Replacing Smartboards, Interactive TVs

[webbobfc]

Hi All,

 

There's a few threads on here regarding the same topic, just wondered if there are any further opinions. We are looking to start dipping our toe into the interactive TV market, we currently have smartboards in all our classrooms with projectors and they are all starting to show their age. One room in particular needs a full setup installing and we have put to SMT the thought of trying a interactive screen. There's a wealth of screens out by different manufacturers and I'd like to narrow it down to 3 and get some demo kit, we had some a couple of years ago but presume things have evolved since then. Anyone point us in the right direction, Smart, Clevertouch, BenQ etc. We use smart notebook but its not a show stopper if we don't use Smart. We want as big as possible but I suspect budgets will limit us to 65-70inch.

 

Any opinions on the Epson smart projectors? Any advantages on using these over a screen other than the price? Or should we stick to screens?

 

Thanks

Paul

[GuyJD]

I've used Benq and Smart interactive displays and out of the 2 of them the Smart have been the significantly more reliable hardware, out of the 12 Benq's we had at a school I worked at, 3 of them had to be repaired within the first year and I don't know how many have since as I'm no longer there, I've had 20 E70 Smart interactive displays here for the past 2 years and other than a power button micro switch stop working they've been solid. Edited June 8, 2016 by GuyJD

[mavhc]

Benq did a presentation at the recent edugeek conference. Top points: 65" is max sanely priced as it's based on max tv sizes people buy. Walls might not be strong enough. Make sure to account for users looking right into a bright screen for ages from a close distance. Be careful that the warranty covers the panel as well as the rest, will you get a 24 hour swap out? Quality of bezel. Input types, probably still need VGA, at least in a meeting room. Ability to disable IR and buttons. Miracast.

[TechMonkey]

We have a 10 SMART E70s and 40Somethings and a couple of Prowise Pro boards. Looking at installing another 8 Prowise boards. Both are nice but staff feedback was that the Prowise boards just had something else compared to the SMART boards. From my point of view they have built in DVD drive, soundbar and a slot for a PC. Looking at running the boards off their own PC and using software to control the display from the class PC. Prowise software also has built-in collaboration and is cloud based so staff can plan from home without the faff of getting SMART software. Only thing missing so far in the software is Maths Symbols when typing (though they do have a maths writing convertor which is brill) and some niche shapes (hexagon, octagon, etc).

[paulellam]

Whole school Smart 4065,s really pleased so far. We had different boards from most of the top players in school for a week trial and with feedback etc form staff we chose the Smart product.

[VeryPC_Anthony_L]

Hi @webbobfc

 

As you have already seen there is lots of views on interactive touch screens vs projectors. Both as good and it all depends on what you want to achieve. A lot of people still like projectors as you can get a BIG image at a fraction of the cost of an touch screen. But there are benefits of touchscreens as well such as they are often a lot more clearer.

 

There are lots of screen brands which in someways is making a very flooded market place. A really important thing is not to focus on the price and really test and trial a few to see what will work for you and your school.

If the teachers like using SMART then you may find it easier to stick with SMART.

 

At VeryPC we offer a range of screens and look to match the customers needs with what is available that matches their needs and requirements alongside what would fit with their budget

 

Feel free to get in touch should you wish too

 

 

Anthony

[BenQ_Support]

Benq did a presentation at the recent edugeek conference. Top points: 65" is max sanely priced as it's based on max tv sizes people buy. Walls might not be strong enough. Make sure to account for users looking right into a bright screen for ages from a close distance. Be careful that the warranty covers the panel as well as the rest, will you get a 24 hour swap out? Quality of bezel. Input types, probably still need VGA, at least in a meeting room. Ability to disable IR and buttons. Miracast.

 

Thanks! Anyone who needs more info feel free to DM me.

[snagrat]

Samsung Interactive TVs are good.

 

And from a big name who isn't going to disappear soon!

[XiJ]

We're big fans of iiyama and have been putting these in a long time. (A good 4 years). I can't recall one failure.

 

New 65" has android built on for annotation without additional software.

[mavhc]

My real question is: Do we need touchscreens? What's so great about swinging your arm all over the wall to write? Can we just put a 10" graphics tablet on the desk instead?

[Clevertouch_Rob]

if you want any specific information or questions on Clevertouch, or a demo drop me a DM.

[TechMonkey]

My real question is: Do we need touchscreens? What's so great about swinging your arm all over the wall to write? Can we just put a 10" graphics tablet on the desk instead?

That would depend on teaching styles, school ethos, where the school wishes to move to in the future, the school development plan and your 3 year plan. We did some very basic testing along these lines and although we couldn't go all in, most of the feedback was that it didn't really work, the screen translation from small to large was a big difficulty and there was a massive conversion and learning gap and it was less helpful when trying to use it with the kids. Some of this may have ben "OMG CHANGE!!!" but there were practical T&L issues.

[webbobfc]

Thanks for all your feedback, really helpful and given us a starting point. We have asked the same questions ourselves over the years whether touch devices are really required, we have smartboards all over the school and besides our Maths and Science depts they are basically glorified screens to project onto.

[smidsy]

We have a local secondary school who I have been talking to about their touchscreens as we are starting to investigate installing them to replace our failing SmartBoards. They have touchscreens in some departments and then just normal TVs in others where the touch wasn't required.

 

As a primary school many teachers I have talked to want the children to interact with the screens in the lower years for activities like practicing their hand writing. In secondary schools I can't imagine there is as much need for the touch interaction.

[Haptic]

We've found that Clevertouch are an excellent choice for functionality and price point - feel free to PM us for info

 

Chris

[WithoutMotive]

We have a new building sprung up and hopefully kitting it out with NEC interactive projectors.

[Townsend]

Hi there, I work as an independent AV consultant and do a great deal of work with Touchscreens. The screens themselves do not vary a huge amount - they are all developing similar functionality nowadays - most of which the class teacher will probably not use. I would suggest that the software is the major determinant. It depends what you currently use and as to whether you are prepared to change.

Unlike others in this thread - I have never had an issue with a benq screen and I have installed hundreds now. The new model out this summer looks to be the best featured screen but - like I said - its mainly dependent upon how you want to progress with the software.

I have worked with SMART, Promethean, BENQ, Iiyama, Sharp, Samsung, Hitachi, Genee to name a few. I would be delighted to help you in any way I can - please let me know if I can be of assistance.

[mavhc]

I'd rather the software wasn't in the screen, relying on the manufacturer to upgrade it and keep it secure. Strap a raspberry pi behind a tv.

[Townsend]

In most cases, the software would be loaded on the supporting PC or laptop. There is limited software installed on Android drives - a few basic apps - but these are updated, in the case of BENQ, by there over the air system. If the screen has internet access - the updates are automatic.

I agree that buying screens with an internal PC is not my immediate first choice, - the slot PC's tend to be expensive for what they are but the android addition does not really replace connection to a PC - it just means that you can perform basic presentations without having to have a pc there.

[Townsend]

Really?

All that filter cleaning, lamp changing and only a 3 year warranty? For on site technicians the touchscreen is a godsend. No calibration or general maintenance - they mostly have a 5 year warranty and have a 50,000 hour life expectancy - at least 5 times that of a top flight projector.

[Swansfirst]

Hi all, ive just posted this on another thread so i hope its ok to copy and paste it over here too as we are in need of any advice on screens too.

 

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We are going through the same predicament at present.

Teaching staff have used activinspire for 8 years but the new activpanel is not that great and expensive to boot. Their antiglare was not very good at all and KS1 could not see the screen from their viewing angle.

 

We trialed smart but didn't like it at all. It looked really old tech.

We really liked the vividtouch. In fact it was by far the best tech we looked at but the price was £2700 installed which is too much for us as we need 14.

 

We then looked at C Touch at £2200 before install. We liked it and really liked the software it came with so thought we would run the octopus software and activ inspire at the same time, but then Promethean referred us to their terms and conditions and said we would have to pay £1000 per screen per year to carry on using their software on a ctouch panel. ( or anyone elses for that matter ) We didn't appreciate that!!!

 

We have now trialled for 15 days, and really like the ecotouch panel. Its as good as everything else ( bar the vividtouch ) and according to our ICT contact will be £1825 installed with free octopus software and AV plate included, with the old IWB and projector taken down too. So we are now trying to work out if we can use octopus software for lessons, because if we can and i think we will, we will save £500 per install and we have 14 classrooms so a big saving of £7000. I should say that the customer service from ecotouch was great too, maybe because it was arranged by our ICT contact but maybe as standard, who knows but they are really showing themselves to be of great value so far.

 

Happy to refer anyone to our ecotouch contact if you want a trial and would be grateful for any names of companies we have missed please?

[Townsend]

There seems to be a buzz around the ecotouch unit at present and that does concern me. I have been in the industry for a very long time now and never come across this unit until recently. One thing I always make very clear to clients is be aware of what you are buying and the question is - with eco touch what ARTE you buying? We have no idea as to who manufactures the screen. From my research this is one small reseller bring in screens and badging them.

I have been onto the website and there is no company information whatsoever. I have never heard of BVStouchscreens - where are they based? How many trained support staff are there in the UK?

Even at £ 1850.00 delivered and installed (complete with full strip out of old equipment) - if the screen is a problem - then it needs to be resolved and quickly - who will be responsible for that? The resellers? BVSeccoscreen? - We just do not know.

I think that - whichever screen you buy - you need to KNOW the provenance - you need to know that the screen you buy is supported and supported here in the UK. I get offered different screens from manufacturers on almost a daily basis some good - some not so good - but my initial stress test is who makes it and where are they based - how do they deal with issues and do they have uk based service staff.

£ 1850 delivered and installed - is possible - with a low end low quality screen. Adding the strip out of the old equipment is good but - when a deal looks to be too good to be true - it often is!

It looks to me, from the information available that the ecotouch is being brought into the uk by a single reseller and shipped out as an educational solution - on a wing and a prayer. Unless a great deal of money has been invested in a back office infrastructure to ensure continuity of supply and support - beware as £1850 looks to be a great deal - until it goes wrong and there is no one to put it right.

I would suggest a unit from a RECOGNISED manufacturer - one that actually has a base here in the UK and has a proven track record of support for a product. Iiyama or BENQ offer better featured screens. The eco touch has no inbuilt android as yet. The BENQ is coming out with the same Oktopus software but also eaziwrite preloaded onto the Android drive - its 20 point touch and has a five year warranty that actually MEANS something - i.e. it HAS nationwide support available. from one of the largest companies in the world.

The ecotouch looks a reasonable product - the current range is a little under featured in comparison to what is out there currently - but better quality product from recognisable sources is available at a very similar price. Companies become successful because they produce good quality product and support it. When making a significant purchase of this size - it is worth knowing that you HAVE that on going support.

You were saying the VIVIDtouch units looked good to you - and that was not a bad unit - a bit low end and a little flimsy perhaps - but not bad. What about all the schools that bought VIVIDtouch now? It was a Steljes company and has now gone! - Steljes were picking up the warranty on the VIVIDtouch - but they no longer exist! Run a check on BVSecotouch as a company - it does not come back with anything! - There is no physical address on their website. At this stage we can see a nice shiny new touchscreen that undercuts virtually everyone else in the market. That may be absolutely fine and they may be the next big thing in the market place - but at this stage - with the information we have - can we make that assumption? I work independently and could register as a reseller of this kit - and I will probably take a look to form an opinion - but at this stage - based upon the information I have - this is one gift horse where I would certainly be having a VERY good look at the teeth before committing to anything.

[snagrat]

VividTouch wasn't part of Steljes so they still exist as a company. They are Avocor now and are supporting all the warranties for any screen bought from Steljes

[Townsend]

With regard to software - I agree wholeheartedly about the cost of the Promethean. Smart is again available for any screen - but on a subscription basis which is also a high cost.

There are other options - the Oktopus is OK - for primary schools I really think the Eaziteach is a n1ce package and very well priced.

Then of course you have the free stuff like Open Sankore.

If you are not restricted to a specific software package - you have options on the screens.

[Townsend]

They were part of Steljes - that is not in dispute - and Avocor has indeed stated that they will pick up warranties. However, the point is still valid. Had Avocor not formed out of the ashes of Steljes - the screens would not have had support from Vivid touch.

Avocor only launched AFTER the demise of Steljes - with mainly ex steljes staff.