Using AV Picture Frames

From SPARK

Brief Summary

This is about the transition from using TV/VCRs to DVD players to picture frames in remote areas of the Andes Mountains. It describes advantages each new technology has over the previous technology.

Introduction

The videos of the Gospel of Luke and the book of Genesis have had a great impact on the Quechua culture and in the lives of the people.

Key Factors

• These videos have been dubbed into each of the 15 variations of Quechua, and men have been trained to use them to evangelize and teach these Scriptures to their people.
• The majority of the five million Quechua-speaking people of Peru live in small, isolated villages scattered over the Andes Mountains at altitudes of 5,000 to 12,000 feet above sea level.
• In most of these remote areas there is no electricity.

What Was Done

TV/VCR use in 1980s

To show videos in these areas we started using small 9-inch TV/VCR units with a 12-volt battery and a solar panel to charge the batteries each day. To reach these villages, these men have had to rent mules or donkeys to carry this heavy, bulky equipment. If animals were not available, the men were forced to carry the equipment on their own backs up and down the steep, rocky mountainsides. But it was worth it all when they saw how the people responded to the gospel message when they heard it in their language and saw it in living color.

Introduction to new technology - DVD Players

After 10 years of service the majority of these TV/VCR units were completely worn out, so we began to replace them with 10-inch DVD players that needed very little power to operate and were a fraction of the size and weight of the old TV/VCR units. With these small, light-weight units with built-in batteries, one man could easily travel all through the mountains, reaching the most remote communities with the Gospel.

The advantage of Picture Frames

But after months of use in the extremely dry areas we encountered other problems. Because the men had to travel on dirt roads and trails, we found that fine dirt particles and dust got into the DVD players and on the DVDs causing all kinds of problems.

What was needed was a small, light-weight, sealed unit with no moving parts that used very little energy. Then in 2007-8, the Picture Frame came on the market and could play MP-3 audio and show MP-4 video.

After experimenting with a number of these units, we found that we could compress a four and a half hour video like Luke and Genesis onto a 2-gigabyte SD chip such as is used in digital cameras. This means there are no moving parts like gears, disks, or motors to foul up or drain power. These units can stand on a table or hang flat on a wall like a picture. We decided to try some SUNPAK models with a 12-inch screen because it had good audio-video quality and plenty of volume at a reasonable cost of $150. It also comes with an AC/DC 12-volt adaptor or can operate on a small external battery.

Results

These picture frame units seem to be the solution, but first we want to give them a good field testing before buying in quantity. This year many new models are coming on the market with even larger screens and at lower prices.

Helpful Information from the Author

By: Al Shannon

Date entered: December 2008

Date range of story: 1980-2008

Location: Mountains of Peru