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New hardware makes for better presentations
By BRIAN ALLEN
Today Staff
Cedar Hill Independent School District officials got a glimpse of the future
that will be an integral part of their new performing arts center with a Feb. 4
demonstration of the Synergy Concepts Inc. Multimedia Interactive Presentation
Station Unit (SCI-MIPSU).
The unit helps add video and audio components to presentations and can even
broadcast over the Internet.
The workstation was ordered as part of the completed performing arts center but
was not ready for the new facility’s grand opening.
Superintendent Jim Gibson said that may have been a blessing because the
technology involved in the workstation can grow immensely even in the span of a
week’s time. The unit is housed inside a 56-foot long by 30-foot deep-footprint
case and contains a Microsoft XP operating system, an Intel P4 MMX motherboard
with 800 MHz FSB, and remote controllable multimedia video graphics.
The system can be controlled through the remote, a mouse or by keyboard.
“It doesn’t matter what you want to control it with, it will work,” SCI CEO John
Graf said. “Because we don’t know who the user is going to be. Whoever’s
managing the facility will only need to show the person using it the things
they’re going to be working with.”
The workstation also has the capability to broadcast an event occurring in front
of it onto the Internet, which as Graf pointed out opens up a world of
opportunities for the district’s classrooms.
Graf also displayed some of the SCI-MIPSU’s video capture capabilities by
freezing action from a television broadcast and placing the images in a gallery.
He also showed video of the Longhorn band.
“What can you do with that?” he asked. “You can edit the footage and make copies
of it to sell. That’s how you pay for this machine. This thing can make you
dollars — use it.”
Gibson said district officials realized in the planning of the performing arts
center that the traditional static presentation from behind a podium was a thing
of the past.
“We worked with consultants including experts in audio and lighting and
presentation centers,” he said. “They all identified Synergy as a recognized
leader in this area. The workstation will be used predominantly in this
building, and we will look at what was discussed in sending things out through
the Internet that could reach every office and classroom in the district. We’re
still looking at the utility of it. We certainly want to commend everyone
involved in the planning of it.”
SCI was established as a corporation in 1987. They provide turnkey integrated
high-tech product and service solutions to support military, public and private
clients and projects. Their solutions are based on integration experience with
satellite, communication, audio, video and information technology.
Brian Allen can be reached at staffwriter4@todaynewspapers.net.
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