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To HD or not to HD
So the boss says she wants a full-blown HD, movie-style
experience for the upcoming National Sales Meeting - just like that mega-plasma
in her livingroom.
And you ask: Can she have it? Does she really want it? Is there another way that makes more cents?
The answer is: yes. To everything.
Yes, massAV can deliver full HD on a theater-sized scale that will dazzle and amaze even James Cameron. But, yes, it's costly. It's probably not necessary. And, yes, there is another way.
First a word about HD. High-Definition image quality is incredibly sharp and clear BUT producing an event with a true 100% HD stream is not yet common or cost effective. The fact is, most on-screen content - like video and PowerPoint - is created in a standard 4:3 (TV-screen) aspect ratio. So, unless everything is created in HD, there's no point in projecting it that way.
Drat you say, "I want that BIG, CRISP, BRIGHT look I get on my huge home plasma TV!"
We say, 'yes' to that too. Because, with massAV, you CAN have a stunning, widescreen experience (16:9 format) with huge, brilliant, high-resolution images.
And you can have it for less. Similar bang. Smaller buck.
Of course, HD and widescreen are definitely not the same...and someday soon, when all on-screen content is created in HD, it will be worth it to go full-HD all the time.
These days, with so little native HD content, massAV can still deliver that big-screen wow-factor without breaking the bank. And, given the nature of projection, it's a longshot that any audience member will notice the difference.
Our high-res widescreen experience is created with multiple HD native projectors that blend together and playback your content with extraordinary resolution - delivering that widescreen look your boss is demanding.
Best of all, if your opening video is widescreen, we'll fill the entire 16:9 projection surface with it and blow your audience away. But...if you have 'normal' 4:3 PowerPoint and other videos, we'll create a gorgeous widescreen background then 'drop-in' your content with picture-in-picture.
Same big screen experience. Same high-resolution images. But not the same budget-busting price of going full-HD for no practical reason.
How big are these screens? Name your size and we'll make it happen. Our widescreen solutions run the gamut from arrays of 50" monitors to wall-sized screens that are 15 feet tall and 45 feet long - and bigger. These screens also perform double duty - acting both as your main presentation surface and as a stunning scenic backdrop that you can change at will to transform the look and feel of the entire space.
When most people - like the big boss lady - say "HD", they're most often describing that widescreen format and crisp, colorful images. With massAV's innovative high-resolution, blended-screen solution, you can say 'yes' to that request and still say 'no' to increased costs.
At massAV, we're all about delivering exactly what you (and your boss) want. And we have a full spectrum of flexible solutions to create just the right system for your needs at a great price.
That's what being your production 'partner' is all about.
And you ask: Can she have it? Does she really want it? Is there another way that makes more cents?
The answer is: yes. To everything.
Yes, massAV can deliver full HD on a theater-sized scale that will dazzle and amaze even James Cameron. But, yes, it's costly. It's probably not necessary. And, yes, there is another way.
First a word about HD. High-Definition image quality is incredibly sharp and clear BUT producing an event with a true 100% HD stream is not yet common or cost effective. The fact is, most on-screen content - like video and PowerPoint - is created in a standard 4:3 (TV-screen) aspect ratio. So, unless everything is created in HD, there's no point in projecting it that way.
Drat you say, "I want that BIG, CRISP, BRIGHT look I get on my huge home plasma TV!"
We say, 'yes' to that too. Because, with massAV, you CAN have a stunning, widescreen experience (16:9 format) with huge, brilliant, high-resolution images.
And you can have it for less. Similar bang. Smaller buck.
Of course, HD and widescreen are definitely not the same...and someday soon, when all on-screen content is created in HD, it will be worth it to go full-HD all the time.
These days, with so little native HD content, massAV can still deliver that big-screen wow-factor without breaking the bank. And, given the nature of projection, it's a longshot that any audience member will notice the difference.
Our high-res widescreen experience is created with multiple HD native projectors that blend together and playback your content with extraordinary resolution - delivering that widescreen look your boss is demanding.
Best of all, if your opening video is widescreen, we'll fill the entire 16:9 projection surface with it and blow your audience away. But...if you have 'normal' 4:3 PowerPoint and other videos, we'll create a gorgeous widescreen background then 'drop-in' your content with picture-in-picture.
Same big screen experience. Same high-resolution images. But not the same budget-busting price of going full-HD for no practical reason.
How big are these screens? Name your size and we'll make it happen. Our widescreen solutions run the gamut from arrays of 50" monitors to wall-sized screens that are 15 feet tall and 45 feet long - and bigger. These screens also perform double duty - acting both as your main presentation surface and as a stunning scenic backdrop that you can change at will to transform the look and feel of the entire space.
When most people - like the big boss lady - say "HD", they're most often describing that widescreen format and crisp, colorful images. With massAV's innovative high-resolution, blended-screen solution, you can say 'yes' to that request and still say 'no' to increased costs.
At massAV, we're all about delivering exactly what you (and your boss) want. And we have a full spectrum of flexible solutions to create just the right system for your needs at a great price.
That's what being your production 'partner' is all about.
Good to Go - massAV is Mobile
Crew who know you and
your event. Equipment you can
count on. A production partner you
can trust. Wish you could get that
'massAV peace-of-mind' everywhere your events go? You can.
In fact, massAV's staff has produced great events in 48 states and 22 countries over the last 35 years. That means our great people and their extensive experience are good to go wherever your meetings, programs, tradeshows and events take you.
VL Creative's Fred Sherman knows all about it. "We had two major shows going off simultaneously in two different Florida cities. Big screens. Big crews. High stakes for us and our clients. We tapped massAV as our staging partner for both jobs. Together, we delivered excellent shows with bulletproof technical across the board and both clients were thrilled."
So much for the notion that massAV is strictly regional.
"The fact is, we can deliver any show or meeting on any scale absolutely anywhere," says Account Executive, Blair Howell. "We trucked our own gear to Florida for VL. But we also have strategic partners in key cities so, no matter where you go, that massAV peace of mind goes with you."
The next time your show takes you on the road, turn to massAV to eliminate the risk of ineffective gear and unfamiliar crews while we hunt down ways to save you money and add value to your most important events.
Flexibility. Scalability. Remote-ability. They're all part of the package when you partner with massAV to produce a flawless meeting, gala or event.
Beyond gear and guys, every engagement comes with our great service, attention to detail and ability to scale to fit your needs - from the smallest meeting to the biggest general session.
You'll know you made the right call when you have that "massAV peace of mind" everywhere you go.
In fact, massAV's staff has produced great events in 48 states and 22 countries over the last 35 years. That means our great people and their extensive experience are good to go wherever your meetings, programs, tradeshows and events take you.
VL Creative's Fred Sherman knows all about it. "We had two major shows going off simultaneously in two different Florida cities. Big screens. Big crews. High stakes for us and our clients. We tapped massAV as our staging partner for both jobs. Together, we delivered excellent shows with bulletproof technical across the board and both clients were thrilled."
So much for the notion that massAV is strictly regional.
"The fact is, we can deliver any show or meeting on any scale absolutely anywhere," says Account Executive, Blair Howell. "We trucked our own gear to Florida for VL. But we also have strategic partners in key cities so, no matter where you go, that massAV peace of mind goes with you."
The next time your show takes you on the road, turn to massAV to eliminate the risk of ineffective gear and unfamiliar crews while we hunt down ways to save you money and add value to your most important events.
Flexibility. Scalability. Remote-ability. They're all part of the package when you partner with massAV to produce a flawless meeting, gala or event.
Beyond gear and guys, every engagement comes with our great service, attention to detail and ability to scale to fit your needs - from the smallest meeting to the biggest general session.
You'll know you made the right call when you have that "massAV peace of mind" everywhere you go.
Event Spotlight: Akamai Goes Big
"All of the massAV staff on site were very helpful, thorough and attentive. Everything worked out flawlessly and
couldn't have been better," says Akamai's
Senior Corporate Marketing Manager, Maura
Sutherland, "I would definitely recommend massAV because they have in depth
technical expertise and they're very attentive to the customer's needs."
That's high praise from a client who ought to know. Akamai recently engaged massAV to provide technical support for their Customer Conference at Boston's Renaissance Waterfront. And this was no small install - Akamai is a high-tech company intent on dazzling their attendees with the scope of their cutting-edge web traffic management solutions.
As pioneers in bringing HD video to the web, Akamai knows high definition. So when they requested full HD playback capabilities and an awesome big-screen experience, the massAV production team leapt into action.
The solution? Two huge 16x9 screens blended seamlessly together with an array of HD native 1920 projectors driven by HD-Playback Pro for fully digital playback capabilities.
The result? A high-res hit that wowed Akamai's knowledgeable audience.
"massAV made it possible for us to show our content the way we wanted to," Sutherland said. "Our customers were able to see the depth and breadth of our service offerings. They need to have confidence that Akamai has a full handle on everything that 's going on over the internet."
Akamai's Customer Conference also featured a hands-on Network Operations Command Center where guests could see Akamai solutions in action. massAV was there too - delivering a seamless HD plasma wall sourced by over 16 computers and routed so that any source could display in any configuration on the 16 monitors at any time.
This complex solution replicated their true Network Operations Command Center and featured a custom touchscreen interface allowing presenters to bring any configuration on screen with a single touch. As an extra bonus, the massAV tech-team even created a custom i-phone app so this 16-source system could be controlled remotely.
"It took a lot of planning and execution for massAV to handle all of the technical demands we were putting on them," adds Sutherland. "They were up to the challenge every time. We were able to do on-the-board demos with on demand content coming up from 16 different sources at once. And we didn't have any technical issues at all."
With such broad technical capabilities - and production flexibility - Akamai didn't hesitate to select massAV for its Investors Meeting a month later. Never ones to rest on their laurels, the massAV team took the blended screen effect to the next level with THREE 16x9 format screens blended to form one massive high-res projection surface.
"We use the Vista Spyder matrix switcher for almost unlimited versatility to what we can display on-screen," says massAV Technical Director Steve Hubbard. "We can deliver everything from one gigantic, high-resolution screen to Picture-in-Picture with a single command."
Akamai also tapped-into massAV's creative horsepower to create a high resolution dynamic background for all presentations and transitions plus walk-in and walk out.
"Using animation - and leveraging Akamai's existing creative assets - we brought their event brand to life for their Investor Day attendees," said massAV's Creative Director Steve Santomenna. "We worked with them to make their vision happen and ensure they achieved the look they wanted."
By teaming with massAV, Akamai found the high-impact, high-res experiences they wanted...and more.
"Everyone was very pleased with the on-site presentation and massAV had a lot to do with that," adds Akamai's Sutherland, "They gave us peace of mind so we could focus on the content and leave the technical stuff to the experts."
To prove their satisfaction, Akamai recently signed massAV to recreate the real-time 16-source Network Operations Command Center for their booth at this year's NAB.
That's high praise from a client who ought to know. Akamai recently engaged massAV to provide technical support for their Customer Conference at Boston's Renaissance Waterfront. And this was no small install - Akamai is a high-tech company intent on dazzling their attendees with the scope of their cutting-edge web traffic management solutions.
As pioneers in bringing HD video to the web, Akamai knows high definition. So when they requested full HD playback capabilities and an awesome big-screen experience, the massAV production team leapt into action.
The solution? Two huge 16x9 screens blended seamlessly together with an array of HD native 1920 projectors driven by HD-Playback Pro for fully digital playback capabilities.
The result? A high-res hit that wowed Akamai's knowledgeable audience.
"massAV made it possible for us to show our content the way we wanted to," Sutherland said. "Our customers were able to see the depth and breadth of our service offerings. They need to have confidence that Akamai has a full handle on everything that 's going on over the internet."
Akamai's Customer Conference also featured a hands-on Network Operations Command Center where guests could see Akamai solutions in action. massAV was there too - delivering a seamless HD plasma wall sourced by over 16 computers and routed so that any source could display in any configuration on the 16 monitors at any time.
This complex solution replicated their true Network Operations Command Center and featured a custom touchscreen interface allowing presenters to bring any configuration on screen with a single touch. As an extra bonus, the massAV tech-team even created a custom i-phone app so this 16-source system could be controlled remotely.
"It took a lot of planning and execution for massAV to handle all of the technical demands we were putting on them," adds Sutherland. "They were up to the challenge every time. We were able to do on-the-board demos with on demand content coming up from 16 different sources at once. And we didn't have any technical issues at all."
With such broad technical capabilities - and production flexibility - Akamai didn't hesitate to select massAV for its Investors Meeting a month later. Never ones to rest on their laurels, the massAV team took the blended screen effect to the next level with THREE 16x9 format screens blended to form one massive high-res projection surface.
"We use the Vista Spyder matrix switcher for almost unlimited versatility to what we can display on-screen," says massAV Technical Director Steve Hubbard. "We can deliver everything from one gigantic, high-resolution screen to Picture-in-Picture with a single command."
Akamai also tapped-into massAV's creative horsepower to create a high resolution dynamic background for all presentations and transitions plus walk-in and walk out.
"Using animation - and leveraging Akamai's existing creative assets - we brought their event brand to life for their Investor Day attendees," said massAV's Creative Director Steve Santomenna. "We worked with them to make their vision happen and ensure they achieved the look they wanted."
By teaming with massAV, Akamai found the high-impact, high-res experiences they wanted...and more.
"Everyone was very pleased with the on-site presentation and massAV had a lot to do with that," adds Akamai's Sutherland, "They gave us peace of mind so we could focus on the content and leave the technical stuff to the experts."
To prove their satisfaction, Akamai recently signed massAV to recreate the real-time 16-source Network Operations Command Center for their booth at this year's NAB.
The NEW massAV Blog!
During a show it is common for the director or stage manager to
take notes during a production. These notes may be given to a performer or
technician individually, but when there are overall items that affect everyone
- a "Notes Call" is scheduled, usually after a rehearsal or show. It is
mandatory, and everyone is brought together to discuss the good and the bad to
make the show more on-message and better for the audience. At MassAV this what
we do... "help our clients have a great show and look for ways to make it better
year after year"

