Audio-Visual Services - Tips to make using A/V equipment a little easier

Plan well ahead of the actual event.

If you have questions about what type of equipment and services are available, please contact A/V and we will be happy to help you in any way we can.

Don't assume

While it might seem that all institutions should have identical A/V equipment, the fact is that it varies widely. You may be used to using a certain brand or model of gear at some institutions and think that it will be available at all similar places. By contacting Audio-Visual Services well ahead of time, we will be able to help determine what equipment we have available that will meet your needs or if you will need to make other arrangements.

Laptops and Data Projectors

Plan for backup

If you are using a laptop and data projector, it is a good idea to have your presentation on transparencies in case the laptop or data projector develop problems. The sad fact is that data projection is not a very mature technology and problems are still quite common. Planning for this has saved many a presentation.

Know your laptop.

To use a data projector, you should be aware of the screen resolution in which you work. It is also helpful to know the horizontal refresh rate of your laptop, and how to adjust this and the screen resolution. The most frequent problems with presentations not working between the laptop and data projector are: external monitor port not switched on; wrong screen resolution and/or wrong refresh rate.
Data projectors are generally not as good at detecting and adjusting to different refersh rates and screen resolutions as CRT monitors. Knowing these things in advance can save enormous amounts of time dealing with possible compatibility issues.

VCRs and TVs

The most common problem with VCRs is dirty video heads. This can cause lines or bands of snow to appear in the picture, or can even cause the picture to be so distorted as to be unwatchable.

Another common problem happens when the TV is off channel. Normally, we use channel 3 or 4 to view tapes in our current setups, and if the TV is set to any other channel, it won't work properly.

Cables can also be disconnected or damaged, as can the connectors on the TV or VCR.

It is not a good idea to use the "Pause" control on VCRs for more than a few seconds. This causes the heads to pass over the same part of the tape over and over again at high speed and will cause excessive wear on the tape. It can quickly lead to tape failure and clog or damage the heads.

Not all video tapes will play in all machines.

There can be differences in the mechanical tolerances of different machines that can cause tapes recorded on one not to play on the other. While most VCRS can compensate for this, at times the differences are simply too great for the adjustments to correct. There is no easy way to spot this problem until it happens, and it can even happen with commercially produced tapes.

Tapes can be damaged.

A wrinkled or torn tape can jam a VCR as well as produce very bad video signal. If a VCR is dirty or has mechanical problems, it can mangle a tape and render it unusable.

Common video cassette tapes cannot be spliced if damaged except in one circumstance: if the damage is near the beginning or end of the tape, it can be cut and rewound on the spool. Sometimes it is possible to cut the tape in two and wind the good tape left into two different cassettes.

Some people suggest splicing videotape with clear desk-type cellophane tape. This practice will almost certainly cause major problems with a VCR, and is not a good idea.

Cheap tape will cause problems.

If you are recording on, or have recorded on, very inexpensive tape you can expect to have more problems than if you use a better name brand tape. Off-brand and house brand tapes may use tape stock that is rejected by name brand manufacturers for poor quality. Video magazines and consumer publications can guide you in your choice of tapes.

Poor quality tape can damage a VCR.

Talk with us. We are here to help make your presentation go as smoothly and transparently as possible. Planning and communication can make all the difference between a great event and a disaster. Please let us help make your event the best it can be.