For more information on our demo hours at the show contact Jason Smith 317-532-1273 or  jason.smith@escocommunications.com or visit the IIAAA Official Website IIAAA.org

]]> http://escocomm.com/esco-at-iiaaa-march-18-20-marriott-east-indianapolis/feed 0 http://escocomm.com/ada-changes-for-the-hearing-impaired-announced-in-public-sound-systems http://escocomm.com/ada-changes-for-the-hearing-impaired-announced-in-public-sound-systems#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:49:51 +0000 mharmon http://escocomm.com/?p=1230 ...read]]> Effective March 15, 2012 any new public sound system construction or public facility receiving a sound system retrofit with seating of 50 or less (yes it is less) has to provide an assistive listening system. Essentially any room with a sound system now has to provide assistive listening access. Gone is the 4% receiver rule and the fixed seating qualifier. Room seating capacity and a formula for the number of receivers is now what drives the requirement. New to this version is also a requirement for a minimum number of neck loops so that those who have T-Coil hearing aids can use the installed system. Any facility will be required to become compliant if a complaint is lodged against the facility with the Department of Justice whether or not they are being retrofitted. That means all non-religious facilities should become compliant by March 15^th 2012 to avoid the expense of a DOJ complaint.  http://c462681.r81.cf0.rackcdn.com/ADA_General_Guidelines_2011.pdf    

For more information contact your ESCO Account Executive or sales@escocommunications.com

Caution… Imagineer at work!

We are moving on through February of a new year and many are revisiting what the new security threat definitions are on the horizon. Threats to business can come in many different shapes, sizes and packaging.  Some threats can come from internal and some external, some have a slow developing process while others can be abrupt. Our biggest challenge often to anticipate or visualize the new definition of threat is our ability to have imaginative thinking. A revitalized, imaginative and engineering way of thinking through the process becomes Imagineering at work. ALCOA during WWII 1 and Walt Disney used the term “Imagineering” when embracing any use of imaginative narrative to realize, create, or catalyze in real life the potentials we are imagining 2. “Imagineering is letting your imagination soar, and then engineering it down to earth 1.

I was reading a recent article from the Harvard Business Review (A Disciplined Approach to Evaluating Ideas – January 3, 2012 by Scott Anthony) that made me assess how I analyze processes, procedures or ideas in general. With an evolving definition of threat, a piece of the process he discusses applies to solutions to the security world as well…they are “evaluate, investigate and invest.” At a high level, he states each has a “specific criteria and a different level of scrutiny where the final decision ends up being straight forward.” 3

With security, we are constantly evaluating the current status but also the impact of a threat and what the outcome might be. By keeping an open mind, imaginative thinking can assist with developing new insight, offering a different perspective and possibly different outcomes. Caution can provide an objective baseline for tracking events, identifiable or targeted objectives and have indicators that can alert to a vulnerability or misalignment with policy, procedure or regulatory oversight. By creating in advance criteria and objectives and documenting desired outcomes will help with the evaluation with respect to positive, negative and responsive outcomes. This evaluation can come in the form of live or table top exercises. When a deviation or deficiency is identified, the next step or investigation can begin.

Investigation should remain open minded. There may be a human element involved and will need to be factored into the results. Not everyone responds to a threat or stressful situation in the same manner so the investigation should obtain a good sampling of responses and may create a different solution as an end result. A risk that can occur during the investigation is that as we analyze we can perceive what we expected and can be resistant or limited in being open to other influences or factors that created the deviation or deficiency. At times we may even dismiss or ignore information that appears conflicting where we already have performed a root-cause type analysis and feel like the answer is obvious.  We must be diligent in ensuring that the assumptions don’t narrow down the focus of the investigation. The integrity, quality and accuracy of the information become a key aspect, when the focus shifts from investigating to investing.

Investing in a solution does not always mean large capital investments. At times it may be additional in-house training, where other times it may require upgrades to software and or hardware to maintain compliance. Having a good baseline by having systems commissioned comingled with policy and procedures can allow the criteria and objectives to gauge where a system and the operators work well and or not so well together. Regular inspections, preventative maintenance, equipment standards and performance requirements work in concert to lead the way into the future.

Investing in personnel and systems can help defend a company’s brand, liabilities and improve the quality of life for those who work and visit our facilities… and at the end of the day, if we have done our due diligence of being an “Imagineer”, we may even have a good night’s rest since tomorrow (if it can wait that long) it starts all over again.

Chuck McCormick has 25+ years in the life safety and physical security arena ranging from designing, estimating, implementing, manage projects, program development and program management (for Fortune 50, 100 and 500 companies) and providing consultative engineering and sales support.

In addition to being a Board Certified PSP, Chuck has obtained his CVI number with DHS, a member of InfraGard and trained with the TSA as a First Observer (FO). He has held licenses to install and inspect fire alarm systems for the states of Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia and was a state certified firefighter for the State of Kentucky.

Markets served:

• Residential
• Financial
• Education (K-12 and Higher Education)
• Houses Of Worship (HOW)
• Commercial (Direct and Bid)
• Government
• Industrial
• Healthcare

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagineering from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Time magazine ad from February 16, 1942, titled “The place They Do Imagineering”.

2 http://www.co-intelligence.org/Imagineering.html Imagineering by Tom Atlee

3 http://blogs.hbr.org/anthony/2012/01/the_different_disciplines_of_g.html HBR Blog Network by Scott Anthony

The time has come to start preparing for the retirement of the VGA connector.  It has served us well for many years, not only for connection of the personal computer to the computer monitor, but for many video sources in classrooms, board rooms, healthcare, digital signage and many more applications.  Some may say that the death of the VGA connector is near, but I would disagree. I think that we are in the midst of a sunset retirement that will eventually fade.  I believe that the VGA connector is much like the VCR.  The VCR and VHS tapes fought a long hard battle for years.  When Wal-Mart, one of the largest retailers of VHS tapes, indicated that it would stop selling video tapes, consumers were forced to embrace the new technologies of the time.

Just over a year ago there was a press release from several of the largest manufacturers of computers and displays. They included: AMD, Dell, Intel, Levenovo, Samsung, and LG.  Many people have not seen it or did not take the time to read it, so let me give some highlights.  Full version can be found at: newsroom.intel.com/leading-pc-companies-move-to-all-digital-display-technology-phasing-out-analog

The LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling panel interface technology) will no longer be supported by 2013, and VGA (Video Graphics Array) will start to fade, and end support by 2015.  AMD also indicated that this will also include the DVI-I connector.  The removal of the VGA connector on PC’s is due to the need for higher resolution, deeper colors, lower power consumption, and 3D.  It is expected that PC manufacturers will migrate to the DisplayPort connector or possibly HDMI connector.  The press release indicates that as PC manufactures ends support of the VGA connector, some display manufacturers may continue past 2015 for the consumers that still have legacy equipment.

To understand what is next in the video connector standards I wanted to look back at where we came from. The first connector that I think most people would recognize is the phono connector, or as we know it today, the RCA connector.  It was found on the Radio Corporation of America’s (RCA) phonograph in the 1930’s to connect the phonograph turntable to the radio receiver. In the early 1940’s the connector was used for audio connections, by the 1950s it was popular for “high fidelity” systems.  Even though the connector was designed for audio, it has had many uses over the years such as, power, RF, loudspeakers, S/PDIF audio, composite and component video.   Much like the VGA connector, its time is also fading.  In the audio world the connector is being replaced by the 3.5mm headphone connector, and video is being replaced by HDMI and DisplayPort.

The next connector to be invented in 1951 came from three men that worked at Bell Labs, Paul Neill, Carl Concelman and Octavio M. Salati.  The connector was a bayonet style, so it was called Bayonet Neill-Concelman (BNC).  I have also heard it referred as the British Naval Connector.  Paul Neil later invented the “N” connector and Carl Concelman invented the “C” connector.  Both are still used today on RF network applications.  There were many versions of the BNC connector until a standard was formed in 1978.   The connection was adapted for video, computer networks and RF applications for commercial and professional applications because of its locking capabilities, one of the downfalls of HDMI.

In the late 1970’s the BNC and RCA connector was the standard for composite video.  The world wanted a better, cleaner picture, so the “super video” standard was being created.  The

Atari 800 and Commodore 64 were the first applications of this video standard.  However, it was not that 1987 when JVC created the S-VHS video cassette, and the S-Video connector standard.  Most people agree this technology is officially dead.

At the same time that the JVC released the S-video connector, IBM released the VGA connector that became the standard for computer and some high definition television sets.  This

connector allowed a simpler connection for RGBHV (Red, Green, Blue, Horizontal and Vertical Sync.) instead of connecting five cables with BNC connectors.  Today the VGA connector not only carries the RGBHV, but it also may contain DDC (Display Data Channel).  The  DDC allows the display and source to handshake the supported resolutions of each device and energy star settings.

In 1999 it was expected that the new DVI connector that was invented by the Digital Display Work Group would soon replace the VGA connector.  In some applications it has, however,
the cable distance and connector size was the downfall for many installed applications.  There are three different DVI connectors (ignoring dual link DVI), DVI-A (Analog) DVI-D (Digital) and DVI-I (Integrated).  DVI-I is a cable standard that allows the cable to work on either analog or digital.  DVI-A can be converted to VGA and DVI-D can be converted to HDMI, but they are not compatible with each other without electronic conversion.   DVI has locking screws that make the cabling desirable to integrators, but for resolutions of up to 1,920x 1,200 the typical cable distance is 15’.  With better quality cables that distance can be a little further. Lengths of up to 50’ can be reached with a lower resolution of 1,280 x 1,024.

The last two connectors are considered to be the connectors that we will use in the future, however, they are not brand new.  HDMI was created in 2002 and display port was designed in 2006. Both have gone through a couple versions before they were officially adapted.  HDMI was created by seven different companies.  Together they were called HDMI Licensing LLC, however, in October of this year all future development will be done by a new organization called the HDMI Forum.   The current cable standard 1.4B was released October 2011, and includes; video resolution up to 4K x 2K, eithernet, 3D formats, up to 8 audio channels, audio return channel, Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) and HDCP (High-bandwith Digital Content Protection).  HDMI was designed to be a consumer connector that is backward compatible with DVI-D, and would allow consumers to connect audio and video with only one cable.   Many people in the commercial integration world complain about HDMI because the connector does not lock, hard to terminate in the field, short cable lengths, the unpredictability of connecting multiple sources to multiple displays or “sinks”, and it does not pass closed caption.  Over time there have been several versions of the HDMI standard.  Unfortunately cable manufacturers are officially prohibited from marketing the cables by HDMI standard and can only be distinguished by the bitrate that they support. Also starting January 1, 2012 manufacturers of devices will not be able to reference the standard but must list the features of the HDMI specification that the product supports.

It is expected that many manufacturers will migrate to DisplayPort instead of HDMI due to cost.  HDMI costs manufacturers $10,000 a year and $.04 per device.  Like HDMI, DisplayPort also carries multiple audio/video streams, Ethernet and HDCP.  However, DisplayPort also supports USB2, “AUX” channel, but does not support CEC channels and is not directly

compatible with DVI.  Apple adopted the standard after creating the Mini DisplayPort connector in late 2008.  HP shipped the first display with DisplayPort in June 2011.

With the retirement of the 20 year old VGA connector, and two viable video standards, what is the best connector for installed installations?  I believe it is a connector that was created by Bell Labs in 1975, the RJ45 connector with Cat 6 cabling. The structured cable approach to cabling a facility is not only the most economical way, but also the most flexible.  Many manufacturers are now producing balums that convert RCA, S-Video, VGA, DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort to the RJ45 cabling standard, travel long distance, then convert back to the original format at the far end. Structured cabling allows customers to change the balum to keep up with the current technology.

I am not ready to abandon the VGA connector altogether, just yet.  I feel that installations in new rooms should look at multiple technologies.  As an AV Engineer, I am very money conscious and always try to give the customer the best solution for the lowest cost.  Unfortunately for customers, this means that I recommend for the next couple of years to install two cable solutions, one analog (VGA) and one digital (HDMI/Displayport).

I would love to hear your opinion.  Please leave your comments on ESCO Communication’s Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/ESCOcomm.

About the author:

Darin Hutson graduated from Indiana State University with a double major in Electronics and Computer Hardware, in December of 1996. He has worked at ESCO Communications for 15+ years as a technician and Engineer.  He holds InfoComm CTS, NICET Audio I, Video Technician II, and Video Designer I and multiple manufacturer certifications.

Thanks to all that contributed to lending a helping hand to our hungry neighbors.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Interestingly enough when you break down any purchase (personal or professional) that you make, it has an intended “return” on the “investment”.  Not all “returns” are monetary.  For example, purchasing the latest high tech gadget for your personal use, may not help you bring in additional income, but can bring you hours of enjoyment…plus make your friends envious.

From a business perspective when looking at purchasing audio/video systems, security systems, nurse call systems, fire alarm systems, etc., there are many factors to consider when evaluating the returns that you can receive on your investment.  Below are some of the potential returns that may be recognized by implementing a system solution or upgrading your current system.

 House of Worship – Audio/Video Systems

• Clear audible message to the listeners
• Improved attendance
• Increased congregation attention
• Enhanced experience for the congregation
• Being able to get the message out to shut-ins

Schools – Audio/Video Systems

• Improved student outcomes
• Increased student attention to the subjects
• Attraction and retention of students
• Elevated teacher job satisfaction
• Monitoring the activity use of the available technology(s)

Commercial/Business – Audio/Video Systems

• Increased sales through enhanced sales methods
• Improved internal communications and collaboration
• Reduced travel costs
• Improved company image by staying current on technology
• Increased employee job satisfaction and moral

 Security/CCTV Systems

• Increased safety and security for employees, patrons, students, etc.
• Heightened deterrence of theft, vandalism, bullying, mischief, etc.
• Potential recovery of stolen items

Nurse Call Systems

• Improved patient experience
• Increased safety for patient and staff
• Higher reimbursements through improved HCAHPS scores
• Improved clinical productivity
• Increased nursing time available for patient bedside care
• Comprehensive event monitoring used for patient documentation and leadership decision making

 Fire Alarm Systems and Inspections

• Increased safety for employees, patrons, students, etc.
• Potential insurance savings through reduced rates
• Minimizing litigation and damages in the event of misfortune through compliance to national, state and local codes

If your goals are to recognize specific “returns”, investing in technology may help you achieve your goals.  In a less than optimal economy, it is easy to pull back and not invest.  Cutting your way to prosperity is a time proven method that is not effective.  There is an old saying that goes “if you keep doing what you are doing…you will keep getting what you are getting”.  If you would like to improve what you are getting, please contact us.  We welcome the opportunity  to partner with you to help you meet your goals in the upcoming year and years to come.

Keith Schuetter

Chief Operating Officer

Keith has been with ESCO Communications since 2006.  He has 25 years of experience with technology systems and construction.  Keith has been involved with designing, developing, estimating and managing system solutions.

It’s the time of year where many of us are spending time with family and friends over the Holidays and reflecting on life and looking ahead to the New Year.

As I reflect over many years of ESCO Communications since our founding in 1963 by my father I can’t help but feel very blessed.  Blessed by the opportunity to join the family business and work my way up the ranks from part time installer to company president and today as the owner and president of ESCO.  I learned a lot from my father about business and values and also my mentors some of them like Mike Lowe are still a vital part of our family/team.

 Our company values of honesty, integrity, teamwork, community involvement, empathy, personal growth, responsiveness, quality, and communication is what makes us who we are and I could not be prouder to be surrounded by so many good people that make us who we are.  It is because of our people, values, and customers that have made ESCO Communications a leader in the marketplace and we will never take that for granted.  We have a culture that continually tries to improve for the betterment of all our constituents.

Our employees have a combined total of over 1000 years of knowledge and experience in pro audio/video solutions, life safety/security/mass notification, healthcare communications and integrations, and educational/classroom technologies .  This knowledge and experience combined with our values and commitment is truly what we believe is what allows us to serve our markets exceptionally well and continue to grow and prosper.

In closing I am very thankful for all our employees, our customers, and the many community organizations we are able to serve and give back to the communities that have blessed my family and extended ESCO family.  Thank you to all our employees and customers and may you all have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Chip Roth

President ESCO Communications

Infrastructure: The ability to deliver multiple forms of signal i.e. data, audio and video onto a Cat5 cable network has really changed the impact on building designs and installation cost factors. Most facilities now install multiple networks of the same Cat5 infrastructure to common closets and then use it to transport almost all forms of their system needs like security (both video and access control), video information display and playback, HVAC and building management, voice and data communication, and many propriety system used in their specific business segment. The next emerging area that has made significant progress is the wireless transport platform. The day is not far away when many systems within a facility will be application delivered over wireless networks thus completely changing the facility infrastructure model even further.

Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Software Driven Technologies: One of the biggest changes in the overall systems business the past decade has been the eminent shift to DSP and software control. The analog world that many of us have known for years has been replaced swiftly with powerful digital processing and software. This single shift has created one of the biggest ROI’s in the technology arena. What a single piece of DSP driven equipment or a server with software control can do has literally replaced a room full of analog hardware. This has also dramatically reduced the investment needed to acquire highly powerful and sophisticated systems and to customize them to a user’s specific needs.

Systems Integration: This is one of the most rapidly changing areas that can represent significant ROI. This ability, through software and hardware, to merge specific functions or data from one propriety system to another to meet a specific need is creating valid benefits for users. It is being achieved because providers of software systems have realized there is value in using forms of open architecture in their software design thus allowing certain data to flow in and out without compromising their unique product offering. Customers actively seek open architecture systems when investing in a solution. To understand what this is doing in the business realm of systems just take one look at the exploding world of Smart devices. These devices, that just a few years ago were simply a wireless phone, through various applications, can now retrieve or send copious amounts of data and information to be customized for a user’s specific interest or need.

Now using real world business models, let’s explore specific ROI’s that technology is providing today.

Education: Classrooms today are full of communication technologies that make the learning environment a stimulation rich experience. Large imagine displays, interactive smart boards, speech enhancement systems and access to worldwide information at the click of a mouse engage students in ways that breakdown the walls of a classroom. Interactive testing technologies provide interfaces to student wireless devices allowing educators to get instant feedback on a student’s progress. This technology gives teachers the information almost instantaneously to decide when and where there is need for further student review and remediation.

Healthcare: Caregivers and doctors alike, with advancing technologies, are better equipped to provide quality care to patients unlike any time previously. Communication technologies link caregivers instantly to their patients regardless of their location within a facility and also to vital real time patient health data, some delivered directly from smart beds and monitoring systems. The ability to push not only data, like medications and health records, but also visual information like X-rays and MRI’s to mobile smart devices linked within a hospital’s wireless network or to a doctor through the “cloud” provides a true ROI in a lifesaving way. Tracking caregivers, patients and valuable medical assets with wireless technologies within a facility creates not only a ROI on material waste but provides improvements in workflow efficiencies.

Facilities Management: As mentioned previously through DSP, software and wireless technologies systems that are the life blood of a facility like life safety, access security, visual surveillance, water pressure, temperature monitoring (freezers, chillers, boilers), audio/visual systems, video conferencing, and HVAC control can be merged to give managers a single point of control access and alert management. System control, condition alert messages, monitoring data and live streaming video of the conditions within their facility can be sent to computers or Smart wireless devices anywhere in the world. The technology ROI here is in loss prevention and power management. Digital archiving of written documents, live audio and video with software management for retrieval has created tremendous improvements in courtrooms, boardrooms (both private and public) and other facilities that need to document proceedings and hearings. The ROI here is obvious in storage space and time saved in information retrieval.

As you can imagine many of the technologies used within various business spaces can overlap and bring benefit and ROI to others. It truly is an exciting time for the advancement of communication technologies and the ROI they are finally bringing to fruition.

By Gary Dunn

Executive Vice President, Strategic Accounts/Business Development