PLUS Vision Corporation of America, a premier provider of leading-edge digital projectors and electronic copyboards, announced the launch of its new PS200 and PV100 series of projectors to be highlighted at InfoComm 2008 this week in Las Vegas. Both TAXAN series feature Texas Instruments’ new DLP BrilliantColor technology, which provides unprecedented lifelike color reproduction and vibrant images. Read on at The Briefing Room

More InfoComm 08 news from The Briefing Room

For a company that made such a huge splash at last year’s InfoComm with its new SpectraPulse audioconferencing technology, it’s no surprise that for Audio-Technica, InfoComm 2008 is going to be a relatively quiet show – at least in terms of new product introductions. The company has completely redesigned its booth and recently made an effort toward uniform branding across all the markets it serves.

Dan Montecalvo, marketing manager with A-T, says the company’s been pleased with the rate of adoption of the high-end SpectraPulse system, which runs about $24,000 retail for a seven-channel conference room system. It’s an appealing choice for businesses that value ultra-reliable security over a remote slice of the digital spectrum. more…

Sony always offers a bracing start to InfoComm with its annual 8 a.m. press conference on the first day of the show. This year the focus was projectors, digital signage, and new installations of the company’s super-high-end SXRD 4K and 2K projectors.

Sony is introducing 10 new projector models here at the show, including four in its VPL-E compact series. Designed for classrooms and conference rooms, these range from 2000-2500 lumens and shoot an 80in. image typically from about 7.5ft. There’s a new widescreen model, a first for Sony in a compact. more…

Here on the InfoComm exhibit floor, all the AC power swings down from the high ceiling on big cables and from the vantage point of the Penton booth N7649, I can look across the hall and see the AC cables swinging around and a few minutes later, the booths are lighting up. I’m anticipating new developments in the area of digital audio networks and I’m going to be watching for any new hardware that helps translate between any of the various proprietary protocols. There are a lot of them out there now so we’ll soon see if anyone comes up with any new stuff to help them talk to one another when necessary.

Last night I was given a demonstration at the Educators’ reception. It appears that Extron will have a big surprise for everyone in the area of control and system configuration software. I saw it work last night and as one who uses an Extron system to control and monitor several dozen classroom AV systems on a daily basis, I’m really excited about the possibilities. If it’s as good as this looks, I want to be one of the first “local gurus” on using it. This is one time I won’t mind being something of a lab rat!

Things are really picking up here now. The noise level is building a little and more people are showing up here at the Penton booth.

Well, hello all, from InfoComm 08, the biggest show of all. Exhibitors have worked feverishly all night long. I was on the floor just last night and you wouldn’t recognize the place right now, only a few hours later! The carpet is down, the numbering system is in place and the attendees are streaming in. With two shows co-located, there is a real potential for mass confusion but as of now, everthing seems to be going very well.

Video Mount Products, a leading provider of mounting solutions for the video, audio, and security industries, is proud to announce that it will debut the VH-005 Pipe/Ceiling Mast Electronic Component Holder at InfoComm 2008, held in Las Vegas, Nev. from June 18-20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, booth N6932. Read on at The Briefing Room

More InfoComm 08 news from The Briefing Room

Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America’s Presentation Products Division, known for its award-winning, high-quality presentation and display products, has introduced its newest wireless projector, the XD530U. This XGA resolution (1024 x 768 pixels) projector is perfect for on-the-go presenters such as salespeople and teachers. For rooms with high ambient light, the XD530U blasts 3000 lumens of brightness. A center-lens design provides easy symmetrical set-up, and its instant shut-down feature makes this new projector easy to use in all types of environments. Read on at The Briefing Room

More InfoComm 08 news from The Briefing Room

Advanced Media Design (AMD), developer of the award-winning AV-over-IP collaboration technology MediaPOINTE, announced its continuing product line development with its Digital Network Streamer (DNS) 210e. The improved DMR210e streams live presentations, training sessions, meetings, distance learning courses and videoconferences in high definition, WXGA resolution in MPEG-4 format. Read on at The Briefing Room

More InfoComm 08 news from The Briefing Room

The Sound & Video Contractor bloggers—Senior Contributing Editor Trevor Boyer and Contributing Editor Bennett Liles—discuss the upcoming show and what they’re looking forward to seeing and hearing more about. Listen to the BlogLive at InfoComm podcast

(music provided by Dead Girls Ruin Everything, Reignition Recordings)

Live Blogging Starts Wednesday, June 18

The editors of Sound & Video Contractor would like to welcome you to our first BlogLive @ InfoComm, sponsored by Samsung. We’re on our way to Las Vegas to cover the evolving show, which fully embraces the audio side of “audiovisual� in addition to display and projection, lighting and staging, digital signage, collaborative conferencing, networking, signal distribution, and digital content creation.

In the blog we’ll be posting information about the latest happenings, information on who is using what technology, as well as interviews with key industry players. To get yourself up to speed with the latest news, and to keep up with news as it happens throughout the show, check out The Briefing Room’s 2008 InfoComm Newslink.

We’ll be updating BlogLive @ InfoComm 08 multiple times throughout the day, starting June 18, so be sure to check back often. Have a great InfoComm if you’re attending, and if not, BlogLive @ InfoComm 08 is your source for realtime coverage of the show.