Unique
Solutions from ECAD
ECAD
seeks to further the role of computers in simplifying people's daily
lives. Below you will find some of the solutions we are proud
to offer that use Apple's existing technology and is complimented
by our proprietary technology. The purpose of our Unique
Solutions Service (TM) is to create a custom mac-based solution
to suit your needs. Why not tell ECAD your needs, and let us find
a cost-effective solution for you? The following are three of our
most popular and successful. These have all been designed as a response
to one of our client's needs
- iChat
AV Based Video Phone / Video Conferencing
- Custom
DVD Authoring for Creating a Digital Catalogue
- Mac
Based Home Automation
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1. VIDEO CONFERENCING |
 OVERVIEW
OF TECHNOLOGY
Finally,
you can chat with folks thousands of miles away in a full-screen
personal video conference over any broadband connection. Thanks
to the advanced graphics built into Mac OS X, they’ll truly
look like themselves, instead of strangers made of children’s
building blocks. And if you use a wide aspect ratio screen, iChat
AV uses patented anamorphic resizing techniques so that the video
of the person you’re chatting with fills the entire screen
without distortion.
CASE
STUDY
We
were approached by one of our clients with offices both in Los Angeles
and New York to propose a video conferencing solution that was as
effective in quality but significantly cheaper in cost than the
standard systems that exist for corporate and higher education use.
They required a full screen resolution with fluid video in order
to conduct their monthly director’s meetings.
Knowing
that both offices had projectors, two spare laptops and high speed
connections we decided to implement Apple’s iChat video-conferencing
technology. Working in tandem with our LA office, we outfitted these
laptops with the proper cameras and designated proper places in
the conference rooms to maximize the angle and scope of the camera's
lens. By utilizing the projectors we were able to create the illusion
of a large virtual conference room allowing 3-5 people on either
coast to take part in more efficient meetings now enhanced with
the use of visuals and the added ease of face-to-face communications.
Not only did this technology increase the ability and ease for both
offices to interact more efficiently, but the technology underlying
this form of communication is clear enough to afford participants
the luxury of any visuals of any type. The implementation of this
technology cost 1/10th the price of a regular video-conferencing
system and does not charge any monthly membership fees.
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2. CUSTOM DVD DIGITAL
CATALOGUE |
 We
were asked to create a complement to an art exhibition catalogue.
The task was to create a digital form of the catalogue allowing
the viewer a more interactive experience and insight into the artist’s
life, opinions, and visions.
Our
approach was to create a DVD containing a compilation of video,
audio and text as selected in conjunction with the artist. The DVD
will take the form of 52 mini biographies of each artist with an
interactive exploration of other works done by each of the artists.
The
exhibition, which features the woks of over 50 Eastern European
artists, and its accompanying catalogue, will start this fall and
will show in over 8 countries.
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3. MAC BASED HOME AUTOMATION |
 OVERVIEW
OF TECHNOLOGY
The
recent leaps in technological innovation have ushered in an unprecedented
ability to connect different devices and make your electronics work
for you. It is with this in mind that ECAD had developed the ability
to implement a highly effective yet relatively low cost solution
for home automation. This technology harnesses the power of Bluetooth,
wireless Internet, and the power of Apple’s scripting language,
aptly named AppleScript.
Bluetooth
has the exciting potential to add all sorts of new functions and
forms to all manor of devices, freeing electronics in all forms
from the proprietary tether of cables. By enhancing this technology
and combining it with the World Wide Web (WWW), wireless technologies
(i.e. 802.11 a/b/g standards) and X-10 PLC technology, we can create
solutions that bring us far beyond the realm of imagination and
give true meaning to the words “smart home.”
In
its essence, this technology allows the user to literally automate
their home. You can use voice commands, written commands, your cell
phone, or even email when you are away from the house to do everything
from closing the curtains, unlocking your front door, turning on
the air conditioner or turning off all of your lights.
Please
download the accompanying three page PDF for a full description
of the limitless boundaries of this technology.
CASE
STUDY
A
client of ours was very interested in this project. He asked us
to outfit his apartment in Brooklyn so that his curtains, air conditioner,
lights (with dimmers), and all electronics including his television
and stereo were controlled through his computer.
Once
we had finished with the setup, he was able to use voice commands
into his computer and call out presets that we had set up with him.
One example of how this technology was implemented was the alarm
function. Instead of a harsh and annoying alarm clock, the following
events would occur:
1. His lights would brighten to 65%
2. His computer would tell him the weather and how many new emails
he had
3. His music would gradually get louder until it reached 80% volume.
We
also set up his computer to be able to accommodate hot summer months.
By using our proprietary applescripts, we set up his home desktop
to be able to receive commands via email. By using specific subject-line
commands, he could send an email to his house from the office and
instruct the system to turn on his air conditioner. The same function
can be used to turn off the lights or lock the doors if he happens
to forget.
Read
more about Mac-Based Home Automation
Now
that you've seen what ECAD has done for other clients,
let
us know what ECAD can do for you!
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