Eiki International, Inc.

Varadero, Cuba… With the advent of improved U.S. – Cuban relations, technological advancement is slowly making its way into the daily lives of the Cuban people. Such is the case at a new multipurpose space operated by the Cardenas SDA Church. The recently constructed space is now outfitted with two EK-600U conference projectors from Rancho Santa Margarita, CA-based Eiki International, Inc.

GJM Sound and Lighting of Placerville, CA, a design / build AV integration firm that also operates a pro touring rental division for sound, lighting, and video, was contracted to outfit the church’s new multipurpose space with the projectors. Greg Mace, the company’s owner, system designer, and lead technician, discussed the intricacies of the project.

“The space that we outfitted with the Eiki projectors is newly built,” Mace reports, “and this is no small accomplishment in Cuba. Originally, the room was to be a used as a meeting space, but almost as soon as we completed our installation, the facility was sold to the Cardenas SDA Church. In the process, the space will be used for more than what was originally envisioned.”

According to Mace, the Eiki EK-600U conference projectors are deployed in two areas of the building: one upstairs in a secondary area and the other downstairs in the main room. Mace discussed the reasons for selecting the Eiki equipment, “With quality construction materials being much harder to come by than what people are accustomed to in the U.S., the overall nature of the building presents a variety of challenges in terms of accommodating electronic equipment. This is due to the fact that the moist sea air and insects permeate everything. To keep conditions tolerable, widows remain open a huge percentage of the time to keep the environment from getting musty. Similarly, stable electricity cannot be taken for granted. As a result, it was imperative we find projectors that were very durable and that could operate under less than ideal conditions—and this is precisely what sets Eiki projectors apart from the competition.”

When asked about those attributes that made the Eiki EK-600U conference projectors so well suited for this project, Mace offered the following thoughts. “Both projectors are suspended and project onto the screens in the same manner, but from different throw distances. As there is a lot of light that enters the building since the windows are almost always open, we need projectors that were very bright and capable of addressing the ambient light conditions. Similarly, we needed projectors with a lens that could fill the screen and create great looking images and could due this from two distinctly different throw distances. The Eiki projectors handled these challenges admirably.”

Knowing the conditions would be less than ideal on this project, Mace sought the advice of Eiki’s customer and technical support staff to ensure he selected a projector capable of addressing the challenges of the job. He reports being very impressed with Eiki. “We have used Eiki products for over 20 years,” Mace said. “The company keeps coming out with new and better product at a cost that is nothing short of amazing. Similarly, technical support is always ready to help with the right product for the job and to ensure the choice of lens will be appropriate. I’ve been very impressed with the company.”

The Cardenas SDA Church project was installed in late July, but was not scheduled to be used until a month later, as Mace explained. “There was no power to the building while we were installing the equipment,” he said. “To ensure everything was configured correctly, we used cables run from the house next door for our electricity. Power is a problem there, as it doesn’t always come on and, when it does, you can’t be certain what voltage you may get. Cuba is very different from what we here in the U.S. are accustomed to.”

With the Eiki projectors in place and the space completed, Mace reports his client is very pleased. “In Cuba, there are very few projectors in service. If something breaks, parts frequently must be smuggled in, so reliability was crucial, and this is where Eiki excels. Our client was so proud that he had screens and projectors. People would come over and sit on the floor just to watch us test the equipment. It was fun to see their faces light up when we showed a movie. Cuba is an amazing place. The people are happy and very friendly, so it was really gratifying to be able to see them enjoy some of the conveniences we take for granted.”

For additional information about GJM Sound and Lighting, contact the company via www.gjmsound.com or call 530-626-5211.

About EIKI

Founded in 1953 in Osaka, Japan, the company established its international network with film projection. The EIKI name literally means "projectors" in Japanese. Today, the company manufactures and markets a broad range of projection technology for education, religion, government and business communication, and offer it through a network of professional audio video dealers. www.eiki.com.   

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