School Systems Embrace Video Conferencing

Jefferson County Schools Take Videoconferencing Mobile

By Dian Schaffhauser,  WRITER, THE JOURNAL
12/12/12

A Colorado school district has gone public with details about its use of video conferencing via mobile devices and PCs to attend meetings, deliver remote classes, practice language skills, and other purposes. Jefferson County Public Schools adopted Polycom video products in 2009. The original goal was to reduce employee travel among the district’s 150-plus sites. Since then, the district has grown to 185 sites, and “Jeffco” staff and faculty have held 10,000 video conferences, according to Steve O’Brien, director of data center operations.

The district, which serves about 86,000 students in Denver and the surrounding communities, runs a robust bring-your-own-device program and has issued almost 3,000 iPads to employees. O’Brien said users have adopted Polycom’s RealPresence Mobile app on their mobile devices and RealPresence Desktop software on their PCs. The district also provides six conference rooms and one technology-rich classroom that have Polycom HDX Series gear installed for group meetings.

According to O’Brien, recent trends say the mobile app is the most popular among his users. Over the course of three days, slightly more than half were using the app on an iPad; slightly less than half were on a desktop. “Virtually everyone who taps into our video conference network was using video right in the classroom or the office. They don’t even have to go down the hall.”

Because the Polycom software integrates with Active Directory and everybody has a login account in Active Directory, setting up a video call is “no big deal,” O’Brien added.

In the classroom teachers have tried out the Polycom software to allow their language students to practice speaking with students in France and Spain. It has also been used by recruiters from distant universities to connect with students at high school career centers. One teacher used the application while overseas to connect with his class. And another used the service to defend his doctoral dissertation with a panel located in Lincoln, NE. “The process was seamless,” said Daniel Price, a chemistry and physics teacher. “There was no lag in communication in terms of audio or video.”

One manager, the district’s director of construction management, conducts her meetings by video, which saves six department employees from having to drive in to district headquarters. When a school librarian job opened up, the district held interviews with out-of-state candidates via the Polycom software.

O’Brien said he expects use of the video collaboration application to continue increasing. “We spent the last couple years focusing on how to deploy video. Now we’re focused on where. And with the advent of mobile devices, that pretty much means everywhere.”

SPACECOAST AV COMMUNICATIONS  | WWW.SPACECOASTAV.COM  | 321-257-9700   |  INFO@SPACECOASTAV.COM

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About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business for a number of publications. 

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Start 2013 off Right with Great Video Conferencing Etiquette

At SpaceCoast AV Communications, video conferencing is our business. Here are a few video conferencing etiquette tips for the best effects.  Little details such as the angle of a camera, the amount of light, and even the clothes you wear can drastically alter the experience and even the results of your meeting. So, before you prepare for your next meeting or conference via video, make sure you’re putting your best virtual self forward. Brush up on your video etiquette, or learn a few tips for success, in our nifty list of video conferencing do’s and don’ts.

 

Do…• Make sure you have the IP address or bridge number.
      Be sure to include dial-in information in calendar 
      invites that you send out. 
• Set your camera presets before starting a call so you 
      can easily adjust them as needed during the call. This 
      is especially important in a large conference room. 
      You can set presets by positioning the camera and
       holding down on a number on the remote until it dings 
      “Preset Stored.”
• Avoid wearing very bright colors or very “busy” patterns;
       light pastels and solid, rich colors look best on screen.
      Stripes and small polka dots can make your meeting 
      attendees dizzy over video

• Close any drapes or blinds if there are windows in the room. Daylight is a variable light  source and can conflict with interior room lighting, especially if it is behind you. If possible, place a light or lamp in front of you, but off camera. • Have a clean desk and bright professional background – solid light to medium blue walls are best.  • Adjust the camera to fill the screen with the people on the call rather than furniture such as  the desk or chairs.  • If it’s just you calling in, place your camera above your monitor at eye level to help maintain  eye contact with others and frame yourself in your camera view from mid-chest to  just above the top of your head. • Speak in your normal voice, without shouting, and do not lean into the microphone. If concerned, ask the people at the other site if they can hear you. • Mute your microphone when not interacting, but always assume you can be seen and heard. • Participate in the video conference as if you are face-to-face, and use natural gestures when you speak.

Don’t…Place your camera in a position that causes 
      you to have to look up or down.
• Display a view of yourself that is too wide or 
      too narrow. 
• Have a background that is messy, contains 
       bright windows, or is too dark or too light.
• Wear loose bracelets or watches as they can 
      cause loud noises when near a microphone.
• Have extra noises in your space, such as 
      phones, computers, or shuffling papers.
• Multi-task, such as sending emails or instant 
      messaging.
• Let people or animals interrupt the call

• Place your microphone too close to your speakers as this may cause feedback or an echo.  • Eat or chew food, even with the microphone muted. • Forget to test all presentation materials if showing content.

Useful Tips for Showing Content:

• Queue up materials before your meeting to make sure they are ready to be shared over video. It’s always a good idea to test your application and system in advance to make sure the content is working.  • You may wish to send materials around to participants in advance in case there are any technology glitches, or if participants are on a system that doesn’t show content well.

Remember, attending a video meeting or conference is just like attending one in person, so make sure to put your best foot forward, and always be prepared.

SpaceCoast AV Communications  |  www.spacecoastav.com  |  Tel: 321.257.9700

SpaceCoast AV upgrades audio system for New Life Presbyterian Church, Fruitland Park, FL

SITUATION

Church leaders needed to upgrade the existing audio system and speaker placement at New Life Presbyterian Church in Fruitland Park, Florida; because audio from the system could not be heard in the first three rows of the sanctuary. The open ceiling and large empty area behind the pulpit also caused clarity of sound issues as well. After looking at several AV company’s bid proposals, the job went to SpaceCoast AV Communications. A particular challenge was the open ceiling and large open space behind the pulpit which caused serious acoustic clarity problems.

OBJECTIVE 

The Church wanted to replace the existing Bose speaker array in the front of the church with a solution that would allow the sound to be directed towards the front three pews while still providing excellent sound quality throughout the sanctuary. In addition the church needed to eliminate the echo and reverberation in the sanctuary while remaining within budget constraints.

Minimizing Labor and Installation Costs

Another benefit of SpaceCoast AV Communications’ choice of speakers was the ease of installation. Trouble-free wiring options, durable design and mounting hardware engineered for any open-ceiling height resulted in cost savings for the church. 

SOLUTION

SpaceCoast AV Communications chose the JBL line of products for New Life Presbyterian.

CBT 70J, with Constant Beamwidth Technology™, provided control consistency, utilizing complex analog delay beam-forming and amplitude tapering to accomplish superior, consistent vertical coverage without the narrow vertical beaming and out-of-coverage lobing that are typical of straight form-factor column speakers.

To provide the extended bass response, extended pattern control, and increased sound output levels, SpaceCoast AV utilized the 70JE. When connected to a CBT 70J line array column speaker, the CBT 70JE Extension provides. The combined array system provides Constant Beamwidth Technology™, which represents a breakthrough in pattern control consistency, utilizing complex analog beamforming and amplitude tapering to accomplish superior, consistent vertical coverage without the narrow vertical beaming and out-of-coverage lobing that are typical of passive column speakers.

 

SpaceCoast AV Communications  |  www.spacecoastav.com  |  Tel: 321.257.9700

Case Study: Allen AME Chapel Audio Visual System Improvements

SITUATION

The Allen AME Chapel of Daytona Beach Florida wanted an improvement to the Design and install of an integrated reinforced audio and visual projection system in time for the District AME Conference.  Allen Chapel asked SpaceCoast AV Communications to improve intelligibility from both the pulpit and stage and incorporate a video system.

The facility, with 70-foot ceilings, and even existing sound soak, with other hard surfaces — created acoustic challenges including echoing and reverberation. In fact, the audio was so poor that parishioners complained they couldn’t hear during church services. Due to structural limitations, it was also essential to reduce bulky equipment and cabling requirements.

SOLUTION

With no existing video system, SpaceCoast AV Communications recommend and installed, for the altar video solution, a low voltage controlled, Da-Lite Screen that would yield a 164”image. For the projection device, a 4000 ANSI lumens Optoma projector was selected because of the high quality video, three (3) year manufacturer warranty, 1 year lamp replacement warranty, express replacement product commitment and cost effective price point. The 3D ready projector, with native WXGA, 3000:1 contrast ratio, also provides Dual VGA, one HDMI, one S-Video, one composite video input and 8 watt speaker audio. With a small form factor of 6.4 lbs, it utilizes the latest technology. It provided crisp high definition video, thorough a single .65” DMD DLP Optical Chip, providing for a maximum resolution of 1080p.

For the rear sanctuary  video, Allen Chapel approved the recommendation to install a fixed frame screen, yielding a 130” viewing area. A short throw projection system by Optoma was utilized for a clean and efficient installation. The TW675, 3200 lumens projector featured the same warranties and inputs as the altar projection system.

For the video solution, SpaceCoast AV installed 2 HD19 robotic cameras, wall mounting brackets, CCU interface and control boxes and a robotic control console. The Camera controller with built-in CCU Control offers Red & Blue Gain, Detail, Iris and Gain controls, Effect joy stick and manual focus controls, seven discrete, auto-sensing RS-232C Camera Control Ports and External control capability.

The addition of multiple displays and video sources required a central video device that allowed the control booth to manage and route the same or different video to the projectors. SpaceCoast AV Communications selected the Kramer VP-66ETH video matrix switcher. The completed system accommodated the need for 4 inputs and 32 outputs leaving room for Allen Chapel to grow and expand their video capabilities.

Finally, key to every reinforced audio design was feedback isolation. Many system designs omit this integral part of the audio system. SpaceCoast AV Communications selected the Sabine FBX2410 Feedback Exterminator. With two (2) units incorporated into the system for the main sanctuary speaker system and the second; for the choir monitor speakers, Allen Chapel was able to eliminate all existing feedback. This unit eliminates the feedback loop heard in many systems. No more high pitched WOOOOOOOOO! 

CONCLUSIONS 

“We looked at proposals from several audio visual companies throughout the state of Florida and we felt SpaceCoast AV did not rake us over the coals on pricing! I was impressed with their commitment to completing the audio visual upgrades to our sanctuary within a very rigid time schedule. However,  What impressed me most was their willingness and commitment to being always available and on site, whenever we needed them to be onsite for the whole process. Their professionalism and  representation of themselves as a Kingdom Business was first class and genuine. I most definitely will refer them to others.” Sr. Pastor Mugala 

SPACECOAST AV is your All-in-One provider for Audio, Video, Communications and IT product sales and service. We do not pretend to compete with department store box sellers. We offer you high end consumer and commercial grade products and services for ALL of your audiovisual communications needs. 
Our installation and integration services cover new construction, remodeling existing infrastructure and simple or complex system add-ons or upgrades. We also offer design services, as built drawing packages, life cycle maintenance and managed personnel services.

      We service the following Market Places; Residential to Business, Education to Healthcare, Houses of Worship to Government and Military, Arts & Entertainment and Media.

      We provide solutions for Home Theater, Home Sound Systems, Conference Rooms, Classrooms, Sanctuary, Videoconferencing, Audio conferencing, Digital Signage, Network Infrastructure, Recording and Streaming, Live Sound, Automation, Presentation, Multimedia, Robotic Cameras, Security Cameras and the list goes on!

You may contact us at 321.257.9700
e-mail –  sales@spacecoastav.com

Melbourne, Fl. 32940  •  Brevard County  •  Central Florida