As part of a mass media campaign targeted to K–12 education administrators, Advanced and SMART Technologies is pleased to announce the following promos:

• Purchase 10 SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards and receive a 32-remote Senteo™ interactive response system at no cost
• Purchase 25 SMART Board interactive whiteboards and receive three 32-remote Senteo interactive response systems and training at no cost
• Purchase 50 SMART Board interactive whiteboards and receive eight 32-remote Senteo interactive response systems and training at no cost

Act now as these are limited offers!  These offers will be valid from January 21, 2008, until April 30, 2008, and are only available in the U.S. and Canada. This promotion is an affordable way for you to equip your classrooms with SMART products.

 For more information, contact us at 1-800-436-6239 or info@advanced-inc.com

With the rapid rate of advances in technology, you have to wonder what comes after HD.

Well, it could be Super Hi-Vision, a potential successor currently under development in Japan.

Although the format is not expected to come to fruition until 2025, there is the growing demand for higher quality displays at increase sizes, even in the home.

That future might not be the living room though but public spaces, the board room and lecture halls.

Masuru Kanazawa, a research engineer at NHK’s Science and Technical Research Laboratory, told delegates at the BBC’s Festival of Technology that the format might not be suitable for the average viewer.

“It requires a screen size of at least 60 inches which means there are limits on the usage of the system. It will depend on the viewing situation,”

The average size of a TV in the home has increased, especially in recent years, from the 12 inches seen in the 1950s, with Panasonic recently debuting their 150″ plasma at CES in Las Vegas.

The broadcaster, NHK, is working with such manufacturers, and the technology could also be used for big screen broadcasts of concerts and sporting events.

Super Hi-Vision - or Ultra High-Definition TV as it is sometimes known - carries some impressive statistics with a screen resolution of 7680×4320 pixels, 16 times greater than current HD.

(ref. BBC)

LifeSize Communications, the global leader in high definition video communications, announced record revenue for 2007. Revenue growth accelerated throughout the year and annual sales revenue nearly tripled year-over-year

“2007 was a great year for LifeSize and we are looking forward to a great 2008,” said Craig Malloy, CEO and founder, LifeSize Communications. “We are pleased with our industry-leading growth and proud that our world-class products are making telepresence accessible to everyone.”

LifeSize experienced strong growth across all geographies and market segments. Larger companies are leveraging LifeSize price/performance advantages to upgrade their video networks to HD, expand deployment throughout their organization, and deliver within tight IT budgets. The company also enjoyed strong growth in the global small and medium business segment, where LifeSize Express is breaking down traditional barriers to video communication.

“We are only at the beginning of a revolution in the way we live and work,” said Malloy. “LifeSize is committed to enabling everyone to be a part of this revolution.”“We bring doctors and caregivers together to develop treatment plans. Actors audition for parts in New York without leaving Los Angeles. Scientists collaborate across continents. Seeing our products improve people’s lives just motivates us to keep delivering greater value to our customers.”

For more information about Lifesize in Canada, please visit our website.

Mediasite, the webcast presentation product produced by Sonic Foundry, has been recognized for Excellence in Training and Development by Bersin & Associates, the leading provider of best-practices, trends, vendor, and benchmarking research in enterprise learning and talent management.

The product became a prestigious winner this week for Vendor innovation as a 2007 Learning Leader, which recognizes organizations which have developed and implemented effective and efficient approaches to employee learning and development resulting in significant business improvement.

Panasonic President Toshihiro Sakamoto kicked off the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas with a number of announcements, including a new 150-inch plasma TV.

The 150-inch plasma is now the largest plasma screen available in the world coming in at 11 feet wide, with a 2,000-by-4,000 pixel resolution.

“It’s capable of an amazing picture that is four times the resolution of our current full HD plasma displays,” Sakamoto said. “It gives new meaning to the words reality TV.”

Two years ago, Panasonic unveiled a 103-inch plasma TV that was, at the time, the largest available plasma TV, which went on to sell over 3,000 units during 2007, beating any forecasts Panasonic may have had.
The new 150 inch plasma TV has been “designed especially for digital cinema and commercial installations, but might also be found in some very luxurious special homes in the future,” Sakamoto speculated.

Watch out for these coming to Canada soon.

Videoconferencing technology has been with us for years, but it never really took off mainly because of the poor image quality and the prohibitive per-minute cost of ISDN. Custom-installed ISDN lines, which had to be strung together in parallel to communicate the necessary data, were the only way to use the technology.

Now, videoconferencing vendors sell products designed to operate over standard broadband Internet connections. They also offer products with high-definition video, making images crisper and enabling a more intuitive conversation for both parties.

U.S.-based LifeSize Communications believes it has cracked the price problem with LifeSize Express, a relatively low-cost product with high-definition Inter-net-based video communications. With 30 frames per second (the same as standard video), at a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, it offers real-time video indications at Internet speeds as low as 128 kb per second. (To get the full video quality, however, you will need 1Mb per second.)

While still priced in the thousands, LifeSize Express is useful to companies with a need for regular long-distance communication between the same people. With gas prices escalating, and tighter security making it troublesome to take even short trips, companies that need something better than a PC-to-PC video link, with a product such as Skype, might opt for LifeSize Express.

For more information about LifeSize Express contact Advanced Presentation Products at 905-502-1110 or email sales@advanced-inc.com

 -as published in the Financial Post, Monday, December 10, 2007

Panasonic, a leader in High Definition technology, announced today the introduction of the DMP-BD30, the next generation High Definition 1080p Blu-ray Disc player. The DMP-BD30 is the first Blu-ray player to be introduced with Final Standard Profile, which adds a variety of new and enhanced features to the Blu-ray arena and one that separates the Panasonic Blu-ray player from the rest of the field. Also unique to the DMP-BD30 is the inclusion of an SD Memory Card slot for playback of High Definition content recorded in the AVCHD format. The SD slot also allows for viewing of digital still images recorded to an SD Memory Card.

Final Standard Profile is an advanced function added to the Blu-ray standard, which opens the door to new functions such as Picture-in-Picture (which displays a second image in a sub window) and Audio Mixing (allows the consumer to switch the sound between the main and sub windows). (more…)

Toshiba’s Digital Products Division, a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the release of the TLP-XC2000U LCD projector with integrated, advanced CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) document camera. The projector’s high-quality document camera features a 3-mega pixel resolution, 16X zoom and built-in LED light for capturing 3D images, fine text and microscopic details for big-screen display for a value-price of $1,099 (ESUP)1.

“The Toshiba TLP-XC2000U projector with advanced, integrated document camera will capture any audience’s attention and give presenters and educators the ability to show the latest products, archeological samples or a page from a textbook instantly,” said Sam Malik, director of projector sales and marketing, Toshiba Digital Products Division. “The TLP-XC2000U projector is another example of Toshiba’s dedication to creating the best quality presentation solutions at unbeatable pricing for educators, small-to-medium businesses and corporate trainers.”

Featuring Toshiba’s Natural Color Enhancer3 (NCE3), users can project images with exceptionally sharp and brilliant clarity. At just 8.8 pounds, the TLP-XC2000U projector sports an impressive 2,000 ANSI lumens, XGA 1024 x 768 native resolution and 400:1 contrast ratio to deliver bright, captivating images. The projector is HDTV/DTV compatible and the lamp life can be extended up to 3,000 hours in Eco-Mode for energy and cost savings.

The projector is designed with a sophisticated approach to security, a removable palm-sized control panel. When the security panel is removed, the projector is no longer operable unless the password is entered on the remote control or when the removable panel is replaced.

The TLP-XC2000U projector also includes the following leading-edge features:

• One-touch auto setup on a fully-loaded presentation remote to ensure worry-free, professional presentations even in the most unforgiving environments;
• Instant power shut down capability that enables the projector to power off instantly once disconnected from the power outlet with no cool-down time required;
• Digital zoom function on the remote control allowing the presenter to zoom in on a specific image presentation element such as spreadsheet numbers or other important details;
• A variety of connectivity options, such as composite video and S-video inputs, audio in and variable audio output capabilities;
• Special monitor-out capabilities that allow users to display and view images on a monitor and screen simultaneously, allowing the presenter to face their audience directly rather than turning around to read slides;
• Automatic vertical keystone correction (plus or minus 30 degrees) that instantly projects a square image even when the projector is set up at a steep offset angle to the screen;
• Quiet operation of only 31 decibels (dB) (in low mode) - quieter than a soft conversation.

The TLP-XC2000U is currently available through Toshiba’s authorized distributors, VARs, mail-order outlets and www.ToshibaDirect.com.

(Reference PR web)

LifeSize, a global leader in high definition video communications, announced the release of LifeSize 3.0, the latest software revision to the world’s most advanced and affordable high definition video products, LifeSize® Room™ and LifeSize® Team™.

New features of LifeSize 3.0 include increased embedded multipoint functionality with support for 6-way voice activated switching and 4-way continuous presence, allowing for four on screen participants plus data streaming. Significant camera enhancements in auto focus, auto exposure, and color correction were also achieved in LifeSize 3.0 which allows for optimal performance in any lighting environment.

“With LifeSize 3.0 we deliver a rich, immersive telepresence experience that is even more vivid and lifelike than ever before. As with our complete portfolio of video solutions we continue to innovate and enhance the performance of our products,” said LifeSize CEO, Craig Malloy. “We strive to make it the best video communications solution in the marketplace.”

“We believe in the power of video and the ability it has to truly change the way people communicate. We remain committed to making our high definition products affordable, accessible, full-featured and easy to use for everyone, everywhere.”

“LifeSize Room turns any room into a telepresence environment simply by using your existing broadband network,&rdquo said Casey King, CTO LifeSize. “”Additionally with LifeSize 3.0, not only are up to 6 participants able to join a video call, but because the embedded multipoint conferencing feature is fully integrated it is far easier to use.”

In addition to the release of LifeSize® 3.0, LifeSize unveiled LifeSize SDI Adapter. This easy-to-use hardware device connects third party HD cameras, including the Sony EVI-HD1 HD camera, to the LifeSize® Room™ video solution.

According to BBC news - Sony are due to release “an ultra-thin television” that is “brighter and crisper than current generation screens”

The TV, which is due to go on sale in December uses organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) to produce the image, resulting in a screen only 3mm thick.

OLED screens are said-t0-be more energy efficient than the popular LCD panels - as they do not need a backlight to boost brightness.

The BBC also states that it is  “difficult and expensive” to make large screens using the [OLED] technology. Sony’s first OLED TV costs £850 (roughly $1700 CAD) and has an 11 inch display.

OLED screens are brighter than LCD panels and also have better contrast ratio - resulting in sharper pictures.

The diodes emit a brilliant white light when attached to an electricity supply and are also being developed for use as replacements to traditional light bulbs.

Sony has hailed the new television as a signal of its returning strength as a technology innovator.

Sony’s president, Ryoji Chubachi said at a news conference at its Tokyo headquarters: “Some people have said attractive products are slow to come at Sony despite its technological strength”

He added:”I want this world’s first OLED TV to be the symbol of the revival of Sony’s technological prowess.

“I want this to be the flag under which we charge forward to turn the fortunes around.”

Sony’s executive deputy president, Katsumi Ihara said: “I don’t think OLED TVs will replace LCD TVs overnight. But I do believe this is a type of technology with very high potential, something that will come after LCD TVs.”

The new TV goes on sale in Japan on 1 December. There are no plans for a global launch as yet.

The OLED TV has a lifespan of about 30,000 hours of viewing - half that of Sony’s LCD televisions.

(Reference BBC News)