Product Review: Samsung 650ts

I was so excited to use the latest innovation in touch screen technology at the ACR Show at McCormick Place a couple weeks ago! The Samsung 650ts is a 65” touch screen that uses inferred sensors to follow your finger or pointer. When connected to a PC or Mac it acts as a mouse.

Out of the box, the monitor is controllable in only landscape orientation. The monitor can mimic the image of a laptop or desktop through the VGA, DVI or HDMI ports. With a USB cable attached to the computer and monitor, you are ready to go - no drivers needed.

With the help of the driver manufacturer, next window touch+2.9 USB driver utility, we were able to flip the monitor image using Windows 7 and recalibrate the touch capability with the downloaded driver. This action allowed us to hang the monitor in portrait mode to create what you see in the image to the left.

Having the flexibility to rotate the screen will give you more options on your next meeting or trade show. Call 815-469-1422 for your chance to use the Samsung 650ts on your next show.

WAV travels to "The Big Easy" with a new piece of equipment.

WAV Project Manager, Dave Ruke, set up and ran the Bankers Life and Casualty meeting at Harrah's Hotel and Casino in New Orleans.

Dave had fun using the new Soundcraft Si Compact 24 Channel Digital Audio Mixer. "This new mixer really helped me reduce set-up time, and I didn't need to use as much production table space," said Dave about the new equipment, "the mixer also has all the processing tools inside the mixer that are normally placed in separate rack cases, so it eliminates all the outside cable connects and space required for the extra processors."

Other time saving features of this new mixer that Dave likes includes memory storage in the mixer that can save and recall previous show set-ups, saving time on site programming and adjusting. Show presets can also be saved to a USB drive as well as be set-up on a laptop computer ahead of time and loaded to the console on site with the USB memory stick.

The business meeting used the new digital mixer, 6 Shure UHF-R wireless mic. systems, DVD playback, Digital sound FX boxes, and PC audio for occasional music. Video presentation was a 6K video/data projector to a rear-screen 9' x 12' image. He used 2 Power Point PC computers and 2 DVD players, and an ELMO Video Overhead device. Video switching was handled by a FSR Presentation-Pro 8 input switcher. The FSR was also used to store a logo for the meeting. Sound was 2 MacPhearson Monolith speakers on top of 2 Mackie Fusion 1800, self-powered subwoofers. The Monoliths were powered by Crown Xti-4000 amplifiers with built-in DSP to Bi-amp the Monoliths.

Warner AV Mixes with the Animals

Summer may be almost over, but it's never too late to talk about the Animal Crackers 2011 concert series at the Racine Zoo in Wisconsin.

Project Manager Dave Ruke had fun mixing the bands Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Rippingtons, Joey DeFracesco Trio and Special FX.

Warner AV supplied all the sound, back line gear and lighting for all of the concerts. For sound, Dave used a new Avid Digi/Design Venue SC-48 digital audio console. A Yamaha M7cl digital audio console was used for stage monitors. Electro-Voice DML series with Crown amplification and BSS Omnidrive DSP management were used for house speakers.

Overall, the bands didn't have to worry about their sound with our production, and many audience members said it was the best Animal Cracker series they had been to in years!