Interactivity designed with humans in mind

VTRON Interactive Displays Boards (IDBs) provide a one stop solution which add interactivity and energy to any training or meeting environment, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of communication.

IDBs are easy to operate and well suited for all types of applications and not just for education.

Users will benefit from their highly precise touch positioning and response, intelligent recognition for finger writing and palm erasing, and built in recording and playback software. The IDBs also include wireless access as standard and comes with the option of an inbuilt PC, making them a very competitive alternative to the traditional interactive whiteboard.

The range has models with screen sizes up to 70 inch diagonal, suitable for the largest meeting room.  With an optional height adjustable wall mount or floor stand, the boards height can be altered for the comfort of any user.  Additionally,  the 4650 model can be integrated into an electric, height adjustable flight case.  This not only protects against damage but makes the board highly mobile.

Reflex is the official southern demonstration facility for the VTRON products, meaning that any customer can visit us and see the boards in action. Contact us on 0118 931 3611 for more information or pricing.

New Police Federation Headquarters invests in totally integrated communications infrastructure

The Police Federation of England and Wales is now based in a new, purpose-built headquarters in Leatherhead.

The complex audio visual requirements for the new headquarters were across four floors. These included a swimming pool and gym in the basement, bedrooms on the ground, first and second floors, training rooms and public areas on the ground floor, plus offices, committee rooms and a television studio on the first floor.

Reflex Audio Visual Solution

Basement Area

Three 50 inch plasma displays are ceiling mounted and positioned for optimum viewing. Centrally controlled IPTV feeds each display and personal screens on the gym equipment.

Speaker systems in the changing areas and pool area distribute the audio from the gym and MP3 or CD playback is available via a local computer in the gym office.

Ground Floor

Each of the bedrooms has a laptop connection plate and an unobtrusive widescreen wall LCD display with built in speakers, that benefit from low running costs.

In the two training rooms there is an SXGA ceiling mounted DLP projector projecting onto a large ceiling mounted electric screen. By connecting a 15" TFT tablet to a PC, the screen becomes interactive. There is a DVD/VCR combination unit in each room, and a switcher lets users easily change between equipment.

Delegates can interact with the large screen without leaving their seat through a 10" WIFI touch panel.

The final area on this floor is the conference room, that has dual functionality. It can operate as one single, large room or can be split into two independent rooms, each with its own AV equipment.

In the Atrium area, three 57-inch LCD displays are wall mounted with input from the TV distribution system. A local PC attached to each allows computer based presentations to be shown to guests.

To the side of the Atrium is a bar area, with a networked audio system, whilst in the reception, a Digital Signage system welcomes visitors.

First Floor

The three Committee Rooms each has a 57" wall mounted LCD display with interactive functionality through a 15inch TFT tablet and wall mounted connection plates, with full audio.

The TV studio features a broadcast quality Camcorder and a live content producer for the recording/transmission of events. This also streams live or recorded video to the IPTV distribution system for local viewing.

Additional Facilities

A Room Wizard Room Booking System that links into the building's Property Management System is installed outside every conference, training and committee room. This provides an LCD panel which shows users the status of each room and allows the use of all the rooms to be efficiently diarised and managed.

The results

This complex and challenging brief demanded a high degree of project management and was rolled out over 18 months. Ease of use, central control and a commonality of user interfaces were the key objectives. A three year maintenance contract to ensure the smooth, ongoing operation of all the equipment was subsequently taken out by the Police Federation.

The project was delivered on time and on budget, and the client was impressed with the results.

To see more case studies please click here

Healthcare is a booming sector for digital signage technology

Recent media attention on the winner of the Apprentice, Yasmina Siadatan, has highlighted a trend that Reflex has been tracking for some time.

Ms Siadatan is reported to be working for Sir Alan Sugar's company Amscreen Heath Care, which sells digital signage systems to the NHS.  Roland Dreesden, Reflex's MD said “It's interesting to see that Sir Alan is following a similar strategy to us.  Digital signage has exploded onto the market as one of the fastest growing areas of audio visual technology in the last three years." 

The technology has applications across a whole range of industries such as conference centres, education, hospitality, visitor attractions, retail and transportation but now the health sector is emerging as an important and growing area. 

The ability to seamlessly combine information in many different formats, and display instantly and simultaneously across different locations eases communication challenges on large sites such as hospitals.  With many hospitals spread over several buildings, digital signage is ideal for ' wayfinding' information - directing visitors and patients to the correct areas. Real time information can be delivered in a visually stimulating manner right along the communication channel; from government to hospitals, from doctors to patients, or from PCTs to surgeries.  For example, the PCT could centrally display key health messages onto screens in patient waiting areas, whilst each individual surgery overlays this with their own local information. 

Recent digital signage contracts that Reflex has worked on include the University College London Hospital and the South Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT).  In UCLH, digital signage is used in the reception area to display welcome messages and efficiently communicate important messages.  In SEPT, it is used to display site and room management information. 

Thames Valley
Breakfast Meeting

Calling all Thames Valley businesses - a date for your diary.  Keep the early morning of 24th September free for our planned Business Efficiency breakfast meeting to be held in Reading.

We're looking at gathering together local businesses to share information, with the aim of saving money, reducing carbon footprint and increasing efficiency.

This is an initiative we have trialled on a small basis within our own trading estate.  One action we took was that all the companies on our estate now co-ordinate their courier collections, and that alone has saved Reflex over £7000 in courier costs per annum. We liked that so it seems like a good idea to spread the initiative wider.

Details will be announced shortly but call us to register your interest.

Not near Reading?  Don't worry; we also plan to roll this initiative out to other areas of the country.  If you like the sound of it, call Kristy on 0118 931 3611, it will help us identify which areas to go to next.

Spreading the word about Unified Communications

A broad mix of University, corporate and government visitors attended the Reflex/Polycom Unified Communications Live Event on Thursday 2nd July 2009.

With two sessions, end users learned about the technologies including video conferencing, web and data communication available during the morning, whilst AV consultants had a more technical session during the afternoon.

During the day, delegates not only experienced first hand Polycom's voice and visual collaboration products but learned more about how the technology could deliver solid cost savings for their organisations.  Visitors were also able to watch demonstrations and presentations from MediaSite - a product that simplifies video capture and streaming.

Steve Cooper from law firm Martineau UK found the event useful for researching different systems and technologies, particularly on the video conferencing side.  “It was good to see the high definition products, and also learn about the software solutions that allow users to access the systems remotely, something that is very important to us" he said.

Click here to register a colleague to receive future AV event invitations.