Frequently Asked Questions

What Would You Like To Know?

• What is Audio Visual?

  This is a tricky one and most people struggle to describe what it is. When you search the internet there are so many different options but in general….

  Audio visual is the means of using both sight and sound, typically in the form of images and recorded speech or music.

  What is Audio Visual technology might be the better questions.

  What is Audio Visual Technology?

  Audio video technology can include displays, microphones, speakers, and cameras which can be designed with thousands of different uses. AV Technology has been used since the early 1900’s for recording real life imagery into film. It is now commonly found in education and corporate settings for the use of teaching and meetings.

• What does AV stand for?

  AV is an abbreviation for Audio Visual or Audio Video.

• What is a Video Wall?

  When looking online for a definition Wikipedia tells you “A video wall is a multi-monitor setup that consists of multiple computer monitors, video projectors, or television sets tiled together contiguously or overlapped in order to form one large screen.”

  Any clearer? No, so what actually is a video wall?

  To Universal AV Services and most of our clients it is a number of flat panel screens linked together either mounted on a wall or on stands to form either one large image or several images split across the screens.

• What is Digital Signage?

  We often are asked what is digital signage by customers and how can it benefit me as a customer?

  Put simply, digital signage can be as simple or complex as you chose to make it. It uses digital displays such as LCD or LED to display digital images, video, web pages and notifications to users/passing traffic. Digital Signage solutions are found in public spaces, receptions, stadiums, museums, hotels and restaurants to help provide wayfinding and communicate key information/messaging. They are centrally managed and can be altered and tailored to target audiences.

  Benefits are it provides eye catching images that attract the audience to the screen who then digest pertinent information.

• What does working remotely mean?

  We are often asked what does working remotely mean? Put simply, it means employees do not commute to a central place of work such as an office. They work via distance working, at home, or other designated space as predetermined in an arrangement between the employer and employee.

• What is Blended Learning?

  So what exactly is blended learning? The term blended learning is an approach to learning that usually combines educational opportunities for interaction between teacher and student in both a classroom and online environment. It can also be called hybrid learning and mix mode learning and the blended learning in education experience varies from institution to institution.

• What are Smart Boards?

  A SMART Board is an interactive whiteboard that is receptive to touch, it allows you to write and move things around via touch or device. SMART Boards work by connecting to a PC via an HDMI cable. The SMART Board displays what’s on the computer and allows you to see what’s on the board as well as work with the displayed information via touch.

• What is Video Conferencing?

  We are often asked what is the purpose of video conferencing and what does it actually do?

  Video conferencing (videoconference) is a means of enabling face to face communication between two or more participants at different locations via computer networks transmitting audio and video data. It is a popular tool used in businesses for team meetings with remote employees, webinars, product demonstrations and more recently initial interviews. It can help companies save time and also contribute to reducing carbon footprint by travelling less to meetings and hosting them on line.

• What is BYOD – Bring Your Own Device?

  This is a term often talked about within the audio visual community, however when we asked customers what this meant we had a whole host of responses.

  So what does BYOD mean?

  It literally means that you are able to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) laptop, ipad etc into the meeting/teaching environment and connect simply to the equipment in the room. This could be either via wired connection or wirelessly. That is it. Simple, BYOD means bring your own device.

• What is Hybrid Learning?

  So what exactly is hybrid learning? The term hybrid learning is an approach to learning that usually combines educational opportunities for interaction between teacher and student in both a classroom and online environment. It can also be called blended learning and mix mode learning and the blended learning in education experience varies from institution to institution.

• What is an Induction Loop?

  A hearing loop (sometimes called an audio induction loop) is a special type of sound system for use by people with hearing aids. The hearing loop provides a magnetic, wireless signal that is picked up by the hearing aid when it is set to ‘T’ (Telecoil) setting. This is often installed in arena/lecture theatre style settings to enable clear audio.

• What is Lecture Capture?

  Lecture capture is the process of recording classroom lectures as videos and making them available for students to review after the class. Many Universities use this as means to capture the lecture, allowing the students to replay and review the lecture in their own time to provide a greater depth of understanding. Some even prepare the lectures in advance and send to students to review so that meaningful discussion can take place during class.

• Why choose Universal AV?

  When looking to choose an audio visual supplier it can be confusing and when many only compare on price, how can you be sure you are being offered the correct solution, best value for money and a supplier you can trust?

  We are an award winning audio visual integration specialist. We have been consulting, designing, supplying and integrating innovative audio visual equipment for over 30 years. We specialise in communication solutions to facilitate agile, hybrid and collaborative environments across all sectors through AV services.

• How can the Universal AV team help me stay within budget without sacrificing quality?

  We endeavour to be the best, work in partnership with customers and deliver what we promise, on time, every time. Our team are innovative, approachable, friendly and most importantly knowledgeable. We become an extension of your team. We work within your scope to deliver on time and within budget every time.

  Making the complex easy to use is in our DNA. We like to push boundaries and love nothing more than a technical challenge.

• Do Universal AV offer warranties?

  We offer a range of options on this. We guarantee our installation work for a year and work with leading manufactures to ensure you have longevity in the warranty’s they provide.
  For the full range, take a look at our service and warranty page.

• What locations do Universal AV Service?

  We service locations throughout the UK from our offices in Keighley and Newcastle.

• How do I contact Universal AV?

  We are contactable via email and telephone. The best method would be to call us on 01274 200280 or via our contact us page. You can also find us on social media.

• What is IPTV?

  So what is IPTV? An IPTV system allows for the distribution of high quality video across an existing IP network infrastructure. Television, video, data and graphics can be delivered live or on demand as channels or via digital signage to any network connected device such as a PC or smart commercial large format display.

• What is Sound Masking?

  What is Sound Masking? Sound masking is particularly relevant with today’s communications, employed to help reduce or eliminate the perception of sound, for example in a busy office. Sound Masking is the use of artificially generated sound such as “white” or “pink” noise to “mask” or “drown out” unwanted or disruptive sound.

  In busy office environments, sound masking is ideal to keep conversations contained to a specific area.

• What is Acoustic Treatment and Why Do We Need it?

  So What is Acoustic Treatment? Acoustic Treatment is the method used to improve the acoustic performance of a room. It involves the use of various materials to create an environment of neutral sound. Acoustic panels can be used to “soften” hard surfaces such as glass, brick, concrete or metal and help reduce the echo.

  Why do we need it? Many offices, meeting rooms or classrooms contain hard surfaces such as glass partitions or wooden floors. These “hard” surfaces reflect audio in a room, producing an echo or reverberated sound. When using technology such as video conferencing, even when employing the latest echo cancellation technology, audio can appear distorted at the far end. By using acoustic treatment, audio can be greatly improved, making the experience of conferencing much more effective and enjoyable.

• What is AV over IP?

  What is AV over IP? AV over IP stands for audio visual over internet protocol, which is essentially using the existing IP network infrastructure to transfer audio visual media, control signals and data. Signals are encoded and then transferred as digital packets, before being decoded and displayed at multiple end points. The limitations of an AVoIP system are only governed by the limitations of the network infrastructure it operates on. Network switchers operate at the heart of the system, determining the connection between each input and output device.

• What is BYOM (Bring Your Own Meeting)?

  So what is BYOM (Bring Your Own Meeting)? Bring Your Own Meeting or BYOM allows users to use their own devices to integrate with room technology such as webcams, commercial large format display screens, microphones and speakers. This combines the familiarity of BYOD with the “professional” work experience, ensuring high standards are maintained for meetings, collaboration and communications.

• What is Unified Communications?

  So what is Unified Communications? Unified Communications is the use of various communication services such as video calling, instant messaging, web conferencing, audio conferencing, data sharing and electronic whiteboarding to name just a few. These communication services are used by individuals and organisations as tools to achieve a set aim and enable local and/or remote participation across various mediums.

• What does MDT stand for?

  A Multidisciplinary Team Meeting.

  This is a meeting space for professionals from one or more clinical disciplines to make decisions regarding recommended treatment of individual patients

• What is distance learning?

  Distance learning is means of educating students from a distance, at home and not in the classroom, in the form of e-learning. Lectures and reading materials are sent via an online platform, with all communication taking place in this manner.

• What is an interactive whiteboard?

  An interactive smart board, also known as an interactive whiteboard, is a classroom tool that allows images from a computer screen to be displayed onto a classroom board using a digital projector. The teacher or a student can “interact” with the images directly on the screen using a tool or even a finger.