businessinfomag.uk
magazine
34
Whiteboards
more about how they use the interactive
displays in their meeting rooms. In the
past, you often saw meeting rooms
where interactive displays were installed,
but nobody was using them – some
people might not even have known that
the display in their meeting room was
interactive. This is changing. Now, before
purchasing a touch display for their
meeting room, corporates have a more
detailed idea of how they would like to
use the device.
“Our new interactive presentation
software, Reactiv STAGE, is the result
of feedback from large corporates who
were missing the right software for
their daily work. Reactiv STAGE allows
you to present your ideas, promote
your products, convey your message,
annotate and save your thoughts…
in the original file formats. Together
with NEC ShadowSense touch displays,
STAGE has the ability to auto-detect and
differentiate between stylus, eraser and
the user’s finger, resulting in a seamless
and natural interaction.
“That said, we don’t believe there
will ever be just THE ONE software for a
meeting room. There are many different
software solutions available and it all
depends on what a corporate would
like to achieve during their meetings
– whether the focus is on presenting,
brain-storming, project management or
even sharing content with other devices,
such as notebooks or tablets. Corporates
need a clear idea of how they would
like to use the interactive screen in their
daily work.”
Lucy Meredith,
Panasonic Visual
System Solutions:
“Whilst interactive
whiteboards are still used today,
engaging minds and creating more
interactive meetings, interactive screens
are now dominating the market and
making it easier than ever to benefit
from interactivity and content sharing.
“When the dissection room in the
Medical Biology Centre at Queen’s
University Belfast, next to Belfast City
Hospital, opened its doors for the new
academic year in September 2015, it did
so equipped with 18 Full HD 65-inch
multi-touch LCD displays incorporating
intuitive touch screen technology, fully
interactive whiteboard functionality and
the very latest in wireless connectivity
to allow students to work more closely
as a team.
“Built-in whiteboard software allows
students to turn on the display and
start work right away, with no need to
connect a PC. Up to four people can
write at a time, and they can save pages
and email them directly to themselves
for future reference or to share with
anyone who missed the lecture. Notes
can be made on almost any content,
from video and photos to presentations
and PDF documents.
“In addition to office tools and the
whiteboard technology, the displays
take a feed from the central teaching
island, where the lecturer can transition
between a desktop visualiser, a ceiling-
mounted fixed HD camera and PC and
tablet feeds. It means that 130 students
can watch a live demonstration on the
screens whilst simultaneously following
the steps on cadavers positioned
adjacent to the displays.”
Chris Parker,
Sharp Business Systems
:
“I recently came across a request for
an interactive whiteboard (IWB) or
interactive flat panel display (IFPD) for
a building site so that architects and
contractors could examine drawings
and plans and work together more
collaboratively to confirm building-site
decisions. This was to be housed in a
Portakabin, which is quite unusual!
“Across Europe, particularly in
Germany, where I am based, we
increasingly work on projects with
large banks to help them make financial
products more accessible for customers
– for example by guiding them through
options and decisions. And there is
increasing demand within the education
sector for technologies of this type;
they make collaborative learning easier
and provide a more creative and open
environment.”
Natalie Harris-Briggs,
Steljes
:
“Fundamentally, interactive whiteboards
are giant display screens for PCs, so the
possibilities are pretty much endless.
Whatever is running on the PC can be
displayed in large format and people
can touch and interact with content.
There are many different use cases and
applications across all industry sectors.
However, the one that has perhaps
been the most successful is visual
collaboration. Companies recognise the
benefit of being able to see content
and use visuals to communicate over
distance, as opposed to relying solely on
audio or voice. This is when the medium
is at its most powerful.
“In the AEC sector, particularly in
building and product design, introducing
the latest interactive technology
significantly reduces the number of steps
in the building design process. Designers
can access the BIM software and bring
a drawing up on an interactive screen in
high resolution and make mark-ups with
digital ink. One of the obvious benefits,
aside from the quality of the visuals, is
that every team member involved in
the project, including those in different
locations and on-site, can interact and
amend digital content at the same time.”
Business Info:
What are the key
market trends?
Daniela Dexheimer,
NEC Display
Solutions Europe
:
“Probably the biggest
trend for corporate meeting rooms
is that vendors are offering complete
integrated corporate touch displays
Continued...
...continued
Built-in
whiteboard
software
allows
students to
turn on the
display and
start work
right away
