While a fully-functional prototype of BlackTrax won both IABM (International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers) Game-Changer and PLASA Gold Innovation Awards, the market-ready version of the system is even more advanced, thanks to some ingenious tweaks made to the revolutionary BTBeacon, says the company. CAST engineers have reduced the BTBeacon's thickness by about 50 per cent, making it smaller than an iPhone and less intrusive than a microphone belt-pack, "yet much more powerful", meaning that the BTSolution has expanded beyond a standard theatre application to realtime tracking on large stages, performance areas, ice rinks or arenas.
"For the past year or so we have demonstrated prototypes of the BTBeacon to the amazement, indeed excitement, of the people around the world who checked it out. You used words like: 'unbelievable' and 'out of this world'," recalls Gil Densham, president of CAST Group. "So, if you thought the beta version was compact and advanced, let me amaze you: the FCC & CE-Certified BTBeacon, which is now about half the thickness of the prototype or a pack of cigarettes, can be now tracked in a diameter of up to 160ft (50m) in your Space - a fourfold increase - and runs about eight hours (up by around 25 per cent) between charges, which will take just over two hours in the new BTBeacon Docking Station. Certification of the BTBeacon was the final step on the hardware side; BlackTrax Version 1 is now complete."
In meeting FCC and CE standards, the BTBeacon passed performance and quality assurance tests, conducted by an independent lab, used to determine if it complies with strict US and European directives for consumer protection.
The FCC's Telecommunication Certification Body requires that 'intentional transmitters' must be certified free from harmful RF emissions before a Certificate of Conformity can be awarded. CAST reports that the BTBeacon met the FCC's stringent criteria.
Similarly, the CE Marking (an acronym for the French "Conformité Européenne") certifies a product has met EU health, safety, and environmental requirements that ensure consumer safety. Manufacturers outside the European Union must meet CE Marking requirements where applicable in order to market their products in Europe.
CAST Group chairman Bruce Freeman says, "Taking input from customers, we tweaked the BTBeacon for huge ergonomic and technology gains, filed a patent, earned FCC & CE Certification, and have put it immediately into production. This means we can deliver our BlackTrax Solution anywhere in the world - and we expect to start doing just that within a few weeks."
(Jim Evans)
