University Business - February 2007 - (Page 56)

Warning : session_start : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : session_start : Cannot send session cache limiter - headers already sent output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 10 The P i c t u r e ’s T h e Picture’s Co m i n g Coming into VIEW VIEW down in endless committee debates. “Our job is to introduce the committees to new technologies, [find] problems and enhancements, and get feedback.” Smitherman concedes that committees can “overwhelm you with opinions.” In order to avoid that fate, he makes sure A/V procurement discussions are focused on three key points: 1 Does the technology meet a basic criteria? 2 Does the technology provide enhancements over what the university currently uses? 3 Would the technology have broad appeal to a large number of users? A/V equipment that meets those three criteria earns the right for further evaluation. Five Trends Worth Noting 1. LCD vs. plasma: LCD flat-panel displays increasingly outsell their plasma display counterparts because of an abundance of LCD manufacturers. 2. 63 inches: This is the key cut-off point between a flat-panel display and a projection system. Generally speaking, flat-panel displays between 45 to 60 inches are less expensive than their projection counterparts. Once you reach 63 inches or above, projection systems remain the better value. 3. Networked A/V: Classroom content increasingly lives on digital media servers managed by central IT, rather than on local classroom PCs. 4. PCs discover A/V: Notebooks and laptop computers increasingly include built-in IP cameras, paving the way for students to access “smart classrooms” from any physical location. 5. Simple whiteboards: Stick with user interfaces that offer big icons and easy-to-understand menu choices. And keep to a single approach across all classrooms. This will minimize training and retraining. Sources: HB Communications, Technitect Think Broadly During long-term planning, higher ed leaders should remember that A/V equipment is pushing outside of the classroom. It’s increasingly popular for applications like campus security. Loyola University Chicago, for instance, recently standardized on IQeye IP cameras from IQinVision. Officials chose the IQeye cameras after hosting a “bake-off” referred to as shootouts by some between 15 leading IP camera models. Gompers, an IT consulting firm, helped organize and set up parameters for the bake-off. The university also leveraged a selection committee to evaluate image quality and cost of performance, notes Frank Dale, Loyola’s manager of electronic security. The new cameras replace analog closed-circuit TV cameras that lacked high-resolution capabilities. They’re deployed both inside and outside Loyola’s Lake Shore campus buildings, covering exits/entrances, lobbies, parking areas, and other key areas. The installations create a perimeter of the campus, so security has views up and down the public throughways, according to a university spokesman. All camera views are routed to a central server, via NVR software from Milestone Systems. Camera views can also be sent to satellite monitoring stations, based on staffing levels during particular days and times. Ultimately, many institutions expect more and more A/V equipment to come bundled with laptops and mobile computers. Already, Apple Computer and other notebook makers design systems with built-in cameras. “We hope to reach a point where the entire country is covered with WiFi broadband access,” says Ball State’s Smitherman. “When that day comes, all of those A/V-enabled laptops will make procurement that much easier.” Joseph C. Panettieri, VP of editorial content at Microcast Communications, can be reached at joe_pan5@yahoo.com. He has covered Silicon Valley and higher education since 1992. 56 | February 2007 The Case for Rich Video WHY ARE HIGHER ED INSTITUTIONS SPENDING SO HEAVILY ON PLASMA DISplays, LCD projectors, multimedia servers, and other pricey deployments in the IT area? The answer comes down to simple math. “The typical person can process 200 words per minute,” says H. O’Neal Smitherman, vice president of Information Technology at Ball State University. “But visually, we have lots of extra data-streaming capacity. We can see, perceive, and analyze 150 fields per second. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then video is worth about 8 million words per minute.” That’s why Ball State is deploying high-end videoconferencing systems, and increasingly testing low-cost video cameras and web conferencing software. Some of the cameras, available in major retail outlets, cost as little as $50 each. “We’ve got to make the connection for students easy so there’s no specialized software or specific camera skills that they need,” says Smitherman. Ball State administrators are striving to determine if the cameras— which work in conjunction with Adobe Systems’ Acrobat Connect Professional formerly Macromedia Breeze and Sonic Foundry’s MediaSite—can scale to support highly distributed videoconferencing networks. “I should be able to open a laptop in Starbucks and attend a class from that location,” says Smitherman. “Or if I happen to be in McDonald’s during my professor’s office hours, I should be able to videoconference with him.” Resources Blackboard, www.blackboard.com HB Communications, www.hbcommunications.com IQinVision, www.iqeye.com Milestone Systems, www.milestonesys.com PolyVision, www.polyvision.com Revenue Accelerators, www.revenueaccelerators.com Techintect, www.technitect.com universitybusiness.com AV.indd 56 1/22/07 10:28:51 AM Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in Unknown on line 0 Warning : Unknown : Failed to write session data files . Please verify that the current setting of session.save_path is correct /var/lib/php/session in Unknown on line 0 http://www.blackboard.com http://www.hbcommunications.com http://www.iqeye.com http://www.milestonesys.com http://www.polyvision.com http://www.revenueaccelerators.com http://www.technitect.com http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - February 2007

Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Stats Watch
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Admissions
On The Hill
Future Shock
Facilities Focus
Independent Outlook
Flu Pandemic Prep
Advancing the Brand
The Picture’s Getting Clearer
Groundbreaking Ideas
Gotta Get a Message to You
Internet Technology
What's New
calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - February 2007