Joe Merchant – What Every Business Owner Needs

Displays can be troublesome at the best time when there is a lot riding on the result, so the very last thing you would like to be troubling about is the audio visual part. In this article I’m going to present some basic guidelines that will help you set the room layout so you can achieve the highest quality projection from your presentation.

General Guide-Lines

Viewing

* For optimum viewing, the audience should be seated within:
* +30 degrees of a line perpendicular to the screen’s centre.
* They should be seated no closer then twice the image height.

Note: (If this is not possible perhaps consider multiple viewing options for the audience).

Type of Content

* Entertainment – The last row should be no further than eight times the image height.
* Corporate – The last row should be to six times the image height.
* Critical Applications – The last row should be four times the image height

Setting the Screen

To avoid obstruction of viewing he bottom of the screen should be approximately 4 feet above the floor. If the seating is staggered, or if the floor is raked you can adjust this appropriately. Try to avoid setting the screen to high. The ergonomics associated with snug viewing indicate no viewer should have to rotate their head more than +30 degrees from straight ahead, or lean their head no more than 25degrees from horizontal.

Seating

The look of the seats is important so viewers can gain full sight of the projection. Frequently the staggered seating arrangement is most suitable for most eventualities. Overall they must be in rows, with the minimal unrestricted horizontal clearance between plumb lines from the front of an unoccupied seat to the back of the seat in front. This clearance may alter, but is typically 16 inches ( 400mm ). Aisles must be provided so that there are no more than seven seats between any one seat and an aisle. The entry and exit doors have to be consider when planning the layout of the seating. The layout desires to designed to:

* Allow for easy of enter into the room
* Allow for quick exit in the event of an emergency
* The row contains no more than 100 seats;
* Each doorway serves no more than three rows.
* Aisles must terminate in a cross-aisle.

Front or Rear Projection?

There are a variety of factors that will determine whether front or rear projections are best suited for your shows.

Front Projection

* Front Projection can generally provide a wider viewing-angle than rear projection. It requires: Controlled lighting (ambient light must be kept off the screen to eliminate a reduction in contrast ratio).
* Requires either a projection room at the rear of the theatre, or a platform or mount for the projector(s) out in the theatre. Note that this latter is a potential noise source.
* The projection geometry must be carefully worked out to get the best compromise between image keystoning and blockage of the light path by the audience.
* Must be accessible for maintenance. A projection booth must be dust free (positive pressure preferred), and have adequate ventilation.

Rear Projection

• Rear projection room must be dust free, and have adequate ventilation.
• Rear Projection Generally has a narrower viewing-angle than front projection – better for long, narrow rooms.
• Can be viewed with higher levels of room illumination, and is less immune to “wash out” by ambient lighting.
• Available in flexible & rigid materials. A rigid screen is more expensive than a front projection screen, and has size restrictions.

To judge whether front or rear projection will augment your presentation, ask yourself ‘What sort of presentation do iwant to give’ and “What is the purpose of the show’. If for instance the presentation is “canned” you can consider either front or rear projection. If a live talker is interacting with the display, rear projection is best so that the speaker can engage with the images without being in the projector’s light path. In addition, the higher allowable room illumination allows for note-taking, etc.

Screen Width

Identify your minimum screen height based on the distance to your farthest viewer and your ceiling height. This figure may be altered based on the application ( e.g. : an entertainment application will need a larger than minimum size screen for impact ).

ADA necessities

Where needed agreements will need to be made for visitors who need access for wheelchairs, and / or who have visible or hearing impairments The accessibility and size of these spaces is outlined as :

A minimum number of aisle seats will be required to have either no aisle-side armrest or an aisle-side armrest that folds up. Certain extra signage may be required. Your sound system will need the addition of a hearing-assisted system. Your emergency systems may need the addition of strobe signals or visual messaging systems. Your video and other visual show systems may need captioning.

Miscellaneous Considerations

Equipment location

Is vital to avoid any damage. This is generally, but not necessarily, found at the projector ( s ). This equipment may include projection controllers, a show controller, video kit, and audio hardware.

Acceptable power supply

remember to provide acceptable electrical power for this hardware and the projector ( s ). Do not forget to allow conduit for speaker cables, control signals, for example. For boardrooms and meeting rooms you will also wish to provide accessible sources ( such as VCR’s and DVD players ).

Aesthetics or Theme

* Does it require the loudspeakers and other equipment be concealed?
* How is the presentation started?
* Automatically,
* Audience-demand,
* Host-demand, and live presenter (may require random-access control or other interactivity).

Whether your display is for the chairman or for amassive corporation, taking a second to plan how you would like to supply the info can make a significant difference to your audience. So take a moment a review what you are desiring to point out, how you want to claim it and how is the best way for your audience to receive it. It could make the difference between wining that new job or losing it.

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Article by John Black