Spring Is In The Air

Last week the buds on the apple trees burst open outside my front door in Brooklyn, marking the beginning of spring and the allergy season. Next, the UPS drivers will start wearing shorts and we'll know for sure that the warm weather has arrived.  Since our audience will be spending more time out of doors, I thought it would be worthwhile to review options for bringing media outside and how Scharff Weisberg can support your fresh air projects.

Video Projection and LED Tiles

Whether for concerts, movie screenings or brand experiences, video media has become an important element for outdoor events. Typically, two video technologies are utilized for these projects - video projection and LED tiles - and there are some important things to note about    deploying them.

1.    Video projection, no matter how bright
       the projectors, will not display a
       visible image until at least 30    
       minutes after sundown.
2.    Video projectors are not weatherproof
       and must be installed under a roof or
       in a special enclosure. We have a
       number of custom-built enclosures that
       handle 20,000 lumen units and include computer controlled air filtering and conditioning.
3.    LED tiles are weatherproof, assuming you are using the right kind of LED tile. For outdoor use,
       the LED tiles should carry a weather rating of IP65 or 66 and have a light output of at least
       5,000 nits.
4.    Even if the components are weatherproof, they will probably not stand up to being submerged,
       so keep them away from pools of standing water.

Speaker Enclosures

Most of the professional loudspeaker enclosures we carry such as the Meyer Sound line can be utilized in covered roof applications. For true outdoor use, speakers can be ordered that use drivers treated with weather-resistant coatings and connectors that have water seals. Bear in mind that most outdoor sound reinforcement applications require large quantities of large output speaker cabinets, especially for music concerts, due to the lack of acoustically reflective surfaces in many outdoor spaces, such as parks and festival sites. Outside the confines of an acoustical container formed by four walls, a floor and ceiling, sound will continue to travel away from the point-source unimpeded, requiring enough speakers to place sound energy everywhere it needs to be at sufficient SPL.