Ford Audio-Video celebrates high-definition Olympic feats

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Aug 9, 2004 by Heidi R. Centrella

Ford Audio-Video will host an Olympic Games Opening Ceremony watch party Friday, showcasing its latest in high-definition video projection technology on two large screens. The company is teaming with Emmy Award-winning manufacturer Digital Projection.

The ceremony, held from 7 to 10 p.m. at Ford Audio-Video's corporate office, 4800 W. Interstate 40, will be presented utilizing the Mercury 5000HD and Lightning 35HD video projectors and 5.1 surround sound.

According to Scott Abbott, the company's division manager, those in the audience can expect crystal-clear, lifelike images combined with theater-quality surround-sound audio.

The Ford Audio-Video facility will air the Olympics program in two separate areas of the building, one in the 75-seat theater and the other in a 1,000-square-foot demonstration studio.

Abbott compares the new projector's picture quality to that of a plasma television's ultra-clear image on a much larger scale, adding that local movie theaters - with exception of IMAX - do not offer this level of clarity and quality.

While high-definition technology has been out for a couple of years, Abbott said. Only high-definition plasma or LCD monitors have been capable of displaying this quality picture image until recently. If anyone wants to see what local movie theaters' pictures will look like in the future, they can view it for free at our Olympic Opening viewing ceremony.

The Mercury 5,000HD is the first of its kind in the commercial audio/visual market, making it ideal for public displays. Churches, theaters, corporate boardrooms and training facilities are ideal candidates for this product, Abbott said.

It is extremely bright and projects in the new widescreen format, he said. To sum it up, watching this event at the Ford Auditorium will be the next closest thing to sitting in the stands at the Olympics in Athens.

The 31-year-old, Oklahoma City-based Ford Audio-Video has virtually doubled in sales volume within three years. The company maintains 215 employees with a staff of 18 project engineers.

We are one of the largest commercial audio-visual contractors in the United States and have grown rapidly over the past several years due to our quick response to the commercial consumer's demand for higher-technological products, Abbott said.

The AV business is a dynamic industry because of the continuous research by electronics manufacturers to improve quality and affordability. The commercial consumer is becoming more technically savvy with respect to audio-video presentation equipment. In other words, the quest to create and offer better products keeps this industry moving forward.

Ford Audio-Video clients include the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.; Caesars Palace in Las Vegas; Houston Intercontinental Airport; Opryland Convention Center in Nashville; Bronco Stadium and the Colorado Rockies ballpark in Denver; West Angeles Church of God in Los Angeles; and Northrop-Grumman's Cyber Warfare Integration Center in El Segundo, Calif.

Ford Audio-Video engineers, manufacturs, installs, rents and services professional sound, video and lighting systems. Established in 1973, the company has offices in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Denver and Las Vegas.