Statistics that have DAM Meaning By Matthew Gonnering
We probably have baseball and The Sporting News to thank for the proliferation of statistics in all sports. Yet, Mark Twain once said there are lies, damned lies and statistics. Of course, he was speaking about to the persuasive power of numbers and about how people will either promote or ignore statistics based entirely on whether or not they support a position. This â??truthâ?? is the reason many baseball arguments have never been settled.
...Read More »
Five things to hate and love about Apple?s iPhone By Matthew David
Unless you have been living under a rock, you cannot have failed to notice the multi-million dollar marketing blitz Apple and AT&T are conducting about the iPhone. If you read the reports and the blogs on the Internet it is hard to know if people love the iPhone or if they hate. With that in mind, we have put together a list of the five things to hate about the iPhone and five things to love.
...Read More »
When Marketing People Go Amok By Esther Schindler
Honest, we understand. It's a marketing person's job to make a presentation sound exciting and relevant as well as informational. But the TechEd presentation titles are, quite literally, beyond audience comprehension.
...Read More »
Do You Volunteer? By Gary Kayye, CTS
Do you volunteer? If you don?t, you should. One of my first weeks in this industry back in 1987 was attending InfoComm?s (then known as ICIA) Institute for Professional Development and a class led by Mike Weems. It was on video production techniques and was simply awesome. The very next year, I attended a class taught by 6+ year industry veteran Fred Dixon on AV systems design. The instruction blew me away. It was far and in away better than most courses I ever took in college, and certainly more helpful in my new -real-world life.
...Read More »
Transitional TV Growing Pains By Guy Wright
Anyone in the broadcast industry knows that we are in the middle of a transition. More precisely, we are in the middle of multiple transitions ? from analog broadcasts to digital, from standard definition to high definition, and from standard 4:3 aspect ratios to 16:9 widescreen aspect ratios.
...Read More »
Way Too Hard = Way Too Bad By Gary Kayye, CTS
A recent study by a major university on the Netherlands found that product complexity actually caused over 50 percent of product returns. Graduate student Elke den Ouden of the Technical University of Eindhoven studied people who purchased consumer electronics products and how they tried (and in many cases failed) to use them, successfully. In virtually all cases where a consumer tried and failed to figure out how to use a product and then gave up, the product itself was actually in good working order. There was no product failure.
...Read More »
A Column for AV Guys: The Guillotine By Gary Kayye, CTS
I was sooo excited while watching the Super Bowl coverage earlier this month to see that someone finally, FINALLY, crossed the 4-blade razor blade barrier. The long-overdue 5-blade system has finally made its debut. The oh-hum [insert yawn here] market of the 3-blade and 4-blade systems that has dominated the shaving market with has-been gear like Gillette?s Mach3Turbo and the Schick Quattro has finally been shaken up with the 5-blade Gillette Fusion. I ran out and bought one the very next day.
...Read More »
KNews Insider: The Final Sayye with Gary Kayye By Gary Kayye, CTS
I?ve had the October 14, 2005 issue of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on my desk since the day it came out. I?ve been meaning to write this story for a long time, but just didn?t have the time or opportunity. But, now it?s time.In the Marketplace section of the WSJ on that day had an article entitled ?The Laptop Backlash,? well-written by Gary McWilliams. Well, you know what I think? Boo-fricking-hoo.
...Read More »
Kayye's Krystal Ball - v.06 By Gary Kayye, CTS
Welcome to my seventh annual Krystal Ball feature article about predictions for the upcoming year for Professional AV, and even some Home AV technology, trends and products. If you?re a regular reader of this column, then you know that each year I actually start by reviewing my predictions from last year?s column
...Read More »
Service Contracts are Easy to Sell: Sell Job Security By Gary Kayye, CTS
If you?re a regular reader of my columns, you know that our firm works with dealers, on occasion, to help them become more profitable. In some cases, it?s a box company wanting to learn how to sell systems. In some cases, it?s a systems integrator trying to sell design/build contracts. In some cases, it?s a design/build firm trying to get better cost accounting on jobs. But, in almost all cases, they are all equally frustrated at the level of success they have selling their most profitable product: service contracts.
...Read More »
Annual rAVe CEDIA Awards By Gary Kayye, CTS
Gary Kayye is a big fan of the CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) show, and attends it every year. Here are his picks for the best of the best from this year's exhibition.
...Read More »
Product Activation and the World of Tomorrow By Kevin Schmitt
Now that us lowly users have been unwillingly pushed down the slippery slope that is product activation, this particular article is equivalent to the proverbial closing of the barn doors after the horse has escaped. Actually, it's more like picking up the door and leaning it on the charred ruins of the barn after it burned down years ago, what with the horse having run out to flee the fire, but I digress. Since activation refuses to just go away entirely, I still (naively) think that there's a balance that can be struck between legitimate users and software publishers.
...Read More »
LCD or DLP Projection? Decisions, Decisions By Gary Kayye, CTS
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines ? projector engines, that is. Since 1998, Texas Instruments' DLP division has out-marketed, out-maneuvered, out-published and, according to many sales figures, even out-sold LCD in virtually of the leading projector vertical market segments. I say "virtually" because there are some markets in which DLP hasn't been playing ? but when it does, it generally wins.
...Read More »
AMD64 - Directly Connecting Your Imagination to Reality By Charlie Boswell
Each generation of new technology assaulting the digital content creator typically comes with elaborate promises about how it?s going to change lives. Sometimes that?s actually true -- but not always for the better. Non-linear editing systems brought the number of ?workarounds? to new heights
...Read More »
Have you Crossed the Chasm? By Gary Kayye, CTS
Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore is probably the single most important book to read as a ProAV system salesperson (or systems designer) today! It is, in my opinion, the blueprint for the customer sales and marketing process of AV technology. When it was published in the early 1990s it was geared toward the computer industry. Its prophecies, however, are now becoming a reality in the ProAV market of today.
...Read More »
Coolness Roundup 2005, Part II By Charlie White
By popular demand, we bring you our annual Coolness Roundup, your guide to summer fun and relaxation, where all types of products and services are fair game, and where the name of the game is quality-of-life improvement. Here you?ll find devices and doodads that will enhance your summer vacation, and add a little fun to your leisure time activities. In part II of this year?s roundup, we venture even farther afield, tipping you off to the summer?s finest gadgets, tools, accessories and entertainments, all listed here with the sole purpose of making your life better.
...Read More »
Coolness Roundup 2005, Part I By Charlie White
It?s that time of year again where you can practically fry an egg on the sidewalk, and that means your Coolness Roundup 2005 is here. This year, we have a special 2-part expanded edition that encompasses not only professional and consumer electronics gear, but any objects that use technology to make your life more enjoyable. Some of these items are prosaic, readily available to everyone, while others are stratospherically priced. Either way, lusting after these techno doodads is a great way to relax and have fun within the steamy confines of the hottest season of the year.
...Read More »
Live From infoComm: Attendance Record Broken By Gary Kayye, CTS
ICIA announced another record attendance here at the show this week, with a more than 10 percent increase over last year, totaling 25,821 as of Thursday. Expect the final numbers to be even more impressive. Also, it?s that time of year again. The year is half way over and it?s time to review my 2005 predictions.
...Read More »
How Much Time Does Apple Have? By Dave Nagel
Set sentimentality aside. Set aside the pride and the unfounded fears and all of the little irrelevancies I've seen people worrying over for the last five days about Apple switching to Intel. Focus, instead, on the big one: Will there be a Mac platform in two years? The answer to that will depend on whether Apple sticks to the plan announced at WWDC. If it does, then by this time in 2007, you will be doing your computing on a Windows box.
...Read More »
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Bluetooth headsets have become more and more popular throughout the years and now more and more cell phones have been able to take advantage of this technology. In this review we'll be looking at a brand new Bluetooth headset from iTech, the SolarVoice 908, one of the first solar charging headsets on the market.
Read More
Thank goodness you're a pack rat! You know, have to grab, keep everything that flies by...ok everything except that report or news item or YouTube yuck you saw last week and now desperately need. Can't find it it save your behind. And still you don't have enough storage...there are new worlds to conquer, new worlds to destroy or take home with you. Don't worry Flash will always be there for you Dale!!!!
Read More
On this Veteran's Day 2009, as we honor those who served and gave their lives for America, there are stories about man's best friend being told by those who fought alongside their "War Dogs of the Pacific." Most Americans have no idea that dogs were trained to sniff out the enemy during World War II, 549 to be exact fought with the U.S. Marines on Guam, Saipan, and other battlegrounds of the Pacific Theater.
Read More
Did you hear? Microsoft is releasing a new version of Windows - should you buy it? Windows 7 is here. In this article you will find out if Windows 7 is worth the wait and whether or not you should upgrade. Or is Windows 7 just another Vista?
Read More
@ Copyright, 2008 Digital Media Online, All Rights Reserved
Statistics that have DAM Meaning
We probably have baseball and The Sporting News to thank for the proliferation of statistics in all sports. Yet, Mark Twain once said there are lies, damned lies and statistics. Of course, he was speaking about to the persuasive power of numbers and about how people will either promote or ignore statistics based entirely on whether or not they support a position. This â??truthâ?? is the reason many baseball arguments have never been settled.
...Read More »
Five things to hate and love about Apple?s iPhone
Unless you have been living under a rock, you cannot have failed to notice the multi-million dollar marketing blitz Apple and AT&T are conducting about the iPhone. If you read the reports and the blogs on the Internet it is hard to know if people love the iPhone or if they hate. With that in mind, we have put together a list of the five things to hate about the iPhone and five things to love.
...Read More »
When Marketing People Go Amok
Honest, we understand. It's a marketing person's job to make a presentation sound exciting and relevant as well as informational. But the TechEd presentation titles are, quite literally, beyond audience comprehension.
...Read More »
Do You Volunteer?
Do you volunteer? If you don?t, you should. One of my first weeks in this industry back in 1987 was attending InfoComm?s (then known as ICIA) Institute for Professional Development and a class led by Mike Weems. It was on video production techniques and was simply awesome. The very next year, I attended a class taught by 6+ year industry veteran Fred Dixon on AV systems design. The instruction blew me away. It was far and in away better than most courses I ever took in college, and certainly more helpful in my new -real-world life.
...Read More »
Transitional TV Growing Pains
Anyone in the broadcast industry knows that we are in the middle of a transition. More precisely, we are in the middle of multiple transitions ? from analog broadcasts to digital, from standard definition to high definition, and from standard 4:3 aspect ratios to 16:9 widescreen aspect ratios.
...Read More »
Way Too Hard = Way Too Bad
A recent study by a major university on the Netherlands found that product complexity actually caused over 50 percent of product returns. Graduate student Elke den Ouden of the Technical University of Eindhoven studied people who purchased consumer electronics products and how they tried (and in many cases failed) to use them, successfully. In virtually all cases where a consumer tried and failed to figure out how to use a product and then gave up, the product itself was actually in good working order. There was no product failure.
...Read More »
A Column for AV Guys: The Guillotine
I was sooo excited while watching the Super Bowl coverage earlier this month to see that someone finally, FINALLY, crossed the 4-blade razor blade barrier. The long-overdue 5-blade system has finally made its debut. The oh-hum [insert yawn here] market of the 3-blade and 4-blade systems that has dominated the shaving market with has-been gear like Gillette?s Mach3Turbo and the Schick Quattro has finally been shaken up with the 5-blade Gillette Fusion. I ran out and bought one the very next day.
...Read More »
KNews Insider: The Final Sayye with Gary Kayye
I?ve had the October 14, 2005 issue of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on my desk since the day it came out. I?ve been meaning to write this story for a long time, but just didn?t have the time or opportunity. But, now it?s time.In the Marketplace section of the WSJ on that day had an article entitled ?The Laptop Backlash,? well-written by Gary McWilliams. Well, you know what I think? Boo-fricking-hoo.
...Read More »
Kayye's Krystal Ball - v.06
Welcome to my seventh annual Krystal Ball feature article about predictions for the upcoming year for Professional AV, and even some Home AV technology, trends and products. If you?re a regular reader of this column, then you know that each year I actually start by reviewing my predictions from last year?s column
...Read More »
Service Contracts are Easy to Sell: Sell Job Security
If you?re a regular reader of my columns, you know that our firm works with dealers, on occasion, to help them become more profitable. In some cases, it?s a box company wanting to learn how to sell systems. In some cases, it?s a systems integrator trying to sell design/build contracts. In some cases, it?s a design/build firm trying to get better cost accounting on jobs. But, in almost all cases, they are all equally frustrated at the level of success they have selling their most profitable product: service contracts.
...Read More »
Annual rAVe CEDIA Awards
Gary Kayye is a big fan of the CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) show, and attends it every year. Here are his picks for the best of the best from this year's exhibition.
...Read More »
Product Activation and the World of Tomorrow
Now that us lowly users have been unwillingly pushed down the slippery slope that is product activation, this particular article is equivalent to the proverbial closing of the barn doors after the horse has escaped. Actually, it's more like picking up the door and leaning it on the charred ruins of the barn after it burned down years ago, what with the horse having run out to flee the fire, but I digress. Since activation refuses to just go away entirely, I still (naively) think that there's a balance that can be struck between legitimate users and software publishers.
...Read More »
LCD or DLP Projection? Decisions, Decisions
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines ? projector engines, that is. Since 1998, Texas Instruments' DLP division has out-marketed, out-maneuvered, out-published and, according to many sales figures, even out-sold LCD in virtually of the leading projector vertical market segments. I say "virtually" because there are some markets in which DLP hasn't been playing ? but when it does, it generally wins.
...Read More »
AMD64 - Directly Connecting Your Imagination to Reality
Each generation of new technology assaulting the digital content creator typically comes with elaborate promises about how it?s going to change lives. Sometimes that?s actually true -- but not always for the better. Non-linear editing systems brought the number of ?workarounds? to new heights
...Read More »
Have you Crossed the Chasm?
Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore is probably the single most important book to read as a ProAV system salesperson (or systems designer) today! It is, in my opinion, the blueprint for the customer sales and marketing process of AV technology. When it was published in the early 1990s it was geared toward the computer industry. Its prophecies, however, are now becoming a reality in the ProAV market of today.
...Read More »
Coolness Roundup 2005, Part II
By popular demand, we bring you our annual Coolness Roundup, your guide to summer fun and relaxation, where all types of products and services are fair game, and where the name of the game is quality-of-life improvement. Here you?ll find devices and doodads that will enhance your summer vacation, and add a little fun to your leisure time activities. In part II of this year?s roundup, we venture even farther afield, tipping you off to the summer?s finest gadgets, tools, accessories and entertainments, all listed here with the sole purpose of making your life better.
...Read More »
InfoComm -- Good Show Means Great Market
InfoComm 2005 was a great show for the ProAV industry and the future of our market. Here?s why.
...Read More »
Coolness Roundup 2005, Part I
It?s that time of year again where you can practically fry an egg on the sidewalk, and that means your Coolness Roundup 2005 is here. This year, we have a special 2-part expanded edition that encompasses not only professional and consumer electronics gear, but any objects that use technology to make your life more enjoyable. Some of these items are prosaic, readily available to everyone, while others are stratospherically priced. Either way, lusting after these techno doodads is a great way to relax and have fun within the steamy confines of the hottest season of the year.
...Read More »
Live From infoComm: Attendance Record Broken
ICIA announced another record attendance here at the show this week, with a more than 10 percent increase over last year, totaling 25,821 as of Thursday. Expect the final numbers to be even more impressive. Also, it?s that time of year again. The year is half way over and it?s time to review my 2005 predictions.
...Read More »
How Much Time Does Apple Have?
Set sentimentality aside. Set aside the pride and the unfounded fears and all of the little irrelevancies I've seen people worrying over for the last five days about Apple switching to Intel. Focus, instead, on the big one: Will there be a Mac platform in two years? The answer to that will depend on whether Apple sticks to the plan announced at WWDC. If it does, then by this time in 2007, you will be doing your computing on a Windows box.
...Read More »
AV-HS450 16+ Input HD/SD Switcher w/ dual screen MultiViewer
Perfect your production with iStock video and audio
Vegas Pro 8 + Free Vegas Seminar Series
With 2 Reviews.
