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Enhanced Visual Communication for Videoconferencing: The Brightline Solution © 2006 Brightline

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Page 1: Enhanced Visual Communication

Enhanced Visual Communicationfor Videoconferencing:

The Brightline Solution

© 2006 Brightline LP

Page 2: Enhanced Visual Communication

Contents

Page 4: The Brightline Solution: PrinciplesPage 9: Why?: Benefits of Brightline TechnologyPage 15: Where?: Fixture PositioningPage 23: How Bright?: Light-Intensity LevelsPage 27: How Dim?: Intensity Control/DimmingPage 30: Which Bulbs?: Lamp Selection CriteriaPage 32: Lighting a Single PresenterPage 36: Lighting a ClassroomPage 38: Lighting a Conference RoomPage 50: Lighting a Public Meeting RoomPage 55: What Help?: Certifications/SupportPage 56: Who Else?: Selected Corporate Clients

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Brightline videoconferencing technology derives from its industry-leading fluorescent studio fixtures, which bring unparalleled performance, reliability, and energy efficiency to broadcast facilities worldwide.

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The Brightline Solution: Principles

Brightline specializes in the presentation of video images. It is common knowledge that an important component of interpersonal communication is nonverbal. Brightline’s methods, techniques, and technologies deliver clarity and increased visual content to this nonverbal information.

Brightline’s recipe for superior broadcast and/or videoconference results requires control of the following key elements:

1. the placement of light within a three-dimensional space,

2. the quality of light used, and

3. the intensity and balance of all lighting within the space.

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The Brightline Solution (con’d)

Achieving proper lighting control will greatly facilitate attaining certain critical characteristics of successful videoconference communications:

•Making a two-dimensional medium appear three-dimensional.

•Highlighting subjects in the correct hierarchy of on-camera importance.

• Enabling presenters to appear natural, healthy, and realistic.

•Maintaining proper contrast ratios within a room.

•Eliminating signal-to-noise ratio problems in video.

Here are several examples of successful Brightline videoconference lighting installations:

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Brightline’s layout for this meeting/videoconference room illustrates how a lighting plan must harmonize with the architecture and other elements in the space.

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Optimized for video, Brightline advanced fluorescent lighting technology can also adapt for conditions such as the presence of ambient daylight, if necessary.

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Brightline solutions help make videoconferencing among the most important and highly secure forms of government and business communications.

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Benefits of BrightlineTechnology

Long the accepted standard of excellence in the television studio with its SeriesONE fixture family, Brightline fluorescent lighting products are now recognized worldwide as the choice for superior performance across the entire range of videoconference applications. Brightline’s T-Series systems provide broadcast-quality illumination--optimized for today’s advanced solid-state video cameras--in a format designed for easy installation in any type of ceiling.

The T-Series’ patented articulation feature makes them the only fixtures that can be precisely rotated into a desired directional position during conferences and then returned flush to the ceiling between sessions or for general task lighting. As with all of Brightline’s energy-efficient fluorescent technologies, the T-Series offers a multitude of advantages when compared with incandescent lighting, among them:

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BrightlineTechnology Benefits (con’d)

• Low power consumption--as much as 80-90% less than for incandescent fixtures--which can provide significant energy savings and rapid return on investment. (Brightline is an Energy Star Partner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.)

• Low heat generation, resulting in less load on HVAC systems and greater comfort for conference participants, lecturers, students, audiences, etc.

• Longer lamp life--approximately 8,000 to 10,000 hours versus an average of 250 to 500 hours for standard 3200°K tungsten-halogen lamps. This results in component and maintenance cost savings and eliminates disruptive relamping/recalibrating sessions. T-Series lamps also have a high Color Rendition Index (CRI), typically >85, for rendering accurate color values.

• A wide variety of dimming options, including digital DALI and DMX control. Dimming with T-Series fixtures produces a negligible shift in color temperature compared with traditional dimmers and incandescent lamps.

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Brightline Technology Benefits (con’d)

In today’s era of complex and fast-paced communications, organizations ranging from corporations to government entities depend on videoconferencing as a critical element of strategic preparation and response. A successful videoconferencing environment depends on a number of factors: room, furniture, wall covering, cameras, projection and transmission technology, and so on. Among the most critical components is lighting: it is a simple fact that the most sophisticated interior design, cameras, and data-transmission networks will not produce images of satisfactory quality if a room is poorly lit. However, combining these elements with effective lighting can ensure that nuances of facial expression, gesture, and body language that make up such an important part of physical and psychological communication are not obscured or misrepresented.

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Brightline Technology Benefits (con’d)Brightline’s T-Series systems can help its customers provide this accuracy of communication in a uniquely versatile, reliable, and efficient format:

•Through advances in lamp, ballast, and fixture design, Brightline’s fluorescent technology produces a spectral output that can be read and processed by today’s high-end electronic video cameras without the image degradation commonly associated with other light sources.

•T-Series fixtures offer unequalled control, in two senses. First, their patented articulation capability enables users to fine tune a look by placing the light exactly where required, and nowhere else. Second, an unprecedented range of sensing and dimming options allows for modulation of intensity levels in response to subtle environmental changes or the requirements of individual conference participants.

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Proper lighting makes a tremendous difference in how people look--and thus how they communicate--during a videoconference, as seen in this comparison between standard fluorescent down lights (left) and broadcast-quality T-Series fixtures (right).

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Accurate “reading” of a videoconference participant requires an accurate image derived from the quality, quantity, and directionality of the lighting.

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Fixture Positioning

Successful videoconference lighting achieves the optimal aesthetic impact through the most appropriate technology. Whereas the ultimate goal of any lighting decision should be to arrive at the best result--that is, the highest-quality image--choices will also be affected by considerations such as the architectural particularities of a room or budgetary issues.

The standard lighting formula derived from television procedures is a three-point setup comprising a key light and backlight of roughly equal intensity and a fill light that is approximately half the power of the other two lights. In this configuration, the multiple front lights (key and fill) add three-dimensionality to the subject’s face and eliminate unattractive shadows, while the backlight on the top of the head and shoulders creates a “halo” effect and a sense of depth behind the subject (see Figure 1).

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Figure 1. The lighting plan for this mini HDTV studio set is based on a three-point setup with wide-enough coverage to light a cyclorama wall behind the desk.

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In a studio setting, vertical yokes can be used to achieve tighter beam cutoff, enabling different on-camera subjects to have individualized lighting levels.

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Fixture Positioning (con’d)If circumstances permit, three-point lighting is also the preferred arrangement for videoconference installations with T-Series fixtures. The front lights should be arranged so that they form an angle of approximately 90° (with the subject at the vertex) relative to one another, enabling the light to “wrap” the face (see Figures 1-2).

Figure 2. Typical three-point lighting setup.

Radius 6'

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Fixture Positioning (con’d)

The ideal vertical angle for the front fixtures is approximately 40° above the subject’s horizontal sight line. If the angle is steeper than 40°--in other words, closer to vertical--unwanted shadows can be cast on the face. On the other hand, an angle that is too shallow can cause the light to spill onto the wall behind the subject.

Just how far from the subject a fixture needs to be placed in order to maintain this 40° angle can be determined through a trigonometric function that we won’t detail here. For practical purposes, however, the calculation results in the following rule: the horizontal distance of the fixture from the subject should be approximately 1.2 times the distance from the subject’s face to the ceiling.

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40°

5 '

6'

9’

Figure 3. Optimal vertical fixture placement (40° angle) for videoconference lighting. This example presupposes a 9-ft ceiling and a 4-ft face height.

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Fixture Positioning (con’d)

As an example, Figure 3 depicts a seated individual in a room with a

9-ft ceiling. Assuming that the subject’s face is 4 feet above the floor, the distance from face to ceiling is 9 ft – 4 ft = 5 ft. If we multiply 5 ft x 1.2, the result is 6 ft. Therefore, in order to position the fixture at the desired 40° vertical angle, the light must be located horizontally on a circle with a 6-ft radius centered on the subject’s face (see Figure 4). When laying out a room for lighting, it can be helpful to draw in this circle on the plot as adjustments to fixture locations are determined.

Bear in mind that room particularities such as T-bar grid spacing, sprinkler heads, speakers, and other existing lights may require modifications to ideal fixture positioning.

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Figure 4. The horizontal distance of a fixture from the subject is a function of the subject’s height, the height of the ceiling, and a recommended vertical fixture angle. The 6-ft radius shown here is ideal for the parameters sketched out in Figure 3.

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Light-Intensity LevelsToday’s advanced electronic video cameras do not require particularly high light-intensity values to produce an acceptable image. For most videoconference applications, a value within the range of 30 to 60 foot-candles (fc) of vertical illumination on subjects’ faces constitutes an adequate level. If multiple fixtures are used from the front, as recommended above, each fixture will contribute to the total light levels.Because video images are transmitted in a compressed format, what is more important than actual light levels in achieving a superior image is managing the contrast ratio between the brightest and darkest objects in a shot. The brightest objects should generally be the faces of the participants, and the darkest objects the furnishings of the room, especially whatever is directly behind the faces.

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Light-Intensity Levels (con’d)

For videoconferencing, an ideal contrast ratio between faces and background is 3:1. A ratio that is too high can result in the background not “displaying” properly, whereas one that is too low can make faces “disappear.” Achieving a satisfactory ratio with consistency requires the use of a controllable source such as Brightline’s T-Series that can effectively light areas that need it and avoid lighting areas that don’t.

T-Series fixtures are dimmable and offer variable beam spreads and beam angles. A narrower beam spread is useful when conference participants are sitting close to a fairly reflective wall, as the narrower angle will increase the contrast ratio between the wall and a subject’s face. On the other hand, if the walls are dark and/or at a distance from the participants, a wider beam spread will put more light on the surroundings.

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Control of beam spreads and angles can help achieve desired lighting solutions. In this three-point setup, Figure 1 was laid out with the front fixtures using prismatic lenses and the backlight using a broad-field screen; Figure 2 with all lights using broad-field screens; Figure 3 with front lights using medium-field screens and the backlight using a broad-field screen; and Figure 4 with front lights using narrow-field screens and the backlight using a medium-field screen. The layout using the lenses provides the most light on the subject, but has the lowest contrast ratio (1.4:1). The broad-screen layout has a better contrast ratio (1.66:1) and, more importantly, much lower levels of light on the walls and ceiling. The medium-screen layout has the best ratio (2.4:1). The one with the narrow screens has too much contrast (5.9:1) for typical videoconferencing, but could be used when a subject is near a flat-screen monitor or projector screen.

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Light-Intensity Levels (con’d)

It is generally recommended that participants of equal “importance” have similar light-intensity levels. Even when the fixtures have been positioned in their optimal locations, the ability to control light intensity on a fixture-by-fixture basis is useful. For example, it may be necessary to boost the levels on subjects with dark complexions or lower the levels on those with light complexions or wearing light-colored clothing.Subjects of lesser “importance” to a shot--nonspeaking attendees at a videoconference, for instance, or students in the back rows of a classroom--may receive lower light levels on their faces than do the primary participants (though the difference should be kept to less than 1 f-stop). In fact, such a drop-off in intensity can make the room appear deeper or more three-dimensional.

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Intensity Control/DimmingFor videoconference applications, it is preferable to employ lights that can be dimmed as opposed to simply switched. Because it is difficult to implement a lighting layout with perfectly even levels, the ability to dim individual fixtures can help “tame” areas that are too bright and/or bring up areas that are not bright enough.

There are three basic methods of controlling fixture intensity: via a variable DC voltage, usually 0 to +10 VDC, that sets the dimming level; via a varying line voltage, with the input voltage setting the level; or via a digital control signal that is received and interpreted by the fixture to set the level.

Of these three technologies, Brightline recommends the last option as the most effective means of intensity control for T-Series fixtures. The most common standard worldwide for digital fixture control is the Digital Addressable Lighting Interface, or DALI. The following are the general parameters of the DALI control protocol:

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Intensity Control/Dimming (con’d)

• The fluorescent ballast is an “intelligent” device. It is set with an address (up to 64 DALI ballasts can be controlled on a loop) that allows it to receive individual levels and commands. The ballast can be part of up to 16 groups, and levels can be recorded for up to 16 scenes.

• The DALI signal is transmitted from controller to fixture and from fixture to fixture via two polarity- and topology-independent wires that do not have to be shielded or twisted. This makes wiring a DALI loop easy to achieve in the field. If there is a break in the DALI wiring, the fixture retains its last intensity command. If the DALI bus fails, the fixture defaults to working at full intensity.

• Because each ballast is addressable, it is easy to set the intensity levels on a fixture-by-fixture basis. The compromises inherent in assigning fixtures to control zones can be eliminated, if desired. However, if a group of fixtures will always track at the same levels, they can be assigned to one of the 16 groups to ease the setup process.

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Intensity Control/Dimming (con’d)

• The signal-generation process on a DALI loop is bidirectional. When one of the ballasts senses that there is a malfunction--a bad lamp, for example--it can broadcast an error message back to the controller. The controller, in turn, can inform the user of the problem, even indicating which fixture is involved.

• In an audio-visual environment, it may be desirable to integrate the lighting intensity control with other room functions. In such a setup, for example, a participant could push one button (actual or on a touch screen) to close the blinds, turn on the monitors and cameras, and turn on the videoconference lights. DALI lends itself well to this sort of integration: a device called the DALI BusMaster functions as an RS-232-to-DALI interface. The audio-visual processor sends commands to the BusMaster, which in turn sends commands to the lighting fixtures.

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Lamp Selection CriteriaThe best video images are produced by fluorescent lamps that are intended specifically for video lighting. T-Series fixtures currently employ either of two lines of lamps: Osram Studioline lamps or General Electric Cinema lamps. Both feature advanced phosphor formulations that produce a spectrum designed to complement the color sensitivity of today’s electronic video cameras, and both are available in 3200°K and 5600°K color temperatures.

The most commonly used lamps are those at 3200°K, as their “indoor” color temperature results in illumination that is both visually and psychologically warm and comforting. Lamps at 5600°K--approximately the color temperature of daylight--can be used if a room is exposed to some ambient daylight, as from uncovered windows, though such conditions are generally not recommended for videoconferencing.

A matrix of available lamps is shown in the next slide.

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Type GE Osram Lumens CRI Notes

830 X X 4800 82 General-purpose lamp. High green content – can be white balanced. Use caution when mixing with other lamp types.

835 X X 4800 82 General-purpose lamp. High green content – can be white balanced. Use caution when mixing with other lamp types.

840 X N/A 4850 82 General-purpose lamp. High green content – can be white balanced. Use caution when mixing with other lamp types.

841 N/A X 4800 82 General-purpose lamp. High green content – can be white balanced. Use caution when mixing with other lamp types.

930 N/A X 3000 96 Specialty lamp. Low lumen output. High CRI. Some green content.

950 N/A no d/s 3000 96 Specialty lamp. Low lumen output. High CRI. Some green content.

Studioline 3200° N/A X 3800 85 Optimized for video-camera imaging. Will mix with incandescent sources.

Studioline 5600° N/A X 3800 85 Optimized for video-camera imaging. Will mix with HMI and daylight sources.

Cinema 3200° X N/A 4100 86 Optimized for video-camera imaging. Will mix with incandescent sources.

Cinema 5600° X N/A 4100 86 Optimized for video-camera imaging. Will mix with HMI and daylight sources.

Cinema Plus 3700°

X N/A 2600 95 Optimized for film and HDTV cameras. Will mix with incandescent sources.

Cinema Plus 6200°

X N/A 2600 95 Optimized for film and HDTV cameras. Will mix with HMI and daylight sources.

Lamp-selection matrix. X = lamp available from that manufacturer, data sheet available. no d/s = lamp available, but no data sheet included. N/A = lamp not available from that manufacturer.

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Lighting a Single Presenter

Many videoconference and distance-learning applications feature a single presenter or speaker, generally standing, and often using a podium. The following recommendations, which discuss lighting such a setup, assume that the room has a ceiling height of between 9 and 12 feet, that the presenter is stationary, and that there is only one camera.

The ideal lighting approach for this situation is the classic three-point configuration described earlier in this document, with the two front lights each located approximately 45° on either side of the presenter-camera axis and the backlight directly behind the presenter (see Figure 2).

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Lighting a Single Presenter (con’d)The recommended vertical angle of a backlight is generally from 60° to 70° above the horizon line. Often, the angle at which a backlight can be positioned is influenced by physical characteristics of the room, such as the distance from the presenter to the wall or the presence of sprinkler heads and other hardware in the room’s ceiling. In such instances, the specification of a Brightline Mini T-Series fixture--measuring 1 x 2-ft versus 2 x 2-ft. for a standard T-Series unit--may help resolve any space constraints.

Regarding beam control, the use of medium-field screens is generally recommended for the front lights, since a medium-field screen strikes a good balance between providing enough illumination to properly light the presenter’s face and keeping the light off whatever is behind the presenter. One exception to this practice would occur if a series of presenters differed significantly in their heights, in which case a broad-field screen can be used to ensure adequate coverage.

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Lighting a Single Presenter (con’d)

Conversely, tighter beam control is called for if the presenter is positioned close to a highly reflective background--such as a white board, monitor, or window. In these cases, using a narrow-field screen can help reduce the amount of bounce light from the background. Of course, a narrow-field screen will also decrease the amount of light on axis, and care must be taken to verify proper fixture aiming for the presenter being lit.

Rooms with the typical 9- to 12-ft. ceiling heights lend themselves well to the use of two-lamp T-Series fixtures. Lower ceilings may call for one-lamp units, so that the light on the presenter’s face is not too strong. If the ceiling is higher than normal, three-lamp fixtures should be employed to achieve the needed light intensity.

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Lighting a Single Presenter (con’d)

Because of the architecture of the room or for budgetary reasons, it may not be possible to use a three-point lighting setup, and the backlight can be sacrificed. Image quality will still be satisfactory; however, lighting without a backlight does lend even greater importance to properly controlling the intensity of light on the presenter’s face versus the background.

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Lighting a ClassroomT-Series applications that involve lighting a classroom are becoming ever more common as companies explore the many benefits of training or distance learning via videoconferencing. Most classroom conferences transpire in rooms with ceiling heights to 10 or 11 feet and call for two or more cameras, covering both instructor and students.

The most important shot in a classroom setting is generally on the instructor. A static instructor at a podium can be lit either with two-point lighting (two diagonal front lights) or three-point lighting (adding a straight backlight). A moving instructor may require adjacent sets of diagonal front lights, with each set spaced at approximately 6 feet on center, to guarantee that he or she will be properly lit.

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Lighting a Classroom (con’d)

If the instructor is moving in front of a highly reflective white board or plasma monitor, it may be necessary to position the lights at a somewhat steeper angle than is generally recommended.

For standard-quality lighting of the students in the room, a one-point lighting setup using fixtures with prismatic lenses is typical. If a superior video image of the students is desired, the use of two-point lighting with diagonal fixtures is recommended. This will also result in greater visual comfort, with less on-axis glare in the students’ eyes, especially if control screens are employed in place of prismatic lenses. Once again, it is important to keep the light level low on the back wall of the room, particularly if it is white or reflective. The use of control screens and diagonal fixtures will also help control light spill on the back wall.

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Lighting a Conference Room

Given the critical need for fast and accurate communications in today’s business world, international technology companies place a high priority on effective videoconferencing. The importance of superior-quality imaging of both individuals and the information they seek to convey should not be underestimated. People will be much more amenable to videoconferencing if their own image is accurately represented--in short, if they think they “look good.”

Equally important is the ability to restrict light from presentation apparatus such as white boards, monitors, and screens or other projection surfaces. Lack of lighting control can wash out an image and hamper a recipient’s ability to understand content being presented.

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Lighting a Conference Room (con’d) Without effective content communication, boredom or wandering focus is likely and a greater danger during videoconferencing as opposed to live meetings, as it’s generally easier to ignore someone or something on camera than in person. Vibrant, controlled images help ensure that participants remain engaged.

Another factor that will enhance the efficacy of any videoconferencing is consistency of look across the widest possible spectrum of locations. Each end point of the videoconference should present a look of equal visual quality, relaxing participants so they can focus on matters at hand without the self-consciousness that can result from an inferior look.

Because every visual element of a videoconference--from the flesh tones of participants’ faces to the wood grain of table surfaces to the colors of a corporate logo--depends on proper lighting, certain basic parameters should always be followed:

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Lighting a Conference Room (con’d)•Whenever possible, the intrusion of (outside) daylight into the videoconference room during a session should be avoided. If a location does have windows, a system of blinds to filter or obscure the daylight is recommended; the blinds should never be metallic or covered in a reflective surface.

•Avoid conference tables with high-gloss finishes as well as wood grains that visually are high in green content. “Warmer” woods are preferable, as the table itself can become a source of bounce light.

•Similarly, avoid wall finishes with green tonalities (such as khaki-colored paint or fabric) as well as white walls. Gray walls are often an acceptable choice.

•Because the relationship of light levels between on-camera participants and room wall surfaces is critical, the exact prescription of light required will vary depending on factors such as room size, table size, ceiling height, wall color, and so on.

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Lighting a Conference Room (con’d)•Since audio is obviously one of the key non-visual elements of successful videoconferencing, it is important to locate videoconference rooms away from high-noise areas if the locations are not sound-proofed. In addition, using low-heat lighting such as T-Series fixtures will reduce air-conditioning requirements and thereby contribute to a further reduction in noise levels.

•If the camera employs lens extenders for zoom shots, it is necessary to apply higher-than-usual levels of light.

A major tenet of Brightline’s approach to lighting videoconference rooms is to maximize efficiency by placing fixtures where they can render multiple tasks. For example, the three lighting plots that follow (Figures 5-7), illustrating rooms of different sizes (9, 13, and 16 persons), each follows the precept of using backlights for participants that simultaneously serve as key and/or fill lights for other participants across the table.

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Figure 5. This plot for a small conference room features T-Series fixtures that simultaneously serve as backlights and as key or fill lights.

Figure 5. This plot for a small conference room features T-Series fixtures that simultaneously serve as backlights and as key or fill lights.

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Figure 6. The same lighting principle as in the previous example is applied to a somewhat larger room, using slightly more than one fixture per subject.

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Figure 7. For this room, the dimensions of the space and greater table width made it advantageous to use centered back-to-back parallel fixtures rather than diagonal ones.

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An example of a corporate board room with an efficient lighting scheme that features centered 45° T-Series fixtures and backlights that double as fills. Fixtures are shown in their flush-to-the-ceiling position.

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Lighting a Conference Room (con’d)

The room depicted in Figure 9 presents an example of a lighting situation in which effective control is of paramount importance. The front of the room features four large Da-Lite projection screens and, on one side, a presenter’s podium and six-person table for a panel. The challenge is to properly light the podium and panel positions for the cameras while keeping light off the screens to preserve their legibility.

The lighting plot calls for six three-lamp T-Series fixtures to light the panel, using a modified two-point design that equates to one fixture per subject. The podium--which should be slightly “hotter”--is lit with four two-lamp T-Series fixtures in a three-point setup with an additional on-center light directly in front of the speaker. The fixtures are situated so as not to interfere with the beam patterns of the projectors.

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Lighting a Conference Room (con’d)

As shown in the plot diagrams (Figures 9-10), the light levels on the panel table range from 37 to 44 foot-candles. The podium position has 48 foot-candles from the podium lights alone; if the panel lights are also on, the level rises to 52 foot-candles. Given that T-Series fixtures are optimized for video, these levels provide ideal stimulation for the cameras. Adding 60° pattern-control screens ensures that spill light on the back wall and projection screens is virtually eliminated, with levels there registering a mere 1 to 8 foot-candles.

An installation like this could also include wall-mounted control panels with simple-to-operate push buttons that allow for preset configurations for the podium only, the panel table only, and the podium and panel together. Such a system would enable the levels of individual fixtures to be adjusted, if required.

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Figure 9. Beam control is realized through a combination of layout design, variable-strength fixtures, and medium-field control screens.

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Figure 10. With efficient fixture design, it is possible to achieve widely divergent intensity levels within a confined space.

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Lighting a Public Meeting Room

Along with the development of digital cameras, the proliferation of video libraries/archives and of Internet, public-access, and other broadcast modalities has led to a tremendous increase in the recording, transmission, and broadcast of sessions from corporate, institutional, and government public meeting rooms. Successfully lighting these sessions can be a challenge, as the venues range from standard rooms to architecturally eccentric and even historically significant structures.

Lighting a public meeting room requires attention to several discrete groups of subjects. In typical order of priority, these include officials or presenters seated at a front table or dais, staff positioned in areas in front of or to the side of the dais, and speakers or petitioners who come to a lectern or podium. These different areas presuppose multiple cameras: generally two or more cameras on the dais, often with a “cross shot,” and one or more “reverse” cameras covering staff, petitioners, and sometimes

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Lighting a Public Meeting Room (con’d)

the larger audience in the room.

Given that public meeting rooms can be quite large--sometimes with ceilings to 30 feet or so--lighting designers should consider using Brightline’s SeriesONE fixtures in conjunction with T-Series fixtures to maximize light output. If the Brightline fixtures are used to supplement existing fluorescent lighting in the room, the other fixtures should be equipped with high-CRI (Color Rendition Index) lamps in the same color temperature as the SeriesONE and T-Series fixtures. In all cases, metal-halide or other shielded-arc lighting sources should be avoided.

In some instances, an individual may be shot from more than one camera angle, and the lighting should accommodate this variability. For example, the primary shot lighting the face of a speaker at a podium used by the

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Lighting a Public Meeting Room (con’d)

public might be from a camera behind the dais. However, a wide shot covering the officials on the dais would likely also include this speaker, so there may be a need for multiple backlights. In general, a consistently applied two- or three-point lighting approach is recommended if permitted by the architectural features of the room.

A typical example of a meeting room might be a medium-sized chamber with roughly semicircular banks of seats rising in terraced fashion toward the back (see Figure 11). The lighting plan would employ two- and three-lamp rotatingT-Series fixtures, most with medium-field screens with the exception of those illuminating the back row, which would use narrow-field screens to keep too much light from spilling onto the back wall. Intensity levels are highest toward the front of the room, including any podiums or presentation tables in the front “pit” area.

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Lighting a Public Meeting Room (con’d)

The objective of such a design would be to provide optimum video shooting conditions for every position in the room, and especially to deliver strong foot-candle levels on the podium and central pit positions with no washout or glare on the two front projection screens shown in Figure 11. Minimally invasive rotating (as opposed to drop/pan/tilt) fixtures are specified to enhance the physical aesthetics of the ceiling while maintaining the highest-quality video imaging.

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Figure 11. Top: Rendering of conference-mode lighting solution seen from the podium/front of a meeting room. Above: Lighting plan preserves desirable ratios between subjects and the room’s back wall. Right: Precise control correctly lights presenter while maintaining visibility of screen-projected information.

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Certifications/Support

Brightline installations are found throughout the U.S. and in more than 55 countries worldwide. All Brightline fixtures carry the UL, cUL, C-tick, and CE safety certification marks, ensuring compliance with electrical requirements throughout the world. Our universal-voltage ballast options enable auto-sensing of the local voltage so that fixtures can self-adjust for proper operation.

Brightline’s global network of factory-trained representatives offers comprehensive regional support for our worldwide installation base. Brightline’s clients can be confident that, wherever they expand, they will find authorized professionals available to provide initial and ongoing support.

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Selected Corporate ClientsA short list of selected Brightline T-Series corporate clients:

CBS Eli Lilly BayerBank of America Honeywell Lockheed-MartinLogitech Cisco Systems Kimberly-ClarkQwest Fidelity Investments Goldman-SachsBP Yahoo Capital OneBurger King American Century State FarmColumbia TriStar ConAgra DePuyCommerce Bank Bristol Myers Squibb Hewlett-PackardLucent Technologies McDonalds Northern TrustSprint Volvo KrogerBellSouth Corning Glass AlcoaInternational Paper Prudential Securities Cox CableColgate-Palmolive General Dynamics ADM

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Brightline LP580 Mayer Street, Building #7

Bridgeville, PA 15017Phone: 412-206-0106

Fax: 412-206-0114www.brightlines.com