And the Performance of Your Teams Too

Have you ever fallen asleep during a presentation? It might be easy to do in a darkened room watching a never-ending string of Powerpoint or Prezi slides. Or perhaps your mind wandered because the slides were hard to see. In both cases, it may have been the lighting that kept you from focusing. 

Many conference room AV systems employ flat panel TVs or projectors for displays. Projectors are highly affected by ambient light, and LED displays are less so. But both benefit from the right lighting and, importantly, the controllability of light in the room. Let’s get into more detail below on how lighting can affect your AV and your staff in your Salt Lake City, UT, meeting spaces. 

SEE ALSO: Lighting Design and Automation, Part 2: Let’s Talk Task Lighting

Managing Natural Light

Having a window in your conference or meeting space is a treat. Humans enjoy natural light, and it's far better for focus and mood than dull, artificial lighting like fluorescent overhead illumination. However, that window may have significant exposure to the bright Utah sun. Too much sunlight can wash out your projector image or cause glare on your LED display. Then there's the distraction factor of staring out the window during long presentations or meetings. 

Harness and manage natural light with the aid of motorized shades. You can filter strong sunlight with the right shade materials and open the room to the light when you want with the touch of a button. With a smart conference room automation system, you can also have your shades go up or down depending on whether you are using your AV systems for the meeting. 

Lighting and Control

Fluorescent lights don’t dim. Want better control and lighting quality? Invest in modern LED lighting solutions. Not only are they precisely dimmable, but the newest lighting systems are also tunable to enable warmer to cooler lighting color temperatures. Energize the room with bright light when you need it, or dim it down to a relaxing level – but not too dark – for a presentation.

Don’t settle for manual lighting control. With lighting and room automation, set the scene for productivity with one command. For example, starting a videoconference can automatically lower your motorized shades and dim the lights for optimized viewing and camera lighting for your meeting. When the meeting room isn't in use, one button can turn off all AV and lighting, or a sensor can detect the unoccupied room and do it without your input. 

Selecting the Right Display Solution

Just as in home theaters and media rooms, you need to use the right display for the ambient light situation in the space. If you don’t like darkened rooms for projected screens, you should choose higher-brightness projectors like those with laser light engines. Ambient light-rejecting screens can also combine with bright projectors to enable crisp images even in well-lit meeting rooms. The same goes for flat panel displays; some high-brightness full-array backlit LEDs might be better for brighter rooms than OLED or lower-brightness displays. 

Want to learn more about optimizing your conference room AV with the right equipment choices and lighting management solutions? Show & Tell AV Solutions is your Salt Lake City AV expert for small business solutions. If you want to learn more or get started on a meeting room project now, contact Show & Tell AV Solutions today!