Hitachi Starboard FX 77 Duo white board gets demoed on video

Hitachi's StarBoard FX 77 Duo multi-touch white board seemed impressive enough when the company announced it late last year, but if you've been waiting to see one in action before you transported your classroom into the future, Hitachi has now got you covered with a couple of demonstration videos. In this case, Hitachi has paired the rig up with its CP-A100 short-throw projector for maximum showoffiness, although it seems you can use it with any projector of your choosing. That, of course, also means that there's no electronics in the board itself, with the necessary cameras and other electronics contained in the sensor bar at the top -- which, as our presenter helpfully informs us, could come in handy if you want to drill a hole through it. Head on past the break for the full show.

[SINNN @ Jul 30th 2008 4:14PM]

1st

[phanbouy @ Jul 30th 2008 4:15PM]

good job, "SINNN/i-sheep". now you can die happy! here, let me help you.

[Lowest Ranked @ Jul 30th 2008 4:18PM]

Leave him alone, he's been waiting since the Laser-Airplane thread to get this right.

[ShadowKain @ Jul 30th 2008 8:14PM]

What is the purpose of first? Theres 100's of threads of month...

[cwj @ Jul 30th 2008 4:17PM]

(insert pirate jokes here)

[Lowest Ranked @ Jul 30th 2008 4:17PM]

I remember a time when teachers would scratch chalk onto slate and use an eraser (think, primitive delete key). And if you were good they would let you take the two erasers outside to be banged together for cleaning. Very, very hygenic btw, but the cloud that resulted was never that tasty.

[Vander @ Jul 30th 2008 4:43PM]

Now if your good, the teacher let you download the current class in your USB drive xD

[Vander @ Jul 30th 2008 4:52PM]

Now if your good, the teacher let you download the current class in your USB drive xD

[um @ Jul 30th 2008 4:17PM]

" could come in hand"

O_o

freudian slip?

[phanbouy @ Jul 30th 2008 4:19PM]

+7 interwebs

[Lowest Ranked @ Jul 30th 2008 4:19PM]

Freudian slip is accident.

No, you see, Donald's sexual, subliminal innuendos are very much on purpose.

[um @ Jul 30th 2008 4:26PM]

Ah, thank goodness for a speedy correction.
(making my comment look stupid)

[Lowest Ranked @ Jul 30th 2008 5:22PM]

You made it easy.

[Jason @ Jul 31st 2008 1:37PM]

+1 for you both for the lovely banter whilst I drink my coffee.

[Vammo @ Jul 30th 2008 4:22PM]

oh fuck! I had one of these when I taught...it was a "smart board" and it sucked. missing parts, incompatible drivers. the POS sat in my room collecting dust for two years until a first year teacher/sucker asked if he could have it.

sucker.

[John @ Jul 30th 2008 6:29PM]

I think you didn't actually. This is one where there's a sensor bar over any old screen, while the older type of smartboard was a special screen.

[MacVicta @ Jul 30th 2008 4:25PM]

Yet another iPhone ripoff.

[phanbouy @ Jul 30th 2008 4:32PM]

mmm. mmhmm. yes. ipod thing. wait, you were saying?

[Lawrence @ Jul 30th 2008 6:18PM]

Retard

[ShadowKain @ Jul 30th 2008 8:10PM]

How is this an iphone ripoff? Its not even remotely close to an iPhone..go an die

[Kevin @ Jul 30th 2008 4:51PM]

That's really cool. I would want one if I taught. Even as a grad student, I can see it if preferable to the laser pointer I use. Not only because of multi-touch, but because my hand gets shaky when I am nervous and makes a pretty pattern.

[AJ @ Jul 31st 2008 2:51AM]

I work in higher ed technology field and I'd suggest you consider otherwise. Even with that super short throw projector they're using in the demo, you can see his shadow falling on the image.

If you're interacting with the board, your class can't see it because you're in the way. Add to that, much of the image is low to the floor, so someone's head is sure to be in the way. If you raise it higher, then you can't reach the top. In large venues like an auditorium, they aren't big enough to be seen clearly from a distance.

There are a handful of the previous generation in my university, and most aren't used. The few that are used undoubtedly seem more useful to the faculty than the students who need to see what they are presenting.

I'm not a Hitachi hater, they make some annotation devices like Starboards too. These are like stylus/touch panel monitors that can be used as an input into your AV system and routed to your projector or other display. In a venue for more than just a few students that's the better route. In a small venue with just a few participants that could gather around, a large flat panel display with a touch panel overlay like a Smart Actalyst would still be a better solution.

[Kevin @ Jul 31st 2008 9:07AM]

I think the idea is that for large venues, this would be placed near the speaker and the primary displays would be large projected images on either side at a higher level. This device would be used to interact with, rather than someone staring down at a laptop as they typically do to make digital changes (as opposed to just pointing at things with a pointer). I can see that you've had bad experiences with them, but I think it looks really nifty.

[pocketchalker @ Jul 30th 2008 7:24PM]

Ya know..I love reading articles but the stupid childish comments make engadget just a waist of space sometimes...you people are such children..This is some cool technology and you idiots just screw with the enjoyment of learning about what is going on around you....

[gary7seven @ Jul 31st 2008 4:34PM]

1. This is marginally new technology. The last classroom tech trade show I went to was littered with interactive whiteboards.

2. Comment reading is certainly optional. Exercise some restraint and sheath your scrolling finger.

*On a related note, can you set up a filter to disable low ranked comments ala YouTube?

[ShadowKain @ Jul 30th 2008 8:10PM]

Image doing a giant mamogram on a screen that size? touching massive boobies? You know you want to? haha

[Holger @ Jul 31st 2008 5:28AM]

hm.. did he say you could use 2 hands? ie. only two hands/inputs?