Control Geek

I'm trying to get caught up from my fun trip to Infocomm, and while I don't have time to write up everything today, I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts.

The first thing to me is how good this show has become.  On my first trip, years ago, it really seemed like a classroom A/V convention, but it's really blossomed into a serious presentation show, with some cutting-edge presentation technology, a very strong sound component, and even some lighting. There were at least two very interesting new show control products at the show, and I'll write them up later in the week. 

What I'm always looking for at any show is innovation, and there was a lot of stuff on the floor that is now standard product, that a year or two ago would likely have been custom-engineered solutions.  For example, here's a product from TruMedia and Samsung that can count the number of people looking at a display, determine their gender, and target the ad on the screen to the audience:

Samsung also is making some really beautiful LED displays, and I also saw a TI DLP LED projector that I guess has been around for a year or so. 3M is now partnering with a number of display manufacturers to make some very cool, large multi-touch displays, and there are a number of very effective 3D solutions that are viewable on large displays with no glasses.  And on-screen interactive solutions like GestureTek take what I saw in the Mandala system for the Amiga in 1991 and commercialize it well.

I also got a very nice tour backstage at the new American Idol Experience (construction time lapse and intro video here) and a couple other attractions at Disney Hollywood Studios.  No pictures were allowed backstage, but Idol is a very well done, high tech attraction:

And, my friend Jim and I got to watch a couple very cool thunderstorms:

Update on Friday, June 26, 2009 at 09:34AM by John Huntington

More of my writeup on the show here and here.