|
|
 |
|
AV Systems
|
 |
|
 |
 |
It's all about image
How to choose your next visual presenter
Dec 8, 2005
|
|
by John W. Owens
|
People who make public presentations for a living understand that speech alone is not always sufficient for capturing the attention of an audience. Any teacher or corporate trainer can tell you the value of "show and tell" in helping others learn more about a subject or procedure. Fortunately, AV technology simplifies this process and helps make efficient use of a presenter's time.
One device that you may be considering to help spice up your presentations is a visual presenter. But how do you which visual presenter (sometimes referred to as a visualizer or document camera) is the right tool for you? What features should you look for in order to make the best choice for your particular application?
Plead Your Case
Certainly many government organizations have incorporated multimedia presentation capabilities into classrooms and conference rooms. If a computer and a data projector are available, it's understandable that upper management may question the need for a visual presenter. However, there are two common scenarios that make visual presenters invaluable.
First, when new information becomes available at the last minute, it may be too cumbersome and time consuming to weave it into a PowerPoint presentation. According to Howard Winch, executive vice president of sales for ELMO, "A visual presenter allows you to share any object that you can view with your eyes to a large group of people instantly, in real time, without any preparation in advance."
So, when a teacher finds a magazine article that applies to an upcoming lesson, he can drop it into a lecture seamlessly. Or maybe a police chief is handed a photo of a fugitive during a typical briefing to his or her officers. The image can be placed onto the visual presenter's base and be shared with the entire room in high resolution.
 |
| Canon's new RE-455X comes with a built-in handle, so it can be easily transported from room to room. |
The second important scenario in which a visual presenter becomes necessary is the presentation of 3-D objects. Mitchell Glick, assistant manager of product marketing for Canon's Video Division, uses the example of presenting specimens in a biology or geology course. A common occurrence is for objects to be held up by a teacher and then distributed to all of the students in the classroom. In the process, objects may be damaged or the teacher may move on to another topic before the items have circulated to every student.
A visual presenter allows the teacher to display the objects to the class in great detail without the risk of physically distributing them. In addition, it allows the presenter to ensure all audience members receive equal exposure to the objects. Whether the object is a dissected frog, a new bearing design, or a handgun component, a visual presenter may be the only way to clearly display it to a large gathering at once.
Focus On Features
If you've made your case to purchase a visual presenter, how do you decide which product is right for you? It all starts with a careful examination of your particular application.
First, identify your output device. In other words, are your images being distributed through a digital projector or a standard television monitor? It makes sense to match the resolution of the visual presenter's camera to the maximum output resolution of your display equipment. "If you're going to put information out to a 1024x768 projector, then you won't need anything higher than a 1024x768 document camera," offered John Nesbitt, vice president of sales for Samsung.
In addition, the selection of an analog or digital visual presenter depends on the type of items being displayed. "If it's a teacher in an art class who wants to be able to present artwork, an analog unit will work just fine," said Winch.
However, if you are going to display text at any time, it pays to invest in a digital model. Text appears fuzzy when an analog camera reveals a complete letter-sized page. It becomes necessary to zoom in on particular paragraphs to make words decipherable. However, a digital camera with 1024x768 resolution will reproduce the entire page clearly to the audience.
If the capture of fine detail and high-resolution live motion are important for your application, then it might be wise to consider a 3-CCD digital camera. Wolfvision, for example, offers three-chip cameras in its professional series and portable models that capture live motion at 30 frames per second.
Another important factor to consider when assessing your application is the need for portability. Your organization may not be able to afford purchasing a device for every classroom, so a visual presenter will have to transport easily. All of the major manufacturers offer machines that offer heavyweight features in lightweight packages.
ELMO, for example, offers the model HV-110XG that weighs 3.3 pounds and can easily be folded to fit in a briefcase. Even though it's tiny, it offers XGA capture and output, as well as 20 fps images.
Samsung's SDP-850 digital visual presenter weighs in at 12 pounds, offers 14x optical zoom, and auto-focus. Wolfvision's portable VZ-9 weighs 16 pounds, while Canon's new RE-455X comes with a built-in handle, so it can go from room to room.
Andrea Mayer of Wolfvision said that you should consider the size of the unit, even if it will permanently reside in one room. "If you have a compact, easy to move camera for setup or tear down, it's also less complicated when building it into a podium," she added.
The technical competence of the user is another important consideration. Are the users experienced with this technology and able to utilize advanced features? Are the presenters more casual users where ease of use supersedes cutting-edge functionality?
Canon's Mitchell Glick said the RE-455X offers several features that make the device very user friendly. For example, it can be placed in auto mode so that focus, color, and exposure are automatically adjusted. In addition, the user can select a zoom-preset function that will instantly zoom the camera to cover a letter-sized document.
Technology Trends
It's important to note that visual presenter manufacturers are regularly adding new features that are certainly worth your consideration. For example, image storage and transfer capabilities have improved over the past few years, and are making the devices much more of a production tool rather than just a display instrument.
Depending on the model, images can be stored within the visual presenter's internal memory, saved on a flash memory card (using a built-in slot), or output through a USB 2.0 connection to a PC. In fact, today's visual presenters are also used as high efficiency 3-D scanners. "Having the ability for the visualizer to save images quickly is certainly a big plus," said Mayer.
The addition of USB 2.0 connections allow visual presenters to easily transfer full-motion video as well. Winch said, "If you were trying to illustrate to a group of soldiers how to disassemble a sidearm you could record it at 20 frames per second, download it to your PC, and use our Imagemate software for movie creation and download back to the document camera and carry it to your presentation." That's one reason that ELMO's nickname for their P-30 is "The Producer."
The capabilities of some Samsung visual presenters are also enhanced by computer connectivity. "If someone is using an electronic whiteboard," Nesbitt explained, "we can load our software on that computer and we can take information straight from the document camera to the whiteboard." Some new models even allow the presenter to annotate on top of an image with the help of internal software and a supplied remote control.
Another recent trend has been the development of ceiling-mounted visualizers. Offered by both ELMO and Wolfvision, these units allow for a clear desktop and make for a much more aesthetically pleasing option. From a practical standpoint, a ceiling-mounted visual presenter has the capability of capturing a much larger image than a standard model, which makes it a favorite of local governments who often must display blueprints of upcoming construction projects.
Finally, every organization must consider its budget in the selection of a visual presenter. Prices can range from around $700 to more than $20,000, so a thorough evaluation of your specific needs will be enormously important in making an appropriate choice. All of our experts agree that it would be unwise to save money by selecting inferior optics. Pay for a good image and save money, if necessary, by eliminated advanced features that you may only occasionally use.
MORE INFO
Canon www.usa.canon.com
ELMO www.elmousa.com
Samsung www.samsungpresenter.com
Wolfvision www.wolfvision.com
|
ADT Security Systems - Official Site - Video Monitors
ADT Security Systems offers a variety of Video Monitors along with a broad range of security products. Visit us online & get a Free Risk Assessment! Audio Visual Equipment Rentals: $49 Delivery Anywhere
Daily/Weekly Rentals. Nationwide Service. Low Prices! Projectors, Screens, PA Systems, Laptops, Plasmas, Camcorders & More. Order Online or by Phone. Buy Audio Video Cables Here - Get It Fast, We Ship Today
Huge selection of AV cables: Component, Composite, S-Video, HDMI, Subwoofer, Toslink, S/PDIF, Coaxial, Speaker Wire, 3.5mm, BNC, RCA, XLR, and more!
|
|
|
Government Video is part of the NewBay Media Community
copyright 2007© NewBay Media LLC.
810 Seventh Avenue, 27th Floor New York, NY 10019 T (212)378-0400 F (212)378-2160
|
|
|
