Walkthrough Of Crestron Touchpanel – YouTube Video

Level 1, the basic classrooms, included a high definition projector and an electric screen.  Sources to the projector included laptop inputs, a dedicated PC, a document camera, and a BluRay DVD player.  The dedicated PC is integrated into a 22″ HD Smart Sympodium which allows the professor to annotate over all software and video located on the dedicated PC.  Audio from all sources through six to eight ceiling speakers, depending on room size.  The entire room, including lighting,  is controlled via a 4″ Crestron touchpanel.  When the professor enters the classroom, he/she presses “System Start” on the touchpanel and the electric screen lowers, the projector turns on, the audio ramps to the appropriate levels, and the dedicated PC automatically displays on the projection screen.

Level 2, the intermediate classrooms, contain dual high definition projectors and dual high definition electric screens.  Two 46″ LCD’s are mounted on the back wall in each level 2 classroom to provide the professor with dual confidence monitors.  Confidence monitors provide the instructor the ability to see what’s being displayed on the projection screens without turning his/her back to the students.  Wireless lavalier microphones, wireless handheld microphones, and a podium microphone provide voice amplification in these classrooms.  The main purpose of these rooms allows for the ability of classroom to classroom instruction.  Cisco C60′s (formerly Tandberg) were deployed in the six intermediate classrooms and allow the professor to teach to additional students in other local classrooms when large lecture halls are unavailable.  The professor is able to send any two  high-definition sources to each far end projector (ie. Laptop/Doc Cam, Instructor Cam/Dedicated PC, etc).  The entire room, including lighting, is controlled via a 15″ high-definition Crestron touchpanel.

Level 3, the advanced classrooms, mirror the intermediate classrooms in functionality with a few major changes.  The advanced rooms are designed for off-campus distance learning through three Cisco C60′s (formerly Tandberg).  In the Level 3 classrooms, the university is able to deliver classes to other universities, branch campuses, and k-12 classrooms.  Each student seat in the Level 3 rooms have a push-to-talk microphone and a 4″ Crestron touchpanel.  When a student has a question for the professor, the student presses their push-to-mic to unmute the microphone and ask a question.  When the student touches the microphone, the video conferencing camera zooms in on the student asking the question so that far-end classroom can see the face of the student.  After the question is asked, the camera zooms back to full classroom view.  The student’s 4″ Crestron touchpanels provide a very unique and creative use.  When the students enter the classroom, they enter their names on the virtual keypads on the touchpanels.  Once complete, the student’s names appear on a LED board directly in front of their seat so the professor can identify each student by name on the first day of class.  Secondly, these touchpanels allow the professor to hold anonymous polling sessions.  For example, the professor can ask the class a question with and request the students to answer A, B, C, D, and E.  In real-time, the professor sees the anonymous results of the poll on the instructor touchpanel.  Once the poll is complete, the professor can then immediately show the poll results on each student’s local touchpanel.  Professors have found additional creative uses for polling.  For example, one professor asks his students to press A if he is going to fast, B if just right, or C if he’s going to slow.  Since our polling system provides real-time results, the professor is able to tailor his teaching style based on real-time data.  Finally, all the classes in the level 3 rooms can be recorded via a MediaSite recording system.  All classes are then uploaded to a server where students can login and stream any classes they are enrolled in from anywhere in the world.

All classrooms are integrated into Crestron RoomView

which provides the university technicians the ability to monitor all classroom technology remotely.

Crestron Touchpanel

Confidence Monitors Displaying Different Sources: Computer & Document Camera

Loading Up the Trucks for the Installation. That's ALOT of Crestron gear.

Polling Results from Student Touchpanel

Polling Example from Student Touchpanel

Advanced Classroom with Dual HD Projection, Student Touchpanels, Push-To-Talk Microphones, and Video Conferencing Cameras

Intermediate Classroom - Projector, Confidence Monitors and Videoconferencing Camera

Advanced Room Wiring in Progress

Duda Hall - One of Three Campus Buildings that Received Classroom Technology Upgrades

In the local Pittsburgh market, Synergy has a dozen competitors; however, the number of quality competitors is two.  How is a potential client to know which integrators have quality reputations and which ones have poor reputations?  My suggestion is to receive references from their three MOST RECENT projects.  Every company has at least three good references within the last few years, but if you narrow it down to their most recent installations, you can determine the current quality of their AV installations.  AV personnel move from company to company, so a company with a good reputation two years ago does not necessarily mean they have a good reputation in the last six months.  We always say we don’t mind losing on price when it’s to one of the firms with a good reputation who we know will do a good job for the customer.  But the customer really loses out when a lower quality competitor wins on lowest price when the customer expects a high quality installation.

An article from Commercial Integrator (industry magazine) writes that a number of low quality integrators are actually hurting the reputation of the entire AV field.  http://www.commercialintegrator.com/article/how_cis_are_hurting_the_industry

Synergy prides itself on quality and reliability.  If these attributes rank highly in customer’s decision-making criteria, we would be a great fit for that company.

Synergy Media Group – Custom Projection Design for Church - VIDEO FROM YOUTUBE OF OUR INSTALLATION

The outside of the chapel

When not in use, this screen is hidden in the alter and is completely concealed. When in use, it rises from the alter towards the ceiling.

52" LCD displays provide guests better viewing angles of the service.

A high definition pan/tilt/zoom camera mounted on a pillar. Synergy ran the cable through the pillars grout work and the re-grouted it to hide all cabling.

The control center with preview monitors, Crestron touchpanel, camera controls, and a mixer board

A close up of our custom touchpanel design

Just a neat photo of the chapel

Take advantage of leasing opportunities today!  Call Bill McIntosh for more details: 1888-321-0040 x707.

The customer’s technology requirements were high-definition video, video conferencing, audio conferencing, the ability to show multiple images on the projection screen simultaneously, annotation capabilities, and automation of lights, blinds, and all AV equipment.  On top of that, absolutely none of the equipment was to be seen when not in use.

Synergy began collaborating on the design and aesthetics of the room with the architectural firm, the general contractor, and the custom furniture manufacturer to meet the customer’s requirements.  The colors of the equipment were coordinated to blend in with the room, the custom furniture manufacturer was schooled on the pathways, depths, and spacing needed to accommodate the AV integration in the large 28′ long, V-shaped conference room table, and ceiling adjustments were made in order to integrate projector lifts and custom camera lifts.

The major equipment items included Crestron Digital Media Switchers, Crestron DVP-HD, Crestron V-15 Touchpanel, Polycom 8000, Shure mics, Altinex pop-up boxes, and JBL speakers.

Glass wall at the front of Executive Board Room when equipment is not in use. Screen, projector, cameras, and blinds are hidden.

Front of Executive Board Room when Equipment IS in Use.

An extremely small circular microphone is positioned at each seat to pick up the speaker during an audio or video conference call. Power and laptop connections are available in the pop-up box.

Eight-zone intercom system
Sixteen-zone whole house audio system
Thirty-eight zone lighting control system
Sixteen-zone television and video distribution system
Security system
Surveillance system
Climate control
Irrigation control
Voice, data, and phone distribution

Additional automation features include the following:

• Path Illumination – When getting up at night to use the bathroom or to get a drink, sometimes it’s difficult to see where you’re going or find the doorknob. With the help of a motion detector and a little programming, a hallway light dimmed to 25% illuminates your path. Both the hallway lighting and the bathroom lighting do not blind you (and consequently wake me up) but instead, give me just enough light to maneuver to my destination and back without the need to fumble for light switches or door knobs.

Another popular lighting function is triggering the mud room and the kitchen lights to turn on when the garage door is opened. This is especially handy when arriving home from the grocery store; now there’s no need to fumble for light switches as you attempt to carry things from the garage into your home.

• Outdoor lighting – Having the lights actually react to the astronomical clock is very beneficial in that there is no resetting timers or worrying about daylight savings time. Our system allows for the lighting to respond to the sunrise or sunset and adjusts itself.

• Security – Clients who opt to have their homes fully automated and integrated can also tie the lighting control system to the security. If the alarm system is triggered at night or while you are away the entire house can be lit up inside. The program can also make the outdoor lights flash, which will make your home more obvious to the approaching police or fire vehicles. This makes homeowners feel very secure.

• Did I remember to arm the security system? – This was the question that often popped into my head 5 minutes after leaving the house. Now, I simply pull up the house on my iPhone, and verify that the alarm is set.

• The Event Log – Our automation system keeps a log of all activity in the house. We can track everything from how many times the doorbell rang this week to what time the cleaners arrived.

• Security Cameras – You have the ability to view all of your cameras online. This is great both at home or at the office. In addition to acting as a web server, our DVRs create a motion log for easy viewing. To see camera activity, simply click on the log and it will show you each time motion was sensed. You no longer need to watch hours of video to find the event you are looking for!

• Receiving Packages While Away - This happens to all of us; we’re expecting an important delivery but can’t spend the day waiting at home for it. I now simply leave a note on the door asking the delivery person to call me on my cell phone when he arrives. When I receive the call, I remotely open the garage door, watch him put the package inside, and then close the door when he exits. My package is safe and I didn’t have to spend the day waiting at home for it.

• A Greener Lawn with Less Water – A standard irrigation system runs several times a week for specific durations of time. This is fine until the weather changes…
Before automating our sprinkler system, we were constantly frustrated hearing the sprinklers kick on at 6am after it had rained for most of the night. Or, we would look out the window at our evening watering cycle only to see the wind blowing 80% of the water onto the sidewalk.

Our automated irrigation system knows when it rained last and what the current wind speed is. If the lawn got enough water from the rain the night before, it can skip a cycle. If the wind is fiercely blowing, the cycle is delayed until the conditions are calmer and the watering will be more effective. This not only cuts down on your water usage, it ensures your lawn is properly watered.

• Fire Control – If a fire emergency is detected, lights directing to exits will be turned on and the air conditioner will be turned off to stop the spread of smoke.

• Whole House Audio – Listen to the big game throughout the home, or listen to any of your 102,000 songs in your ITunes playlist!

• Pool – Control filters, heaters, and automatic solar covers.