Aircars in a post 9/11 world? Even if Moller succeeds in the next decade - and even if the FAA approves his machine - can you really see the Dept. of Homeland Security letting these things within range of an office building? And would you want them to?
The George Jetson dream was born in the middle of the last century, when Americans by and large thought that technology would be used for the best possible purposes and that everyone likes the good ol' USA. The car catches the imagination, yes. But it also is a dream of another era.
I work for an AV company in DC and we specialize in exactly this sort of thing - presentation, command, and control. My first inclination would be to echo several other posters: "hire a professional." Do not hire a consultant, however - get proposals from people in the integration business and who regularly makes these systems work.
My reason for saying this is that the complexity involved in such a system is immense and a depth of knowledge is required to know the difference between a marketer's claim and the real capabilities and limitations of any given product. These products, as much as the manufacturers try to make them compatible, do not always play well together. Then there is the fact that your audio system must be designed and balanced to eliminate feedback and provide echo cancellation, and your video system color balanced at the least. User interfaces need to be simple and intuitive. Making them that way is a challenge, but success means that the execs don't start poking at things. While learning the code (usually Crestron or AMX) to automate your system and provide a touch panel interface is not that difficult - it will still take a seasoned coder 40-60 hours to program a high end conferencing center.
But real point is this: get several proposals. Walk with an installer through the space and get line item pricing on everything. At the very least you will walk away with a broad level look at the costs and components involved. Pick their brains and go from there... the numbers you get back and present to your boss will be the largest determining factor in what you end up purchasing.
Slashdot Mirror
Aircars in a post 9/11 world? Even if Moller succeeds in the next decade - and even if the FAA approves his machine - can you really see the Dept. of Homeland Security letting these things within range of an office building? And would you want them to? The George Jetson dream was born in the middle of the last century, when Americans by and large thought that technology would be used for the best possible purposes and that everyone likes the good ol' USA. The car catches the imagination, yes. But it also is a dream of another era.
I work for an AV company in DC and we specialize in exactly this sort of thing - presentation, command, and control. My first inclination would be to echo several other posters: "hire a professional." Do not hire a consultant, however - get proposals from people in the integration business and who regularly makes these systems work.
My reason for saying this is that the complexity involved in such a system is immense and a depth of knowledge is required to know the difference between a marketer's claim and the real capabilities and limitations of any given product. These products, as much as the manufacturers try to make them compatible, do not always play well together. Then there is the fact that your audio system must be designed and balanced to eliminate feedback and provide echo cancellation, and your video system color balanced at the least. User interfaces need to be simple and intuitive. Making them that way is a challenge, but success means that the execs don't start poking at things. While learning the code (usually Crestron or AMX) to automate your system and provide a touch panel interface is not that difficult - it will still take a seasoned coder 40-60 hours to program a high end conferencing center.
But real point is this: get several proposals. Walk with an installer through the space and get line item pricing on everything. At the very least you will walk away with a broad level look at the costs and components involved. Pick their brains and go from there... the numbers you get back and present to your boss will be the largest determining factor in what you end up purchasing.