Review by Stephen Dean
Recently I was at a venue where the presenter wanted to control his PowerPoint presentation from the lectern. The only problem was that the computer was 15 metres away in the bio box feeding the projector directly. We all know as technicians that having to operate a clients PowerPoint can be a real pain. It does mean that your mind might not be on the audio or lighting. So this is where this device comes in. Ian De Rieu reconised a need for the presenter to be fully in charge of their presentation and being the tech guru that he is he set about designing one. This unit is a real boon for venue and venue tech. The device is simplicity it itself to use. There is a cabled remote that sits on the lectern within arm’s reach of the presenter. This then connected to the controller part by a normal mic lead, so in theory you could send it down a spare channel on your multicore. This controller is the patched into the usb port of the laptop or pc that has the presentation on. Now the main controller can control up to two computers. So you can have 1 computer running while another show is being prepared on the other. Or have both running together with one as backup or using both to present a show. The remote is as simple as it gets, a box with 2 buttons on it, one for forward and the other for back. And if you hold the button down to long it will not jump thru your whole show in seconds. It is very well thought out. Keeping it simple is the way to go when you might have a stressed performer and it certainly takes a task away from the tech so they can concentrate on the audio and lighting.
In use this is a great gadget for a venue, it simplifies one task and it is more reliable that using a mouse of wireless remote that you can often buy. It will plug into any computer, MAC or IBM compatible, and no software to install. This makes it ideal for using with the clients computer. The range is also very good, over 500 metres according to the brochure, you certainly will not get that with a Bluetooth or wireless device. I would recommend that any venue doing a lot of PowerPoint presentations get themselves one of these.
Remote Unit
Main Unit
Where From:
The Leon Audio Company
62 Edgeware Road,
Aldgate,
South Australia, 5154
National:
Phone: (08) 8339 3865
Fax: (08) 8370 8780
International:
Phone: +61 8 8339 3865
Fax: +61 8 8370 8780
IMAGES COUTESY OF LEON AUDIO COMPANY
Ramblings of a Techie 