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4 Benefits of Interactive Touch Screens

4 Benefits of Interactive Touch Screens

From the smartphones in our pockets to the self-checkout machines in the grocery store, interactive touch panels are everywhere, and for good reason:

In corporate, education, customer service, and retail environments, touch-sensitive audio visual tech – which ranges from small portable touch tablets through massive kiosks and video panels – offers a number of impressive benefits.

Here are just a few of the ways touch panels maximize the value of your technology:

User-friendliness and accessibility

Touch screen panels enable a direct interaction with technology that’s hard to match.

There’s something inherently more natural about pointing and manipulating objects on a screen with our hands the same way we could touch physical objects.

Pointing and pushing with our hands is a natural, instinctive gesture that almost everyone does intuitively. In a technological environment, that familiarity translates into instant expertise without the need for advanced training.

Reduced training time on tech, and reduced errors from technological mistakes mean more time to spend on your business or organization’s priorities.

Interactive touch screens also tend to be much more accessible for those with physical disabilities who may find other interfaces – such as a mouse and keyboard – difficult to use.
When they are well-designed, touchscreens offer all the simplicity of a whiteboard or blackboard and chalk, but with the power and functionality of a computer.


Enhanced customer experiences and faster business processes

As an automated customer service technology, touch screen panels offer 24/7 interactive customer support that never goes on break or calls out sick. They offer information, directions, and assistance to customers on-demand.

The immediate interface of a touch screen also makes inputting commands measurably faster.
Faster input translates into more effective and efficient decisions, which has a direct impact on your organization’s outcomes and bottom line.


Versatile, widely compatible, and durable digital technology

Interactive touch panels are among the most versatile methods of sharing information.

Integrators such as VSSI can work with you to configure information in a way that suits your needs and fits in seamlessly with the hardware and digital platforms you already have in place.

From small mobile tablets through massive video walls, touch screens are compatible with a wide range of technology types, platforms, varied hardware.

They are also all-in-one solutions which save space by eliminating non-touch components, limiting cords and wires. Eliminating the extra parts also means that many interactive touch panels are less likely to break, simply because there are fewer hardware components to contend with. Many are portable, offering mobile communications technology.

Touch screens are adaptable for both sensitive tasks requiring fine-toothed control, and for outdoor and other heavy-duty public use.

In fact, with modern technology, touch screens actually last longer than many projectors, offering extended durability to grow with you.


Engaging and Interactive Technology

Flat touch screen panels are visually appealing and attention-grabbing high-tech elements.

Crystal-clear images and graphics are fun to look at and arresting.

In educational settings, touch screens tap into a medium already familiar to most young people. Instead of passively listening to a presentation, viewers can actively participate in the educational experience using a touchscreen.

In business settings, touch screens enable active annotation, review, collaboration, and project management in an engaging, tactile format. Instead of trying to stay awake during a 1-way presentation, touch panels make all participants into active members of the conversation.

Regardless of the information you need to communicate, touch screens make the experience more interactive, dynamic, and powerful.

Get in touch with us to learn more about how a touch panel solution could contribute to your organization’s goals.

As a full-service audio-visual integration (AV) company, VSSI provides high-end, individually-tailored solutions.
After an in-depth consultation with you, our professionally trained and certified staff will work to design the best solution for your needs, vision, and budget. After we build it, we’ll keep working for you, providing 24/7 support to make sure you keep getting the most out of your custom AV solution.

Seamless Video Conferencing Solutions: Polycom and Cisco Systems

Seamless Video Conferencing Solutions: Polycom and Cisco Systems

Compared to audio conferencing calls, video conferencing offers a clear leg up. With the right tools, a video conference can be as good as – and more efficient than – being there in person.

As more businesses catch on to the value of video conferencing, more solutions have entered the market, but few companies come close to challenging the two titans of the enterprise video conferencing space: Polycom and Cisco.

Polycom and Cisco Systems are the giant players in the industry for a reason: both offer highly functional and seamless video conferencing solutions.

Many of the features offered by both companies overlap; both offer reliable, high-quality video conferencing products. For maximum security, both companies also offer on-premise and IP capabilities for maximum security and flexibility. Their pricing is broadly similar, and both offer an extensive range of products.

VSSi can help you configure a solution which fits your exact specifications, and provide support down the road. But for now, here are some factors to keep in mind when beginning your research:

Cisco

Cisco systems are one of the first players in the video conferencing space, and is still the largest and most well-known. As an international conglomerate, they’ve been able to use their size to fund innovation and create a wide range of high-tech products.

For example, Cisco was a leader in developing 1080p and 4k resolution video options, and their current video conferencing solutions include audio triangulation technology to help filter out background noise.

Cisco focuses on the biggest enterprise clients; nearly all Fortune 100 companies use Cisco systems for video conferencing. They do customize their offerings by the size of the business, but their products can be more expensive and less streamlined for smaller businesses.

Polycom

Polycom competes with Cisco with its smaller, more nimble company structure. They focus on hospitals, universities, and entertainment companies. While there are a number of large enterprise clients on their list, they focus more on public organizations than the biggest Fortune 500 companies.

They offer ostensibly more personal services because of their structure, but their main selling point is interoperability with other vendors. Polycom’s video conferencing tools work with Microsoft communication products like Skype for Business and Office 365.

In other words, where Cisco offers a wide range of products which work well with each other, Polycom focuses on fewer products, but ensures that they are open and interoperable with multiple vendors. Since over half of enterprise businesses use more than one vendor’s AV equipment, this can be crucial.

Polycom also claims that all of their products are both forwards and backwards compatible, meaning that new versions of their products will still work seamlessly with the previous and future editions.

Closing thoughts

Whether Polycom vs Cisco video conferencing is ultimately a better fit for your business will boil down to preference and your specific constraints and needs.

If you already use Cisco systems products, or have a complex or very large organization, looking into an appropriately scaled Cisco video conferencing solution may be the best choice. If you’re a healthcare, education, or entertainment company, Polycom may offer products which fit more seamlessly into your existing AV architecture.

Regardless of what you choose, VSSi can help you choose, design, install, and learn to use AV solutions so that you end up with an easy-to-use and effective set of audio-visual tools and maximize the impact of your investment. To speak with a VSSi representative, click here.

 

What is the Best AV Solution for Your Company?

What is the Best AV Solution for Your Company?

It does not matter from where you operate whether from out of a corporate environment, a military command center, or automotive design department, audiovisual integration can help you effectively display complex data and detailed design files. These systems give viewers the ability to better understand and more accurately analyze displayed information. There are a great deal of advance audiovisual solutions from audio-video systems commonly seen in conference rooms and training rooms to CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) systems, for instance, for complex design apps. The best fit for your enterprise depends on a number of factors: space requirements, the data or information being displayed, and your budget.

Space

To provide the best AV solution for your company, it is important to understand that audiovisual integration relies heavily on understanding the space needed to utilize the system, the number of people viewing the display and a viewer’s distance from the display.

To clearly comprehend your specific requirements, your audiovisual integration partner will conduct a full-detailed consultation and site survey.

What information should be obtained:
  • Projection and viewing room sizes
  • Any existing audiovisual systems
  • Facility construction
  • HVAC and electrical infrastructure
  • Audio and communications needs
  • Seating requirements
  • Lightning
  • Accessibility

Information

The understanding what type of information you would like to have displayed on your system will definitely help to determine the best AV solution for your company. For instance, the right display and integration for an automotive company’s design team will differ from a corporate board sharing the latest annual report. Depending on the subject matter on display, solutions could range from commercial apps like an LED flat-panel display to more complex visualization systems like a front and rear projection PowerWall or Cave.

Budget

The cost of audiovisual systems vary based on the type of system selected, its apps, and the size of the space in which it is installed. A general commercial-grade AV system can cost as little as a few thousand dollars, while advanced visualization systems custom-integrated within your building infrastructure can be tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the specific needs.

An audiovisual integrator can provide different system options and pricing, varying on the budget. The decision-making process will depend on not only budget but also industry and installation requirements.

VSSi is a full-service audiovisual provider. From our initial consultation through design, installation, programming and long-term support, all services are provided in house by our extensive and knowledgeable staff. We know how to get the job done right, on time, and on budget. Contact us today! 

Also, you can learn more about VSSi AV Solutions by clicking here.

 

 

Huddle Room Technology Solutions for Your Workplace

Huddle Room Technology Solutions for Your Workplace

We are becoming more informal society- and a tech culture is a big reason why. While some aspects of this are lamentable, it has been an undeniable boon for the world of business: it equates to better productivity.

Perhaps, no concept better illustrates this transformation than the proliferation of huddle room. Rather than the age-old concept of employees pitching ideas around a boardroom table in a hierarchal, structured meeting, companies are seeking the benefits in facilitating off-the-cut collaboration-making the most of the moment when inspiration strikes.

Huddle rooms make a big difference in today’s business environment. Any available space is in a high demand in the vast majority of businesses: it can be a time-consuming experience. Huddle rooms are a great solution for many companies: people walk in and out of the room without booking the room, and with their own laptops, phones, and tablets. They demand an immediate and responsive interface, starting with whatever is on their device, whether that’s FaceTime, Skype, ClickShare or any other application.

There are great solutions for huddle rooms designed by Barco, Vaddio, Yamaha, and Crestron:

  • For immediacy purposes BARCO for instance, designed a Clickshare interface for people to simply connect to a display and begin sharing. Because huddle spaces can be conducted on the fly, the decision making can be much speedier, and workplace environment is more productive.  It definitely eases the method of working together between multiple people and teams.
  • Yamaha CS-700 video sound collaboration system is an outstanding AV solution for huddle spaces, designed as an all-in-one unit to equip huddle rooms with best in class audio, video, and screen sharing capability.
  • Vaddio offers ConferenceSHOT FX. The extra-wide field of view on this fixed video conferencing camera allows everyone around the table to be clearly visible. It plugs into a USB port and works with major UCC soft clients.
  • All-in-one Crestron Mercury Tabletop Conferencing System. It supports any collaboration application: Spark, Cisco, GoToMeeting, WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, Zoom and etc. Just plug USB to your laptop and get full room experience. Mercury allows people to collaborate regardless of their location and conference application.

These solutions are great for small groups for impromptu collaboration on projects, they drive more focused work by providing flexible, ease-to-use and relatively low-cost environments that enable the free exchange of ideas, images, and data. We call a huddle room as the future of collaboration, and VSSi enables you to take advantage of them right now.

VSSi provides individually customized Huddle Room Audio visual solutions offering innovative technologies. We value great performance and simplicity. Contact us today to learn more about Huddle Space AV Solutions for your business.

To learn more about Video Conferencing Solutions, click here.

 

Crestron Airmedia Vs Barco Clickshare

Crestron Airmedia Vs Barco Clickshare

 

Wireless Presentation Solutions

With a few clicks, wireless presentation solutions allow you and up to three other colleagues can present Audio Visual materials without dealing with cord connections, cumbersome wires, and the need to be directly in proximity.

There are many options on the market, but they don’t all offer the same capabilities. In this post, we’ll review Crestron Airmedia and Barco Clickshare, two well-known and reputable manufacturers. Both Crestron and Barco produce highly functional wireless presentation solutions.

Each company also offers a 3-year warranty and their products work well on WiFi or corporate networks; both are well-suited for enterprise clients with large meeting rooms or who need remote access and presentations.

However, there are some differences between the two products which can make a difference depending on your specific needs.

Here’s an overview of considerations for each option:

1. Crestron Airmedia

Crestron Airmedia was one of the first players in the wireless presentation arena, and continues to develop innovative and user-friendly products. This device connects via wifi to most smart devices, including iPods, iPhones and Androids, and Windows or Mac laptops and desktops.

Crestron Airmedia’s selling feature is that no dongle or USB connection is required; that means no wires at all are necessary. It supports four users with a “quad screen” and allows up to 40 people to remotely view presentations.

It offers functional integration for larger systems and a customizable welcome screen. AirMedia it uses existing LAN and leverages standard network security protocols. Because it introduces no new wireless networks, it has a security advantage over some other wireless presentation options.

2. Barco Clickshare

Barco Clickshare comes in several different models designed for different sized rooms. It supports a large 4K screen for HD quality visuals, and can support touchscreens.

It does require a USB button, instead of being totally wire-free, but this can sometimes be an advantage, as it requires no software and can therefore be easier to set up and use without the need for any training.

Barco Clickshare was designed as an enterprise product; the developers include a number of security features. It’s possible to add a conference monitor, and includes the option to transmit information completely off network. Most models are slightly less expensive than the Crestron Options.

Bottom Line

In short, Crestron Airmedia supports more types of devices supported, includes more robust options for remote viewing, and doesn’t require a USB connection.

Barco Clickshare is typically a more affordable option, offers an off-network functionality for increased security, and offers resolution adjustability and HD visuals.

Both options provide a high-quality, professional remote presentation service AV system that work beautifully in the majority of corporate settings.

VSSi is a design-build Audio Visual solution company which provides individually customized professional and corporate AV technologies. For more information about the best product for you, or to schedule a consultation regarding wireless presentation systems or any other audio visual needs, get in touch here.

Boosting Business Productivity with Huddle Spaces

Boosting Business Productivity with Huddle Spaces

We are becoming more informal society- and a tech culture is a big reason why. While some aspects of this are lamentable, it has been an undeniable boon for the world of business: it equates to better productivity.

Perhaps, no concept better illustrates this transformation than the proliferation of huddle spaces. Rather than the age-old concept of employees pitching ideas around a boardroom table in a hierarchal, structured meeting, companies are seeking the benefits in facilitating off-the-cut collaboration-making the most of the moment when inspiration strikes.

Huddle Spaces make a big difference in today’s business environment. Any available space is in a high demand in the vast majority of businesses: it can be a time-consuming experience. Huddle spaces are a great solution for many companies: people walk in and out of the room without booking the room, and with their own laptops, phones, and tablets. They demand an immediate and responsive interface, starting with whatever is on their device, whether that’s FaceTime, Skype, ClickShare or any other application.

There are great solutions for huddle spaces designed by Barco, Vaddio, Yamaha, and Crestron:

  • For immediacy purposes BARCO for instance, designed a Clickshare interface for people to simply connect to a display and begin sharing. Because huddle spaces can be conducted on the fly, the decision making can be much speedier, and workplace environment is more productive.  It definitely eases the method of working together between multiple people and teams.
  • Yamaha CS-700 video sound collaboration system is an outstanding AV solution for huddle spaces, designed as an all-in-one unit to equip huddle rooms with best in class audio, video, and screen sharing capability.
  • Vaddio offers ConferenceSHOT FX. The extra-wide field of view on this fixed video conferencing camera allows everyone around the table to be clearly visible. It plugs into a USB port and works with major UCC soft clients.
  • All-in-one Crestron Mercury Tabletop Conferencing System. It supports any collaboration application: Spark, Cisco, GoToMeeting, WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, Zoom and etc. Just plug USB to your laptop and get full room experience. Mercury allows people to collaborate regardless of their location and conference application.

VSSi provides individually customized Huddle Space Audio visual solutions offering innovative technologies. We value great performance and simplicity. Contact us today to learn more about Huddle Space AV Solutions for your business.

To learn more about Video Conferencing Solutions, click here.

 

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