DRD Services

03/07/2021

That's not a tv
This a TV

04/12/2018

Check out this interesting article by the Australian Government - automating your home can seriously augment energy efficiency which will see big savings 💰 in the long term as well as reducing your carbon footprint ♻️

In the home, appliances and equipment can be controlled automatically and remotely. Automated controls can turn equipment on or off, or adjust operating settings at predetermined times; they can be triggered on site or remotely; they can adjust equipment operation in response to changes, such as tem...

21/11/2018

RENTING AV EQUIPMENT FOR AN EVENT

No matter what kind of event you are organizing, one of the most important factors you need to consider in your planning is AV needs. There are several things to consider and we’re going to help you out a bit with some advice. So what do you need to do when organizing your event in terms of AV.

Consult DRD Services: Hopefully, you already found DRD, who provides expert AV consultancy services, to help you in the planning and budgeting for your event. If so, we will be invaluable in helping you assess your needs and sourcing the best places to get your equipment. We know who is reliable and has high quality customer service from first-hand experience. Now, that you have your event planned and you have found the right supplier for your AV rental needs, there are still a few things you’ll need to do. Don’t worry you’re getting close to having your event AV needs handled but first here are a couple of absolutes to do before your event.

If on the other hand you decide to go it alone, here are the things you need to watch for:

Determine your budget: You’ll need to go into your planning with a clear understanding of how much you can spend. AV is not cheap and planning your budget will help ensure you can cater for AV needs.

Check with the venue: Take the time to do a walk-through of the venue and ask if they have their own audio/visual equipment. Sometimes venues already have high-quality AV equipment on site. Just make sure it has the capabilities you’ll need to handle your event, and don’t forget to find out what their limitations are. Using in-house AV often saves on budget but might not always be adequate.

Make a list: Are there going to be musicians, video presentations or speakers at your event? This will help you better determine exactly what equipment you will need such as TV screens, projectors, video or audio recorders, and or microphones. Perhaps a band will require specific mic setup which will increase the price. Once you know exactly who your special guests, speakers, and entertainment will be and get their input, then you can put together a list of exactly what you need.

Get input from your event special guests and attractions: If musicians and speakers are a part of your event you will need to get them involved in the planning of the event as early as possible. They will have needs based on their preferences and functions. Musicians will especially want to be given the opportunity for input as early as possible.

Shop Around and negotiate with your AV rental company: Many times AV rental companies will offer you a better deal on an audio/visual package as opposed to just the pieces you need. You may get a better deal on a package that includes components that you can add to your event to make it better. Also, sometimes you can get better deals when you negotiate multi-event or multi-year contracts with the company. Ask if that AV company does partnered deals with other services in the industry with other services you may still need for your event.

Order your AV equipment early: You will want to get your equipment ready to go in enough time to take care of any issues and make sure they will have it for you on the date(s) you will need. Because, sometimes when an AV company doesn’t have it available they will rent it out from another company and that means it will cost YOU more. And you don’t want that.

If you need any event planning assistance, please contact us through our website www.drdservices.com.au or by email at [email protected] 🔈🎙️🎧

15/11/2018

😂

06/11/2018

What’s the difference between an Apple TV and an Airtame 2? They’re both wireless devices that offer streaming between a computer or mobile device to screens and projectors with HDMI ports. However, while Apple TV is meant for at-home entertainment use, Airtame 2 is designed for businesses.

The major difference between Apple TV and Airtame 2 is that Airtame 2 is intended for collaborative work at schools and offices, while Apple TV is made for watching TV shows and sharing personal media at home.

For the most part, Apple TV favors Apple products. For example, the AirPlay function lets you mirror the screen of your MacBook or iOS device to an Apple TV. Apple has chosen to restrict this AirPlay function to work only with Apple devices. This limits the use of the Apple TV in BYOD environments where a range of different operating systems are in use. There are some third-party software options, such as AirParrot, that allow non-Apple devices, such as a Windows PC, to mirror to an Apple TV using AirPlay. However, you have to purchase licenses for this software on each computer, which can add up.

Airtame is device agnostic, meaning it does not favor any single platform so it’s BYOD friendly. Using only software and your computer’s existing WiFi connection, Airtame mirrors the screen of your laptop and lets you present from your mobile device.
Airtame works with Mac, Windows, and Linux computers to show all your apps and presentations wirelessly. Android users can stream presentations, PDFs, Office documents and images with the Airtame mobile app available for both Android and iOS.
After Airtame 3.1, you can also use AirPlay iOS mirroring to mirror your iPads and iPhones to an Airtame-enabled screen. As stated in Airtame’s product roadmap, Airtame also plans to develop Android mirroring in the future.

Apple TV focuses heavily on apps that aim to replace traditional TV and movies. When you turn the Apple TV on, you will see Apple’s classic wall of app icons. From the apps, Apple TV can access your media subscriptions and play your favorite shows and movies on your TV. This makes it clear that Apple TV is made for watching shows and other personal entertainment at home.

With Airtame’s customizable Homescreen, you can customize what’s shown on your Airtame-powered screens when no one is streaming to them. Homescreen also allows for an easy and intuitive overview of all your Airtame devices. This gives the Airtame Homescreen a practical use. It is a digital signage solution that’s useful for a range of different needs. Airtame currently has four beta apps – Google Slides (allowing you to present public presentations as homescreens); Trello (where you can connect and present project or team dashboards); World Clock (presenting up to four different time zones); and Unsplash (showcasing beautiful photography on your screens, based on a selected descriptive tag).

Apple TV and Airtame 2 both support WPA2 Enterprise networks. Apple TV, however, doesn’t work with networks that have multicast or DIAL disabled for performance and security reasons. That’s because having these disabled means that streaming devices are not able to broadcast themselves on the network, letting other devices find them. Airtame 2, however, works around this issue by letting you connect your computer screen to your TV by typing in the Airtame device’s IP address, which is always shown on the TV screen. Note that to use AirPlay iOS mirroring with Airtame 2, however, you will need Multicast enabled.

Airtame and Apple TV are two different technologies for different uses. If you want to conveniently stream movies and other entertainment media and you own Apple products, the safe choice is Apple TV. If you’re looking for an Apple TV alternative for professional work, Airtame is the wireless solution designed for offices. It has professional features, such as cloud-based remote device management, easy integration with secure corporate networks, and a Homescreen that doubles as light digital signage to name a few.

23/10/2018

If you don’t want to wake the world up with a blast of Amazon Alexa's voice, you can now activate a special Whisper Mode to have your Echo speak more quietly to you.
This feature is now making its way to Amazon Echo devices in the US (for now), though it isn't enabled by default. You need to go into the Settings part of the Alexa app on your phone and then choose Alexa Account, Alexa Voice Responses, and Whispered Responses to turn it on.

The feature can also be activated using your voice: just say "Alexa, turn on whisper mode" and future responses from your smart speaker will be read out in hushed tones until you turn Whisper Mode back off again (via one of the same methods).
As yet there's no indication as to when the rest of the world will get the functionality, but it shouldn't be too long. Whisper Mode was unveiled in September alongside a big hardware refresh.

Of course one of the appealing aspects of the Amazon Echo – and other smart speakers like it – is that new features can continually be added over the web without the need to buy any new gadgets. Amazon is also prepping an Alexa Guard option that can detect the sounds of a break-in in your home.

16/10/2018

Melbourne’s Federation Square has a new Digital Facade which is lighting up the square 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With specially curated artistic content, live news and TV streams, sporting and cultural events and much more, the Digital Facade is breathing new life into Fed Square. More than just a dazzling viewing and live event experience, it’s a living piece of architecture costing in the region of $5.4million.

Wrapping around the Transport building, the Digital Facade is a five-storey state-of-the-art digital screen comprised of four million pixels and 850 LED panels. The Fed Square team is working with our event partners and community groups to produce a diverse mix of artistic, cultural and community content to display on this magnificent facade. Some of the content already underway includes the AFL, RMIT and Melbourne Fringe Festival.

One of the exciting pieces launching on August 31 is the AFL photo exhibition in the lead up to finals (which the Tigers didn’t make it into 😖). This series of spectacular AFL images from the past and present will capture the highs and the lows of Victoria’s favourite game.

Nice work Dougie and all the crew at Fredon Technology.

09/10/2018

If you haven't already seen this, the Cube is the heart of QUT’s Science and Engineering Centre. The Cube includes 48 55in MultiTaction Cell displays, forming the 1,400 cubic metre Cube. Built by Pro AV Solutions Queensland, The Cube structure is made up of six zones (five of which feature MultiTaction displays), running a number of interactive applications, including the 14 metre long Virtual Reef.

The Cube is open to the public at the QUT’s Gardens Point campus and its COOL 🐋

01/10/2018

Mechanised Colour Assemblage transformed the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art façade into a series of sound and colour ‘machines’. TDC provided ultra-high resolution projectors and media servers for 8K resolution media for 3D-mapped experience artwork created by Sydney artist Rebecca Baumann and Paris-based art and design collective Danny Rose. Pretty spectacular innovation!

18/09/2018

AV/Tech is a fantastic and growing global industry but it needs to be more proactive in attracting women to the industry - but the only way to really do this is by breaking down preconceptions.

A speech by Polycom senior director Jayne Dimmich has convinced me that role models are the key to attracting more women into AV, writes Jane Thomasset of recruitment firm JacobsMassey.