Specifications

May/June 2000 ExtroNews 11.2 11
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING...
given five minutes to attempt revival or
replacement of the product. Inability to
restart a product means it must stay OFF for
the rest of the day. Only one product
replacement is allowed for the duration of
the entire INFOCOMM show.
What’s New?
For the year 2000, the Shoot-Out is
reorganized into an applications-oriented
event. Projector groups are arranged by new
criteria including weight and/or light output.
The setting will guide attendees toward
products best suited for business office
applications, large audience applications, high
definition video applications, high definition
large audience, and self-contained standard
format as well as widescreen format displays.
The graphics resolutions are centered on those
most widely used today versus the past
smorgasbord of stepped display resolutions.
Additional high definition material will be
available in 720p so that attendees may
compare it to the 1080i material traditionally
shown. An entirely new category of display has
been introduced this year: large Area LED
displays will make their debut.
A Life Of Its Own
The effects of the Shoot-Out are larger than
the sum of its parts. It’s difficult to measure the
value of this great event. More than 90% of
attendees approve of the Shoot-Out as a
meaningful experience toward their
understanding of projection and video processing
when making purchase decisions, according to a
recent survey conducted by ICIA. I have seen the
evolution of a projection industry based totally
upon CRT technology to one now barely in need
of CRT technology. Still, the Shoot-Out provides a
premier setting for the comparison of the new
with the old in a grand scheme that is nearly
overwhelming with the sheer number of products
on display. The sun has risen and set on various
technological innovations over the past 12 years.
As for me, I think the Shoot-Out will continue to
deliver a very valuable experience to all who take
the time to absorb what it has to offer.
• More than 2000 man-hours are
expended between ICIA staff, Steve
Somers, and the other partners
before the show opens.
• Steve Somers spends about 200
hours reviewing and selecting
imagery.
• Approximately 12,000 images (pho-
tos and graphics) are researched to
create the Shoot-Out CD.
• Production of the movie/video seg-
ments of the show software requires
coordination and
licensing of digitally mastered mate-
rials from most major movie stu-
dios.
• About 40 different display
manufacturers worldwide partici-
pate in the Shoot-Out.
• The Shoot-Out typically displays
more than 100 projectors.
• Two or more meetings with manu-
facturers take place
annually to coordinate the features
and rules of the event.
• It takes about twenty computers to
deliver all the high-resolution
graphics.
• The graphics computers are coordi-
nated with about 10 to 15 Crestron
controller/computers.
• NTSC video and high definition
video each require a high speed
digital, D1 compatible disk recorder
costing about $50,000 each.
• All backbone video distribution
equipment, controller equipment,
and screens are valued at $1.25 mil-
lion.
• More than 80 Extron ADA 6
distribution amplifiers are in use.
• More than 100,000 lumens are pro-
duced by all the displays. Power to
operate all projectors and support
equipment is estimated at 650 kilo-
watts.
• Typically 12 fiber optic circuits are
needed to deliver NTSC and HD
signals to all points on the floor so
as to eliminate power ground loops.
Each fiber optic run is between 600
and 1000 feet in length with each
having
6–8 fiber “conductors”.
• Each projector or converter dis-
played receives an equal-length,
dedicated BNC-5 HR or SHR-5 cable
feed from the point of origination.
• Approximately 15,000 feet
(3 miles) of bundled Extron HR and
SHR coaxial cable provides a total of
105,000 feet (about 20 miles) of
unique signal connections to all the
projectors and converters.
• It typically takes the entire Shoot-
Out team of about 16 (10 which
are from Extron) about 8 hours to
tear down the event.
• The average setup workday per per-
son is 12 hours and approximately
26 people are involved in the tech-
nical setup.
• Once all the Shoot-Out computers,
video sources, and control system
are powered ON, they run continu-
ously 24 hours per day until the
show closes.
• The arrangement of the show soft-
ware is designed around a 10
minute repeating cycle. The design
is such that if any signal source fails,
another is switched in so that the
show is uninterrupted.
• Once the Shoot-Out show software
sequence is operational and fully
functioning, the control system
operates it automatically without
any intervention.
INTERESTING SHOOT-OUT STATS