True security- Most State and Federal level government agencies and the military forbid the use of Soft Codec applications such as Zoom, Skype, Slack, etc, because of security concerns. If the information is of a truly sensitive nature, then the only real solution is software with a dedicated independent hardware package. These have long-established track records and a hefty price tag.

Privacy: Yes, the platform has been known to send data to Facebook (regardless of whether or not you have an account). This is troubling, but the product is not an outlier - find me a modern app that does not do this. Data manipulation is rampant with online applications; this is an industry and global issue.

Hacks: Zoom has made standard a number of commonly used workarounds, i.e. hacks, to make the implementation smoother. There is a chance this could be used as an exploit for unintended parties to gain access to the device's laptop camera/mic. Again, good management of your devices and general safety practices is in order.

Man in the Mirror

Zoom and the other platform-based conference systems are not perfect. Honestly, as a person who lives in both the Audio Visual installation and Information Technology world, they all should have done better.

Yet, why do we act shocked when someone gains access to our private messages, interrupts a meeting they are not part of, or hacks a social media account. We know these things happen, and most often, the blame rests on our own refusal to take precautions. If we clicked on the link promising illicit pleasure and monetary reward, whose fault is it that a hacker gained access?

If you do not secure your Wi-Fi router, whose fault is it when a neighbor steals the bandwidth?

The simple fact is that too many want to compromise your private spaces, some for fun, others for profit. This is not a ‘Boys will be Boys’ apologist statement, rather it is a recognition that we must own the responsibility of protecting our sessions. There is no room for the willfully ignorant if you want to enjoy the benefits of modern technology - you must be proactive in making it secure.

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TechDecisions Guide to 28 Pico Projectors

These small-sized projectors now pack a punch, but still require you to choose their environment carefully.

Originally published in Corporate Tech Decisions Magazine October 28,2013

Quality projectors have been reducing in size steadily for the last decade. Once monsters at any resolution we have fully entered an age where it is common to see salesmen carry attaché-case-sized road warrior units on planes and even live events routinely using compact units. A recent Corporate TechDecisions article  on short throw projection demonstrated the ability to get significant resolutions and brightness with a very limited distance to screen from a small footprint. We now anticipate the consumer electronics world to make demonstrable reductions in size and thickness of products with improvements in screen resolution or added features. Would you be nearly as excited about a tablet upgrade that remains the same size and thickness? Most reviewers bemoan when this happens.

Pico Projectors 101

If you have any doubts that these miniscule light boxes are garnering interest of at least the industry one only has to take a look at the wide variety of units both tiny and not so small being described as “Pico.” Just as with a multitude of product manufactures who have and are ascribing the term HD or High Definition to products that have little relation to the term, (HD sunglasses? please!), so it appears the term Pico has begun to suffer the same fate. So what actually defines a Pico projector?

“I have a big beef with the terminology of the term pico projector, people really misuse the terminology. I have seen units as large as 12 x12 inches and you’re talking a few pounds being called a pico. If I had to define it, it is a battery-powered unit that fits in the palm of your hand, like a cell phone,” says Paul Marganski of the website PicoPros.com in a recent podcast.

In summation, size matters. As Marganskistates, these projectors are quite remarkable devices but how do they compare with even the small short throw projectors? What can they do? Can I go out and replace my current 2 to 5 pounders with these lightweight units now?

Pico projectors are being used for placing “surprise” marketing by being small and reliable enough to be placed in tight quarters or in odd spaces, for intimate digital signage in schools, venues and as a component of interactive displays such as the through window touch response systems. Currently much of the growth in interest is as a replacement for second screen viewing to accommodate viewing by select groupings such as in an office meeting or impromptu viewing on a train or in a cafe. With the ability to be powered by an AC Adapter or, in some cases, battery power, Pico projectors have the potential to not just become a sector unto themselves but with the push to integrate into mobile smart devices may just pose a threat to displacing others.

“We’ve used these before for some matrixed video across walls in small spaces. Client loved it, but what a chore planning with them and keeping them all working… Still, it looked good and created a great effect,”says Steven Halling, president and CMO at AVFX, who has worked with these units for client events and states:

 Size May Matter But It’s All About the Lumen

Lightweight and portable are fine but what kind of punch can these units pack? The simple answer is fair to middling. A middle of the road standalone unit is capable of outputting 85-150 lumens. This is not a stunning number when compared to some of the larger short-throw units or the high-end systems, which typically can push out triple or even quadruple these numbers. If you are willing to lay down just a little bit more cash, say about $300 US, a few units can reach 300-350 lumens; at just about $1 per lumen this is not a bad return on investment.

Brightness is key but it must be combined with a quality resolution and image size if these units are to be used as anything more than second screen — that is tablet, phablet, smartphone — accessories allowing more than a whopping four people to share in a presentation.Typical native resolutions for these projectors max out at 720p and many of the existing units unfortunately do not support 16x9, but many manufacturers are making noise about 1080p units with 16x9 within in sight of next year. As mentioned above even at a full HD if the image size can only generate a screen size equal to an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper, many of us will be left wanting; interestingly, a few newer units state that an image of 80 inches is possible.

Of course this does have a caveat, and a serious one at that.The larger the image one attempts to produce the light engine of the projector has more area to cover with a set brightness level as well as fighting with ambient light and surface reaction. This means that as the image size gets larger the fixed lumen level has to cover more area and results in a darker image and an apparent drop in resolution. The goddess of A/V projection giveth with one hand and taketh away with the other. For example, what is the takeaway on brightness and resolution? These units may not be quite ready to be announced as same image from 1/4 the footprint, but can be used in many applications given some accommodations to the product limitations. For those folks whose interest is piqued but are not quite sure if the time to strike is at hand, look for the release of laser and LCOS-based units later this year and early next year, LCOS, or liquid crystal on silicon. It is a transmissive projection technology that uses liquid crystals to modulate the signals.

Not Quite Under My Thumb

One of the most underrated and under hyped features on many projectors is the ability to control the units remotely. More often than not control comes in the form of IR or Serial communications, (Yes, serial is still a high-demand interface. This is especially true in the education market and retrofit jobs) and a small but growing demand for TCP/IP and by extension Wi-Fi. The main reason we need control is because the existing models are often mounted from the ceiling to get them out of the way and reduce fan noise interfering with the meeting discussion. 

 Pico projectors are by their very nature small and innocuous and more often than not part of another electronics package, (such as a mobile device).  Many units do not come with a control connection as a direct result of limited available space on the unit for the connections and boards. There is hope with a few manufactures adding at least IR control, which can be easily added to nearly all quality control systems, and the very nature of smart mobile devices having built in IP/Wi-Fi connectivity and the simple process of creating an app to connect. 

Another consequence of the limited chassis space on such small units is that nearly all units in production do not provide a source video connection on the projector itself.  Excluding the one Dell unit, inputs are accommodated via a dongle connection with the physical connection being a micro something on the unit. This solution is fine for the average consumer but for A/V pros the threat of a dongle getting misplaced or the ease with which such cables can worry and break is a source of consternation. Fortunately there are a number of companies, like ConnectTRX, who are providing wireless connection for both control and video streaming from source to projector.

Where Are You?

Pico Projectors are an emerging market niche and finding information on these can be a bit challenging. Questions such as who reports on these and who manufactures Pico units?  A good starting place is to look at sites such as PicoPros, a site run by two pico fanatics and is chock full of great news, information and reviews. Projector Central has been steadily adding reviews and comparison reports to its well-resourced site. Expect more to pop up as the sector gains a foothold and begins real growth. 

Gotta Wear Shades

The future of Pico Projectors looks bright. They are poised to make terrific inroads to the consumer and Pro A/V markets. Proof of dramatic growth is provided by Linda Norton of PMA Research, who based their projections on their January 2013 report, states

“We are very optimistic. In looking at standalone Pico and Personal projectors the market has grown exponentially. In 2008, less than 100,000 units sold. In 2012 it reached 850,000 and we are forecasting more than a million for 2013. That’s not including units embedded in phones and cameras,” Northon says.

Certainly we are on the cusp of some sort of breakthrough combine this with the new features coming and one has to ask, are you planning on experimenting with these anytime soon?

 

ISES Vancouver Podcast - I was a guest panelist

The fine folks at ISES (International Special Events Society) were kind enough to have me on their recent show on "How to talk to your TD / Tech Supplier ". 

Kudos to the Vancouver chapter of ISES for putting on this monthly show for the Event Stating community.  

 

 

Do You Understand Networking as Well as a 15-Year-Old?

Don't worry; these are tips to learn about the technology and become the go-to for your staff.

Originally published in Commercial Integrator Magazine - October 24, 2013

Networking is everywhere. Ethernet is the conduit by which all media and information is pushed through or will be imminently.

For some of us, gaining a working knowledge of a nearly ubiquitous technology is harder than it seems at first pale. Where can you start to become comfortable with the nomenclature and core technologies?

You could ask the neighbor’s 15-year-old, but unless he or she is practiced in the art of teaching concepts from beginning to end, it is likely this will confuse you more than enlighten you. What you need is a source that explains it all without feeling like being taught how divine the future is by reading rune stones.

Fortunately, the same technology we are looking to study provides access to a variety of sources that are only a few web clicks away.

The InfoComm Connection

Looking for a way to learn a new technology or concept and certification at the same time?InfoComm International’s online CTS courses may be just the ticket. While membership is not always required, the cost is less if you join. If you are going to be taking the courses, it makes sense to make it official and rack up those points. The Networking for AV course is written with input by some leading AV manufacturers and professionals, using examples directly relevant to AV installs and technology. 

If you feel online documents and courses provide a quick read but find the classroom experience gives you the best focus, InfoComm also holds classes in their Fairfax, Va. offices and, of course, at all of its global tradeshows. The teachers at these events are seasoned AV pros who can explain the concepts in ways that a single paragraph of text may not.

Books

There are a plethora of books on the technical aspects of Ethernet. The trick is to find the right one. The temptation could be to buy the most complete tome on the shelf (or listed on the Amazon page).  Many IT certification prep books are certainly comprehensive, with over 1,100 pages of information, but for the newbie, it would be best to start with a more basic version. 

If not the encyclopedia of networking, what then? Many educators suggest people digging into a complicated topic for the first time start with books directed at younger readers. These publications break the concepts down into straightforward blocks of information. The simpler one starts, the more likely he or she will be to comprehend and retain the information.

The “For Dummies” and “Idiots Guide to…”  books are well known and come with praise from many professional corners. Another option is the fantastic First-Step Series of books published by Cisco (yes, that Cisco). The titles are perfect for absolute beginners, or as the website states, “The First-Step Series assumes that readers have no previous experience with the networking technology discussed.” 

Video Tutorials

A simple YouTube search will bring back a number of videos that explain aspects of setting up a network or concepts of Ethernet. These can be helpful, but qualifying the veracity of the information can be similar to trusting Wikipedia entries; most likely true, but how do you know? 

Verification comes at a cost, albeit a small cost, with a great site dedicated to all things IT knowledge, ITProTV. The site is chock full of video courses that play out more like a TWiT.TV show than a class with the added benefit of getting you on the path to an IT certification. You can test drive a few shows before having to pony up; well worth the trip to their site.

Books and videos are great entryways to understanding the technology, but being purely erudite will not help solve problems in the field. 

What you need is to get some dirt under your fingernails and some nicks on your knuckles. The only way to do this is to set up your own system for testing rather than making the client's system the equivalent of an electronic lab rat.

Many mid-level Ethernet hardware products include a glossary explaining each setting right on the setup HTML pages. While this is not a step-by-step tutorial, combined with the other resources, you can improve your knowledge and create your own private internet. To build, purchase a wireless router, connect two or more devices, make modifications, and get experience setting up and solving issues without incurring the wrath of your better half on the home connections. 

Now you know where to start: hit the books, watch the videos, and crack open a router. Become the person that 15-year-old neighbor (and your staff) go to for answers.

 

Game Over - A response from the Dounut hole

In response to GAME OVER - http://www.kaneconsulting.biz/blog/2013/game-over/

 What a brutally honest assessment of not just your current state, Jennifer, but of the ‘social engagement’ community as a whole.

I am not so sure that the Cluetrain Manifesto is still way ahead of its time, rather I feel that in all the euphoric building of machines of engagement we’ve let some old habits sneak back in.

In reality, for many, the fresh uniqueness of directly reaching out to clients has faded  pressure to fall back on established paths by those who do not understand is great. Its just a tool, they can be heard to say.  

This goes against  Cluetrain #17

Companies that assume online markets are the same markets that used to watch their ads on television are kidding themselves.

The pressure is to get immediate gratification - ROI that can be directly tied to real cash on the table. So we gamify, and ‘need to go viral’, all so the CEO and head of marketing can, in the words of Governor William J. Le Petomane of Blazing Saddles fame -  “Gentlemen, we need to save our phony Baloney jobs!”  

Alright, so their jobs are not such phony baloney, but the pretext for stone-cold metrics is.

What they have lost sight of is Cluetrain  # 33, 34 and 35

Learning to speak with a human voice is not a parlor trick. It can't be "picked up" at some tony conference.

To speak with a human voice, companies must share the concerns of their communities.

But first, they must belong to a community.

We are more often asked to pretend this is what we are doing while still hiding the corporate separation.  A not third wall that is a third wall.  

I am no longer directly involved in social for a company as the vision for what it must do changed after we had built and established it for the company.  The outreach, as we called it, stemmed from my seeing direct communities talking, cajoling, scolding, and crying out to us but getting no answer.   

The reaction was immediate and visceral.  After some resistance upper management let us build bigger but then came the demand of making it more dynamic, it must be gamified, it must a profit center and now.....

What it became reminds me of a line in the kid's book ‘The Donut Chef’ - Two Chefs Fight it out to Reign Supreme in selling doughnuts with culinary extremes :

It wasn’t long before the sweets were not at all like donut treats 
They'd lost their soul.
They'd even lost their donut hole!"

In the end the Chef finds that what most folks love the best is the delight of a simple glazed.
Perhaps it is just me, but I fear this is the cause of our malaise.

What is your take? Industry or Individual at the root. 

Are Consumer A/V Ecosystems Your Friend or Foe?

 

By embracing Apple, Google TV and the like, have integrators sown the seeds of our own replacements?

 

Article Originally posted in Commerical Integrator Magazine - September 30, 2013

A/V integrators have long worked to become a single-source contractor to clients by providing not just audio and visual controls but increased integration with lighting fixtures and environmental systems such as HVAC and shades.

Manufacturers have pounced on this and captured market share by providing complete lines of connected products to provide one-stop shopping.

There are business and technology reasons for this rise in complete and competing (and near closed) ecosystems, but there is a possible hidden danger: The commercial integrator industry may have sown the seeds for our own replacements. 

It wasn’t long ago that the idea of communicating via video and accessing our audio and video libraries on our phones seemed like futuristic fantasy. Times have changed.

Over the last five years the baseline expectations for the features and functions that our devices offer as the basic operation has grown exponentially. We presume that these devices will do more for less in smaller packages and can get upgraded features with a simple wireless connection.

In fact, the trend appears to be toward replacing higher end A/V gear with a single mobile device often interfaced to a monitor when a bigger experience is desired.

Consumer manufacturers are building product lines which are not only designed to connect signals together but also to work as a single system. These ecosystem lines incorporate the ability to sense (or be told) which units are in line and handle all functions of the connected units, from power to content selection, transport and in some cases control of external systems such as lights and thermostats.

Are these systems a friend—building off a client’s comfort level to allow for up-selling the benefits of a more dedicated system?

Or are they a foe—usurping all but the highest end installs? 

Consider a product such as Enblink. This USB stick connects to a Google TV box or integrated monitor and provides control of lighting, door locks, thermostats and security. Such ease of installation and setup seems like a natural choice for IT departments who are increasingly managing a greater share of commercial integration projects

Stewart Barnett of Portland, Ore.-based Interior Audio Inc., & IA-CG, which specializes in commercial, residential and marine markets, has his doubts based on product consistency and support but does see a possible concern in the growing “convergence” involvement.  “I think in the next three years larger IT centric firms are going to buy A/V integrators.” 

With a streamlined approach and click-and-go installation, the doorway to consumer-based products may be a threat. These consumer Ethernet-based products, however, have a long way to go, says Barnett. “In my opinion they are all beta.”

Not in Our Backyard?

Until recently, the commercial integration market felt fairly detached from the encroachment of consumer electronics devices into “integrated” systems, especially compared to how dramatically it affected residential integration.

Commercial jobs are a different animal, it was argued. The systems and devices require a certain grade of design, durability and isolation.

This was before tablets became so ubiquitous and end users started demanding the right of bring your own device (BYOD). Apple’s ecosystem of products has begun to edge its way into more commercial installations. One of the first demands from many clients is that the systems to be controlled have an app to connect multiple itinerant consumer interfaces. 

Are our end clients beginning to see the line between dedicated devices and off the shelf systems as blurred?  There is certainly evidence of this as dedicated touch screen sales have reportedly dropped significantly over the last few years as tablets become the preferred interface based on end user familiarity and cost. 

Is this the tipping point?

Many integrators express doubt that these boxes will take over. Jacksonville, Fla.-basedFultech Solutions started out as an automation company 18 years ago and has been had astrategic focus on commercial projects since 2009.

When using more consumer grade systems, says CEO Dan Fulmer, “the problem with just about any other system out there is that there is a limit. I have had the experience several times in my career; I have had to tell people point blank there is an absolute cap on what we can do [with the system. Beyond that point we have to rip the system out and start over. Wouldn’t it have been better to spend a little bit more to have that flexibility?”

The manufacturers of integration systems have a lot to factor in when considering the friend or foe questions as it pertains to consumer electronic systems. While compatibility with the latest hot product helps to drive sales of connected systems the relationship could be viewed as tenuous.

Is the wariness the same as toward industry competitors? According to URC director of business development Mitchell Klein, it’s more about assimilation than competition. URC has long been a dealer-focused manufacturer and recently has begun to gain commercial system successes with an updated product line. URC has also explored the consumer off-the-shelf market with its popular universal remotes. 

“I don’t see any of these as a threat. If you are a dealer, and you have blinders on and all you are trying to do is wish that things didn’t change and stay the ways they have always been, then yes these are huge threat for you.  When a standard like this comes out which enables all kinds of possibilities that were not possible before, you as a dealer you have to modify your business model plan a bit. It is still going to require a fairly high level of expertise.” 

What are your thoughts?

Do you see a real threat and have you developed expanded business plans to include more recurring revenue services? 

Have you begun to consider offering varying levels of gear?

Open Letter to BSA in Defense of the Hacker Scouts

My letter to the Boy Scouts of America concerning it litigious actions against the Hacker Scouts - 

Re: BSA's threat to sue Hacker Scouts. 

I have two boys, ages 6 & 8, who have become interested in becoming scouts. Having been a member for a short time during the late 1980's I was on the fence due to many of the recent socio-political spats. I understand these issues' complexity and conundrum and have tried to see both sides and give you the benefit of the doubt. 

Now I read that you are going after folks who use the word scout in their organizations, such as the Hacker Scouts. I see no way in which the HS is trying to deliberately or indirectly cause confusion with the general public by using the name Scout. I find it appalling that the BSA leadership would take such action. 

Your actions remind me of the outrageous litigious actions of the then-named Monster Cable company - if you are unfamiliar with this much-despised episode in the Audio Visual world, suffice it to say that the company appeared to make a business model out of suing companies, any company, which included the name monster in it. The company claimed infringement and possible marketplace confusion from MonsterJobs.com to Monster Vintage clothes or Mini Golf. What Monster Cable seemed to really be doing is bullying these companies- mostly mom n' pop places- to pony up a fee to licence the name Monster. The actions may have earned them some revenue and 'marketplace security' but also made them an albatross for dealers and the subject of ridicule among knowledgeable consumers.

I fear this will be your result as well. 

I ask that you and your cabal of lawyers retract the threat and apologize for your bullying. Until then, I will advocate for these alternatives to BSA and against yours. 

Thank You for your consideration. 

In Their Words... Review of Live Sound Design, Build Your Career as a Sound Engineer

Originally posted to AVNation and AVShout - July 30th, 2013

Author: Nathan Lively
Price: $7.95 / 8.95 depending on reader format                        

Format: e-reader

We humans have found many ways to communicate. Our infinite creativity has provided us the written word, sign language, slang, and long-distance forms such as semaphores, smoke signals, and ‘talking’ drums.  All these forms have been updated and adapted to be preserved and exposed to a wider audience as the medium has evolved, from books to radio to blogs and texts.  It can be argued that while technological platforms have enabled us to distribute information with greater efficiency to more people at astounding speed, the very nature of its speed erodes the natural flow of conversation.  Regardless of our language, this oral dialog is the most comfortable and impactful to our little grey cells.

Oral histories are also the most poignant, conveying a feeling of being there with a rhythm and tenor of the speaker through which you could feel what it was like to be there. Two of my favorite books about music are Legs McNeil’s ‘Please Kill Me’ and Jon Wiederhorn’s “Louder Than Hell’ - both of these books have a subtitle of ‘An Oral History of ....”.  In the case of Legs, it is about the early days of Punk, and Wiederhorn’s is about Heavy Metal.  The books take interviews from various magazines with musicians, writers and scene makers over several years.  The Trick here is that the statements have been taken from the larger interviews and placed in the appropriate chronological timeline. This technique provides a flow of conversation and perspectives on an event by disparate interviews into a dialog making the events come ‘alive’ and not just a formal recap.   

In a very similar fashion Nathen Lively a sound designer and live audio engineer, a frequent guest on AVNation.tv podcasts and who has his own very good show - Sound Design Live,  just published an e-book that follows the same oral history methodology. In the book “Live Sound Design, Build Your Career as a Sound Engineer”, Nathan has taken the transcripts of interviews from two years of producing his show to create a conversation on topics ranging from tools and techniques to the relationships of building a career.  The book is NOT an ivory tower thesis on audio theory nor a product placement webinar on ‘Better Audio Techniques’.  While the textbooks and manufacturing seminars can be beneficial, the apprenticeship-like relationship provides usable tools and practical knowledge.   

I was particularly taken with the section on ‘Working with Technical Limitations’, which focuses on building systems with limitations such as budget, available gear, or space.  I also really enjoyed Pierre Dupree of the Alley Theater in Houston discussion on minimalist microphones set up in an 800-seat venue. The two pieces are quite refreshing and reminded me of an interview in EQ magazine with Rudy Van Gelder, who, much to the writer's chagrin, would not talk about specific mic models but only types of microphones to be used for an application. At the time the article was a game changer where I stopped looking at model names and focused on learning technique.  The book has interesting sections on remote access to controls, mixing with computers vs physical decks, business networking, webcasting, and more.  

If I had to lay criticism, it would only be my preference to have the cast of characters introduced at the beginning and the ‘speakers’ laid directly one after the other like a play - each with their name and lines in order.  This would be more in line with Nathan’s background in theater.  It is but a small point and most likely goes unnoticed by anyone else.

If you are looking for a book to take you step by step through learning a specific technique, this book is not for you.  If you want an insight into the world of live sound and design, the types of people who can become resources, and the pros and cons of some hot-button techniques, then this book will fill your head with great ideas. Be sure to purchase a copy then read some of his great articles and check out the podcast, you’ll be glad you did.

An Open Marriage; Trust in publications in an age of open infidelity

Originally Published on Chris Neto's 'AV Shout'  on July 25, 2013

 I have been brooding for much too long on the subject of CNET's tumble at CES. I tried to stay away from the topic, but it kept gnawing at me, eating away the lining of my stomach and lapping up the brain fluid in my cranium.  

Chris Brogan, the social marketing svengali, wrote a book a few years back entitled 'Trust Agents, and I am reminded of its central tenets as well as the book this one has as a foundation, namely the Cluetrain Manifesto. Mr. Brogan's book exalts the humanizing of business through social media's power to build relationships. Part of this relationship is a cultural contract that requires the dismantling of secrets and breaking the fourth wall. When used as a tool grounded in truth, it can help you trump your competitors regardless of their size and war chest. Trust is a valuable commodity that, once trampled upon, risks the vehement vitriol of those duped.  

Trust is also the tool of hucksters and scammers. How often have we heard victims of the Madoffs, local grifters, and assorted snake oil salesmen say something akin to "...I just felt I could trust him..."? A successful charlatan will take great pains to gain your confidence, appear as if your concerns are theirs, and play off our universal expectations of what a villain should look like - Twirling his thin handlebar mustache, grinning devilishly. Whatever the form they take from handsome socialite to trade publication - they are a breed of the most foul.

CNET's coverage of CES at the beginning of the year exposed a dichotomy in consumer electronics reporting. If you missed this episode, it can be easily summarized: CNET, as part of the awards select committee, included the Dish Network's Hopper Box among the top contenders in its final list. The Hopper box allows Dish Network subscribers to 'hop' through commercials while watching a show, much like the Tivo fast-forward function, but the Dish box jumps a predetermined time of 30 to 60 seconds. CBS Network, which acquired CNET for 1.8 billion in the early summer of 2008, instantly began foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog and demanded that the award not be given to Dish Network. (CBS and other traditional broadcast networks fear the hopper as it takes yet another bite out of potential ad revenue). While CBS may have a genuine business concern here, they overreacted by forcing an owned entity to return on its journalistic ethics and retract an award (and editorial approval) to satisfy a corporate overlord paranoia.  

This is an unforgivable act that caused a good number of writers and editorial staff to render their resignations. Like millions of others, I sought out CNET for its coverage of breaking products and in-depth reviews of the same. The fracas which followed and CBS's CEO essentially responding with a statement, 'Fuck You, we will tell you what is good or ill, and you will like it with whip cream on top,' cemented my dissolution with the network as a source of anything but fluff. As a result, I also do not watch CBS or any of its affiliate networks, my reasoning being that if they were so flippant with a small tech outlet - what, pray tell, are they doing with the regular news? CNET/CBS also lost the prestige and honor of being an awards panelist, a fall from grace that will echo for some time. (Every year from now on, folks will contrast CNET's CES coverage to their removal from the panel and the cause).

CBS and CNET's newly installed Vichy editorial staff promised to be as committed as ever to honestly reporting on the consumer electronics news and culture. This is a lovely sentiment, but one which is flat-footed and built for sin. The fine folks at both would like us to think that we are witnessing an open marriage where two partners are free to make outside choices that the other will respect with the caveat of no blood, no foul. Yeah Right! The editors and corporate overlords have been reading far, far too many back issues of Forum magazine and have bought into the fanciful delusions of the free love cult. Jealousy eventually gets the best of folks in these situations, with Jacobian melodrama soon following. It is akin to calling your coverage 'fair and balanced' but swearing allegiance to the stockholders before each article.

The AV Integration industry is not the consumer electronics business -despite our overlapping it in the Veen diagrams. In light of the CNET' fustercluck,' we have to view our industry's trade publications with a skewed eye. Or do we?

The pressures on AV Integration periodicals are significant; everyone from the newest startup to the established colossuses all seek coverage of their products and a positive spin. This can, and is often, viewed as a boon to the trades - so much to report on, so many Press Releases to post and comment on! It's a gold mine! Indeed, many of the trades thrive off of this. The problem is that everyone wants 'The Cover' and fewer stories about the competition. The temptation to leverage one coverage and reach into a disguised version of a 'vanity periodical' must be in the back of many publishers and editorial directors' heads. The money to be made in this Tammany Hall journalism is real, but is it happening now? Could it?

Is our industry too small to ever really get away with 'fixing' the best-in-show awards? Who do you trust to provide honest reporting and reviews for the AV Industry and CE?

 

Psychotic Reactions Go Bang

Originally posted on the AVNation.tv blog - July 22, 2013

This is Part 2 of the strange trip that Infocomm 2013 was.  It is highly recommended that you read Part 1 here  

I am unclear as to how I got here, ‘all these tubes and wires...’ to paraphrase Mr. Thomas Dolby.  The cottonmouth and clammy skin are indications of a night lost to the reveries as at least a witness, if not a participant, in the annual show ritual of parading half-consciously through the hotel lobbies. These indicators are only second to the throbbing of my temples and the insistent buzzing in my ears.  I feel as though I attended an all-night ‘silent rave’ with my headphones blaring Rancid covers of Mel Torme songs.  All apparent signs indicate that I made it home of my own accord. I last recall that there were great rumors afoot that Apple’s ecosystem had usurped the show with an empty hall and a single booth.

Great Armies were gathering.

My plan (or is that pram? My notes are a mess here) was to arrive early and report firsthand on the carnage. I could see it through the haze of the morning Floridian thunderstorms, ritual bonfires, burnt Ozone, and cannon smoke. Just now, I have the flash of memory of entering the hall bemused by the wake-like quiet and the low rumble of mulling crowds.  Rubberneckers, i thought,  members of the international society of Schadenfreude affectionado’s more likely - these bastards show up in every crowd.  I  was being paid to be here, quelling the nausea is a job hazard, one steels the self to take it all in and report the horrors to the sedate civilians. I made steadfastly toward the exhibit floor doors with the intent of getting a first view and a keen determination to inhale the acrid smells of battle mixed with the fresh linen scent of the pod people of Cupertino.  

Upon opening the door, there was the blinding light from the show floor, which caused me to reach out blindly, bumping into the grunting crowd similarly afflicted, all of us groping for a center with mad abandon, willing our pupils to dilate. White lab mice lay strewn before me, shuddering in disoriented jerks. Given a few more moments, I am sure my bearings would have returned, but then came the enveloping cacophony - a demonic surround sound on steroids - it was like Barry Bonds and Theo Kalomirakis merged V’ger like into Vladimir Gavreau’s love child.  The effect forced a full cerebral shutdown until the mass of stimuli could be processed.  As I began to fade into black, the air was a knife cut thick with hopeful chatter, morning coffee, eggs, a hint of mint, and latex -( While I will not dare to presume the reason for the last item, this is a trade show after all). All of these things I could literally pull out of the air like notes of music to a synesthete.

When I awoke, quivering under a  thermal blanket and warmed under the hot lights of the Chauvet booth an epiphany issued forth from the Jorge Luis Borges thousand typewriting monkeys in my head. No war had been waged, no remarkable battle, no charging light brigades - This is a Psycho-Billy Circus complete with over joyful slap revered guitars. Psycho-Billy, the punk of southern garage bands, mixing Johnny Cash with MC5 and a dash of B movie horror thrown in for spice - rock n’ roll’s sideshow barkers. To the uninitiated or those whose little grey cells are in need of more electrolytes, the show floor is an assault on the senses. It would seem that any manufacture of a device that can produce noise has ascribed to the late Phil Ramone’s ‘Wall of Sound,” accompanied by more flashing, blinking, pulsating lights that should be accompanied by photosensitizer warnings.  One does finally become accustomed to the sensory assault, but when the opportunity arises, leaving the floor into the lesser volume of the lobby can be just as disorienting, causing one to lose footing in a punch-drunk head space as the Cochlear nerve wiggles in its own version of a grand Mal seizure.  

But we were talking about what was on the inside, eh?  Just what were the presenters hawking Baptist ministers like from the company pulpits?   Oddly, there did not seem to be an overriding single theme this year; we’ve been trained to expect this, just like the film studios pumping out varying flavors of the same film over the summer and holiday seasons.  Is it really a coincidence that six studios released a film based on kids' games like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders?  The show floor did not seem to have this overly generic commonness, an associate of mine called it ‘evolutionary not revolutionary’. This, I think, hits the nail on the tail of things. The show itself was tremendous, but technology-wise, the industry has entered a tempo of sostenuto. 3D is dead (hooray!), but 4K is not like Savior-Faire (not everywhere), Apple - Apple everywhere, but some droids are creeping in; there is not so much vaporware there, but TIO might just be giving it a go, and Microsoft may be bleeding heavily from Surface losses, but Linq is inside everything (The song of HD-BaseT they sing).  Of new note is the oddly fascinating use of QR codes as a control and documentation interface by AMX

There is, not to put too fine a point on it, no bees in my bonnet as we watch everyone expand their product lines into places that overlap and hip-check current (soon to be former?) partners.   I am eagerly looking forward to next year's show, where we may witness a true Alaskan ‘Breaking’ party as the Ice cracks in the warm sun of Lost Wages, NV.   

CTS a Coxonian Debate

This is a reply to a Mark Coxon post after a discussion on Red Band Radio podcast at Infcomm 13.

To begin with, apologies in using the PhD equals medical degree relationship - the Red Band show was recorded on the last day of Infocomm 13 and I was suffering the waning mild effects of several days limited sleep and the river o’ libations we consumed only a mere few hours prior. The example still holds, just because one has a PhD (or an MD for that matter) does not mean that the individual will use the logic and information gained in an honest way. MD’s can have a licence to practice revoked but not the title -(both can insist on being called doctor as they have earned a degree which can only be ‘revoked ‘ if it could be proven that he or she obtained it by false pretenses (i.e. cheating).

In a similar fashion I have always seen CTS as a general benchmark of knowledge for the Audio Visual Industry. The achievement of passing the test shows an understanding of how practical systems work, the general theory and fundamentals of the technology and an understanding of the general practices of our business. This is your ‘degree’. Like the levels of degree in higher education a CTS is the associates degree while CTS-D and I are the Masters degrees. An inherent code of conduct is expected from dedicated professionals based on the knowledge gained and proven.

I can relate the difference in quality employees the process of studying and passing the CTS can, and does, have. During my tenure with a major manufacturer of automation and distribution equipment the policy of having all support folks CTS qualified was implemented. This was met with obligatory grumbles and kvetching but proceeded nonetheless. The policy stated that all new technical support employees needed to gain their CTS within Ten days of the first day of work (back when it was only a on computer test). Essentially one was payed for ten days of study and to take the test. Fail? You were handed walking papers. Those who were already employed were given a schedule where in office time was provided to study and test. We had a good number of the support staff, including sales reps and administrators CTS qualified in just under a year. Did it mean that all were competent to be sent out in the field to program and install? No, but their knowledge was expanded and therefore awareness of the proper methodology instilled. We found that people made better, and often more ‘ethical’, decisions more consistently. The knowledge is the power and motivator.

Regardless, lazy and despicable folks are unavoidable no matter what level of omnipresent oversight and enforcement one attempts to implement. Audits more often than not do not catch the truly deceptive and lazy individuals/ organizations, we do, the clients do.

AQAV (based on the ISO model) appears to be more a standardization of process than continuing education and utilizes the omnipresent oversight threat to ‘insure’ application and commitment to following the preordained set of standards. Is ISO workable in an industry where the majority of companies are those with under 100 employees? Perhaps, but the cost of certification, (not to mention pre audit, training ) and annual audit are not to be taken lightly. The link you provide has the wonderfully worded statement “Once certification is attained, the only annual costs would be a reasonable fee for the surveillance audits” , the emphasis is mine. While the cost of ISO certification does slide with the size of the company certified the return on investment takes much longer. I have seen a good deal of discussion about the percentage of companies who were able to recover ISO 9000 implementation costs, most site the McGraw-Hill/Dun & Brad-street studies which state something in the order of 50% in Three years or less. For something which requires the extent of effort and vigilance this is not a very good number, especially when applied to current economic model of AV Integrator. The big boys and manufactures might be able to swallow this but not so the smaller partnerships and mom n’ pops.

To be clear, I am not against the concept entirely but my, albeit limited, experience with folks who are, have been and are maintaining ISO certifications do so only because it is required for specific types of contracts and is considered overbearing and clunky and not really a motivator to responsible practices. Does the AV Industry really need such oversight? Is the argument really stating that one cannot expect to be good without the threat of damnation? If true then we are already lost.

 

Ground Control to Major Tom

At this moment in 1969, one of the most remarkable achievements in human history happened.  That the day is not a national moment and that many do not know or even care is a testament to the depths to which we have let our nation fall. 

In the last decade science has suffered a prolonged and misguided attack by those who do not like the questions it asks, the findings it discovers, and by those who refuse to see the benefits to humanity despite the relative costs. 

 
This is a picture of my two boys (Gonzo and Rooster) with a poster my father was given while working at Grumman (maker of the LM or Landing Module) and the Apollo project. This hangs proudly in their room over the bookshelf with books on science, history, and how things work.  We need to be more supportive of science and the arts, not just the three R's, or else we will fall from grace by our ignorant hands. 

 *The squiggles on the poster are the signatures of all the folks at Grumman who had a hand in making the LM. The negatives went to the moon and back. 

100th Tour De (New Beginnings?)

So, Chris Froome has effectively won the 100th Tour De France.  While there is one stage left, there has been a long-standing Gentleman's Agreement that the last stage is to not be competitive until the main Peleton has reached the outskirts of Paris.  From there it is a sprinters free for all to determine who will be the sprinter champ.   

I, like many I have learned from conversations about the event, can and do watch the event live and the two or three additional times NBCSC rebroadcasts it throughout the day.  It is just that evocative. The tradition is part of the charm and draw - it is one of the very few sporting events that I want to someday see live ( the others are a World Cup final, an F1 Race and a final Stanley Cup game).   Another tradition is the rampant doping.  After the crushing revelations of the past year(s), I am pinning my hopes that this is clean.   

In this state, one suspects winners of ill-gotten gains to be proven innocent later.  If Chris Froome is found to be doping, I will have to think thrice before once more thrilling in the spectacle.  

 

The Spector

Originally posted to the AVNation.tv site on  June 12, 2013

Infocomm is many things, in particular it is about finding solutions. There are a multitude of distractions, from social engagements to parties and tangential floor shows, but solutions are our ROI.  I come here to find answers, to find the face of exuberance.  It is in the faces of the attendees, the exhibitors even the Infocomm folks who are more buoyant than ever about this show and industry growth.   Yet, I have some questions as there is concern among the technocratic digerati.

There is a possible specter hanging low like a great Wisconsin fog just over the next hill, and it is making folks ride the edge of hysterics and short slide into madness – peeling off clothes as they run down the aisles foaming at the mouth.  It hangs in the air all around us, making folks tense, taught as a bow string.  To get a sense of just how close to gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair the attending are I made my way to the hotel bar for a snifter of inspiration and solace making.  I saddled up to a robust and jolly fellow wearing the logo of a western integrator, his cheeks roughed from being unaccustomed to the  Southern coastal humidity and the empty glasses before him.  He was mopping his brow with the desperate moves of a man not wanting to but subconsciously unable to stop, with his pores opening to the size of dimes.

Laying a Twenty on the bar, I hailed the bartender for a Makers – Neat.  My associate, now switching between dabbing his neck, then his brow and back again, looked over at my drink, stating, “ Mighty Heavy for this weather, no? It could put you into fits with this heat. You should be by the fireplace in a wool jacket with that sort”. I witnessed a flash of rash stripe across his face at the thought, and he dabbed his neck even more frequently. In front of him stood a tall glass with lime, the condensation from the ice beading up on the length. My friend eyed the drink with an expression that showed the internal debate of whether it was to quell the demons or bring them forth.  “Considering a bit of prognostication, are you?” I said. I could see it in his eyes – obviously, he had been reading up on the mystics and their elixirs.

“I see your question, my brother”, I offered. I knew the feeling, the temptation to twitch at the anticipation of the answer which drives us into madness.

I leaned in close to him, shifting my eyes to both sides of the bar, ensuring we had room to talk. My lips nearly brushed his ear as he leaned down to meet me.  “I have it on good authority that the hall is empty – sans one booth with Apple and a smart screen manufacture.  Apparently the Apple developers conference broadcast brought the building to a halt, silencing the hall like a punch to the gut.   Then came an announcement of a smart TV with all the functions needed to control the home, with anticipatory gesture interpretation – you only have to think about making a gesture, and the monitor knows it. 

Well, this last bit took the knees out of folks – it was like watching Neil Armstrong take that final step off the ladder so quiet and still were the sales folks, techs, and assorted company representatives”.  My bar-mate’s jaw began to hang low and he caught himself. I continued, “One would have expected a shrill wail from those on the floor, like the purported recordings of the damned by a Siberian oil drilling company punching a hole into Hades, which Art Bell broadcast on his ‘Coast to Coast’ show.  But the reports are that after a short pause, a universal acceptance set in, and instead of continuing to build up, started to disassemble the whole lot, a week work swept clean in less than a day.”

I could consider my friend's expression as I leaned back to take another pull of my whiskey. His Eyes were just about to pop out of his head, and his jaw was making slight side-to-side movements as if in an attempt to speak.  “I, I…. I thought…. I knew this day was coming, but everyone said we had time.” he trailed off, “so soon, so, so soon.” he looked up straight at me, “ What now?”.

“Well,” I began, “ I hear a word that the Maker Movement folk are raising an army consisting of homemade tanks from discarded Oldsmobile Delta 88s, Trebuchets from the remains of the Junk Yard wars show, and some Tube drive Turntables.  AP just tweeted that a squad of steampunk are nearly at the convention center grounds,  machines hissing while the clackers report positions and tactical movements awaiting the arrival of the North Carolina Maker Faire Battalion under the direction General Jonathan Danforth”.

The expression on my friend's face was full of conflict – the ole fight flight debate was churning around inside him.  He reached for his drink and swallowed it whole in one swift gulp – the ice long since melted in the Orlando sun.  Then a calm washed over him and his eyes narrowed. “ Be dammed if I am not going down without a fight!”.  He shook my hand and turned his heel, muttering about assembling a Myth Busters-inspired rice paper armor.

All of this occurred last night, and now, in the haze of too many O’ clocks without sleep, I am preparing to head to the show floor to see whether it is true.  Reporting from the front lines…. I am your intrepid reporter.

 

What You Need to Know to Make Decisions About Web Streaming Services and Devices

 Originally posted to  Corporate Tech Decisions Magazine - April 29, 2013

Live Web streaming. If you mentioned these words only a few years ago, you would receive only a blank stare in return. Today's major product unveilings: Apple’s QuickTime series of products, Microsoft’s Internet Information Services media platform, and Adobe Media Server 5 are available and produce high-quality content. The result is that rather than traveling to attend a live broadcast, now people can attend right from their desks.

Streaming technologies are fast replacing the broadcast truck and satellite uplink for many meeting events looking to reach a national or global audience live. While Web streaming technology is not very new, its implementation in the event staging world is still emerging, and many users may be unfamiliar with the technology. However, on first look the technology and concepts for webcasting will feel familiar to most video-savvy people.

So What is a Web Stream Anyway?

 The simple answer is that it is video pushed out to an Ethernet LAN (local area network) / WAN (wide area network) or the Internet. Streaming is a transport medium that converts incoming video sources into a signal you can send across standard Ethernet networks. However, to get the video into an acceptable format, you need to modify it a bit.

The first step is to pass the incoming video, graphics, and audio through an encoder. This device converts the signal into a format that software players can handle. The encoded signal now needs to be molded or packetized in such a way that it can be received by a player looking like a single unbroken stream. Packetizing means the video and audio are not just digitized into a scheme of ones and zeros but that the output of the media encoder, often called the elementary stream, is divided into data packets of encapsulated sequential data. What this means is that the live video is converted into a digital format that an endpoint player can receive and reassemble in a logical flow as an orderly video.

Think of it like the old Pneumatic tubes business used to transport mail between floors. Because the system used bullet-shaped containers pushed by a cushion of air through the tubes, the mail often needed to be carefully bent to fit; the process of packetizing is a bit like this, only with thousands of mail a second arriving on your desk.

Unfortunately, the video squeezed into the transmittable container is still too large for all but the most robust and dedicated networks.  In order to get your video from one location to the next without compromising an entire data infrastructure bandwidth or that “real-time” feel, the signal must be made smaller. Continuing with the pneumatic tubes example, think of this as reducing the mail to be small enough to fit comfortably in the containers. The compression of 

The signal does degrade the image quality a bit, and here we have a balancing act of making the stream small enough to be sent and received in a timely manner with the quality of video “resolution.” This is a delicate balance. If too much compression is applied, the resulting signal can be unwatchable, the display size is too small, and networks may not be able to deliver the stream in a consistent manner.

Now that we have squeezed, molded, and stuffed the video into a deliverable product, we will have to undo it all at the receiving end. Once the video arrives at a destination, the software player has built-in tools to decompress the stream and decode the signal. In general, most computer media players have the ability to handle a good majority of the standard formats, such as Flash (as used by YouTube), Windows Media files (WMA), and H.264 (MPEG-4). There are some exceptions though, and depending a need for encryption security or level of high-quality video, a plug-in or proprietary player may be required. 

Data Movement on the Network

Most of us have at least a thirty thousand-foot view of how the Internet works. It consists of multiple servers and data switchers distributed across the globe, which we access via Internet Service Providers (or ISPs) such as a cable company or DSL. ISPs allow for simple, relatively quick, and mostly reliable service. Therein lays the rub. When connecting to a news page, a search engine, your local restaurant’s website, or even the cat videos on YouTube, the relatively quick and mostly reliable service is pretty much all you need. For the most part we do not notice the fluctuating download rates or are only mildly annoyed if we have to refresh a Web page to reconnect. 

When it comes to a live-streaming video of your presentation, such burps and blips are not what you want, and they can be downright devastating. There is no guarantee of the reliability of the network that the audience watching the show is using, but you can maximize the stability and availability of the content being delivered. Like the old adage of “garbage in equals garbage out,” we want to ensure we provide quality as far down the line as we can. This is where Content Delivery Networks (CDN) come in.

CDNs are just what the name says — a dedicated cluster of servers spread across multiple regions or locations that relay content such as Web objects downloads, applications, and streaming services from the source with reduced bandwidth costs and generally increased availability. A CDN network consists of thousands of nodes and an exponential number of servers providing the content to viewers via localized relay sites using what is called Point of Presence or PoPs. PoPs work to increase speed and reliability by delivering the media from a location nearest to the viewer rather than directly from the source, thereby distributing the workload and reducing delays or latency that would occur if a player were connected directly to the source location. 

Now that we have an outline of the transmission flow, you need to understand how the venue you choose can affect what you can do.

What You Need from the Venue

Clients and their designers choose venues based on a number of needs, including location, ability to accommodate the expected number of attendees, and aesthetics, but usually last on the list are the items that concern users the most. The technical capabilities of a building are often taken for granted, the thought being that if the venue is willing to accept a show, it must have all the requirements. This blissful attitude is doubly so when it comes to the Ethernet network. In most people’s mind an Ethernet network is just that like white bread in the grocery store, it is the same no matter where you go.  I just heard a collective sigh of “if only” from the AV/IT community.

The reality is far more disconcerting. The reliability and consistency of many presentation venues can be compromised by various factors, from poor design and maintenance to a fudging of the numbers. So, what do you need to know when verifying that a venue can support your need for a streamed broadcast?  The first question a Web streaming company you hire will ask is how many people outside the venue will be expected to watch some 

or all of the event. The question may seem irrelevant at first, but it is an essential one. Knowing the total anticipated viewership helps to calculate the viewer stream hours (VST). This number, the VST, will determine the minimum upload speeds the network will require. Making sure your vendor goes over this number with you is important as it will also affect the total cost. More viewers means more CDNs and more resources. Finding the VST involves a basic formula (Number of viewers x the bit rate (quality bandwidth) = VST).

In the pneumatic tube example, if the network of tubes is not maintained well or has complicated bends or turns, the mail department cannot send the letters in an expedient manner. This is also true for a venue’s Ethernet network or backbone. Asking and confirming the quality of the origination backbone (OG) is essential.  If the network or providing ISP has issues or inconsistencies, it will be big trouble for your streaming.

If you find that the backbone is fine, the next concern is network speed. Most ISPs, when advertising their quality of service, will tout download speeds, and while this is very important to the average home or business user for getting files, pages, or other content from the Web, the concern here is the upspeed. Not all ISPs treat the ability to upload the same and, in many cases, deliberately throttle the upload speeds and charge more, sometimes much more, for faster service. In some cases, ISP up speeds can be half to a third of the rated download speeds.  In streaming from our event venue to viewers webcasting is only concerned with the up speed, to be caught short could result in limiting the number of viewers, locations and quality of video. If at all possible, a minimum speed of 5 Mbits / second is recommended.

A lot of our discussion here has concerned the tools and processes to make a Web streamed video event stable and consistent. A static IP address for the streaming equipment is very important as well. Many large networks use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) addressing, which automatically doles out or deactivates IP addresses from a table as needed or per a lease time rule. While broadcasting a Web stream upload via a DHCP address is not tragic, ensuring the system is using a static address can help make sure that any network rules or lease time issues will not interrupt the transmission.

If only you could eliminate the cable, life would be so much easier.  Do not, I repeat, do NOT use a wireless connection as the connection between the transmission rack and the ISP. An oft-repeated and sage commentary on Wi-Fi communication holds true that the wireless transmission of data is the single most convenient method of connecting to date, yet it is also the single most unreliable method ever concocted. Wireless, especially Wi-Fi, is highly unregulated and is, by extension, extremely congested. In even minor urban areas, the number of Wi-Fi routers, access points, and devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones is awe-inspiring. All of this congestion means that the number of possible sources of interference is infinite, and the likelihood of causing disruption to your show stream is just too high. 

Why Go Pro?

At this point, you might be saying to yourself, “This all seems very complicated and requires a vendor to provide the service. My kids use Ustream and YouTube to stream to their friends — why can’t I use them too?”  The truth is you could, and services like Ustream, Stickcam, Bit Gravity, and the rest provide great service and tools. This may be a fair option for some shows, but beware that they also have some pitfalls.

As with anything free or cheap, you have to ask yourself how the service provider makes its money and why it is free?  Many online portals generate revenue by providing only standard-definition video unless you purchase a pro package. They also make money from ads. Often, ads are placed in your stream every so many viewer hours, and you do not get to choose the ads. Imagine your competitor's ad coming up during your show.  These services offer rates that eliminate the ads, but most are yearly plans, so an ad-free, two-hour presentation will cost you a year’s subscription.

Hiring a professional webcasting vendor ensures that you will have a fully vetted system, venue and assured CDN’s. A professional vendor will also have the skill to help resolve any issues that may pop up anywhere down the transmission path.

Providing your viewers with the option of a presentation webcast opens new doors of revenue for your business, creative flexibility, and extended reach for the viewer.  A little understanding of the mechanics can go a long way