Audio visual technology solutions provider Peerless-AV® today announced a new custom kiosk building capability with the opening of a Kiosk Integration Center within its 320,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Providing the first service of its kind in the industry, the center assembles, tests and delivers fully integrated, large format display kiosks incorporating proven products from leading AV, display and digital content delivery manufacturers, including 32” to 90” screens. In just weeks, Peerless-AV can ship finished kiosks directly to the customer for out-of-the-box installation.

The initiative eliminates the need for system integrators and end customers to source components from multiple vendors, wait for shipments to arrive from manufacturers around the world, and perform complex on-site systems integration and testing. The company’s dedicated sales, product management and engineering teams handle all of those functions for the customer, enabling fully integrated custom kiosk systems without the delays or costs typically associated with custom projects.

The Kiosk Integration Center is located in a dedicated 10,000-square-foot area within the Peerless-AV plant, including a 3,000-square-foot clean room for assembly and testing. At the center is an expert team that will:

• Integrate a Peerless-AV kiosk enclosure with the customer’s choice of industry-leading, commercially available screens, media content players, interactive cameras and other components,
• Load any requested software,
• Fully test for interoperability and quality, and
• Ship the kiosk directly to the customer installation site.

At the installation site, customers need only connect the kiosks to a network, if required, and power. Once any necessary on-site content uploads are completed, the kiosks are ready to use.

Custom kiosk integration is the newest offering in a series of innovative products and services introduced by the company’s newly formed Peerless Technology Division. The Kiosk Integration Center advances the company’s strategic mission to provide a comprehensive catalog of digital content delivery systems for dealers, distributors, integrators and installation professionals.

“Kiosk integration is a major pain point for several industries. Our objective is to enable these communities to outsource the process, free themselves of integration and testing responsibilities, and deliver both single and multi-site kiosk systems faster than ever before,” said Michael Campagna, President of the Peerless Technology Division. “This program – unique to our company – will completely change the way kiosk projects are handled, ensure component compatibility, and expedite installation at customer sites.”

Peerless-AV^®, a leading supplier of audio-visual mounting solutions and accessories, today announced the formation of the Peerless-AV Technology Division dedicated to advanced digital content delivery solutions for the commercial and residential markets. The new division will expand the company’s existing technology portfolio, including wireless connectivity, wireless broadcast, kiosk, digital audio and touch products, to provide a comprehensive catalog of digital content delivery tools for AV dealers, distributors, integrators and installation professionals.

The division’s flagship wireless products currently include the HD Flow Pro Wireless Multimedia Kit,  a family of devices allowing Full HD 1080p video and passive 3D signals to be streamed up to 131 feet to HDTVs, projectors or other displays without cabling; the PeerAir™ Pico Broadcaster, an industry-first wireless digital signage solution that broadcasts HD content to an unlimited number of digital TVs within a 350-foot radius; and the PeerAir™ Wireless HD Multimedia System, an HDMI interface-based plug-and-play wireless content streaming and gaming system for home entertainment, corporate, education, and training applications. The product line also includes wireless flat panel and projector mounts, wireless AV carts and stands, kiosk enclosures, wireless digital audio connectivity solutions, and touch-enabled pens and pointers for uses such as interactive business and classroom presentations.

New products and services now in the planning stages will be announced later this year. The division is equipped with its own engineering, product development, product management, field applications engineering and customer care staff as well as select manufacturing capabilities and testing facilities for all products, setting the stage for major innovations while also ensuring technical support for channel partners.

“We introduced our first wireless product in May 2010, and since then our technology solutions have been among our strongest sellers for their ability to simplify installation and use of today’s digital equipment,” said Mike Campagna, an 18-year company veteran who has taken the helm as president of the Peerless-AV Technology Division after serving as president and COO of Peerless Industries/Peerless-AV since 2003. “Creating a separate division dedicated to this area will allow us to allocate more resources to emerging technologies, apply our technology knowledge to enhance our AV mounting products, and provide an even broader suite of solutions to streamline projects for professional AV integrators.”

Campagna spearheaded the new initiative and has a long history of launching innovative products, including the industry’s first flat panel and ultra-thin flat panel screen mounting systems. Those products set the standard for mounting solutions for today’s digital displays.

Campagna’s replacement as Peerless-AV president is John Potts, who has served as senior vice president of Peerless-AV since February 2010. Potts’ 18-year career at Peerless has also spanned positions as plant manager, director of operations and vice president of customer relations.

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Peerless-AV® today announced that it is sponsoring one scholarship to the AV Heroes program designed to train veterans for jobs in the AV industry. The program is a joint venture between InfoComm International and the United Veterans Learning Centers (UVLC).

Through its sponsorship, Peerless-AV is helping meet current and future AV workforce demands as well as supporting the program’s mission of preparing veterans for new careers.

“Competent, knowledgeable installers are essential for today’s advanced AV solutions, whether you’re talking about installing a multi-display video wall, integrating a wireless AV system or simply mounting a flat panel TV,” said Brian Eble, vice president of marketing and communications for Peerless-AV. “The AV Heroes program will help fill these jobs as well as put veterans to work in a growth industry that will have continued demand in the coming years.”

“The audiovisual industry needs more qualified personnel, and most veterans have received unsurpassed technical training,” said Randal A. Lemke, Ph.D., Executive Director and CEO, InfoComm International. “By sponsoring a scholarship, Peerless-AV is helping address the 13.3 percent unemployment rate among post 9/11 veterans, while also securing valuable human resources for the audiovisual industry.”

The six-week AV training program is designed to enhance the capabilities possessed by many veterans and will expose trainees to the employment possibilities of the AV industry as well as preparation for the CTS certification exam.

Taking installation ease to a higher level, the Peerless-AV® SmartMount XT™ series of flat-panel TV mounts in articulating, tilt and flat styles achieves expert professional mounting in a fraction of the time. The line of pre-assembled, one-piece mounts that can be affixed to walls by a single professional installer or integrator now provides post-installation height adjustments on flat, tilt mount, and articulating and improved cable housing on articulating mounts to render a clean finish.

“The functionality and user friendliness of the SmartMount XT line make the job easier for professional installers and integrators,” said Erin Longbottom, Product Manager for Peerless-AV. “They save time on installations, which saves them money.”

SmartMount XT products represent the next wave of innovative wall mounting solutions and carry Peerless-AV’s signature low-profile design that anchors displays in certain models as close as 1.2 inches to the wall.

Trademark Easy Installation

SmartMount XT models shorten installation time because a single installer can hang the mount. The tilt and flat mounts can be secured to a wall with as few as four screws. Articulating mounts come in singlestud or double-stud wall plate varieties; for heavier televisions, a dual-arm, double-stud wall plate is available. Displays attached to universal adapter brackets are locked in place with securement screws.

Improved Cable Housing

The articulating models now include compartments to house cabling and, for mounts carrying heavier displays, a wall plate knock-out for an in-wall cabling accessory. The new features, along with open wall architecture in tilt and flat models, expand the line’s cabling and wiring options and keep work areas organized.

Fewer Tools

Installers and integrators are accustomed to the ease of adjusting displays without removing mounts. Now they can adjust the height on flat and tilt mounts without removing the display to do so. Both the tilt and articulating models carry the One-Touch™ tilt feature, enabling correction of viewing angles by +15/-5 degrees without using tools. An improved hinge on the tilt mount eliminates the need for ratchet handle adjusting. Displays on articulating mounts can be rotated to a landscape or portrait orientation; those on flat and tilt mounts can be adjusted vertically by up to an inch and horizontally, up to 13 inches. This allows post-installation leveling and shifting, without having to remove the display.

Increased Security

Professionals working in high-traffic areas have reassurance that once secured, mounts won’t walk away. Security screws are available in optional models on the tilt and flat mounts as well as a locking option on
the tilt model. Standard models in the SmartMount XT series include Phillips head screws

Clean Design

SmartMount XT products sport a new matte-black finish blending unobtrusively in any conference, business or home theater setting. Decorative wall plate and cable covers on the articulating mount produce a neat, polished look.

The SmartMount XT series includes the following models:

• SmartMount XT Articulating Wall Arm for 40” to 71” displays, weighing up to 135lbs
• SmartMount XT Universal Flat Wall Mount, 32” to 70” displays, weighing up to 150lbs
• SmartMount XT Universal Tilt Wall Mount, 32” to 70” displays, weighing up to 150lbs

Suitable for corporate and residential installations, the SmartMount XT line is available exclusively through the Peerless-AV Partners Program, whose members earn the privilege of offering premium products to their customers.

In a major advance in AV frame rack customization, Peerless-AV™ has introduced a new family of built-to-order racks featuring an online configurator enabling users to specify the precise location of each component, view a CAD drawing with all accessories installed, and examine a rotating 3D model to ensure satisfaction with the design before submitting it for a same-day quote. Models ranging in size from 8 to 44 RUs are available in 10 colors with a wide variety of options.

The series includes standard AV frame racks from 18 to 44 RUs with a choice of closed, open or extra-large open side panels for varying budgets and cabling requirements; furniture frame racks from 8 to 14 RUs designed to fit around a credenza or desk, and knockdown models from 8 to 43 RUs that can be assembled in less than three minutes with just eight screws.

Special features offering design, security and/or installation advantages include:

• A choice of medium blue, silver, pearl gray, pebble gray, pottery white, light blue, light beige, gunmetal and cranberry as well as basic black.
• The option to silkscreen business logos in any custom color for branding purposes.
• A skirted base with four casters and two ground studs included at no additional cost.
• Top and bottom knockout panels allowing installers to select the easiest and most efficient cabling strategy for the configuration.
• Lockable front and rear doors with right and left hinge options, as well as a lockbox option for laptops, remote controls, batteries, data tapes, patch cords and other accessories.
• Easy-to-see, bright white RU markings indicating equipment location for faster shelf and component installation.

“With our custom rack configurator, you can place AV equipment and accessories exactly where you want them, see what the fully assembled frame rack will look like, and modify it if necessary before placing your order. This ensures proper ergonomics by placing user interface components within easy reach as well as ensuring that everything fits properly and has a good visual flow,” said Rob Meiner, Product Manager, Peerless-AV. “These features, the color options, and the full range of available models make it possible to meet any AV need – whether in education, government, data centers, homes or any other setting.”

All racks (except the knockdown models) ship fully assembled within two weeks of the order and are made in the U.S. for rapid delivery. The line is available immediately from Peerless-AV at racks.peerless-av.com

Calgary, Canada (September 9, 2012) – Peerless-AV, the leader in innovative audio and video solutions, has announced the launch of three new portrait and landscape-oriented flat panel kiosk enclosures. The products will be on display September 9-12 at the ACI-NA 21^st Annual Conference in Calgary, Canada at Peerless-AV’s booth #400.

The company features two landscape positioned kiosks, the KL540-S and the KL546-S, which are both silver in color and designed for 40-inch and 46-inch ultra-thin televisions, respectively. Also offered is the KP555-S, a portrait oriented silver kiosk for 55-inch displays.

Ideal for a variety of airport applications including FIDS/GIDS/BIDS, wayfinding, retail merchandising, and advertising, the KL540-S and KL546-S landscape enclosures are designed to blend with the surrounding environment and complement the airport’s branding efforts. Simple to install, the landscape kiosk enclosures feature a hinged display mounting arm offering ease of installation and ease of access to the display should removal be necessary. Adjustments to the display are made using eight tool-less adjustment points, allowing facility workers to quickly line up the monitor.

The KP555-S portrait kiosk features a slim profile designed to present maximum screen space. It can accommodate several aesthetic enhancements including vinyl wraps and acrylic trim, in order to perfectly fit with the venue’s unique look and feel. A cam-locked rear door ensures the display is secure from theft or tampering, and provides easy access to internal components and a media player.

All three new products can be fitted with optional fan cooling systems, which can greatly expand the life of the electronics by effectively dissipating heat. A depth adjustability feature ensures the kiosks are compatible with a variety of displays that are built to varying dimensions.

“These kiosks feature a clean and modern design, which fits prevalent usage of today’s ultra-thin displays,” said Peerless-AV Director of Business Development, Jeff Blankensop. “Our new kiosks provide a secure and stylish platform that enhances the customer’s multimedia content. We put a lot of thought into these products, including features such as cam locked doors and optional cooling fans and speakers. The stand is exceedingly easy to assemble and adjust, and can be up and running within minutes, giving customers an easy solution for reaching large audiences.”

For more information about Peerless-AV’s new kiosks, visit www.peerless-av.com. For more information about the ACI-NA 21^st Annual Conference, visit http://2012.aci-na.org.