Shop-a-holic

So, 'shop-a-holic' usually applies to somebody that goes shopping a lot. In this case, however, I am using it to describe the last couple of days spent organizing the workshop...

We started by building a rack to hold all of our VGA and XLR cables - sorted by type and size. As it turns out, the newly built rack accommodates a lot more cable than we currently have, so we also started to sort and rack our extension cords on it. In addition to that rack, we cleaned out a closet and built a rack to support almost all of our projection screens. This closet is a lot closer to our loading area than the area we had been using to store the screens - making it a lot easier to load up for events needing projection. What the closet doesn't accommodate, however, are our 10' cradle screens (hence, the 'almost'). As such, we need to clean out the area just outside of the closet and build a rack to hold the cradle screens. At least they will all be in the same, general vicinity. Currently in that area, we have some salvaged equipment from a closed expo center. We really need to figure out if there is anything there worth keeping...

Along with the cleaning, building, and racking, we did quite a bit of organization. 4AVNow has been in this shop just a little over one year. In all of this time, this is the best condition that the shop has been in - and we still have quite a bit of work ahead of us.

Yesterday, after we had an event to set at Millwrights Restaurant in Simsbury. For this, we used an InFocus projector, Duet accordion screen, and a Targus Presenter. This particular InFocus projector is great because it has a 'short throw' lens - meaning, it sits a lot closer to the screen than a projector with a standard lens. After striking that event this morning, we headed to Morton's Steakhouse in Hartford to set an event. Conveniently, we used the same projector that we recovered from Millwrights. While we have worked many events at Morton's previously, this is the first one that we have done as their official A/V technicians! Additionally today, we set an event at Zinc in New Haven (this event also only required a projector) and two events at the Crowne Plaza Danbury.

Too Busy to Post

I suppose that it is a good thing that we have just been too busy to update the blog!

Since my last (and only!) entry, we have had quite a variety of events...
We spent a couple of days at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley Airport with a set, tech, and strike. Additionally, this event was recorded on video, so we also took the raw video and edited it into a viewable DVD. The event was a 4 hour session that ran two times - morning and afternoon - for two days, each time with a different group. The second day was recorded on video - both sessions. While the actually video editing - done using Final Cut Pro - didn't take too long, the conversion from the final cut to the DVD took most of a day. Fortunately, the conversion does not need constant supervision so the MacBook I use was able to do the process while we were off doing other projects.

Today marks day 2 of an event we are working with Unilever in Trumbull. "Who or what is Unilever?" you ask... Well, there is a good chance that they are responsible for at least one product in your bathroom and/or kitchen cabinet. For this event, we set up several 60" flat screen TVs on stands in conference rooms for their training sessions (pictures included).

In addition to these events, we also had the regular stream of meetings where we set anything from a screen and projector to a full boat of equipment. For one of these events, we set nothing more than a simple remote for the presenter to advance their PowerPoint slides!

A note of frustration:
That remote that I just mentioned? Well, we actually have several of those that are now useless. The item is officially called a "Presenter." Presenters consist of two pieces - one is used to transmit the signal from the person to the computer, the other is used by the computer to receive that signal. The receiver plugs into a USB port on the computer and often remains in the computer when the person packs up and leaves the event, thus rendering the Presenter useless. I contacted Targus - the manufacturer of the Presenter in question - to see if there was any way to replace the receiver. After an extended conversation - more for their benefit than mine - I learned that it is not possible. Understandably, these receivers are coded to their specific Presenter - otherwise the Presenter you are using in one room would interfere with one used in another, nearby room. That is why I was hoping Targus might be able to code a new receiver to the several Presenters that we have that are missing their receivers. No luck - and I am thus frustrated.