Is it time to upgrade to a 4K TV

Have you gone to somebody’s home recently to watch a sporting event on their new 4K TV and thought to yourself, that picture isn’t much better than my LCD or Plasma TV.   The reason may be that the movie, cable programming or sporting event you were watched is only broadcast in 1080p vs 4k. When you view content that is broadcast with 1080P signal the 4K TV image will look very similar to that of an LCD or Plasma TV. The real advantages of purchasing a 4K TV is when you view 4K broadcasts from services such as Amazon, Netflix, Fandango Now, Sony Ultra, Vudu and You Tube. Matching 4K content to a 4K TV is the best way to experience your 4K TV. These streaming services will broadcast their imagery at 3,840. Multiplied by the 2,160 pixels on each vertical line, that makes for a total of 8.3 million pixels. By comparison, high-definition TVs display 1,920 horizontal and 1,080 vertical pixels, for a total of 2 million pixels. So 4K TVs display four times as many pixels—that is, they have four times as much detail and resolution—as HDTVs. Service providers know how many 4K TV’s have been sold in the last three years and are now providing more 4K content and will continue to grow their 4K content offerings.

4K Content:

If you look at your Netflix account, you will see that there are close to 400 movies and shows combined that are broadcast into 4K technology. As time goes on more and more content will be created in 4K. The good news is that our local service providers are starting to broadcast in 4K. DirecTV was the first service to provide 4K sports and Movies and now Cablevision’s Altice is providing 4K APP services and a 4K Channel (CH 200) which means that the new set top boxes can broadcast the 4k signal. The XBOX One X and Sony Play Station can play 4K disc’s as well as 4K video games.

Conclusion:

If you are thinking about upgrading to a 4K TV, now may be a great time to do it. With so much more content now available in 4K through service providers at streaming providers you TV experience will be greatly enhanced! Reach out to your Integrator that can help you to select the right 4K TV to meet your needs, as well as, making sure that you have the proper source components.

How to secure our Schools

While politicians engage in lively debate about gun control and solutions to an epidemic wave of violence in schools across the country, the discussion about how to harden our schools has become the top priority for parents and educators. When we think of hardening of schools, we generally think in terms of big hardware and armor, but there are 3 critical ways integrated technology can be implemented to make our schools safer immediately:

Access Control:

Access control is a way of limiting access to a system or to physical or virtual resources. In schools, access control is a process by which users are granted access to the building or specific areas. It can also be used to restrict access to equipment or information systems.

With access control systems, users must present credentials before they can be granted access. In physical systems, these credentials may come in many forms, but credentials that can’t be transferred provide the most security.

For example, a key card may act as an access control and grant the bearer access to a specific building or multiple buildings. Because this credential can be transferred or even stolen, it is not a secure way of handling access control.

A more secure method for access control involves two-factor authentication. The person who desires access must show credentials and a second factor to corroborate identity. The second factor could be an access code, a PIN, or even a biometric reading, such as a fingerprint, palm print or facial recognition.

Communication Systems:

Unlike most public-school systems, many private schools do not have direct communication systems between the classroom, administration and security. Modern two-way communications systems provide the ability to initiate instant emergency notifications & alerts during duress situations. Using a compact personal panic button device, a school-wide alert can be sent within seconds simultaneously to the main office and security staff members using visual alerts and playback of pre-recorded voice messages with specific instructions.

Video Surveillance:

It should go without saying that a current video surveillance system should be part of any school’s security. The ability to visually monitor all access points to a building and common areas within the building, coupled with a robust storage system to review details of an incident are vital to on-site security and response teams. This data can also be used to make key changes to the emergency planning process to aid in the recurrence of and event.

At AV Design Integration, our representatives are available to answer any questions you might have about improving the security of your school by utilizing our affordable integrated technology solutions.