In late November 2009 I was approached to build a solution for my local church who were sick of hiring backdrops for their events. To make it even more fun I was given a $12,000 budget! Sounds like a lot of money right? Well not really when you think about what was going to be involved.

So here’s the brief:

• The screen needs to be 11 meters wide and 4.5m high.
• Be bright enough to project an image with stage lights on.
• Not interfere with the talent on stage.

Well to make it even more fun the room did not allow for a single projection which meant that I would have to use two projectors. The main problem is how to take a single image and split it evenly across the two screens.

This is where the Matrox Dual Head 2 Go game to the rescue! Matrox have this amazing unit that allows you to use a single video output to spread the single image across multiple displays. The super intelligent Matrox software allows your PC or Mac to output an extra wide display which the Dual Head 2 Go then separates into two displays which I was able to hook up to our two brand new 12 thousand lumes projectors.

All in all the Matrox Dual Head 2 Go turned a thousand dollar PC with an ok graphics card with two outputs into a media server that allowed a north east church to become a fully functioning theatre venue.

Be careful though there are three different Dual Head 2 Go’s so be sure to call our friendly staff on 1300 WARCOM and we can help you find the perfect solution for you.

Here is a teaser of what you can achieve with one of these cool units.

We’ve had the Matrox dual head 2 go installed for over two years now and have had no problems at all.

If you are looking for something on a smaller scale the Matrox Dual Head 2 Go is perfect for running a split screen set up on your desktop.

If you’re looking for the Best ADSL Wireless Modem/Router and I mean the best then warcom has it covered, because we hate drop outs, poor signal, slow connections, high prices and non user friendly interfaces as much as you do!  The first 2 ADSL Modems you’ll see below are winners of with CNET which have been selected as this years winners for the Best ADSL Wireless Modem/Routers for 2011! (Home use)

FRITZ!Box AVM7390 ADSL2+ VDSL Router - $319.95

The Fritz!Box 7390 is an ADSL Modem router straight out of Germany, coming with all the latest technologies, including voip and Wireless N and everything else you can think of so there won’t be any need for replacing your 7390 in 5 years time.

The price is a bit more expensive over your standard modem/router with VOIP, lets say the Billion BiPAC 7404VNOX for $245 as an example, but the 7390 does come with loads more features…

• Fast Internet thanks to integrated ADSL2+ modem
• Concurrent Dual Band Wireless N up to 300Mbits
• Also suitable for combination with 3G or cable modem
• DECT base station for connecting up to 6 cordless telephones
• Connection of analog terminal devices and telephone systems
• Telephone calls via the Internet (VoIP), even if the PC is switched off
• Up to 5 answering machines and fax function integrated, voice-to-mail and fax-to-mail
• USB port for USB devices such as printers and storage media for shared use in the network
• Media server for music, images, and videos in the network
• Integrated network storage with NAS functionality
• 5 year warranty

Key Features

• Dual-WAN approach – ADSL2+ or Ethernet WAN for Broadband Connectivity
• 4-port Gigabit Switch
• Supports -802.11n Wireless Access Point with WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK (BiPAC 7800N)
• High-speed Internet Access via ADSL2/2+; Backwards Compatible with ADSL
• WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) for Easy Setup (BiPAC 7800N)
• Wireless Speed up to 300Mbps and 3 Times the Coverage of Standard 802.11b/g (BiPAC 7800N)
• Quality of Service Control for Traffic Prioritization and Bandwidth Management
• SOHO Firewall Security with DoS Prevention and Packet Filtering
• Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) Compliance
• Dynamic Domain Name System (DDNS)
• Available Syslog monitoring
• Ease of Use with Quick Installation Wizard and Auto-scan ADSL settings
• Supports IPTV Applications
• Easy Sign-On (EZSO)

DrayTek Vigor 2820n 4 Port ADSL Modem Wireless Router - $328.19

The 2820n wasn’t on the Cnet list, but I guess it’s more of a small business modem/router, being able to enable ADSL, cable, 3G mobile and satellite all in the one box is pretty amazing. Having the capability to run fail over just in case your main internet connect cuts out and you want it to run off your back up 3g.

The 2820n is capable of large loads in an office environment, we use the 2820n ourselves connecting our computers wirelessly and via Ethernet, we even put on some 7dbi antennas on there and I now think we’re broadcasting to the whole neighbourhood!

Retail stores charging ridiculous prices for HDMI Cables. Don’t get burnt! Buy from Warcom and have our HDMI Cables delivered to your home (Australia Wide) for much less!

These HDMI Cables supports high-bandwidth, uncompressed digital video, multi-channel digital audio and control functions. It is compatible with HDTV and HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) – the content scrambling standard for modern, advanced digital video displays and DVD players

The High-Definition Multimedia Interface connectors provide the best conductivity and connectivity.

Suitable for use with:

• Sony Playstation 3
• LCD/LED/Plasma screen TV
• 3D devices
• Projectors
• AV receiver
• BluRay player
• XBox360
• Up-scaling DVD player
• Personal Video Recorder (PVR)
• High Definition Set Top Box (HD STB)
• almost any other HDMI-capable devices

Features / specifications:

• Certified HDMI Cable with Ethernet v1.4 (Category 2).
• 3D Compliant.
• HDMI Ethernet Channel Capable.
• Display resolutions up to 4k (4096 x 2160).
• Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD capable.
• 24k Gold Plated Connectors.
• Bandwidth: Up to 10.2Gbps
• Triple Layer Shielding.

Whats the difference between 1.3 and 1.4 HDMI Cables? Isn’t it just another HDMI Cable?

The HDMI 1.4 specification adds a data channel to the HDMI connection, enabling high-speed, bi-directional communication. Connected devices that include this feature can send and receive data via 100 Mb/sec Ethernet, making them instantly ready for any IP-based application.

The HDMI Ethernet Channel allows internet-enabled HDMI devices to share an internet connection via the HDMI link, with no need for a separate Ethernet cable. It also provides the connection platform that will allow HDMI-enabled components to share content between devices.

Get your very own high quality HDMI Cable from Warcom for the low price of $5.95 and have it shipped straight to your door for FREE today. If  you’re not 100% satisfied with our HDMI Cables then you’re entitled to sending it  back  and getting a full refund!

So what have you got to lose? Order your HDMI Cable online or feel free to give us a call on 1300 927 266 and place an order with our friendly staff.

- The Warcom team.