AVJames

couldnt have said it better if i tried!

good for you. i enjoy A/V and have done for years, its a diverse industry and is more enjoyable than IT! and not many people know how to do A/V without being scared!

Good point. I am lucky enough to be part of a (mostly) respected A/V team, due to the size of our campus. We often get calls for stupid things and we do have a laugh when someone requests that we transfer 8mm film footage of a sports day over to MP4, oh, and we need it by close of play today as its "Important" and "Prestigious" if asked to do something outside of your normal work specifications, we have to adopt the following attitude: once is a favour twice is expected three times, its your job!! if you wanted it done yesterday, why didnt you wait until tomorrow to ask for it......

Hi Lukeshires, do you have the model number of the remote, or even a picture. we have a couple of epsoms lying around, maybe any epsom remote might work? James

Chris_ i agree. they spend a little and want a lot. you don't pay £100 for a p/a system and expect it to work with U2 or Status Quo. you wouldn't buy a Fiesta and expect it to break the land speed record!

Andrew_C sounds familiar!

im enjoying all your comments and you all are giving away some of your technical abilities withing the A/V side of things. someone said "if it's got a plug (and sometimes even if it doesn't...) it's my problem" totally agree and most of the time, people assume its A/V when its really Facilities Management that should be rewiring plugs of Henry vacs!!! it is a very diverse department where i work as we are involved in everything that plugs in and uses leccy!

Scotbynature. Ive seen this quite a lot when i used to visit various schools to carry out install work. the school relies on someone within the school (like the janitor or a teacher) that can also do other stuff. just as well, but ive also seen schools that do not have anyone and are so grateful when you go out of your way to help fix a portable P/A system or give them a set of audio cables etc. they can sometimes work with no budget and have to beg or borrow kit.

Strawberry, you are right, there are high expectations from teachers and staff. most think that a projector is a projector and a PC is a PC. they expect them to do so much for their money. I guess it does depend on the establishment that you are working in. I have seen evidence that an A/V salesman sells kit to an uneducated manager and believes what he is told. he believes that a particular piece of kit can also do the washing up. unbeknown to him that its not fit for purpose and we are left we the monkey on our back and HAVE to make it work.

Thanks Localzuk. you are right, in some ways. maybe with small projectors, which are becoming less of a maintenance issue with the LED range, no filters to clean or lamps to change. but then you have the "show" projectors that are around the 5000 Ansi lumens range that are used in the large lecture theatres and such. these need a little bit more care and attention. preventive maintenance too, just to keep them in tip top. apart from all the printers, desktops and anything that has a computer built in, we are responsible for over 130 teaching rooms, all with a projector, amp, speakers, switchers, control panel etc. so a dedicated team is a must in this type of environment. maybe not for a primary school for instance. as an installer, i used to install many of the same type of kit into each classroom. smartboard, projector, speakers etc and they are more reliant on this type of technology to keep the class educated. most schools had service contracts with A/V companies to keep them all running. but the money is tight for stuff like this. Education projectors now days come with a 3-5 year on-site swap out.

This seems to be the attitude of most people, most being anyone that has never done A/V. bolted onto the IT dept, for some crazy reason. I wouldn't expect a dedicated IT person to fault find and change a lamp in a projector that is 15ft into the ceiling. Ladders? not me mate, I'm IT. if its on a desk, no problem! (now how do you change this BULB?) hold on, its an LED! One big melting pot is A/V and IT. that's what ive been told anyway! You wait til all the A/V team are snowed in and there is only IT to EQ 3 hand held and 5 lapel mics. Oh, and just set up the mobile P/A system too! is this the same in your institution?

Hello all, just found this site and looks good. Im an AV Tech working within the IT dept of a University in Glasgow. Used to be an installer and for the last 2 years have been "off tools" (mostly!) been in the audio visual and entertainment industry for nearly 30 years and have lots of experience with live sound, lighting, projection and stage work.