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Equipment items must be returned by the return time noted on the rental agreement. After hours media library return is possible by using the 24 hour Media Return drawer, located in the main entrance to the A.V. office.
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Your signature is required. Due to the delicate nature of licensing, copyright and technology agreements, all checkouts of any kind from A.V. require the patron's signature:
- Students must have a completed Student Media Request Form
- Faculty/Administrators/Staff must either sign for the items in person, or complete a Signature Authorization form to grant signing permission to another individual. Forms are available in the A.V. office and also on our website. Faculty wishing to save time may call or email ahead to have media library titles ready for their signout. Students must present their signed Media Request slip prior to any checkout.
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New and updated equipment is detailed on the online
Equipment Request Form. By clicking on each name of the equipment, this interactive form provides specifications, included accessories, other options to consider, and a user-friendly rating to help gage the level of expertise needed to operate each item. If you don't see what you need, we welcome your email for further information or clarification on a particular item.
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Cameras, recorders, projection devices, and various peripherals can be scheduled using the
Equipment Request form on the AV website. All patrons need to reserve A.V. equipment a minimum of
two business days in advance of their pick-up day to allow for proper testing, maintenance, re-charging or formatting, scheduling, and reservation.
"Same-day" request and checkout of equipment from A.V. Services is not possible.
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Users wishing to report any issues or troubles with Westminster presentation technology are to complete a
Trouble Report form. There are two major advantages to filling out a trouble report form online. Multiple technicians and staff members instantly receive this report through a number of messaging systems, providing immediate attention and the fastest service possible. It also is the easiest way for users to provide detailed explanations of problems in AV supported locations as well as what may have been done in an attempt to fix them.
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Like the AV smart classrooms on campus, it is not necessary to reserve the existing accessible equipment installed in Witherspoon or Mueller with AV Services. (DVD players, ceiling mounted projectors, etc.) Standard AV equipment request procedures apply to reserve additional or secured AV equipment (laptops, mics, document cameras, etc.) for any McKelvey event. Training and questions relating to the Berlin Lounge or the Club room in McKelvey should be directed to the office of Student Affairs, who is solely responsible for these locations.
Also see How do I request equipment? and What training is available?
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AV gratefully accepts thoughtful media and equipment donations that add to the educational value of these Westminster collections; however donors should be aware of the following policies. All donated media is subject to review prior to inclusion in the media holdings. A full evaluation to determine the condition of the media, if it is a duplicate or if it can replace an already existing title, or if any additional licensing issues need addressed must be completed prior to acceptance. In some cases, it may be determined that the media might be of greater benefit to another organization and will be respectfully refused. Donated equipment also undergoes a similar review, and AV reserves the right to refuse any equipment donations. To ensure that funding is available for the eventual recycling of donated equipment, fees may be involved and will need to be paid in full prior to acceptance.
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RCA cables are a familiar sight to almost everyone who owns a VCR, DVD player, or even a gaming console. The yellow cable is designed for video to go from point A to point B. The red and white cables each carry one channel of audio: for color coding purposes, the left channel goes through the white connector, and the right channel through the red connector.
To go a step further, technically, you can use the yellow, red and white cables interchangeably. Years ago, that wasn’t always the case: the yellow cable had more resistance to allow for video to pass through more cleanly, with minimal outside interference. (It had 75 ohms of resistance, while the audio cables had 50 ohms of resistance.) Some resistance is now built into the connectors of the devices the cables plug into, placing less dependence on the cable.
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College policy requires all motion media purchases to be processed through AV, however we are cognizant that on occasion faculty may purchase a media title with personal funds, and then later seek financial reimbursement for the purchase upon concluding that it should be included in the AV media library holdings. Such reimbursements should be handled in the following manner:
- Submit a standard business office reimbursement form with any original receipts or credit statements to your department chair for business office approval.
- The account to bill will need to be confirmed with your chair.
- If approved, the department chair will forward this to the business office for processing.
- Deliver the media to AV along with copies of any packing slips, receipts, the reimbursement form, and any license agreements for proper reporting/cataloging, etc.
- Please also include the date of purchase, and method of purchase (cash, personal credit card, etc.) if it does not appear on these other documents.
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Your signature is required. Due to the delicate nature of licensing, copyright and technology agreements, all checkouts of any kind from A.V. require the patron's signature:
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Students must have a completed Media Request Slip
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Faculty/Administrators/Staff must either sign for the items in person, or complete a Signature Authorization form to grant signing permission to another individual. Forms are available in the A.V. office and also on our website. Faculty wishing to save time may call or email ahead to have media library titles ready for their signout. Students must present their signed Media Request slip prior to any checkout.
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All Westminster College media orders are to be processed through the Audio Visual Office. Please complete a
Media Acquisition form to initiate your order. Please consider proper lead-time when ordering materials. It has been our experience that many in-stock orders still take 10-14 days to arrive, even with RUSH shipping. Out of stock items can take up to 6 weeks or longer.
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Items can be dropped off during our current office hours, which are posted under "Visit AV" on our homepage. For added convenience, we have an after-hours media return drawer in our main office door. You or a friend may return items using either of these methods.
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To get a legal copy of a program or arrange to view it live, please fill out an
Off-Air Taping form. Rights for programs recorded off-air typically have an expiration date dependent on the originating channel. Our office will coordinate and secure the proper licensing and alert you when the legal copy is available for use.
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All the answers are available in the complete Westminster College Media Collection Statement, which is available for your review under item 2 on our
policies page.
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AV gratefully accepts thoughtful media and equipment donations that add to the educational value of these Westminster collections; however donors should be aware of the following policies. All donated media is subject to review prior to inclusion in the media holdings. A full evaluation to determine the condition of the media, if it is a duplicate or if it can replace an already existing title, or if any additional licensing issues need addressed must be completed prior to acceptance. In some cases, it may be determined that the media might be of greater benefit to another organization and will be respectfully refused. Donated equipment also undergoes a similar review, and AV reserves the right to refuse any equipment donations. To ensure that funding is available for the eventual recycling of donated equipment, fees may be involved and will need to be paid in full prior to acceptance.
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Due to the planned extinction of the VHS format and playback machines worldwide as well as Westminster’s proactive movement towards the mainstreaming of digital content, Audio Visual Services no longer funds the purchase of VHS titles. In rare cases where integral media is only available in VHS, acquisition is possible only when funded through the requesting department’s primary billing account.
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With over 5,000 media titles in our media library, students can find materials that will greatly assist them with research and other academic purposes. The answer is absolutely! Media titles can be signed out by students for one week. You can browse our online catalog and see what titles we have in our holdings by going to westminster.edu/av and selecting the “Online Catalog” link on the left.
If you are a student, however, you will need to get a “clearance” from a faculty member or advisor to confirm that you will be using the title for an academic purpose. This is done by completing a Student Media Request form. You can obtain a hard copy of the form from our office OR, for the computer-savvy, you can fill out the form online! The faculty member will confirm or deny your request: once we receive that confirmation, either with a signed form or an e-mail reply, we can process your request.
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While all DVDs look the same inside the case, there are many different types of DVDs that manufacturers produce. They can be from different regions, or they can be different types, such as DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, or DVD Video. Majority of DVD players in the United States will reliably read and play “DVD Video” discs from Region 1. Here are a few possible reasons why the DVD might not play:
a) If it’s a DVD that has been not been produced commercially (for example, your home movies), make sure the disc is finalized as a DVD Video or DVD-ROM.
b) The DVD’s region is any number except 1. The solution? Region-free DVD players are available to allow DVDs from any region to play.
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Remember when smart phones became really popular? The reason they became popular was because they put the internet in the palm of your hands. You could check your email, book airfare, even do all of your holiday shopping without having to find a computer. While it’s not wise to carry a 55 inch TV wherever you go, the concept of “smart” for TVs is essentially the same as the evolution of smart phones.
TVs now have the ability to let you surf the web, post a tweet, watch movies from your favorite movie service, and check your email, among many other functions. Many of these TVs come with full size keyboards for typing websites and documents…quite handy if you don’t want to leave your living room.
The newer models of Smart TVs also use gesture control to let you scroll, select, and move items around. If you are a certain distance from the TV, moving your hand in front of the screen gives you the same functionality as a mouse on your computer. Smart TVs are quickly becoming a fan favorite, and don’t be surprised to see every major brand of television release a Smart TV within the next 5 years.
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There are several ways to go about capturing a single frame from a video.
(1) On the iPhone If you take videos on your iPhone, apps such as MovieTolmage make grabbing stills from these files easy. Use the app's simple scrubbing interface to locate the precise frame you want. When you find the perfect shot, tap the Save button in the bottom right corner of the screen. The still will be saved to your Camera Roll.
(2) Screen Grab: If you’re working with SD video you can do a screen grab. Open the movie in QuickTime Player, and make sure you’re viewing at actual size. (To do this, choose View -> Actual Size, or press Command-1.
Press Command-Shift-4, and your cursor will turn into a crosshairs.) Click and drag to pull a selection around your video window. When you release the mouse button, an image file will be written to your desktop.
(3) Export from iMovie: To export a still using iMovie, first import the clip into iMovie, then create a new project. When you find the frame you want, right-click or Control-click and choose Add Freeze Frame from the drop-down menu. A new clip will be added to the end of the segment. Right-click of Control-click on this frame and choose Reveal in Finder from the menu. A Finder window will open that shows the newly created JPEG still image file. Hold down the Option key to drag a copy of this file to wherever you like.
(4) Use Aperture: If you have Aperture 3, you can create a still by importing a movie into an Aperture project, playing it or scrubbing through until you find the frame you like, then opening the gear menu on the right side of the playback controls. Choose New JPEG From Frame, and a new still frame will be added to your project. Click on this frame and choose File -> Export Version to save it as an image file.
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It will look much better in the DVD player. Since the DVD player has a true digital output (HDMI), you’ll see all of your content in full screen, clear picture. If you try to play it through the computer, the display resolution difference causes some blurriness. For the best quality look, the DVD/Blu ray deck is the way to go.
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This has to do with the anti-copying measure that digital technology is known for. If the system detects that a source is going to more than one display, it is assuming that you are trying to make a copy of the content from your source. While that may not be your intention, the system doesn’t know that for sure. This is a good example of HDCP, or High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection. If any digital system detects that a source is going to multiple displays (in this case, the projector and the Crestron touch panel), the entire system would shut down. To avoid a system shutdown, there is no preview for DVD or Blu ray disks on the Blu ray source.
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After you place an object or document onto the Samsung document camera, you can press the “Freeze” button to keep that image stationary on the doc cam source. This is really useful, for example, if you want to show your audience a document, but you’d like to walk around the room with it and be interactive with the group. You can place the document on the camera, zoom in or out, press “Freeze”, remove the document, and it will stay on the display. You can even change to a different source to show different content, like the PC, and then back to the document camera to reveal your frozen image. The image will stay until you press “Freeze” a second time.
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There are 3 main volume controls that you can check to make sure that your clip has adequate audio.
1st, check the Crestron audio volume and make sure that it is turned up to a reasonable level.
2nd, check the volume level of the YouTube clip (usually next to the play button on the YouTube screen) and make sure it’s turned up.
3rd, check the master volume level of the computer itself (look for a speaker icon) and adjust that volume up or down as necessary.
If you still don’t hear any audio, there may be an issue with cabling, the amplifiers, the speakers, or the video itself. If all of your volume levels are reasonably high and you still hear no audio, you can contact AV Services at extension 7188 or by filling out an online trouble report form. Our technicians are ready to help troubleshoot the issue.
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While AV Services can print museum quality prints, we unfortunately do not provide dry mount or framing services. Craft and framing stores such as Pat Catans, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Michael's, The Framing Loft, and others offer this type of service in our area. Another option, depending on size and intended use, might be having your prints laminated (sealed in plastic) by AV Services.
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AV does not provide spiral binding services. Westminster's
Print Shop however does offer spiral binding services. For more information call the duplicating department at 724-946-7198.
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Since our staff is made up of work-study students who have aid-dictated hour restrictions that are juggled to cover their daily responsibilities, we typically are not able to provide classroom operators through AV Services. You may, however, contact students employed through AV Services to negotiate an individual hourly rate to provide this service outside of their AV work hours. You can find our staff and their contact information here: http://www.westminster.edu/resources/av/av_contact.cfm.
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The recording time of a video source to a DVD recorder is "real time" and not able to be completed at a faster interval. After the content is recorded onto a DVD, each disc must then be "finalized" to allow playback in a standard DVD player. Finalization time is based on how much data is recorded on the disc and the speed of the media. More data means faster finalization times.
If the video information is already on a digital disc and needs duplicated to another DVD, the transfer requires time to create a master, and then duplicates can typically be made one at time in about 15 minute intervals.
DVD duplicates can occasionally experience data loss during the transfer process. All DVDs recorded in AV are tested for data accuracy and compatibility prior to being released.
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Not every computer has the same fonts, color profiles, and software versions. A PDF preserves the colors and fonts in the file allowing any computer to recreate it as it was intended.
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Audio Visual Servies does not supply foam board for poster printing projects. The bookstore has a supply of foam board in 20x30 sheets in white or black. Other specific sizes can be ordered on a per need basis.
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Users wishing to report any issues or troubles with Westminster presentation technology are to complete a
Trouble Report form. There are two major advantages to filling out a trouble report form online. Multiple technicians and staff members instantly receive this report through a number of messaging systems, providing immediate attention and the fastest service possible. It also is the easiest way for users to provide detailed explanations of problems in AV supported locations as well as what may have been done in an attempt to fix them.
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Talk to us. We are always interested in your training and support needs. If you have suggestions for training sessions or ways we can improve our support, please complete a
Comments and Suggestions form, or you can fill out a suggestion card and leave it in the box just outside of our main office.
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PSC's (Portable Smart Classrooms) are available for faculty reservation and use in all Academic buildings. These units provide the same functionality as our permanent installations, but require additional reservation and set-up time. Because of the mobile nature of this equipment, it is important that users take the few extra minutes required to properly store and secure all items on the PSC after each use. For training information on PSC's, visit the P drive, or call us. Check with your department chair for storage locations and sign-out information.
The AV Classroom is also available for use. It is housed in our department, is available for training, experimentation, and presentation on a scheduled basis through AV Services. It is the only AV supported Smart Classroom not scheduled through the Registrar's office. This fully equipped "Smart" classroom contains desks for 30. If you would like to reserve the AV Classroom click
here.
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The proliferation of mobile phones and devices are at an all-time high, and they are the biggest culprit for causing this type of noise. Many mobile phone transmissions can get into a sound system through multiple "paths." The susceptibilities differ among phones and from system to system. Today's mobile phones and PDAs are also more invasive because they operate at frequencies that are 20 times higher than FM radio; this gives them shorter wavelengths and lets them get in through "smaller openings." It is important to note that a phone does not have to be texting or on a call to cause this interference. Some phones regularly "search" for a carrier connection or perform mapping functions. We attempt to properly ground all of our systems, use shielded cables, and close off unused audio inputs, however even this is not always successful. We recommend that you keep working cell phones away from microphones, input cables, and connections, and if possible, as that folks in the room turn off their cell phones during any presentation.
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Directions for all of the smart classrooms and specialized A.V. equipment have been saved to the R drive, filed by building and room number. You'll find them here: P:Drive >Smart Classroom and Tech. Directions
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Please contact Security as soon as possible. A.V. cannot provide keys of any type.
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Like the AV smart classrooms on campus, it is not necessary to reserve the existing accessible equipment installed in Witherspoon or Mueller with AV Services. (DVD players, ceiling mounted projectors, etc.) Standard AV equipment request procedures apply to reserve additional or secured AV equipment (laptops, mics, document cameras, etc.) for any McKelvey event. Training and questions relating to the Berlin Lounge or the Club room in McKelvey should be directed to the office of Student Affairs, who is solely responsible for these locations.
Also see How do I request equipment? and What training is available.
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It is truly a team effort! AV maintains the presentation technology and associated hardware in each room for all standard smart classroom installations. Ron Webster and our friends in
Information Systems maintain the computers, network, and associated cabling in each room. Our friends in
Physical Plant take care of general room maintenance, light replacement, and any other "plant" issues. And you are also an important member of this team! Get to know these systems. Please encourage everyone to learn proper care, use, and security of all "smart" equipment and installations. These are expensive resources that have very limited funding for repairs and replacement. Please promptly report ANY problems that arise with your use of these systems, either through the online trouble report* available through our homepage, or by phone.
*Online trouble report submissions are dispatched to our staff immediately. Phone, email, and other communications can result in longer response times.
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Projector lamps warm up and have a cool down period primarily to extend the life of the lamp. It takes anything some time to go from room temperature to red hot. Inside the projector is a very expensive, high intensity lamp. In order for it to work properly, it needs time to heat up and cool down. If the bulb cost $10, like slide or overhead projector lamps, it wouldn't matter but at $400+ a pop it makes sense to take every measure to extend the life of the lamp. Most standard lamps fail when first turned on or turned off, not when in operation. Also the color changes as the temperature changes and the projectors color is balanced to the standard operating temp. This means colors aren't accurate until the lamp heats up some. Finally, the lamps generate a significant amount of heat for the rest of the projector, which requires significant air flow to protect the other components. This gradual warm up and cool down allows the surrounding components of the projector to adjust, rather than burst from such a dramatic change in temperature.
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While no image appears from a "blanked" projector, it is important to note that the projector is actually projecting a black image and the lamp is still active and burning off precious minutes. For this reason, AV asks that you only power up what you need in a smart classroom when you actually need it. There are several good reasons to shut off a Smart Classroom projector when it is not actually being used to display content. The lamps for these units cost anywhere from $500 to $1,200 each, and some units require more than one lamp. Most lamps are rated to last about 1,500 hours. The projection systems are also one of the most power-hungry devices in a classroom. To leave them burning away when they are not actually displaying classroom content, or leaving them on when exiting a classroom "so that the next person can use it," is extremely wasteful, costly, and irresponsible. Turning the projector off is simple, not time consuming, helps everyone be conscience of lamp life and replacement costs, is environmentally responsible and cost effective.
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There are several good reasons to shut off a Smart Classroom projector when it is not actually being used to display content. The lamps for these units cost anywhere from $500 to $1,200 each, and some units require more than one lamp. Most lamps are rated to last about 1,500 hours. The projection systems are also one of the most power-hungry devices in a classroom. To leave them burning away when they are not actually displaying classroom content, or leaving them on when exiting a classroom "so that the next person can use it," is extremely wasteful, costly, and irresponsible. Turning the projector off is simple, not time consuming, helps everyone be conscience of lamp life and replacement costs, is environmentally responsible and cost effective. For any other questions on the Smart Classrooms, contact us via the
Ask Andy form, or email at avstaff@westminster.edu.
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A Smart Board is a device that allows users to interact with displayed content, using simple finger touches or specially designed pens for annotation, highlighting, moving images, etc. Essentially, a Smart Board works in tandem with a computer and special software to bring content to life.
Most Smart Boards come with 4 interactive “pens” that write with digital ink along with an eraser that can “clear” the digital ink. The colors can be changed on the fly to allow instructors to make clear, color coded references if necessary. Smart Boards have been a vital tool to make PowerPoint slides interactive, primarily for folks studying education. They enhance student participation, allow instructors to illustrate points more clearly, and also eliminate the need for them to go back and forth between the computer and the board.
The possibilities of Smart Board uses vary greatly with each field of study. Smart has tutorials available for folks who are looking to apply Smart Board use to their curriculums.
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This is a question that has occurred quite frequently as the college transitions to digital systems in the Smart Classrooms. The important concept to remember is that while a projector may be digital, the source needs to be digital too. Currently, many of our computers and DVD players have analog outputs. If you are using a laptop with HDMI (digital) and displaying it on a current smart classroom projector (analog), you will not see an improvement on your image: in fact, you’ll have to account for factors such as resolution and scanning lines to make it look decent.
The same applies if you display a PC (currently analog) onto a digital projection system. If an analog signal goes in, it needs to be analog on the output display to look optimal.
In principle, the source AND the output display must be digital in order to see a sharper, higher quality image. With the construction and upgrade of Patterson Hall, 9 classrooms, a seminar room and computer lab will be the first areas to house digital systems and projectors.
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Most of the sources in our Smart Classrooms have one volume control. We will focus primarily on PC and laptop audio, along with DVD player audio.
1. For PCs and laptops, there are a few volume controls that need turned up in addition to the touch panel’s volume:
a) The volume of the PC, which can be found on the bottom right of the Windows Taskbar near the time and date.
b) The volume of your content, whether it’s the volume of a video on Youtube, webcast, or another video host.
2. For DVD players, the audio configuration on the DVD might need changed. Many current DVDs are produced in Dolby Digital surround sound, meaning it can have as many as 7 channels of audio. You may need to change the DVD audio settings to “Stereo”, or another available setting other than “Surround Sound.”
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First and foremost, while you may be in front of 20 students, the important thing is not to panic. This happens quite frequently, and our AV staff members are always ready to help!
A vital, and sometimes time-saving aspect of troubleshooting is to start retracing the basic steps.
First, make sure your room’s red Master Power Switch is turned on in the equipment rack: this turns on the amplifiers, which powers the speakers.
Second, press the PC button followed by “Send To Projector” on your touch panel. Even if you have done this second step already, it’s worth another try: your touch panel is like a computer.
Third, check and make sure that the following volume sources are turned up and NOT MUTED:
- Volume level on the touch panel
- Volume level coming out of the computer (usually indicated by a speaker icon on the bottom right of the computer screen next to the date and time)
- Volume level of the Youtube video itself, which can be set next to the play/pause button of the video window.
If none of these basic troubleshooting steps restore your audio, never hesitate to contact Audio Visual Services at 724-946-7188 and report this, or any AV technology issue! You can also fill out the online trouble report form via our AV website (westminster.edu/av) for the fastest, most reliable service.
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iPads are one of the hottest commodities in the world of electronics today. As of February 2012, if the classroom you use has an RCA Auxiliary Connection Plate or a Laptop VGA input, you can indeed use your iPad to present slides, video, and photos! Audio Visual Services circulates conversion cables for iPads and iPhones that allow your device to work with our analog systems. See the “Equipment Rental” section of our Audio Visual website (westminster.edu/av) for additional details on how to sign out the cable you need.
If you are an avid iPad presenter, there is some excellent news regarding Patterson Hall’s renovation to be completed in April 2012! All 10 fully equipped digital SMART Classrooms will have an exclusive docking station for iPads! This will eliminate the hassle of cable and provide an easy way to display your content!
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