August 2003
 Make
your own video "kiosk"!
Add one cheap component to a laptop or palm-sized computer, and you can
create an eye-catching display that will be sure to catch attention. Set it
up in your lobby!
I have always envied hotels and high tech
business that run video bulletin boards with the day's events in their
lobbies. Alas! In church work, we are low budget, low tech. Well
-- say goodbye to low tech -- without saying goodbye to your wallet -
with this simple Information Center for your lobby.
Here's what you need:
1.
A Television -
the larger the better, on an AV stand
2.
A laptop computer, or Pocket PC
- I prefer the Pocket PC option myself, as they are very compact. There is
hardware available to do this very process with a Palm-compatible handheld
as well.
3. Microsoft
PowerPoint,
or comparable presentation software - This often
comes bundled with desktop computers.
Most places have access to the above items for
free. To make this project successfully, the only other thing you need is:
4. A VGA card
that can interface with your television. There
are inexpensive cards available for $100-150 - more about that below.
How do you do it?
The process is very simple. Allow me to illustrate with
some photos:
 Step
1: Create the presentation.
In the example at the right, I used Microsoft PowerPoint
to design a series of slides containing information that I wanted to display
in a lobby. You can use as many or as few as you want.
You can announce upcoming meetings and events,
set up photo slide shows, direct people to meeting rooms/rest rooms, or promote a single event. We
used one in our parish to give a five slide promo for Disciples in
Mission. People who are familiar with PowerPoint will have fun with
this.
 Step
2: Convert the Presentation (if necessary).
If you are going to use a laptop for your presentation,
you need not convert the data at all. You will run it right from your
laptop. If you are going to run the kiosk from a handheld computer like a
Pocket PC, you will need to convert it. The image at right shows a simple
conversion screen for IA Presenter software that came with my
VGA-to-TV card. Once converted, copy the converted presentation onto
your Pocket PC.
Step 3: Edit the Presentation to Loop Continuously.
If you are working from a laptop, there are options to
loop a slideshow continuously. This makes the presentation hands-free once
you start it. If you are going to run it on a Pocket PC, then you will do
this editing step on the Pocket PC itself.
 Step
4: Connect to the TV with a VGA Card.
OPTION A: If you are connecting
to a Pocket PC
There are a number of products out there to connect laptops and
Pocket PCs to a television. Pictured at right is what I use, the
FlyPresenter-CF card, from Lifeview Technologies. Cost: $119.
Other products which work with a television
include the
Colorgraphics Voyager ($150) and the
IA Presenter CF VGA Card
($99)
OPTION B: If you are
connecting to a laptop computer
There are numerous products out there. I found a
large selection of devices to convert output from a laptop to a television
produced by
AverMedia. Their less expensive products range from $99 to
$149.
 Step
5: Play the Presentation.
Off you go! You are advertising next week's fundraiser,
parent meeting, or special event. You can use a kiosk to welcome people to
special events as well. Another fun use would be to give a slide show of
photos from a recent activity or program.
The only caveat for running a presentation in
your lobby is that you do need to have someone nearby to keep an eye on the
equipment. The display could be eye-catching enough for an unscrupulous
person to whisk your laptop or Pocket PC away!
If you find the process described above
daunting, pass this idea on to the "techies" in your community.
They do this kind of stuff all the time. They
will have fun with it- if they haven't already done it.
Feel free to contact me if would like more
information on how to do all of this.
Chris Weber
Director,
Catholic Education Ministries of Central Maryland
301-447-3707
Copyright © 2003 by the Catholic Education
Ministries Center of Central Maryland, Emmitsburg, MD 21727. All rights reserved.
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