• all
• projection technologies
  • digital projectors
  • document projectors
  • rear projection tv
• display technologies
  • lcd flat panels
  • plasma flat panels
  • interactive whiteboards
• accessories
• presentation software
• brands
  • 3M
  • benq
  • canon
  • casio
  • dell
  • epson
  • HP
  • hitachi
  • infocus
  • JVC
  • LG
  • mitsubishi
  • samsung
  • sanyo
  • sharp
  • sony
  • toshiba
  • viewsonic
  • philips
  • ACTIVboard
  • SMART technologies
  • ONfinity
  • panasonic
  • pioneer
  • optoma
  • elmo
  • nuvision
  • promethean
  • projectiondesign

• about presentationtek
• search links

Editor's HDTV Pick

HP 47 inch MediaSmart 1080p LCD HDTV "Out of the box" digital media platform. Enjoy videos, pictures and music from home network + digital media delivered over your broadband Internet connection + 3 x HDMI

One fact of life when working with a front projection interactive whiteboard is positioning oneself to avoid casting a shadow on the screen in the wrong spot or at the wrong time. Technical solutions are use a wide screen television (display) with an interactive overlay or use one of SMART Technologies rear projection interactive whiteboards (2000i and 3000i) which the new 4000i model joins.

All models in the series are mobile, have a 66 inch (167.6cm) screen and integrated stereo speakers.

A significant difference between the new 4000i and the existing models is the change from an NEC VT670 or VT676 LCD projector with SGA (1024 x 768) resolution to a Projectiondesign DLP projector with SXGA (1400 x 1050) resolution. The 4000i has the latest Texas Instruments DLP microdisplay panel - a single 0.95″ DarkChip3. SMART Technologies Inc. don’t specify whether they integrate Projectiondesign’s 3 or 4 segment color wheel projector design into the DLP projection system. More color wheel segments reduce the likelihood of viewers being aware of color rainbow effects during video action sequences. For the differences between DLP and LCD display technologies see Presentation Technology Reviews comparison article.

Other significant differences between the three models are listed below:

2000i

• storage tray
• screen is height adjustable between 69″ (175.3 cm) and 83″ (210.8 cm)

3000i

• lockable integrated storage cabinet
• 2,100 lumens projector
• wireless keyboard with built-in trackball (except Japan) for mounting on holder at side of cabinet.

(read more..)

SMART Technologies, a leading interactive whiteboard manufacturer, has announced the release of SMART Board software 9.5 for Linux operating systems to compliment previous releases for Mac and Windows operating systems. Three core Linux distributions are supported; Fedora Core 3, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and SUSE 10.

Version 9.5 of the SMART Board software offers features such as;

• Gallery search,
• powerful annotation tools,
• full drag-and-drop functionality,
• pre-loaded digital content,
• Freehand Screen Capture tool,
• attachment and export of files,
• multi-language support in English, Spanish, French, German and Brazilian Portuguese,
• the Spotlight tool and more.

Version 9.5 can be used with all SMART Board interactive whiteboards.

Further Reading

For a better understanding of the features of Interactive Whiteboards read Presentation Technologies article Interactive Whiteboards - an Overview.

SMART Technologies have previously won awards for their software as detailed in the article SMART Technologies Wins Three Education Software Review Awards.

Read a review of one of SMART’s products, the SMART Board 600i Interactive Whiteboard.

Read the full press release from SMART Technologies.

You Can Use an Interactive Whiteboard for Ages 4-7 (You Can..)

August 23, 2006 - SMART Technologies, manufacturers of interactive whiteboards and other educational products won three first places for SMART software packages in the 11th Annual Education Software Review Awards (EDDIES). The awards are run by the ComputED Learning Center and the Educational Software Preview Service of the San Diego Center for Educational Technology. The winning software packages are SynchronEyes classroom management software 6.0 in the Teacher Tools: Computer Lab Instruction category, Bridgit conferencing software 3.0 in the Teacher Tools: Teacher Productivity category and SMART Ideas concept-mapping software 5.0 in the Post-Secondary education category.

Educational software titles are submitted to the EDDIES from publishers worldwide . Winning titles are selected based on academic content, potential for broad classroom use, technical merit, subject approach and management system. The judging process is based on academic content, potential for broad classroom use, technical merit, subject approach and management system.

Further Reading

Read the full news release from SMART Technologies.

Presentation Technology Reviews has recently reviewed the 600i interactive whiteboard by SMART Technologies.

SMART Board announced the 600i interactive whiteboard in June 2006. It combines a SMART™ Board interactive whiteboard and the new Unifi™ projector with built-in audio – a complete package. There are two models; the 77 inch 680i and 64 inch 660i.

Instead of placing the projector in a separate mounting frame or on a convenient surface, both the interactive whiteboard and the cantilevered projector are wall mounted.

Interactive Whiteboard Features

No propriety tools are required to operate the SMART Board 600i. You can even use your fingers to replicate mouse gestures such as “right-click”. Tools are kept in the pen tray and the 600i automatically detects which tool has been selected – eg. eraser vs pen.

SMART Board software 9.5 provides functionalities for the creation, presentation and management of digital content. The software is compatible with Microsoft® Windows® or Mac OS X operating systems. Other versions of SMART Board software are available for UNIX, Linux and earlier Windows and Mac OS operating systems. Notable software features are:

• On screen images (including any annotations) can be captured as a screen shot that can be edited,
• Existing software can be used with the 600i,
• Work done on the interactive whiteboard can be saved directly to software applications, including Windows versions of Microsoft PowerPoint, Word and Excel, or into AutoCAD software,
• Access thousands of free images and templates, interactive and educational content, advanced drawing tools and many other features from an easy-to-use interface,
• Take-home privileges allow staff and students use of the software at at home,
• Free SMART Board software upgrades,
• Available in 34 languages ,

Located in the pen tray, the help button provides quick access to a screen orientation feature and SMART’s online training and support material.

A Projector control module also built into the pen tray has three buttons; a simultaneous start up of the whiteboard and projector, volume adjustment and on-screen interface access.

(read more..)

SMART Technologies manufacture the Actalyst interactive overlay for large screen plasma and LCD displays for more than 15 manufacturers including NEC, Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Toshiba. Both portrait and landscape orientated models are available for most brands and sizes 32″ to 65″ (81 cm to 165 cm).

Actalyst overlays fasten to LCD or plasma displays to create touch-enabled interactive surfaces. The Actalyst’s DViT (Digital Vision Touch) technology allows users to interact with software, websites and other multimedia content by touching the display surface. Two digital cameras embedded in the overlay’s frame detect and track the position of any contact with the screen. The overlay is designed to be suitable for interactive information kiosks in commercial environments such as retail stores, office buildings, airports, train and bus stations.

Actalyst Flat Panel Overlay Features

• Protective surface: The overlay is glass covered with a hard-coat, anti-glare film for a durable, scratch, abrasion and chemical -resistant surface with a high transparency that does not compromise image quality.
• Universal Mounting brackets: a universal mounting bracket fits in between the flat-panel display and the panel’s specific mounting plate to allow mounting in a portrait or landscape mode.
• Software: The driver software for touch control is available for most Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X operating systems and is compatible with content-development software.

SMART Technologies is currently participating in research being conducted at the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis in Tennessee for the interactive kiosk and digital signage markets. The Memphis Intelligent Kiosk Initiative (MIKI) is a research project designed to investigate the preferred and most efficient forms of human interaction with information kiosks. This research should provide excellent data for SMART Technologies to apply to its future products for the developing interactive kiosk market.

Detailed information on the Actalyst interactive screen overlay visit SMART Technologies website.

The following link is a complete list of plasma and LCD displays supported by Actalyst.

SMART Technologies Inc. produce the SMART Board for Flat-Panel Displays interactive overlay gives you touch control of your display. Once fitted to your plasma or liquid crystal display panel the touch-sensitive overlay allows all the functionalities of an interactive whiteboard including drawing, displaying images and controlling software applications.

The overlay material is an anti-glare polyester which has been hard-coated for scratch resistance and designed for optimum transparency. The SMART Board is available in a large range of sizes from 40 inches to 61 inches.

SMART’s proprietary DViT (Digital Vision Touch) technology uses digital cameras in the corners of the display to track contact with the screen. SMART “Touch gestures” allows users to use hand/finger gestures to mimic mouse functionalities. Scrolling is achieved by touching the overlay with two fingers and dragging them up and down or side to side. Similarly, a right mouse click is achieved by touching a the overlay with one finger then pressing another finger to the right of it. This functionality reduces the time spent searching for the right buttons to press.

(read more..)

Flat Panel Overlays for plasma or liquid crystal display (LCD) flat panels convert them into an interactive whiteboard or display. Overlays can provide all interactive whiteboard functionalities including allowing the user to draw, display images, control software applications and show videos on the underlying display.

Interactive Overlays have some advantages over front projection interactive whiteboards:

• no problems with shadows cast by the presenter
• up to 15 times the lifespan with plasma and widescreen displays compared to a projector lamp
• more attractive, space saving set up options with the slim profile and wall mounting options some plasma or LCD displays provide

Overlays are available in numerous sizes to fit commonly available LCD and plasma display sizes and brands. Ideal properties for the overlay include; minimal display light loss, anti-glare, robustness (to protect the display underneath), scratch resistance and suitability for cleaning with common chemical surface cleaners.

(read more..)

On the most basic level an Interactive Whiteboard (sometimes Electronic Whiteboard) is a dry-erase whiteboard writing surface which can identify the location of any contact on its surface and capture any writing or drawings electronically. By interfacing and interacting with devices such as computers, video recorders and DVD players, interactive whiteboards can be utilized as a large display panel to provide a richer, interactive media basis (sound, video, images, interactive software, web sites etc.) for presentations or problem solving.

Interactive whiteboards can be used in the workplace to capture meeting notes and as a tool for work on collaborative projects. They are particularly useful for collaborative use of software such as project scheduling or computer aided design (CAD) software.

Using an Interactive Whiteboard

Interactive whiteboards are used in one of two ways;

• To capture notes written on the whiteboard surface using dry-erase ink or,
• To control (click and drag) and/or mark-up (annotate) a computer-generated image projected on the whiteboard surface from a digital projector.

Interactive whiteboards work as a large computer screen by projecting the computer image onto the board via an external projector. The computer can be controlled via sensors on the board being used to position the cursor. There are three different types of board with different ways of controlling the computer via the board, electromagnetic, touch-sensitive and infrared.

(read more..)