What we’re up to:  Thorburn Associates will be at the Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA) conference in Galveston, TX, September 18 to 20.  October will find us at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) South Atlantic Regional Conference & Expo in Chattanooga, TN - the 4th through the 8th.  The conference highlights Design Fitness.  Then we go to Nashville, TN, for the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) Conference (booth 728), October 18 to 20.  Join us!

3M began the technological research for Vikuiti (Vie cue ah tee) in the 1930’s with the “Glass Beads Project” which was essentially tape with reflective glass.  The tape was intended to delineate street lanes, increasing visibility at night when headlights would reflect off the tape.  The tape, however, did not stick to the road and the project was almost canned if not for the idea of using the tape on street signs. 

During World War II the tape was used to mark troop and supply truck routes.  The original glass bead concept gave way in the 80’s to Diamond Grade Sheeting, many times brighter than the previous technology.

The year 2000 heralded the emergence of Vikuiti Display Enhancement Films in products such as cell phones, laptops and LCD TV’s.  Vikuiti, a hybrid of the words, “visual acuity”, brightens the picture by focusing the projected light into one tiny point.  Vikuiti films have hundreds of reflective layers in a sheet no thicker than a piece of paper.  The screen can be cut using a circular or jigsaw to fit any shape you need.  The lightweight screen can easily be hung or floor mounted, framed or suspended from wires.  The product is quite durable and resists scratches.

The denotation behind someone’s name, for instance, Eric Cronwall, CTS-D, means that person has successfully completed specialized training; i.e., Certified Technology Specialist in Design.  Similarly, training occurs in the areas of installation, rental products and sales.  So, if you’ve always wondered what those letters meant after the names, now you know.

AV professional organizations that have earned the CAVSP seal have a certain percentage of employees with CTS, CTS-D, CTS-R, CTS-S or CTS-I certification.  Companies can achieve Basic, Silver or Gold CAVSP levels.  Thorburn Associates was the first consulting firm to receive Gold Certification! 

Companies are approved for one year then must renew to maintain the certification designation.

The City of Galt’s Police Department facility is newly constructed, but the building was actually in use for over a year before Thorburn Associates began work.  The retrofitting process required the audiovisual cabling, power and networking to be installed with concrete cutting equipment.

Thorburn also augmented the existing television system by designing eight channels of satellite receivers, enabling any TV position to tune in the major news or weather stations from DirecTV. 

The facility also serves as an EOC, or Emergency Operations Center.  EOC’s are locations where cities and counties can coordinate rescue and information services from a central base.

EOC’s help save lives when a catastrophic event overwhelms the normal day-to-day functions of the first responders.  When activated, the management team coordinates the situation using all available resources.  Immediate communication is key.  Equipped with telephone, cellular, two-way radio, computers and map displays, the EOC optimizes response and recovery actions with all emergency departments.

An EOC serves as an efficient facility for training, meetings and instruction; however, each person holds a stake in emergency preparedness by learning what to do when a disaster occurs.  Each family should be prepared to care for themselves for seventy-two hours following a major disaster when essential services may not be available.

• Hold a family meeting to talk about natural disasters that most likely occur in your area.  Talk to your children about why what you’re doing is important.  Each family member can be a part of the liparations. 
• Determine escape routes and a meeting area outside the house.  Practice your plan.
• Collect disaster supply kits for each member of the family.
• Take first aid and CPR classes.

Media Star Evolution uses MPEG-2 (DVD quality) and/or MPEG-4 encoding for the best possible quality based on network bandwidth.  Capable of dual streams, the MediaStar Evolution allows for simultaneous high bit rate streams to large displays or low bit rate streams to computers.

Video over IP systems are adopted by businesses for corporate communications—to distribute presentations throughout a building, across a campus or to different locations worldwide.  The systems can also be used for signal distribution for digital signage.