Winter break is practically here, and many schools will be out of session for several weeks around the holidays. So while the school is quiet, it's the perfect time to test your speaker systems, including the auditorium.
Considered one of the most effective, easy-to-use, and trouble-free assistive listening technologies, hearing loop systems can transform a person’s experience in your business, church, auditorium, or other gathering space.
At this point, very few people haven’t heard of the brand Zoom, the industry-leading videoconferencing software tool that keeps employees, clients, families, teachers, and students connected with sounds and pictures.
Advancements in technology have transformed how we interact with the world. One group that has benefited from recent innovations is people with disabilities. The goal of assistive technology is to give equal access to those with disabilities in the workplace, school, and more. This is especially important for students with disabilities, as receiving an education is essential.
We spend hours in the office, so shouldn’t it be designed to make life easier? There’s no need for frustration when you can have a partner like PCD by your side. In our latest blog below, we cover two frequently asked questions related to smart office solutions that make our San Jose, CA, clients’ work lives more enjoyable and less stressful.
When guests step into your theater, you want them to be “wowed” by incredible performances from talented actors. But are you ready to blow them away with incredible sound quality and acoustics in addition to the show? With a commercial AV installation, your community’s performance venue can dramatically transform from a basic stage show to an immersive, award-winning performance.
Staying connected has changed dramatically in the last few years, especially with campus closures and the switch to a hybrid classroom model on many campuses. While this has created a considerably unique challenge for campus administrators in San Mateo, CA, and across the country, this shift has also made schooling more accessible.
Senior Technician – requires certification and experience with control systems and DSPs. Crestron and Extron certifications are required. The ability to program, from scratch Biamp, QSYS and BSS DSP systems. SMAART Live certification and CTS are desired. We need someone who can hit the ground running. This is an IBEW position.
In 1975, the federal Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) required that students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education. Since then, much legislation has laid the path for inclusive and accessible education in a nonrestrictive setting. Today, over 90% of all students with disabilities receive their education in traditional school settings. More than half of those students spend at least 80% of their time in the general classroom.
The open-concept office design has taken the modern office by storm. Mazes of cubicles and long tables filled with computer workstations have become the dominant office style for many businesses. Without floor-to-ceiling sound barriers, the office chit-chat, coworkers’ coughs and sniffles, typing sounds, and computer notification dings can overwhelm the brain of even the most dedicated and focused employees.
Whether it’s a different language, hearing loss, or some other reason, there are times when your visitors may be unable to hear or understand your message. Thankfully, there’s still a way to include them in your sermon or presentation, thanks to advanced technological innovations that focus on bringing your message to them in a way that meets their unique needs.
PCD had the opportunity to install the Audio and Video for the ground-up construction, Berkeley based The Shalleck Collaborative designed, 470-seat Westmoor High School Theater. The theater design includes the exclusive L’Acoustics speaker system plus a Digital Projection 10,000 lumen projector and a 20 foot wide Draper screen for video presentations. A second 10,000 lumen projector is used for “digital scenery” projected on the back wall. The control room features a Yamaha QL-5 mixing console.
PCD is well known for their work installing sound systems into stadiums around the Bay Area. In recent years, we have installed the PA/ sound systems at Benicia High School, Piner High School, San Rafael High School, Hayward High School, Tennyson High School, Mt Eden High School, El Cerrito High School, San Joaquin Delta College, Elsie Allen High School, Analy (West County) High School , Sonoma Valley High School and San Marin High School.
PCD had the opportunity to install the Audio / Video and PA system at the NEW EPA Center in East Palo Alto, a creative youth arts and music center.
Today, AV has rapidly grown to become a staple in the workplace. As such, there will likely come a time when you require audio video equipment maintenance. This is particularly true because technology changes constantly.
Vice President / General Manager of PCD, John heads up the Sales team. John started his career in consumer audio with Shoreline Stereo managing the Santa Rosa store in 1976, then Pacific Stereo sales and then management from 1977-1979. John then proceeded into the professional audio world at Sound Genesis in 1979 – 1983 in San Francisco working with a team of professionals building and designing radio stations, recording studios broadcast TV and private production systems as well as commercial audio video systems. In 1983, John went back into the consumer AV industry working for The Good Guys starting in 1987, first as a store manager and then headed up the development of the company’s custom installation business until 1999 when he left to join PCD as General Manager and Vice President.
When classwork begins or a big meeting is planned, the last thing you should worry about is the operation of your audio / video system. PCD offers a “No Worry” experience providing proactive support and maintenance of your system. In addition, with the AVaaS program, you are able to put together a system that fills your needs without worrying about having the capital budget to make the purchase. AVaaS allows a system that is based on a monthly payment that meets your operational budget and scheduled maintenance to provide “worry free” operation.
If you were tasked with installing office lighting, would you save a few bucks by specifying fewer fixtures and thereby creating a workplace environment with annoyingly inconsistent lighting? Probably not. But sound masking system designers sometimes under-specify the number of loudspeakers needed to achieve a uniform masking system. And while it’s true that fewer loudspeakers means a lower cost, it also means poor sound masking performance. That’s because without the proper number of speakers—installed in a consistently spaced grid pattern—there’s little to no uniformity, which results in a sound masking system that’s noticeable, thereby becoming a distraction that adversely affects employee comfort and productivity; which totally defeats the purpose of sound masking!
Most wireless microphones, transmit via radio waves in locally vacant TV channels primarily in the Ultra-High-Frequency (UHF) range.
It might be scaled back to 150 worshippers right now due to Covid, but that did not stop the 700-seat Central Peninsula Church in Foster City, CA to install a new d&b A-Series loudspeaker thanks to the efforts of PCD Audio/Video system integrators based in Santa Rosa.
