4th Annual List Recognizes Products that Raised the Bar for Technical Excellence In 2012

Belkin, a trusted leader of customer-driven computing solutions for office, IT infrastructure and mobile environments, announced today that its Advanced Secure DVI-I KVM switch has received a 2012 Product of the Year award from CRN in the Security category. Products on this 4th annual list were selected based on their ability to offer technological innovation, opportunity, and profitability to solution providers over the 2012 calendar year.

CRN’s distinguished “Products of the Year� list recognizes the most impressive new products of 2012. To determine this year’s list, CRN editors collaborated with the CRN Test Center to evaluate the latest products to enter the market. Judges reviewed hundreds of innovative new products and pared the list down to those products that that added significant value to the end user community while making an immediate impact on the solution provider community. This year’s list featured solutions across all technologies including CPU, Server, Laptop, Desktop, Retail Appliance, Virtualization, Data Center, Smartphone and Tablet.

Belkin’s Secure DVI-I KVM switch enables secure data access for government agencies that require users to switch between networks. One of the only KVM switches on the market that meets NIAP’s EAL 2+ Common Criteria certification, the solution suite is also the first of its kind to utilize optical data diode technology to prevent peripheral vulnerabilities, further supporting the government’s cyber security initiatives.

“Choosing a vendor partner can be challenging for today’s IT solution providers,� said Kelley Damore, vice president and editorial director for UBM Channel. “They want to be sure they’re offering the best products possible to their customers before forming any major partnerships. This year’s Products of the Year list helps our audience filter through all the new products flooding the market and focus on new the best of the best technologies that offer new and exciting opportunities. We congratulate this year’s winners and applaud them for their positive contribution the IT industry.�

“We are honored to receive CRN’s Product of the Year award,” said Luis Artiz, director of product management, Belkin. “We strive to deliver innovative, quality products to our valued reseller partners. Belkin’s Secure DVI-I KVM switch was designed for government agencies with the highest security standards. This award is a testament to Belkin’s industry-driven approach to development our partners rely on to meet their customers’ technology requirements.”

About Belkin Business

Belkin Business, a division of Belkin International, offers commercial computing solutions for office, IT infrastructure, and mobile environments. A proven technology leader for more than 25 years, organizations worldwide trust Belkin for its unwavering commitment to product quality, and expertise in creating solutions designed to address customer requirements in business, government and education. With a global supply chain and broad provider network, Belkin commands a purchasing power that delivers greater value and unparalleled execution advantages to customers. The company’s line of commercial products are available through Belkin’s global network of distributors and resellers. Headquartered in Playa Vista, California, the company is represented in more than 25 countries and can be found on the Web at http://www.Belkin.com.

About UBM Channel: (www.ubmchannel.com)

UBM Channel is the premier provider of IT channel-focused events, media, research, consulting, and sales and marketing services. With over 30 years of experience and engagement, UBM Channel has the unmatched channel expertise to execute integrated solutions for technology executives managing partner recruitment, enablement and go-to-market strategy in order to accelerate technology sales. UBM Channel is a UBM company. To learn more about UBM Channel, visit us at www.ubmchannel.com.

UBM plc (www.ubm.com)

UBM plc is a leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world’s buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,000 staff in more than 30 countries is organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to www.ubm.com

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COOL OVERHEAD RACK ENCLOSURES OFFER SOLUTIONS FOR CLASSROOMS, BOARDROOMS AND MEETING ROOMS

Woodland Park, NJ – FSR, manufacturer of audio and video switching, control products, and connectivity boxes, is debuting its new CORE family of products to help solve the challenges of today’s classrooms, boardrooms and meeting rooms where floor space has reached an all-time premium.

With FSR’s Cool Overhead Rack Enclosures (CORE), which consists of the Ceiling Box family of above ceiling rack enclosures, and the brand new Top Shelf wall mounted rack enclosure, the company can offer viable options to facilities which can no longer afford to devote floor space to equipment racks or credenzas.

“Let’s face it, many facilities today just don’t have the same amount of floor space any longer to devote to large equipment racks,� says Jan Sandri, president, FSR. “With our new CORE family of products, FSR has the solution. We are thrilled to be able to introduce these powerful options to the industry, which includes the Ceiling Box family and Top Shelf wall-mounted rack enclosure, that target today’s challenges of space constraints.�

The Ceiling Box family is installed in a standard 2’ x 2’ or 2’ x 4’ drop ceilings and provides from 2 ½ rack to 4 full rack spaces for equipment mounting. Optionally, the Ceiling Box family can be equipped with a projector pole mount adapter so that the projector can mount directly to the ceiling box and cables can disappear through the pole.

The newest member of the CORE family is the Top Shelf wall mounted rack. Top Shelf mounts to a wall just below the ceiling in installations without a drop ceiling or where space above the drop ceiling is limited. The Top Shelf provides four rack units of mounting space and the plastic cover allows RF and WiFi signals to pass unobstructed between the equipment and the room.

About FSR
FSR, established in 1981, manufactures a wide variety of products for the audio / video, education, hospitality, government, and religious markets, including AV floor, wall, table, and ceiling connectivity boxes, as well as a full line of interfaces, distribution amplifiers, matrix switchers, seamless switchers and CAT-5 solutions.

FSR complies with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and is a woman owned business. FSR offers live 24/7 technical and sales support throughout the country from expertly trained technicians and sales representatives. For more information visit www.fsrinc.com.

FSR Contact: Jan Sandri
973-785-4347 • sales@fsrinc.com

Press Contact: Desert Moon Communications
Harriet Diener
845-512-8283 • harriet@desertmooncomm.com

Extron Electronics is pleased to introduce the new FOX T USW 203, a three input switcher with an integrated fiber optic transmitter for long haul transmission of HDCP-compliant HDMI, RGBHV, or HD component video, stereo audio, and RS-232 control signals over fiber optic cabling. Engineered for exceptional high resolution image performance, this three input switcher uses Extron all-digital technology to deliver perfect pixel-for-pixel transmission of video images at resolutions up to 1920×1200, including HDTV 1080p/60. Analog AV input signals are digitized to ensure that a high quality signal is transmitted to the final destination. To streamline installation and system operation, the switcher includes integration-friendly features such as buffered HDMI output and VGA input loop-through, EDID Minder®, Key Minder®, audio embedding, auto-input switching, RS-232 control, and real-time system monitoring. The FOX T USW 203 is ideal for a wide range of applications requiring long distance transmission of high resolution content with the highest quality. more

Extron Electronics is pleased to introduce the HFX 100 HDMI Fiber Optic Extender, an economical transmitter and receiver set for long distance transmission of HDMI video and embedded audio signals over one fiber optic cable. It extends HDCP-compliant HDMI signals over a multimode cable at lengths up to 300 meters (984 feet). Engineered for reliability and exceptional image performance, the compact extender uses all-digital technology to deliver perfect pixel-for-pixel transmission of images up to 1920×1200, including HDTV 1080p/60. The HFX 100 is ideal for use in applications that require long distance transmission of HDMI video and embedded multi-channel digital audio signals. more

A Martin Audio OmniLine® system has been specified and installed at Central Railway Station in Sydney, the largest in Australia, to conquer a speech intelligibility problem that has persisted for years.

The Country Trains Concourse, measuring 360 ft x 196 ft x 32 ft with a challenging RT60 time of 5.5 seconds in the mid-band, has long defied attempts to get intelligible announcements heard by commuters. Over the years, many brands have successively tried and failed to tame the inherent reverberation caused by a combination of terrazzo floors, sandstone and plate glass walls and a high arched steel roof.

Last year Glenn Leembruggen, principal of Acoustic Directions, became the latest specialist to do battle with the acoustically hostile environment.

Since acoustic treatment of the inside of the roof was ruled out as being financially untenable, two members of the Acoustic Directions team, David Connor and David Gilfillan, decided to trial several software-driven systems and different steerable line array solutions.

They ultimately concluded that a Martin Audio OmniLine system, with DSP processing, would produce the best quality and best speech clarity. They duly specified 120 steered elements supplied by TAG, Martin Audio’s Australian distributors.

Modular and scalable, this particular OmniLine installation used a special version of the Martin Audio Display software (operating under an FIR filtering scheme that addressed every element in the array with its own processed channel). The intelligent software enabled the array to be configured to deliver sound precisely over the venue’s vertical profile without spillage. Furthermore, elimination of high-frequency side-lobes gives OmniLine an advantage over conventional DSP steered columns making it suitable for high quality speech and music reproduction even in reverberant spaces such as railway station concourses.

Acoustic Directions were thus able to simultaneously optimize the direct field over the listening area, keep the sound off reflective rear walls, and minimise reverberant sound power. The result is remarkably high intelligibility throughout the concourse, even at rush hour, when as many as 3,000 passengers are adding to the cacophony of noise resonating around this vast cavern.

With the amps situated as much as 650 ft away from the speakers, a 100 Volt system was required, and Acoustic Directions worked with Harbuch Electronics to develop a 100V loudspeaker transformer that was ultra-flat and with only 10 degrees of phase shift at 20kHz. The FIR filters that beam control the array are implemented in Nion processors with the loudspeakers being driven by 8-channel 2.4kW amplifiers (to provide 120 amp channels).

Acoustic Directions optimized the frequency responses over the listening area using time-windowed impulse responses.

The installation also picked up a coveted Rutledge AV Industry Award (an AVIA) with the judges commending Acoustic Directions’ meticulous implementation of the modelling, installation and commissioning of the system.

As a result, for the first time not only can amplified speech be easily understood in any part of the concourse, but music and pre-recorded messages sound natural and clear—and roaming hand-held wireless microphones can function without fear of feedback.

In fact, such is the confidence inspired by this new solution, that special events, promotions and even live music events are being hosted at Sydney’s Central Railway Station, using the house system!

For more about Martin Audio, please click to www.martin-audio.com.

About Martin Audio®
Founded by audio engineer David Martin in 1971, Martin Audio pioneered the use of all-horn-loaded bass designs in world-class touring loudspeaker systems for groups such as Pink Floyd, ELP and Supertramp. Located outside of London, Martin Audio now embodies a sophisticated mix of acoustic design, research, mathematical modeling and software engineering for a wide range of products in the installation, cinema and touring sound markets.

About OmniLine®
OmniLine is a versatile, micro-line array designed for installation in a wide variety of architectural environments. Its modular approach and scalability extend its use from foreground applications to sound reinforcement in large acoustic spaces. Intelligent software enables an array to be configured to deliver sound precisely over any vertical angle to fit the venue profile without spilling onto surfaces where sound is not required. Additionally, elimination of high-frequency side-lobes gives OmniLine the advantage over currently available DSP steered columns, making it suitable for high quality music reproduction as well as speech in large, reverberant spaces. Each array is constructed by connecting multiple modules. Up to 32 modules can be connected where both high output and vertical focusing down to low/mid frequencies are required. Smaller number of modules (down to 4) can be used for shorter-throw applications, where vertical focusing of the low/mid frequencies is less important. This scalability means that OmniLine can be used in a variety of applications. Visually, an OmniLine array is slim and unobtrusive, with soft lines that minimize its visual presence in an architectural environment.

WAPAKONETA, OHIO: Construction of the Auglaize County Courthouse was completed over a century ago in 1894. Occupying a full city block in downtown Wapakoneta, Ohio, the building stands true to its original design. Ornate and dignified sandstone frames the two-story structure, which is capped by a clock tower and a recently renovated statue of Lady Justice. In order to bring its capabilities in line with 21st Century expectations while still retaining the charm and repose of its 19th Century origins, the county renovated the Auglaize County Courthouse to the tune of $30 million. Among the myriad renovations was an overhaul of the audio/visual systems installed in its three courtrooms. With limited space, a strict budget, and future-proof expectations, local integration firm RG Sound & Communications centered each courtroom’s new system on an Ashly Pema 8125.70 integrated processor and amplifier.

“One of the first things that the county officials pointed out was how long the courthouse had been serving the community,� said Shawn Snider, project manager at RG Sound & Communications. “They expected these renovations to serve on a similar timescale. That meant that we needed to design and install an audio/video system that would be sufficiently flexible to meet their unanticipated needs many years into the future. For that reason, and because they had a tight budget and limited (19th Century) closet space, we felt that the Ashly Pema, which offers eight channels of fully-featured matrix processing and eight amplifier channels in a two-rack space chassis, was the perfect choice.�

With only slight variations, the installed A/V system in each of the three courtrooms is more or less identical. Eight court-supplied microphones feed a court-supplied (and government-inspected and certified) recorder. Its mixed output feeds the first input on the Ashly Pema, and a redundant summed line feeds the unit’s second input. The remaining six inputs receive signal from an NTI audio/video matrix mixer, which is in turn fed by audio/video outputs at the lawyers’ tables and at other strategic locations throughout the courtroom. Computer control of the NTI matrix resides with the judge, who can patch any video input to any video output (including individual retractable flat screen monitors for each juror). Audio can be played in the courtroom if the judge so chooses. Because more than one video input can be selected at one time, the system accommodates multiple audio sources using the Ashly Pema’s inputs three through eight. The Ashly Pema’s eight amplifier channels power a distributed in-ceiling collection of Community DS8-series loudspeakers.

“Because no audio technician would be on hand during proceedings, we used the powerful DSP capabilities of the Ashly Pema to provide consistent, intelligible audio from the microphones and from the A/V output,� Snider said. “By using the Ashly Pema over a separate DSP/amplifier solution, we were able to help the county stay on budget. Moreover, both the NTI A/V matrix and the Ashly Pema reside comfortably on the network, making it easy for us to make changes for them remotely. The fact that we can lock out the front panel of the unit ensures that no unqualified technicians will attempt to make changes to the system.�

ABOUT ASHLY AUDIO Ashly Audio Inc. is recognized as a world leader in the design and manufacturing of high quality & high performance signal processing equipment and power amplification for use in the commercial sound contracting and professional audio markets. The 37-year old company is headquartered in Webster, New York U.S.A.

www.ashly.com

Christie, a global leader in visual display solutions, has played an instrumental role in helping the Royal Australia Air Force (RAAF) Wedgetail AEW&C 737 (E-7A) Operational Flight Trainer (OFT) to retain its FSD-1 Level 5 accreditation with its new visual system.

Thales and Christie Digital Systems Australia Pty. Ltd. (Christie’s new Australian subsidiary that was formerly known as VR Solutions Pty. Ltd.) and a partner on the Wedgetail visual upgrade project, replaced the simulator’s calligraphic CRT projectors with a Christie Matrix StIM LED illuminated projection system. A new COTS-based image generation system running ThalesViewNG real-time software was also installed.

Operating on the proven technology of the Thales 737NG-based flight simulator and Christie’s three-channel projection system, the Wedgetail OFT equips RAAF flight crews with operational realism in a fully representative cockpit with all the audio, visual and motion cues of the service environment. The new visual system continues to provide flight training sequences that are not adequately or safely conducted in flight, including aircraft emergencies, air-to-air refueling operations and electronic warfare self-protection operations.

“In addition to providing significantly better color and brightness uniformity, sharper imagery, and imperceptible edge blending. , the new projection system delivers unsurpassed reliability and growth potential and ultimately lower lifecycle costs,� noted Michael Otero of Thales Australia.

Lin Yu, vice president, Christie Asia Pacific, was equally proud about the achievement. “We are honored to contribute to the successful accreditation of the new Wedgetail visual system. Christie Matrix StIM is the first simulation system to provide simultaneous and independent control over both the visible and near-IR spectrum using LED illumination. With its real-time balancing and optimization of color, brightness and black levels on a frame-by-frame basis, it offers a virtually maintenance-free, environmentally-friendly simulation solution for RAAF.�

The RAAF Wedgetail AEW&C 737 (E7-A) Operational Flight Trainer, originally manufactured by Thales Australia and Thales UK, has been in service since 2006.

Christie®, who introduced the world’s first DLP® simulation projection system with LED illumination, today announced that QuantaDyn Corporation, an engineering firm specializing in training simulation, has awarded Christie the contract to provide the projection system for the First Article Unit of the Air National Guard’s Advanced Joint Terminal Attack Controller Training System (AAJTS) Development Program. The 10 new Christie Matrix StIM™ WQ 1-chip DLP® solid state, LED-based projectors will power Immersive Display Solution’s semi-portable simulator dome with a field of view of 240 by 90 degrees. Battlespace Simulations Inc., will supply Model Air Combat Environment (MACE) software used for scenario/entity generation, and MetaVR will provide its Virtual Reality Scene Generator™.

The Christie Matrix StIM WQ is an integrated scalable environment projection system with the capability to display independent RGB and IR channels through Christie’s InfraScene™ technology at WQXGA (2560 x 1600) resolution. It features 800 ANSI lumens, 4.1 megapixels of resolution, fully ruggedized chassis, Christie proprietary technology such as ArrayLOC™, which allows a seamless and uniform performance across a projection array, MotoBlend™ to maximize system contrast and optimize dark scenes, robust and easy to use AutoCal™ to maintain the alignment to precisely match and blend arrays, and the latest fully adjustable Christie AccuFrame™ smear-reduction technology for the most true-to-life image quality in the industry. Unlike alternative approaches to “smear reduction�, Christie AccuFrame is integrated into the Christie Matrix StIM WQ and is fully adjustable in 1 percent increments over a 0-100 percent range. This allows system designers and customers to maximize dynamic image quality over a range of applications and/or training scenarios.

Engineered for simulation and training needs, the Matrix StIM WQ’s unique dual input architecture is capable of providing a true 120Hz output at full WQXGA resolution that allows users to maximize image quality without compromising system brightness.

Extron Electronics is pleased to introduce the DSC 301 HD a compact HDCP-compliant video scaler. This scaler has an HDMI input, configurable high resolution analog and composite video inputs, and an HDMI output. Featuring an advanced scaling engine with 30-bit processing and 1080i deinterlacing, the DSC 301 HD delivers uncompromised picture quality for output resolutions up to 1920×1200, including 1080p and 2K. It includes EDID Minder®, automatic input switching, and simplifies system connections by embedding audio from one of the three stereo inputs onto the HDMI output. Designed for professional integration, the compact, low profile half-rack width enclosure enables simple and discreet mounting in many environments. more

Christie®, who introduced the world’s first DLP® simulation projection system with LED illumination, today announced that FlightSafety International, with Aero Simulation Inc. (ASI), has awarded Christie the contract to supply a projection system consisting of nine Christie Matrix StIM™ WQ 1-chip DLP® solid state, LED-based projectors, to the U.S. Coast Guard’s HC-144A Ocean Sentry program at the Aviation Training Center (ATC) in Mobile, Alabama. Aero Simulation Inc. (ASI) is the program’s prime contractor responsible for delivering the Operational Flight Trainer (OFT) and supporting subsystems.

The Christie Matrix StIM WQ is an integrated scalable environment projection system with the capability to display independent RGB and IR channels through Christie’s InfraScene™ technology at WQXGA (2560 x 1600) resolution. It features 800 ANSI lumens, 4.1 megapixels of resolution, fully ruggedized chassis, Christie proprietary technology such as ArrayLOC™, which allows a seamless and uniform performance across a projection array, MotoBlend™ to maximize system contrast and optimize dark scenes, robust and easy to use AutoCal™ to maintain the alignment to precisely match and blend arrays, and the latest fully adjustable Christie AccuFrame™ smear-reduction technology for the most true-to-life image quality in the industry. Unlike alternative approaches to “smear reduction,� Christie AccuFrame is integrated into the Christie Matrix StIM WQ and is fully adjustable in 1 percent increments over a 0-100 percent range. This allows system designers and customers to maximize dynamic image quality over a range of applications and/or training scenarios.

The all-new HC-144A Ocean Sentry has been certified by the USCG as its Medium Range Surveillance Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The Ocean Sentry has the capability to perform aerial delivery of search and rescue equipment such as rafts, pumps, and flares. It can serve as an on-scene commander platform for homeland security missions, since it is outfitted with the IDS Command and Control (C2) System, and the state-of-the-art C4ISR suite of sensors and avionics. The HC-144A’s modern C4ISR suite, modular cabin, fuel consumption rate, and short field takeoff and landing capability, make it uniquely suited for U.S. Coast Guard missions.

Christie is at I/ITSEC in Orlando, FL, Dec 3-6 showcasing several new simulation solutions including the Christie Matrix StIM WQ at Booth #2549.