A Large-Format Display Screen for the Gateway Center Lobby

Purpose

Expose students to a wide range of information about Gateway programs and services, as well as the activities of other UAA departments, and other occupants of Mary Gates Hall (for a fee?)

Proposed Location

The north-facing wall at the end of the intake counter. Light switches and thermostat will probably need moved. This is a central location, visible from all points in the lobby without distracting from communications with the Gateway Associates or disrupting the privacy of the students using the computers along the east wall. It is also somewhat visible from the Commons. Perhaps even more critically, the space behind it is a private, secure area where we can place a PC to drive the display.

Functionality

The display will be mounted on the wall with all power and data cables hidden from view. A PC sitting on the opposite side of the wall, in the file room, will drive the display. All staff will be able access the PC via Remote Desktop to add content to the slideshow.

Viewing of DVDs will be possible by playing them on the PC's internal media drive. Over-the-air TV broadcasting will be available for viewing, if the signal is strong enough to be tuned in via an antenna attached to the PCs TV tuner card (avoiding an antenna on the display itself).

Sound will rarely be used but if required, will be handled by the display's internal speakers

The PC must be capable of sending a digital video signal, ideally in HDMI or DVI-D format.

Mounting the screen will also involve providing a way to invisibly give it power and run the signal cable to it from the PC. Configuration changes are foreseeable, so it shouldn't be impossible to reach the back of the screen in the future.

Costs

• The Screen
• The PC/video card (if we can borrow an old PC and upgrade its video card; check with Josh)
• Mounting hardware ($100-$200)
• Installation (???)

Screens

PCs

Examples of Similar Displays

• In the food court area of the Hub. Enormous. Four screens acting sometimes as one, sometimes individually. Contact: Deb Costar
• Parrington; flat screen; glass case (security?). What drives it?
• Johnson: see above
• Braswell Memorial Library

Appendix One: Comparing Plasma and LCD

The ADVANTAGES of Plasma over LCD are:

1. Larger screen size availability.
2. Better contrast ratio and ability to render deeper blacks.
3. Better color accuracy and saturation.

The DISADVANTAGES of Plasma vs LCD include:

1. Plasma TVs are more susceptible to burn-in of static images.
2. Plasma TVs generate more heat than LCDs, due to the need to light of phosphors to create the images.
3. Shorter display life span (about 30,000 hours or 8 hrs of viewing a day for 9 years) than LCD. However, screen life span is improving to as high as 60,000 hours. due to technology improvements.

LCD ADVANTAGES over Plasma include:

1. No burn-in of static images.
2. Cooler running temperature.
3. Increased image brightness over Plasma.
4. Longer display life (about 60,000 hours - at which time all you may need to do is replace the light source, not the entire set). This can vary according other environmental and use factors.
5. Lighter weight (when comparing same screen sizes) than Plasma counterparts.

DISADVANTAGES of LCD vs Plasma televisions include:

1. Lower contrast ratio, not as good rendering deep blacks.
2. Not as common in large screen sizes above 42-inches as Plasma. However, the number is growing fast, with some LCD sets having a screen size as large as 65-inches now available to the general public.
3. Although LCD televisions do not suffer from burn-in susceptibility, it is possible that individual pixels on an LCD televisions can burn out, causing small, visible, black or white dots to appear on the screen. Individual pixels cannot be repaired, the whole screen would need to be replaced at that point, if the individual pixel burnout becomes annoying to you.
4. LCD televisions are typically more expensive than equivalent-sized Plasma televisions (although this is changing), especially when comparing EDTV Plasmas to HDTV-LCD Televisions.