Hitachi Software Upgrades StarBoard Software For Mac With Snow Leopard Compatibility

Hitachi Software Engineering America, Ltd. today announced that its StarBoard Software 9.0.1 for Mac will now support Apple’s Snow Leopard operating system. The upgrade will ensure that the greatest population of StarBoard users with Mac hardware are able to effectively and easily deploy the StarBoard software.

Featuring an easy to use interface, StarBoard Software 9.0.1 was designed with an eye on the industry-wide trend surrounding operating systems that are migrating towards utilizing touch capability.  The software’s icons are more intuitive and provide users with a natural sense of functionality.

Hitachi StarBoard Software 9.0.1 for Mac offers users similar functionality as its Windows version, including a top menu bar for easy accessibility, a side bar menu that can toggle to either side of the screen, drag-and-drop tools to create a shortcut button on a page and a customizable color palette.

“Hitachi is committed to providing Mac users with the capability to take full advantage of the StarBoard Software. We will continue to ensure our software is aligned with current operating systems and give Hitachi StarBoard customers the greatest ease of use with our products,” stated John Glad, Hitachi America, Ltd., Digital Media Division, Business Solutions Group. 

Hidden Oaks Middle School Achieves Results With Hitachi Software StarBoards

-- Minnesota School Gets Enthusiastic Response For Learning With Hitachi StarBoards --

Hidden Oaks Middle School, in Prior Lake, Minnesota, selected Hitachi Software StarBoard interactive whiteboards to provide industry leading classroom technology. Purchased through Troxell Communications, the school uses the FXDUO-77 model StarBoards in math, social studies, and English classes.

“I’ve noticed that the students love to write utilizing the StarBoard. Now that I have the StarBoard in the room, there has been a significant increase in classroom engagement and participation more so than ever before,” stated Sarah Sheets, math teacher at Hidden Oaks Middle School. “When I’m teaching geometry, the ability to display shapes, rotate them, and use a protractor on the screen is very helpful. The StarBoard provides an abundance of tools that I can use quite easily. In fact, in using the StarBoard, there is greater value for the students and lesson enhancement.”

“I’ve reached the point where I use the StarBoard in class every day. The ability to make the lesson more interactive becomes a major advantage, especially with middle school students. Students really enjoy coming up to the board and are good at using it,” said Brent Stufft, English teacher at Hidden Oaks Middle School. “We use the StarBoard to do a lot of paragraph editing in English classes. We can take an article and set it up with mistakes for the students to find and correct. It makes the lesson much more interesting for the students to builds on their proof reading skills. Additionally, the ability to perform the editing exercises on the StarBoard is very time efficient,” added Mr. Stufft.

Mr. Stufft also feels the StarBoard is a great tool for his personal time management. “I have really taken advantage of the ability to save all my work and go back to it at another time.

Ms. Sheets is just beginning to realize the full potential of having the Hitachi StarBoard during her first year on classroom integration. “Even though I’m using it regularly, I learn something new every day.”

For more information on Troxell Communications visit www.trox.com.

Studer OnAir 3000 Software Upgraded To V3.0

Benefits Of Proven Software Legacy For New Products

Studer’s remarkably successful OnAir 3000 Digital Broadcast Console has had a software upgrade to V3.0.

The new software, which coincides with the introduction of the smaller sister OnAir 2500 console, adds new functions and facilities to this highly-regarded digital desk.

Primarily, the new version was introduced to allow the OnAir 2500 to share all the common operating systems of the OnAir 3000 which allows operator continuity across both consoles as well as providing the OnAir 2500 with a proven and stable software base.

Introduced with the new OnAir 2500, the brand new motor fader module extends the great variety of optional OnAir 3000 modules.

It contains six 100mm faders, four large illuminated and configurable pushbuttons with replaceable lables and twelve illuminated small pushbuttons per channel. Two LEDs in each fader strip indicate channel overload (red) and active fader start (blue).

Eight small pushbuttons beside every fader allow immediate access to the linked subpage in the main screen of the OnAir3000 (Touch ’n Action) for quick interaction on channel parameters, no matter which content was shown before a button is activated. Level and gain reduction meters are shown on an OLED display on every channel. Channel label, the I/O sharing producer system name and channel process parameters are also indicated on the OLED. A touch sensitive rotary encoder with two associated pushbuttons below every display allows you to change the indicated channel parameters without losing focus on the fader strip. The OLED display gives outstanding readability of condensed content, even when used in bright environments.

I/O sharing with other OnAir consoles

Encapsulating the fundamental mechanisms of I/O sharing into a functional extension module together with the DNet Framework which can run on any Studer product is the base to smoothly integrating all Studer products in the future. OnAir consoles Route 6000 and the Vista product line will then be able to share their local inputs, outputs and ?-busses.

To compensate audio for video signal offsets when operating the OnAir 3000 in a TV environment, software V3.0 provides a delay function to all consoles based on the SCore Live. During operation, delay can be activated and adjusted on input channels, master-, aux- and N-x busses and subgroups. It is possible to set any delay time between 0 and 5 seconds in a resolution of milliseconds.

System Surveillance via SNMP

With version 3.0, the system state of an OnAir console can be optionally monitored via SNMP messaging. The Simple Network Management Protocol is a common method to monitor and control networked devices independent of type and usage. The way SNMP is implemented enables two different methods to receive information from a single or multiple OnAir systems in an IP network.

Systems can actively send critical or other important status information to an SNMP manager connected to the network. Special messages (Traps) are triggered when parameters reach or surpass predefined thresholds, e.g. a processor’s temperature has risen to a critical level or a console’s OnAir state is activated. Additionally, traps are sent on any occurring system alert, without the need for any user interaction. Parameters to create traps and their associated thresholds can be configured in a corresponding XML file for each console.

For surveillance issues, users can also request the current status information of system parameters (Polls). This is possible at any time and independent from status and parameter.

To view SNMP messages from an OnAir system, customers can use any third party SNMP manager software.

Radio Automation via TCP/IP

To support distributed studio setups, software version 3.0 now tunnels Studer’s automation protocol via TCP/IP. Longer distances between console (SCore) and automation system can be achieved using the existing network interface of the host controller. Multiple automation sessions from the same console can be achieved through tunneling, providing control of multiple playout systems in parallel.

Amongst other enhancements, up to 16 additional external talkbacks (sources and destinations) can be configured, depending on the core configuration.

Software V3.0 is available to all OnAir 3000 users via Studer’s FTP site, on CD by request.