In our last issue we covered the differences between projectors and monitors and looked at the advantages and disadvantages of current technology including analog verses digital technology.  In this issue we will look at the features of brightness, resolution, and size.

The brightness of the display is measures in ANSI lumens.  It is very important that the projection system be matched to the projection environment.  If the room lights will be off, then you can get by with less brightness.  If the room lights are on you will need more brightness.  So how bright is bright?  As a rule of thumb, if the room lights will be on, 600 lumens is not bright enough and 2000 lumens is probably ok.

What about resolution?  The actual size of the individual picture elements (pixels) determined the resolution.  The size of the pixel is determined by the number of horizontal rows times the number of vertical lines.  The higher these numbers, the smaller each pixel, thus the better the resolution.  Following are common resolutions and the corresponding pixels:

            VGA = 640 x 480 pixels
            SVGA = 800 x 600 pixels
            XVGA = 1024 x 768 pixels
            SXGA = 1280 x 1024 pixels
            UXGA = 1600 x 1200 pixels

The final consideration is Size.  Projectors come in three main categories:

• Ultra portables, which weigh 4 to 8 pounds, provide 500 to 1000 ANSI lumens and VGA ad XVGA resolution, and cost between $2,500 and $6,000.
• Desktops, which weigh 10 to 20 pounds, provide 600 to 1300 ANSI lumens and VGA to SXGA resolution, and cost between $2,000 and $14,000.
• System integration/large venue projectors, which can weigh up to 50 pounds, provide 2,500 to 5,000 ANSI lumens and video to super high resolution, and cost between $5,000 and $100,000.

Earn AIA Continuing Education Learning Units while increasing your knowledge in a two day seminar.

Day 1 will include:
Fundamentals of Acoustics: Theory and Hands-On Application,  a workshop devoted to clarifying terminology and defining terms readily used for the description of acoustics within a room. 

Day 2 will include:
Presentation Facility Design and Integration Considerations outlining major issues to be considered in the design and integration of a new Presentation Facility.

Acoustics for Presentation Facilities: A Primer On Sound will describe the concepts of acoustics in a very basic way.

Look for detailed information and class registration on our website, www.TA-Inc.com, after January 3rd, 2000.

Currently scheduled dates and locations are:

March 10 - 11                Phoenix
April 14 – 15                  Chicago
June 23 – 24                  Orlando
July 21 – 22                   Seattle
October 6 – 7                 Denver
November 3 – 4             Dallas
 

Thorburn Associates is pleased to announce it is the first design consultant firm to become an ICIA Certified Member Company.  This certification reinforces our commitment to our clients, the depth of our technical staff and our commitment to stay on the leading edge of audio, video, and control technology.

Over 70% of TA’s design staff are CTS certified with 50% having advanced certificates in Design and Installation.  “It’s our commitment to continuing education that helps Thorburn Associates stay an industry leader,” notes Ms. Lisa Thorburn, President of Thorburn Associates.  “We encourage our designers to gain as much industry knowledge as possible.   This ensures that our clients are getting the best designs to meet their needs, nowa dn in the future.” 

As you may have noticed, we have added a new office in Raleigh-Durham, and increased our services and staff from our Burbank office.  Jim Horn in North Carolina has been taking care of many of our East Coast clients for nearly a year now.  Jonne Rodarte in our Southern California office is working with many of our themed entertainment clients.  We are pleased to have these fine professionals, each veterans in their fields, heading up these regional offices.