AV-Help frequently asked questions.

On this page:

What A/V items are available to borrow?
How long can A/V items be borrowed?
What is the availability of A/V items?
How can A/V items be reserved?
How can a conference room be reserved?
What rooms are supported by AV-Help?
If AV-Help does not support this room; who does and how can they be contacted?
Are rooms equipped with DVD players?
With the laptop plugged in, there is no signal from the projector.
The audio is low or completely off.
The projector displays "low lamp hours" message on screen.
The projector is displaying distorted images.
The projector display is shaky, flickering, blurry, or very dull.
The projector coloring is distorted (lots of green or red).
Video conferencing.
Long distance conference calls.
Podium and lecturn login information.

What A/V items are available to borrow?

Conference phone
Projector
Television & VCR
Wireless microphone

How long can A/V items be borrowed?

Items are loaned out for the time slot they are reserved only. Operations is 24/7 and equipment can be picked up and returned there outside of Help Desk hours. For this reason we require that all equipment be returned following your reserved time slot. If you need to test the equipment we ask that you reserve it a day prior to your event or reserve it earlier than your event so you can setup and test the equipment as needed.

What is the availability of A/V items?

The conference phones and portable projector availability can be viewed using the Oracle Calendar (Corporate Time). You can search for items by their resource names "SCS Conference Phone" and "SCS Portable Projector". You can check the availability of other items by contacting AV-Help at av-help@cs.cmu.edu or by calling x8-2608. If you need an Oracle Calendar (Corporate Time) account please contact the SCS Help Desk at help@cs.cmu.edu .

How can A/V items be reserved?

The conference phones and portable projector can be reserved through the Oracle Calendar (Corporate Time). Other items can be reserved by sending mail to av-help@cs.cmu.edu with the start and end time of when the equipment is needed. If you need an Oracle Calendar (Corporate Time) account please contact the SCS Help Desk at help@cs.cmu.edu .

How can a conference room be reserved?

You can view the availability and reserve a conference room through the Oracle Calendar (Corporate Time). If an account is needed please contact the SCS Help Desk at help@cs.cmu.edu .

What rooms are supported by AV-Help?

A full list and brief overview of supported rooms can be found here .

If AV-Help does not support this room; who does and how can they be contacted?

Campus IT supports many rooms on campus. To contact Campus IT and see if a room is supported you can send mail to itorders@andrew.cmu.edu , call them at x8-5054 or visit their webpage http://www.cmu.edu/computing/instructional-tech/ .

Are rooms equipped with DVD players?

DVD players have not been standardized in our conference rooms. Some podium PC's may be equipped with a DVD player but you should not count on one.

With the laptop plugged in, there is no signal from the projector.

Check to make sure the display settings are not set too high. Optimal display settings are 1024x768 with a refresh rate of 75hz.
Ensure that the VGA cables are securely connected with both screws secured snugly.
Macintosh laptops require an external display adapter to connect to a VGA feed. An active video signal is required before plugging the adapter into the laptop. To correct this, ensure that the display adapter is connected to the external display, disconnect and reconnect the display adapter to the laptop.
Some laptops are equipped with a graphics card that needs to be configured from its own preferences interface. From Control Panel -> Display -> Settings -> Advanced, there may be a tab for the graphics card, which will take you to its configuration settings. Be sure the settings here are also at a resolution of 1024 x 768 or lower, are on "Dual Display Mode", "Extended Desktop", or a similar option that allows the display to be rendered both on the laptop screen and the attached monitor (i.e., the projector).

The audio is low or completely off.

Make sure the volume is set to a reasonable level on the EZtrol (podium control panel).
Ensure that the input volume (PC or laptop Master volume) is set to a reasonable level and not muted.
A few rooms offer a wall-mounted switch for audio control. Please check the walls near the podium to see if such a switch exists. If one exists, make sure that sound is enabled and at a reasonable volume.
If the above do not solve your problem, try lowering the EZtrol volume all the way to its lowest level, then raise the volume level back up to midway.
If the problem persists, please send mail to av-help@cs.cmu.edu. If it happens to be an emergency you can call AV-Help at x8-2608.

The projector displays "low lamp hours" message on screen.

This is a built-in function on some of our projectors and usually means the bulb needs to be replaced in the near future. Please send mail to av-help@cs.cmu.edu with your room number and the approximate time the message was displayed.

The projector is displaying distorted images.

Power off the projector on the EZtrol (podium control panel). Wait for a full minute and power the projector back on. This often solves this problem, if it does not, please repeat the process one more time before sending mail to av-help@cs.cmu.edu .

The projector display is shaky, flickering, blurry, or very dull.

Please first check your video settings that they are not set too high. Optimal settings are 1024x768 with a refresh rate of 75hz
Ensure that the VGA cables are securely connected with both screws secured snugly.
If possible, check the connection of another laptop or the podium PC.
If the problem persists, please send mail to av-help@cs.cmu.edu with the room number and we'll test the projector bulb. In an emergency, please call AV-Help at x8-2608.

The projector coloring is distorted (lots of green or red).

Try tightening up the screws on the VGA cable into the video source. On public use machines, cables tend to loosen up or are never fully plugged into the video source, this causes a poor connection and is usually the cause of this particular problem.
If securing the VGA cable with the screws does not solve your issue, the cable could be bad or there could be a bad VGA outlet on the source machine. If the problem persists, please send mail to av-help@cs.cmu.edu with the room number and approximate time of the problem. In an emergency, please call AV-Help at x8-2608.