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New Mac Pro: Apple’s Fastest Computer EverJuly 29th, 2010Apple may have dropped “Computer” from its corporate name – ostensibly to emphasize its “i” strengths, as in iTunes, iPods, iPads and iPhones – but the biggest news lately is all about their desktops and laptops. With new and scary-fast offerings in the Mac Pro, iMac and MacBook Pro lines, plus a new desktop Magic Trackpad and some iPhone happenings, there’s a lot to report. We’ll start today with the Mac Pro and work through the rest of the Apple crate in subsequent blogs.
The tremendous punch packed by the new Mac Pro makes it, once again, the fastest Mac available, after losing its top ranking some time back to a Core i7-equipped iMac. The new tower Mac can access up to 12 processing cores for 50% more performance, now fueled by up to 32GB of RAM. This makes the Mac Pro the prohibitive favorite for audio, video, animation and post-production, and will bring a new rush to working with HD or SD in Final Cut Pro when paired with CRE’s AJA Io HD rentals. Digital artists and content creators will feel like their spaceship got a new rocket or two whichever CPUs they choose – Intel’s quad- and six-core Xeon processors, the quad-core Xeon Nehalem or the Xeon Westmere with four or six cores. Apple claims buyers can choose from “1.3 billion possible configurations of the Mac Pro” when ordering, and it feels like about half of the options involve processors! Dual displays? Nope – six! The new Mac Pro maxes out, as stated above, at 12 cores with two six-core Intel Xeon Westmeres running at 2.93 GHz. (Other CPUs may have faster clock speeds, up to 3.33 GHz, but the Westmeres are the most efficient, effective workers.) Apple has left NVIDIA behind, now offering the ATI Radeon HD 5770 or 5870 graphics card. Each has 1 GB of GDDR5 memory (fast!) and get this – support for as many as six simultaneous displays. Get one or two Xserve RAID rentals, some LCD monitor rentals and send for lots of take-out, because with this kind of setup you will get a whole lot done, and you’ll have so much fun you just might want to keep going. The new Mac Pro also has a dual 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 slot, for expansion purposes, and can be configured with up to 8 TB of internal hard disk and SSD (Solid State Drive) storage, the latter offering a first for the Cupertino firm. The new models should hit the retail channel sometime in August, meaning CRE will soon offer the latest, greatest Mac Pro computer rental. Apple’s been busy! Apple has also revamped its standalone Cinema Display line (one model now, 27-inch), juiced up the surprising iMacs (available for rent), upgraded its MacBook Pro line and released a desktop Magic Trackpad. The company is also in the news with its iPhone, as the government has decreed that consumers can now “jailbreak” the device. All of this news and more will be in forthcoming blogs, so check out our new posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Don’t forget that we’re here every other workday, too, with not just the best and newest computer rentals but everything you need to attend, produce or exhibit at a conference or convention, from Audience Response System rentals to plasma panels. Call or e-mail an expert Account Executive, or fill out our Quick Rental Quote form that’s just a quick click away. We’re here with solutions, so just let us know what you need to solve! Cloud Computing: Ready for Prime Time?July 27th, 2010
In the 1990s, Scott McNealy, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems, said, “The Web is the computer.” The ultimate dream of the cloud boosters is people accessing files stored “in the cloud” (“on a server somewhere”) with minimalist workstations called “thin clients” – a keyboard, a monitor and a network connection. Is this really how people would work, given the chance? Many of CRE’s creative clients doing high-end work on Mac Pro rentals would probably say, “No way,” at least for now. Local = control More and more people are becoming cloud-savvy, because that’s where their Web sites are located, of course. Many businesses also use online storage to archive materials. There is a good business rationale for this, as well as for storing many kinds of work-in-progress in the cloud, like projects that require collaboration for editing, design and/or distribution. However, the notion that all files are “virtual” – which means “unavailable” when the power goes out – scares the heck out of many designers, A/V pros and content producers. Is this really the Big Idea that McNealy and other cloud fans want to implement? For this all-cloud-all-the-time scheme to work, we need far greater network speed and much more bandwidth. Even when these and other sticking points are unstuck, human nature is still blocking the road ahead, holding up a big sign that says, “I have trust issues.” If you just hired some extra artists and put them to work on computer rentals to finish an urgent project, would you honestly trust the only copy to be out of your sight – rather, out of anyone’s sight? No local work copy? No way! Step by step towards computing in the cloud We haven’t space to cover all the security issues, but the phrase “heightened security threats” pops up a lot in cloud computing discussions. Local storage is safer than cloud storage for the simple reason that cyberspace is still a battlefield full of hackers, viruses and malware. “From the frying pan to the fire” seems an appropriate precautionary statement about moving prematurely to cloud computing – for now. So, consider Xserve RAID rentals – they are solid, tangible proof that you have your work at hand, safe and sound. You can get acclimated to the cloud by getting a free online storage account (and actually using it). With each passing day, the Internet gets faster, safer and easier to use, but it’s still got a bit of the Wild West in it. Perhaps some people will be comfortable leaving their animation files on the cloud and using Apple’s imaginary Web app, Final Cut Virtual, to work on them (perhaps with their iPhones). Others may take a bit longer to feel safe doing that. Your mileage, as they say, may vary! At CRE, one thing that never varies is the expertise and professionalism of our staff. Whether you need the fastest iMac rentals anywhere or a broad array of convention rentals, CRE is your one-stop shop. Call us, send an e-mail or fill out a Quick Rental Quote form and we’ll help you get where you need to go with the best hardware, software and services, bar none. PowerPoint Presentation in Your PocketJuly 22nd, 2010Our recent gadget blog mentioned a potent hard-drive-based media player that could connect with CRE plasma rentals to create a low-cost, high-impact presentation system. For all of you who use PowerPoint, we’re going to share some creative and cost-effective ways of bringing a presentation to your seminar or breakout session. You could present the PowerPoint show from your connected laptop – or from a CD or DVD containing the presentation and the standalone PowerPoint Viewer application – but PowerPoint is notorious for its propensity to stutter and crash. The most dependable playback format is a universally supported video format like AVI, where you will have a smooth, flawless presentation with no glitches. With an AVI file of your presentation, you can then leverage the power of a neat piece of equipment we found in a rather unexpected place. Convert PowerPoint presentation to video Literally scores of applications, from freeware and shareware to commercial packages, can convert PowerPoint presentations to AVI. Most allow a trial period before buying, although they might watermark your video, so find out about that. PowerVideoMaker Professional, for example, converts PowerPoint files to AVI , MPEG or WMV formats, while PPT To Video Scout will convert to AVI and over half a dozen other formats. There are plenty of converters to choose from, and several Web-based conversion sites, as well. Mention “karaoke” and most people think of rolling carts full of audio equipment. You can still have a big rack of karaoke gear if you want, but the Flexible power with AVI movie Convert your PowerPoint file into an AVI movie and load it on the PK-6000 via USB. A touchscreen with great navigation tools offers intuitive control, and the PK’s mini-gooseneck microphone lets you speak over the program material as it runs. The device has a built-in FM transmitter so you can use it as a PA, but you won’t need to if you connect it via the included RCA cable to one of CRE’s LCD monitor rentals or other big displays. In addition to its presentation chops, the PK has a digital mixer for tweaking mic volume, echo level and tone settings. You can make an honest case that the Acesonic Pocket Karaoke was made for presenters as well as singers. There’s nothing in the manual that says you can’t talk instead of sing, or play business presentations instead of Toy Story. At CRE, we don’t let any obstacles get in the way of working smarter as well as harder, and can offer you creative solutions to even the most daunting audio, video and post-production challenges. If you need meeting rentals, simply fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and we will get you what you need to capture the meeting presentation on video. It’s San Diego in August for Three ConferencesJuly 20th, 2010SPIE Optics + Photonics
Interactive poster sessions, as well as group discussions focused on specific technical topics, enable you to join your peers and colleagues in delving deep into important subjects, and are open to all paid attendees. Wi-FI laptops or tablet PC rentals may be just the ticket for your conference team, whatever your goal at the conference. There will also be general admission and invitation-only admission to various social, networking, professional development, student and SPIE membership events, where digital recorder rentals might come in very handy. If your goal is to spread the word on your own product or service, presentation aids like plasma rentals are easily arranged. If you want to capture contact information and develop prospects, you might avail yourself of CRE’s interactive kiosks, now with 17-inch touchscreen interfaces. Whether bringing a message, gathering information or both, CRE can equip you to succeed. ASR Access
ASR Access features range from a fashion show and centralized lounges to business seminars and places where you can meet, network, make buying decisions and gain valuable insights. Whether you need a full-size exhibit space with plasma rentals, or some audio visual rentals to lead a breakout session, CRE is prepared right now to prepare you right. CLASS@ASR runs concurrently with ASR at the Convention Center with over 100 designers that cross over from surf/skate lifestyle lines into the prestigious fashion market. Also staging across from ASR in the Petco Park parking lot is Crossroads, committed to the independent nature of skateboarding culture and a uniquely relaxed format. It’s almost like three conferences in one, but if you get the right convention rentals from CRE Rentals it can be one big success. NACDS Pharmacy & Technology Conference
To reach the decision-makers of over 130 retail companies – chain drug stores, supermarkets and other mass merchandisers with some 80,000 retail outlets and $200+ billion in annual sales of prescription medicines, OTC preparations and home healthcare goods – the dramatic, colorful plasma rentals still cannot be beat. If you will be having key meetings with others in the exhibit area or the “Meet the Rx Market” sessions, consider outfitting your team with laptop rentals. No matter what you need to accomplish at one of August’s San Diego conferences, CRE is here to help. Whether you’re attending, exhibiting or both, we have the hardware, software and know-how to make your presence a success. Call, send an e-mail or fill out our Quick Rental Quote form and let our experienced Account Executives help prepare you for a successful conference (or two, or three). Safety and Security with Surveillance SoftwareJuly 15th, 2010Even people who keep up on surveillance technology are amazed by the With the right equipment and setup, a business owner can watch over his 20,000 square-foot store, the warehouse in the back and every approaching street and sidewalk, too. Early on in the computer era (back with the VCRs in the Stone Age, the 1980s) one of the first ideas for surveillance systems was to split the screen and let you see two camera views at once. That is a quaint memory now that today’s software lets you view 16 or even 32 cameras in any grouping that you like, across one, two or three monitors – even a monitor wall, if you want. Total flexibility There are commercial software packages that are quite capable, even bordering on consciousness, after a fashion. Then, too, there are any number of proprietary applications that are bundled with certain manufacturers’ gear, and you can always hire a programmer to create something special for your unique needs. Most of these packages will share common capabilities, and differ on the implementation, the number of cameras supported and connectivity schemes. However, they all share a common feature set. You can record the camera feeds if you choose, and often into various formats and on various media. Gone are the days when all surveillance video feeds were recorded to VHS tapes, a costly approach and an archivist’s nightmare. Today the video can be compressed and saved to hard drives, flash memory or burnable CDs/DVDs. With the advent of Blu-ray recorders, 25 and 50GB of video can be written to single- and double-sided discs, respectively. Compressed with quality New compression schemes such as mpeg4, particularly Apple’s h.264 version, reduce video files to a fraction of their original size, while maintaining excellent quality. These compression schemes are called “lossy” since there is some loss of original information. There are also “lossless” compression schemes if it is important to save as much detail as possible while still conserving storage space. Remember, the former tools squeeze the files smaller than the latter ones. You are advised to check out a variety of compressed video types to see what you will get from your system. You need to know the quality of the archived video before you can decide how to proceed. Then you can calculate just how much media you will need to save what you are recording. It may also be, of course, that you only save segments of the video stream in which there is movement or other activity. The hardware and software available today can be motion-sensitive, light-sensitive, sound-sensitive or some combination, in order to trigger the recording only when it is necessary. CRE follows all the different high-tech trends, even for technology we don’t rent, as part of our commitment to helping you prepare for whatever comes your way. Need some PC or Mac computer rentals or Xserve RAID rentals for an important project? Simply fill out the Quick Rental Quote form and we’ll be on it right away. There’s no time to spare. The future is headed our way and it’s coming fast! Tech Update: Media Players, 3D Cameras and More Pads!July 13th, 2010Introducing an HD Media Player
In addition to accessing media from a hard drive (not included) or a USB device, the GTV connects to the Internet with an optional Wi-Fi adapter or included Ethernet port. You can stream RSS feeds (video and text) – as well as other content from Flickr, YouTube, vTuner, Netflix, etc. – to both PAL and NTSC TVs. To insert a GoFlex drive, the only kind that will work with the GTV, just open the door on the front, slide it in and play media from the drive, over your network, off USB-connectable devices or via online services. 3D Cameras from Sony With 3D breaking out of the movie theater and into homes with 3D TVs and Blu-ray titles, could cameras be far behind? Of course not. Sony is out of the gate with two new 3D Cyber-shot cameras. Two 12.2 megapixel models, the DSC-WX5 and DSC-TX9, use Sony’s 3D Sweep Panorama technology to create 3D images. You move the camera from side to side and capture up to 100 images that are then combined to create two “stereoscopic” frames. These are then viewed on a 3D-capable TV via HDMI, the sort of high-end connection found on CRE’s LCD monitor rentals. Alternatively, using what’s called the Sweep Multi Angle feature creates 3D-style images from a burst of 15 frames. The multi-angle views can be seen simultaneously on any TV connected to the camera. The new 3D cameras rely on the same new Exmor R CMOS Sensor in the new Cyber-shot models. The 3D DSC-WX5 and DSC-TX9 models should hit the stores by the end of September. Pad Madness Grows
Included software ranges from an e-book reader, Internet redio, e-mail and Web browser to a calendar, alarm clock, movie player, music player and image viewer. Cydle has not announced a release date or pricing so stay tuned. CRE stays abreast of all the technology that can affect your work and your life. Whether you need Audience Response System rentals or a room full of iMac rentals for a seminar, our expert Account Executives are ready to advise you and provide just the right solutions. Give a call, send an e-mail or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form and see how fast we’re on the job for you! 5 Great Ideas for Green Meetings & EventsJuly 8th, 2010
1. Deploy lightweight booths 1. Deploy lightweight booths You certainly don’t need to gut your marketing budget because of a recessionary economy, and it’s not wise, anyway. A new generation of lightweight booth designs can save you a bundle in shipping (and associated fuel costs and carbon footprints). New wrinkle-resistant fabrics, or plastics made from over 80% recycled material, are stretched over recyclable aluminum frames, allowing different panels to be swapped in and out to create unique looks at various events. New retractable banner stands take the same approach, and are easy to set up, recyclable and all of 10-15 pounds in weight. 2. Minimize paper, maximize wireless Literally tons of paper are used for meetings and conferences so much that even state agencies (like the State of Virginia) are getting involved by certifying convention centers as “green.” The overriding goal is to minimize paper use as much as possible, by making online registration the preferred method for signing up, and delivering program materials via PDF downloads and other eco-friendly means. Convention centers are rapidly deploying wireless networks to capture more business, and exhibitors of all sizes are prepared to distribute even post-conference materials by download rather than in printed form. 3. Coordinate transportation Even when a conference is held in a single location, attendees should be encouraged to carpool, walk and use alternatives to single-passenger cars. Exhibitors who use CRE for convention rentals do not have to transport any equipment to the site, as CRE can take care of delivery, setup and breakdown in most cities. Conference managers may be able to strike a deal with local public transportation agencies for discounted passes, and simply providing rate and fare information has been shown to increase the use of public transportation and cooperative carpools by conference participants. 4. Review food services If food preparation is part of the plan, reusable dishes, flatware and glassware should be considered in place of disposables, as the American Chemical Society included in the municipal plan it did for Boston. Unserved food portions are often overlooked in planning, and last-minute notions of distributing them to food banks or missions will not pass muster with most municipal, county and state food handling laws. Check on food-handling regulations, federal and state, and remember that unserved portions must be kept separate from food waste. 5. Cultivate a green mindset Conference participants, from presenters to exhibitors, should all be encouraged to cultivate an attitude supporting reduced waste and increased recycling. Green events do not happen automatically, but through careful planning and the cultivation of a take-charge, can-do mindset. You are doing the right thing ecologically and, even better, you are saving some green while you’re acting green. CRE can help, since we are convention experts as well as the premier source for the computer rentals, large monitors, audio-visual equipment and plasma rentals that will make your exhibit a success. Call, send an e-mail or fill out a Quick Rental Quote form and an experienced Account Executive will be on the job for you right away. Hello, Solid State Drive (SSD); Bye-Bye, Hard DriveJuly 6th, 2010About the slowest thing your computer has to contend with is the hard drive. While CPUs are in the nanosecond range, hard drive access is measured in thousandths of a second, quite slow in the world of light-speed processors. On top of that, most computers crash because of hard drive problems, as they are extremely complicated eletromechanical beasts. Want to work faster? Want to say goodbye to hard drive crashes? You will, with Solid State Drives (SSDs), which represent the next step in storage evolution. The future has already started, and CRE is on the leading edge once again with MacBook Pro rentals equipped with this superfast memory. It will take some time for the prices to come down to “old-fashioned” hard drive levels, but now that SSDs are being mass-manufactured it is happening just like it did before. More and more computer makers are offering them as options. But the really astonishing thing is this: SSDs address just about every weakness of standard hard drives, and will completely replace them in the future. SSDs really are amazing, which is why they are taking over, and soon! How Solid State Drives work
Their advantages are many and dramatic – no moving parts, no noise, less heat and zero vibration. Because there are no spinning platters and moving read/write heads, there are no crashes due to hardware malfunctions. They draw less power, as well. All of this means tremendous reliability, over a million hours MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) and incredible speed. A fast 7200rpm hard drive has an access time of between 5 and 10ms, while the SSD clocks in at a staggering 0.1ms. Yes, one-tenth of a millisecond. Clearly, this is the future of data storage, at least for work in progress. It may or may not be the best long-term archiving solution, which is why other media (hard drives, optical media, tape) will remain in use. Benefits of SSDs As previously noted, CRE now has MacBook Pro rentals with superfast SSDs. You may not notice that the laptop is a bit lighter, but you will definitely notice that it is quieter, cooler and faster. SSDs can also withstand drops and impacts that would send read/write heads scraping across your regular hard drive’s disc platters, obliterating data on their way. You would have to physically crush or smash an SSD with a crowbar to experience that kind of data loss. Whether you need the swift SSD-equipped MacBook Pros, the potent Mac Pro rentals, other computer rentals, or A/V and convention-related technology, CRE is your one-stop shop for all of it. We have the expertise, the equipment and the experienced Account Executives to help you find the right solution for your particular challenge. Give us a call, send an e-mail or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form. We will put together a quote right away so that you get the laptop rental with SSD or other rental equipment when you need it – guaranteed! Digital Film: Art Meets TechnologyJuly 1st, 2010Those who lived (even better, worked) through the so-called paradigm shifts in desktop publishing (mid-1980s) and audio recording (through the 1990s) will recognize today’s “digital film revolution” talk. In the early and mid-1980s, when Apple’s LaserWriter teamed up with its Macintosh kin and Aldus Corporation’s PageMaker, some technology observers declared the new publishing model would put “freedom of the press into overdrive” and result in a real renaissance in publishing. It didn’t. In the 1990s, new digital technology put a recording studio in every teen rockers’ computer, but no Grammy Awards were snagged by any of these home recordists. Bottom line, there is no push-button solution. The changes that technology wrought in printing and recording took years to evolve into new workflows, as the technology was adopted and learned. It’s evolution, not revolution, that drives the creative arts. It is the same with digital filmmaking. Budding filmmakers must understand that just having the same high-tech tools as leading filmmakers doesn’t mean they can make Taxi Driver or Citizen Kane. Buying Apple’s Final Cut Pro doesn’t mean they are going to ace the post-production on that new TV pilot. To work at a professional level, one either has to put in the time to master these things, or get help with them. The reason the indie film industry is slowly but surely becoming an ongoing source of work for L.A. post-production houses is because smart indie filmmakers know when they need help, and are not ashamed to go get it. Getting the right technology tools
As novice filmmakers continue to learn the craft, many will also learn to do post-production, and some will even form new companies to offer their services. For start-up and even existing post-production facilities, the technology tools available and their evolution are essential in driving innovation in digital film making. CRE supports companies that, in turn, help a lot of up and coming filmmakers. By making everything from AJA Io HD rentals to fast iMac rentals available with a simple e-mail, phone call or Quick Rental Quote form, CRE enables post-production companies to take on work whenever it comes in. In no time at all, we can outfit you to get it all done – with PCs, Macs, Xserve RAID rentals, monitors and any other hardware you need, plus specialized software for your specialized work. Our #1 job is helping you get your jobs done! |
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